'eþel þysne / Æþelredes eard' - Byrhtnoth outlines his obligations to his King, establishing his duty to his lord and his expectations of his own men. In short he is being both patriotic but more importantly loyal. See also his reference to 'urne eard' ('our land/soil') in line 58, which shows he felt he was defending England and its people from an enemy invader. This is reinforced in lines 151 and 203 when Byrhtnoth is referred to as Æþelræd's earl.