5.36. Cadwallader king of Britaine, the peo|ple are brought into great miserie, and he forced to flee the land, he dieth at Rome, the British writers noted of error, Ceadwalla king of the Westsaxons, the kingdome is diuided; the valo|rous mind of Ceadwalla, he is forced to forsake his countrie, he vanquisheth and killeth Edilwalke king of the Westsaxons, his returne into his kingdome with reuenge vpon Berthun duke of Sussex and other his heauie friends, his vow if he might con|quer the Ile of Wight, his bountifull offer to bishop Wilfrid, the Ile of Wight, receiueth the faith; Ceadwalla inuadeth Kent, of a barbarous warriour he becommeth a religious chri|stian, his vertues, his death and buriall at Rome; Egfrid king of Northumberland inuadeth Ireland, he is slaine by Bru|deus king of the Picts; the neglect of good counsell is dangerous; Etheldreda a wife and a widow (hauing vowed chastitie) liued a virgine 12 yeeres with hir husband Egfride, she was called saint Auderie of Elie. The xxxvj. Chapter.

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Cadwallader king of Britaine, the peo|ple are brought into great miserie, and he forced to flee the land, he dieth at Rome, the British writers noted of error, Ceadwalla king of the Westsaxons, the kingdome is diuided; the valo|rous mind of Ceadwalla, he is forced to forsake his countrie, he vanquisheth and killeth Edilwalke king of the Westsaxons, his returne into his kingdome with reuenge vpon Berthun duke of Sussex and other his heauie friends, his vow if he might con|quer the Ile of Wight, his bountifull offer to bishop Wilfrid, the Ile of Wight, receiueth the faith; Ceadwalla inuadeth Kent, of a barbarous warriour he becommeth a religious chri|stian, his vertues, his death and buriall at Rome; Egfrid king of Northumberland inuadeth Ireland, he is slaine by Bru|deus king of the Picts; the neglect of good counsell is dangerous; Etheldreda a wife and a widow (hauing vowed chastitie) liued a virgine 12 yeeres with hir husband Egfride, she was called saint Auderie of Elie. The xxxvj. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _BUt now to returne vnto that which is found in the British histories,Cadwal|lader. by the te|nor wherof it should appeare, that when their king Cad|wallo was dead, his son Cad|wallader succéeded him in go|uernement of the Britains, in the yéere of our Lord 678,676 saith Matth. West. which was about the 10 yéere of the emperour Constantius Paganotus, and in the 13 yéere of the reigne of Childericus king of France. This Cadwallader, being the sonne of Cadwallo,Galfrid. was begot by him of the halfe sister of Penda king of Mercia, for one father begot them both, but of two sundrie mothers, for she had to mo|ther a ladie descended of the noble blood of the West|saxons, and was maried vnto Cadwallo when the peace was made betwixt him and hir brother the said Penda. After that Cadwallader had reigned the space of 12 yéeres (as Geffrey of Monmouth saith) or (as others write) but 3 yéeres, the Britains were brought into such miserie through ciuill discord, and also by such great and extreme famine as then reig|ned through all the land,Cadwallader constreined to forsake the land. that Cadwallader was con|streined with the chéefest part of his people to forsake their natiue countrie, and by sea to get them ouer in|to Britaine Armorike, there to séeke reliefe by vit|tels for the sustentation of their languishing bodies.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶Long processe is made by the British writers of this departure of Cadwallader, & of the Britains out of this land, and how Cadwallader was about to haue returned againe, but that he was admonished by a dreame to the contrarie, the which bicause it sée|meth but fabulous, we passe ouer. At length he went to Rome, and there was confirmed in the christian religion by pope Sergius, where shortlie after he fell sicke, and died the 12 kalends of May, in the yeere of our Lord 689.689 But herein appeareth the error of the British writers in taking one for another, by reason of resemblance of names, for where Ceadwalla king of the Westsaxons about that time mooued of a reli|gious deuotion, after he was conuerted to the saith, went vnto Rome, and was there baptised, or else confirmed of foresaid pope Sergius, and shortlie after departed this life in that citie in the foresaid yéere of 689 or therabouts. The Welshmen count him to be their Cadwallader: which to be true is ve|rie vnlike by that which may be gathered out of the learned writings of diuers good and approoued au|thors.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 THis Ceadwalla king of the Westsaxons suc|ceeded after Centwine or Centiuinus,Cead|walla. which Centwine reigned nine yéeres,Wil. Malm. Beda. though it should ap|peare by that which is written by authors of good cre|dit, that during two of those yéeres at the least, the kingdome of Westsaxons was diuided betwixt him and Elcuinus or Escuinus, so that he should not reigne past seuen yeeres alone.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But now to Ceadwalla,Wil. Malm. Ranulf. Cest. whome some take to be all one with Cadwallader, we find that he was lineallie descended from Cutha or Cutwine, the bro|ther of Ceauline or Keuling king of Westsaxons, as sonne to Kenbert or Kenbright that was sonne to Ceadda the sonne of the foresaid Cutha or Cut|win. Thus being extract of the noble house of the kings of Westsaxons, he prooued in his youth a per|sonage of great towardnesse, and such a one as no small hope was of him conceiued: he would let no occasion passe wherein he might exercise his force, to shew proofe of his high valiancie, so that in the end with his woorthie attempts shewed therein, he pur|chased to himselfe the enuie of those that ruled in his countrie, by reason whereof he was banished in a conspiracie made against him.Ceadwalla driuen to de|part out of the countrie. Wherevpon he tooke occasion as it were in reuenge of such vnthankeful|nesse to withdraw out of his countrie, leading with him all the principall youth of the same, the which ei|ther pitieng his present estate, or mooued with plea|sure taken in his valiant dooings, followed him at his going into exile.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The first brunt of his furious attempts after he was out of his countrie, Edilwalke the king of the Southsaxons tasted, who in defense of himselfe com|ming to trie battell with Ceadwalla, was slaine with the most part of all his armie. Ceadwalla then perceiuing the valiant courages of his souldiers, filled with good hope of this happie atchiued victorie, returned with good and prosperous spéed into his owne countrie, and that yer he was looked for, and earnestlie pursuing his aduersaries, droue them out of the kingdome, and taking vpon him to rule the same as king, reigned two yéeres, during the which he atchiued diuers notable enterprises.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 And first,Beda lib. 4. cap. 15. whereas Berthun and Authun dukes of Sussex & subiects vnto the late king Edilwalke, had both expelled him out of that countrie, after he had slaine the said Edilwalke, and also taken vpon them the rule of that kingdome, hauing now attei|ned to the gouernement of the Westsaxons, he in|uaded the countrie of Sussex againe, and slue Ber|thun in battell,Berthun a duke of Sus|sex slaine. bringing that countrie into more bondage than before. He also set vpon the Ile of Wight, and well-néere destroied all the inhabitants, meaning to inhabit it with his owne people. Hee bound himselfe also by vow,Ceadwalla his vow. The Ile of Wight con|quered. although as yet he was not baptised, that if he might conquer it, he would giue a fourth part thereof vnto the Lord. And in performance of that vow, he offered vnto bishop Wilfride (who then chanced to be present) when he had taken that Ile, so much therof as conteined 300 housholds or families, where the whole consisted in 1200 housholds. Wilfrid receiuing thankefullie the gift, deliuered the same vnto one of his clearks na|med Bernewine that was his sisters sonne, appoin|ting to him also a priest named Hildila, the which should minister the word and the sacrament of bap|tisme vnto all those that would receiue the same. Thus was the Ile of Wight brought to the faith of Christ last of all other the parties of this our Bri|taine,The Ile of Wight recei|ueth the saith. after that the same faith had failed here by the comming of the Saxons.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Moreouer, king Ceadwalla inuaded the king|dome of Kent, where he lost his brother Mollo, as af|ter shall appéere, but yet he reuenged his death with great slaughter made of the inhabitants in that countrie. Finallie, this worthie prince Ceadwalla, EEBO page image 125 turning himselfe from the desire of warre and bloud|shed, became right courteous, gentle and liberall to|wards all men, so that ye could not haue wished more vertuous manners to rest in one as yet not christened. And shortlie after, willing to be admit|ted into the fellowship of the christians (of whose re|ligion he had taken good tast) he went to Rome, where of pope Sergius he was baptised, and named Peter, and shortlie after surprised with sickenesse, he died, and was buried there within the church of saint Peter in the yeere of our Lord 689.689

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 In the meane while,Beda. li [...]. 4. cap. 26. that is to say, in the yeere of our Lord 684, Egfride king of Northumberland sent an armie vnder the guiding of a capteine na|med Bertus into Ireland, the which wasted that countrie, sparing neither church nor monasterie, sore indamaging the people of that countrie,Ireland inua|ded b [...] the Northum|bers. which had euer beene friends vnto the English nation, and de|serued nothing lesse than so to be inuaded and spoiled at their hands. The Irish men defended themselues to their power, beséeching God with manie a salt teare, that he would reuenge their cause in puni|shing of such extreme iniuries. And though cursers may not inherit the kingdome of heauen, yet they ceased not to curse, hoping the sooner that those which with good cause were thus accursed, should woorthilie be punished for their offenses by God, & so (peraduen|ture) it fell out. For in the yeere following, the said Egfride had lead an armie into Pictland against Brudeus king of the Picts,King Egfride slain by Bru|deus king of the Picts. and being trained into straits within hils and craggie mounteins, he was slaine with the most part of all his armie, in the yeere of his age 40, and of his reigne 15, vpon the 13 kalends of Iune.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 There were diuers of Egfrides friends, and namelie Cutberd (whome he had aduanced the same yéere vnto the bishops sée of Lindesferne) that adui|sed him in no wise, either to haue taken this warre in hand against the Picts, or the other against them of Ireland, but he would not be counselled, the pu|nishment appointed for his sinnes being such, that he might not giue eare to his faithfull friends that ad|uised him for the best. From that time foorth, the hope and power of the English people began to decaie. For not onelie the Picts recouered that part of their countrie which the Englishmen had held before in their possession, but also the Scots that inhabited within this Ile,These Bri|tains were those vndout|tedlie y^t dwelt in the north|west parts of this Ile, and is not ment onlie by them of Wales. and likewise some part of the Bri|tains tooke vpon them libertie, which they kept and mainteined a long time after, as Beda confesseth.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 Egfride died without issue, & left no children behind him. He had to wife one Ethelreda or Etheldrida, daughter vnto Anna king of the Eastangles, which liued with hir husband the forsaid Egfride twelue yéeres in perfect virginitie (as is supposed) contrarie to the purpose of hir husband, if he might haue per|suaded hir to the contrarie, but finallie he was con|tented that she should kéepe hir first vow of chastitie which she had made.Echelreda. She was both widow and vir|gine when he maried hir, being first coupled in wed|locke with one Eunbert a noble man, and a ru|ler in the south parts of the countrie, where the peo|ple called Giruij inhabited, which is the same where the fennes lie in the confines of Lincolnshire, [...]. Norf|folke, Huntingtonshire, & Cambridgeshire, howbeit be liued with hir but a small while. After she had ob|teined licence to depart from the court, she got hir first into Coldingham abbeie, and there was profes|sed a nun. Then she went to Elie, and there restored the monasterie, and was made abbesse of the place, in the which after she had gouerned seuen yeeres, she departed this life, and was there buried. This same was she which commonlie is called saint Audrie of Elie, had in great reuerence for the opinion concei|ued of hir great vertue aand puritie of life.