must keep their eyes far from the sight of money, and
their soul from covetousness, and devote it to the pursuits of war.
Further, they should know that the plunder had been abandoned by the
enemy of set purpose, and that the gold had been scattered rather to
betray them than to profit them. Moreover, the honest lustre of the
silver was only a bait on the barb of secret guile. It was not thought
to be that they, who had first forced the Britons to fly, would lightly
fly themselves. Besides, nothing was more shameful than riches which
betrayed into captivity the plunderer whom they were supposed to enrich.
For the Danes thought that the men to whom they pretended to have
offered riches ought to be punished with sword and slaughter. Let them
therefore feel that they were only giving the enemy a weapon if they
seized what he had scattered. For if they were caught by the look of the
treasure that had been exposed, they must lose, not only that, but
any of their own money that might remain. What could it profit them to
gather what they must straightway disgorge? But if they refuse to abase
themselves before money, they would doubtless abase the foe. Thus it was
better for them to stand erect in valour than be grovelling in greed;
with their souls not sinking into covetousness, but up and doing for
renown. In the battle they would have to use not gold but swords."

As the king ended, a British knight, shewing them all his lapful of
gold, said:

"O King! From thy speech can be gathered two feelings; and one of them
witnesses to thy cowardice and the other to thy ill will: inasmuch as
thou forbiddest us the use of the wealth because of the enemy, and also
thinkest it better that we should serve thee needy than rich. What is
more odious than such a wish? What more senseless than such a counsel?
We recognise these as the treasures of our own homes, and having done
so, shall we falter to pick them up? We were on our way to regain them
by fighting, we were zealous to win them back by our blood: shall we
shun them when they are restored unasked? Shall we hesitate to claim our
own? Which is the greater coward, he who squanders his winnings, or
he who is fearful to pick up what is squandered? Look how chance has
restored what compulsion took! These are, not spoils from the enemy, but
from ourselves; the Dane took gold from Britain, he brought none. Beaten
and loth we lost it; it comes back for nothing, and shall we run away
from it?