6.8. Osrike king of Northumberland lea|ueth the kingdome to Edelbert reuoked out of exile, king Alfwalds sons miserablie slaine, Osred is put to death, Ethelbert putteth away his wife and marieth another, his people rise against him therefore and kill him, Oswald succeeding him is driuen out of the land; Ardulfe king of Northumberland, duke Wade raiseth warre against him and is discomfited; duke Aldred is slaine; a sore battell fought in Northumberland, the English men aflict one another with ciuill warres; king Ardulfe depo|sed from his estate; the regiment of the Northumbers refused as dangerous and deadlie by destinie, what befell them in lieu of their disloialtie; the Danes inuade their land and are van|quished; the roiall race of the Kentish kings deca [...]eth, the state of that kingdome; the primasie restored to the see of Canturburie, Egbert (after the death of Britricus) is sent for to vndertake the gouernement of the Westsax|ons, his linage. The eight Chapter.

Osrike king of Northumberland lea|ueth the kingdome to Edelbert reuoked out of exile, king Alfwalds sons miserablie slaine, Osred is put to death, Ethelbert putteth away his wife and marieth another, his people rise against him therefore and kill him, Oswald succeeding him is driuen out of the land; Ardulfe king of Northumberland, duke Wade raiseth warre against him and is discomfited; duke Aldred is slaine; a sore battell fought in Northumberland, the English men aflict one another with ciuill warres; king Ardulfe depo|sed from his estate; the regiment of the Northumbers refused as dangerous and deadlie by destinie, what befell them in lieu of their disloialtie; the Danes inuade their land and are van|quished; the roiall race of the Kentish kings deca [...]eth, the state of that kingdome; the primasie restored to the see of Canturburie, Egbert (after the death of Britricus) is sent for to vndertake the gouernement of the Westsax|ons, his linage. The eight Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _WHen Aswald king of Nor|thumberland was made a|way,Osred. his brother Osred the sonne of Alred tooke vpon him the rule of that kingdom anno 788,788 and within one yeere was expelled,Wil. Mal [...]. Matth. West. Hen. Hunt. Simon Dun. and left the kingdome to Ethelbert or Edelred as then reuoked out of exile, in which he had remained for the space of 1 yéeres, and now being restored, he continued in gouernement of the Nor|thumbers 4 yéeres,Duke Ardell taken and wounded. or (as some say) 7 yéeres; in the second yéere whereof duke Eardulfe was taken and led to Ripon, and there without the gate of the mo|nasterie wounded (as was thought) to death by the said king, but the moonks taking his bodie, and lai|eng it in a tent without the church, after midnight he was found aliue in the church.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Moreouer, about the same time the sonnes of king Alfwald were by force drawne out of the citie of Yorke, but first by a wile they were trained out of the head church where they had taken sanctuarie, and so at length miserablie slaine by king Ethelbert in Wonwaldremere, one of them was named Alfus, & the other Alfwin. In the yéere of our Lord 792,791 Os|red vpon trust of the othes and promises of diuerse noble men, secretly returned into Northumberland, but his owne souldiers for sooke him, and so was he taken, and by king Ethelberts commandement put to death at Cunburge on the 14 day of September.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The same yéere king Ethelbert maried the ladie Alfled the daughter of Offa king of Mercia, forsa|king his former wife which he had, & hauing no iust cause of diuorce giuen on hir part, whereby his people tooke such displeasure against him, that finallie after he had reigned now this second time 4 yéeres, or (as other say) seuen yéeres, he could not auoid the desti|nie of his predecessors, but was miserablie killed by his owne subiects at Cobre, the 18 day of Aprill. Af|ter whome, one Oswald a noble man was ordeined king,Holie [...]ant. Ardulfe. and within 27 or 28 daies after was expelled, and constreined to flie first into the Ile of Lindis|ferne, and from thence vnto the king of Picts.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Then Ardulfe that was a duke and sonne to one Arnulfe was reuoked out of exile, made king, & con|secrated also at Yorke by the archbishop Cumbald, EEBO page image 137 and thrée other bishops, the 25 of Iune, in the yéere 396. About two yeeres after,796 to wit, in the yéere 798, one duke Wade, and other conspirators which had beene also partakers in the murthering of king E|thelbert, raised warre against king Ardulfe, and fought a batte [...]l with him at Walleg, but king Ar|dulfe got the vpper hand,Walalege. and chased Wade and other his enimies out of the field. In the yéere 799.799 duke Aldred that had murthered Ethelbert or Athelred king of Northumberland, was slaine by another duke called Chorthmond, in reuenge of the death of his maister the said Ethelbert. Shortlie after about the same time that Brightrike king of Westsa [...]|ons departed this life, there was a sore battell fought|ten in Northumberland at Wellehare, in the which Alricke the sonne of Herbert,The English [...]en afflicted [...] and manie other with him were slaine: but to rehearse all the battels with their successes and issues, it should be too tedious and irkesome to the readers, for the English people be|ing naturallie hard and high-minded, continuallie scourged each other with intestine warres. About six or seuen yéeres after this battell, king Ardulfe was expelled out of the state.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶Thus ye may consider in what plight things stood in Northumberland, by the often seditions, tu|mults and changings of gouernors, so that there be which haue written, how after the death of king E|thelbert, otherwise called Edelred, diuers bishops and other of the chiefest nobles of the countrie dis|daining such traitorous prince-killings, ciuill sediti|ons, and iniurious dealings, as it were put in dailie practise amongst the Northumbers, departed out of their natiue borders into voluntarie exile, and that from thencefoorth there was not anie of the nobilitie that durst take vpon him the kinglie gouernement amongst them, fearing the fatall prerogatiue there|of, as if it had béene Seians horsse, whose rider came euer to some euill end. But yet by that which is héere|tofore shewed out of Simon Dunelm. it is euident, that there reigned kings ouer the Northumbers, but in what authoritie and power to command, it may be doubted.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Howbeit this is certeine, that the sundrie mur|therings and banishments of their kings and dukes giue vs greatlie to gesse, that there was but sorie o|bedience vsed in the countrie, whereby for no small space of time that kingdome remained without an head gouernor, being set open to the prey and iniu|rie of them that were borderers vnto it, and likewise vnto strangers. For the Danes, which in those daies were great rouers,This chanced in the yeere of our [...]ord 790. as Simon Dun. saith. had landed before in the north parts, & spoiled the abbeie of Lindisferne otherwise called holie Iland, and perceiuing the fruitfulnesse of the countrie, and easinesse for their people to in|uade it (bicause that through their priuate quarel|ling there was little publike resistance to be looked for) at their comming home, entised their countrie|men to make voiages into England, and so landing in Northumberland,The Danes inuade Nor|thumberland. did much hurt, and obteined a great part of the countrie in manner without resi|stance, bicause there was no ruler there able to raise|anie power of men by publike authoritie to incoun|ter with the common enimies, whereby the countrie was brought into great miserie, partlie with war of the Danes, and ciuill dissention amongest the nobles and people themselues, no man being of au|thoritie (I say) able to reforme such misorders. Yet we find that the nobles and capteines of the coun|trie assembling togither at one time against the Danes that were landed about Tinmouth,The Danes vanquished. This was in anno 794. as Simon Dun. saith. con|streined them by sharpe fight to flée backe to their ships, and tooke certeine of them in the field, whose heads they stroke off there vpon the shore. The other that got to their ships, suffered great losse of men, and likewise of their vessels by tempest.

¶Here then we are taught that the safest way to mainteine a monarchie, is when all degrées liue in loialtie. And that it is necessarie there should be one supereminent, vnto whome all the residue should stoope: this fraile bodie of ours may giue vs suffici|ent instruction. For reason ruleth in the mind as souereigne, and hath subiect vnto it all the affections and inward motions, yea the naturall actions are di|rected by hir gouernement: whereto if the will be obedient there cannot créepe in anie outrage or dis|order. Such should be the sole regiment of a king in his kingdome; otherwise he may be called Rex à regendo, as Mons àe mouendo. For there is not a greater enimie to that estate, than to admit participants in roialtie, which as it is a readie way to cause a sub|uersion of a monarchie; so it is the shortest cut ouer to a disordered anarchie. But to procéed in the historie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 After that Alrike (the last of king Witchtreds sonnes, which reigned in Kent successiuelic after their father) was dead, the noble ofspring of the kings there so decaied, and began to vade awaie, that euerie one which either by flattering had got ri|ches togither, or by seditious partaking was had in estimation, sought to haue the gouernement, and to vsurp the title of king, abusing by vnworthie means the honor and dignitie of so high an office. Amongest others, one Edbert or Edelbert,Edelbert. surnamed also Prenne, gouerned the Kentishmen for the space of two yeares, and was in the end vanquished by them of Mercia, and taken prisoner, as before is said: so that for a time he liued in captiuitie, and although afterwards he was set at libertie, yet was he not receiued againe to the kingdome, so that it is vn|certeine what end he made. Cuthred that was ap|pointed by Kinevulfe the king of Mercia, to reigne in place of the same Edbert or Edelbert, continued in the gouernement eight yéeres as king, rather by name than by act, inheriting his predecessors euill hap and calamitie, through factions and ciuill discord.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 After that Iambrith or Lambert the archbishop of Canturburie was departed this life,Lambert. one Edelred was ordeined in his place, vnto whome the prima|sie was restored, which in his predecessors time was taken awaie by Offa king of Mercia, as before is recited. Also after the death of Eubald archbishop of Yorke, another of the same name called Eubald the second was admitted to succeed in that sée. Af|ter that Brightrike the king of Westsaxons was departed this life, messengers were sent with all spéed into France, to giue knowledge thereof vnto Egbert, which as before is shewed, was constrei|ned by the said Brightrike to depart the countrie. At the first, he withdrew vnto Offa king of Mercia, with whome he remained for a time, till at length (through suit made by Brightrike) he perceiued he might not longer continue there without danger to be deliuered into his enimies hands; and so Offa winking at the matter, he departed out of his coun|trie, and got him ouer into France. But being now aduertised of Brightriks death, and required by earnest letters sent from his friends to come and receiue the gouernement of the kingdome, he retur|ned with all conuenient spéed into his countrie, and was receiued immediatlie for king,Egbert recei|ued as king of Westsaxons His linege. by the generall consent of the Westsaxons, as well in respect of the good hope which they had conceiued of his woorthie qualities and aptnesse to haue gouernement, as of hid roiall linage, being lineallie descended from I|nigils the brother of king Inas, as sonne to Alke|mound, that was the sonne of one Eaffa, which Eaf|fa was sonne to Ope the sonne of the foresaid Ini|gils.