6.4. Offa king of Mercia, his manhood and victories against the Kentishmen and Westsaxons, he killeth Egilbert king, of East|angles by a policie or subtill deuise of profered cur|tesie, he inuadeth his kingdome, and possesseth it, the archbishops see of Canturburie remoued to Lichfield; archbi|shop Lambert laboring to defend his prerogatiue is depriued by king Offa, he seizeth vpon churches and religious houses; mistrusting his estate, he alieth himselfe with other prin|ces; he maketh amends for the wrongs that he had doone to churches and religious houses, he goeth to Rome, ma|keth his realme tributarie to the said see, Peter pence paid, he falleth sicke and dieth, places to this day bearing his name in memo|rie of him, the short reigne of his sonne. The fourth Chapter.

Offa king of Mercia, his manhood and victories against the Kentishmen and Westsaxons, he killeth Egilbert king, of East|angles by a policie or subtill deuise of profered cur|tesie, he inuadeth his kingdome, and possesseth it, the archbishops see of Canturburie remoued to Lichfield; archbi|shop Lambert laboring to defend his prerogatiue is depriued by king Offa, he seizeth vpon churches and religious houses; mistrusting his estate, he alieth himselfe with other prin|ces; he maketh amends for the wrongs that he had doone to churches and religious houses, he goeth to Rome, ma|keth his realme tributarie to the said see, Peter pence paid, he falleth sicke and dieth, places to this day bearing his name in memo|rie of him, the short reigne of his sonne. The fourth Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 _AFter that Offa had slaien Bernred the vsurper of theOffa. kingdome of Mercia (as be|fore is mentioned) the same Offa tooke vpon him the go|uernment of that kingdome 758,758 Matth. West. a man of such stoutnesse of stomach, that he thought he should be able to bring to passe all things what|soeuer he conceiued in his mind. He reigned 39 yeares. His dooings were great and maruellous,Wil. Malm. and such as some times his vertues surpassed his vi|ces,The victories of king Offa. Matth. West. 779 and sometime againe his vices séemed to ouer|match his vertues. He ouercame the Kentishmen in a great battell at Otteford, and the Northum|bers also were by him vanquished, and in battell put to flight. With Kenvulfe king of Westsaxons he EEBO page image 132 fought in open battell, and obteined a noble victo|rie, with small losse of his people, although the same Kenwulfe was a right valiant prince, and a good capteine.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Againe, perceiuing that to procéed with craft, should sooner aduance his purpose, than to vse open force against Egilbert king of Eastangles,Falsehood in fellowship. vnder faire promises to giue vnto him his daughter in ma|riage, he allured him to come into Mercia, and re|ceiuing him into his palace, caused his head to be striken off, and after by wrongfull meanes inuaded his kingdome, and got it into his possession: yet he caused the bones of the first martyr of this land saint Albane (by a miraculous meanes brought to light) to be taken vp, and put in a rich shrine ador|ned with gold and stone, building a goodlie church of excellent woorkmanship, and founding a mona|sterie in that place in honor of the same saint,The archbi|shops sée re|moued from Canturburie to Lichfield. which he indowed with great possessions. He remoued the archbishops see from Canturburie vnto Lichfield, thereby to aduance his kingdome of Mercia, as well in dignitie & preheminence of spirituall power as temporall. He made great suit to bring his pur|pose to passe in the court of Rome, and at length by great gifts and rewards obteined it at the hands of pope Adrian the first, then gouerning the Romane sée.785 Matt. VVest. And so Eadulfus then bishop of Lichfield was ad|orned with the pall, and taken for archbishop, ha|uing all those bishops within the limits of king Offa his dominion suffragans vnto him; namelie, Dene|bertus bishop of Worcester, Werebertus bishop of Chester, Eadulfus bishop of Dorcester, Wilnar|dus bishop of Hereford, Halard bishop of Elsham, and Cedferth bishop of Donwich. There remained onelie to the archbishop of Canturburie, the bishops of London, Winchester, Rochester, and Shire|burne.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 This separation continued all the life time of the archbishop Lambert,The archbi|shop Lambert defended his cause. although he trauelled earnest|lie to mainteine his prerogatiue. Now, for that he still defended his cause, and would not reuolt from his will, Offa depriued him of all his possessions & reuenues that he held or inioied within anie part of his dominions. Neither was Offa satisfied here|with, but he also tooke into his hands the possessions of manie other churches, and fléeced the house of Malmesburie of a part of hir reuenues.Offa alieth himselfe with other princes. Because of these & other his hard dooings, doubting the malice of his enimies, he procured the friendship of forren princes. Unto Brightricke king of the Westsaxons he gaue his daugther Ethelburga in mariage. And sending diuers ambassadours ouer vnto Charles the great,Matt. Westm. that was both emperor & king of France, he purchased his friendship at length, athough before there had depended a péece of displeasure betwixt them,The inter|course of mer|chants staied. insomuch that the intercourse for trade of merchandize was staied for a time. One of the am|bassadours that was sent vnto the said Charles (as is reported)Alcwine an Englishman. was that famous clearke Albine or Alc|wine, by whose persuasion the same Charles erec|ted two vniuersities, as in place due and conue|nient may more largelie appeare.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Finallie king Offa (as it were for a meane to appease Gods wrath, which he doubted to be iustlie conceiued towards him for his sinnes and wicked|nesse) granted the tenth part of all his goods vnto churchmen, and to poore people. He also indowed the church of Hereford with great reuenues,Polydor. and (as some write) he builded the abbeie of Bath, pla|cing moonkes in the same, of the order of saint Be|net, as before he had doone at saint Albons. More|ouer he went vnto Rome, about the yeare of our Lord 775,775 and there following the example of Inas kign of the Westsaxons, made his realme subiect by way of tribute vnto the church of Rome, appoin|ting that euerie house within the limits of his domi|nions, should yearelie pay vnto the apostolike see one pennie, which paiment was after named,Peter pence or Rome Scot. Rome Scot, and Peter pence. After his returne from Rome, percei [...]ing himselfe to draw into yeares, he caused his sonne Egfrid to be ordeined king in his life time:Will. Malm [...]. 797 and shortlie after departing out of this world,Offa departed this life. left the kingdome vnto him, after he had go|uerned it by the space of 39 yeares.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Amongst other the dooings of this Offa, which suer|lie were great and maruellous, this may not passe with silence, that he caused a mightie great ditch t [...] be cast betwixt the marshes of his countrie, and the Welsh confines, to diuide thereby the bounds of their dominions.Of [...]ditch. This ditch was called Offditch euer after, and stretched from the south side by Bri|stow, vnder the mountaines of Wales, running northward ouer the riuers of Seuerne and Dée, vn|to the verie mouth of Dee, where that riuer falleth into the sea. He likewise builded a church in War|wikeshire, whereof the towne there taketh name, and is called Offchurch euen to this day. Egfrid taking vpon him rule,Egfrid king of Mercia. began to follow the ap|prooued good dooings of his father, and first restored vnto the churches their ancient priuileges, which his father sometimes had taken from them. Great hope was conceiued of his further good procéeding, but death cut off the same, taking him out of this life, after he had reigned the space of foure moneths, not for his owne offenses (as was thought) but rather for that his father had caused so much bloud to be spilt for the confirming of him in the kingdome, which so small a time he new inioied.