There was obviously no more to be made of Athelstane; or, as Wamba expressed it, in a phrase which has descended from Saxon times to ours, he was a cock that would not fight.
Athelstane-t nyilván nem lehetett már feltüzelni, vagy, ahogy Wamba mondta olyan szóval, amely a szász időkből mindmáig ránk maradt: olyan kakas volt, amely nem akar viaskodni.