Before Bad Times¹

This stands written upon all burghs.

Before the bad time came, was our land the most beautiful in the world. The sun rose higher and there was seldom frost. On the trees, grew fruits and nuts, which are now lost.
Among the grass-seeds had we not only barleycorn, oats and rye but also wheat which looked like gold and which one could bake under the sun beams.

Years were not counted for one year was as blithe as another.
On the one side were we closed in by Wralda’s sea, whereupon no folk but us neither might nor could travel.⁵

On the other side were we surrounded by the broad Germany (Twiskland, Deutschland) through which Finda’s folk could not come because of the overly thick forests and overly wild animals.

In the Orient, we bordered on the outer end of the East Sea, in the Occident, on the Mediterranian, thusly we had about the little streams twelve great sweet pure streams, given us by Wralda to keep our land moist and to show our sea faring folk the way to his sea.

The banks of these pure streams were nearly altogether beset by our folk, also the fields along the Rhein from one end to the other.
Across from the Denmarks and Jutland, had we colonies (lit. folk-plantings) with a burghmaid, there we got copper and iron, as well as tar, pitch and some other needs.

Across from us, formerly Westland there had we Brittania with its tin mines.¹⁰
Brittania, that was the land of the exiles who with the help of their burghmaid, were borne away to keep their bodies.
Though so that they should not come back, is first a B pricked on their foreheads, the murderers with red blood colour and other criminals with blue colour.

About and beyond, had our seamen and merchants many workshops in near Greece and Lydia.
In Lydia, are there the black people.
When thus our land was so wide and great, had we many sundry names.¹⁵

They that sat to the east were called Jutes, they did naught other than to JUTA (scavenge)-amber.
They that sat upon the islands were called Letne for they most all lived (having been) let alone.

All beach and shore dwellers from the Denmarks to the Sandfal, now Scheldt, were Stiurar (helmsmen), Sekampar (seafighters) and Angelara (anglers).
One called earlier the boat fishers, anglers, who fished only with line and hook and never with no net.
They that sat thence unto the near Greeces were simply called Kadhemar (quay dwellers) for they never traveled by boat.²⁰
They that sat in the High marches were called Saxmanna for they were always weaponed against wild beasts and Britons gone wild.
To those above them, had we given the name Landsaton (land-sitters), Marsata (marshsitters) and Holt or wodsata (woodsitters).