6.18. Elfleda the sister of king Edward high|lie commended for gouernment, what a ne|cessarie staie she was vnto him in hir life time, what townes she builded and repared, hir warlike exploits against the Danes, hir death and buriall; the greatest part of Britaine in K. Edwards dominion, he is a great builder and reparer of townes, his death, the dreame of his wife Egina, and the issue of the same, what children king Ed|ward had by his wiues, and how they were emploied, the decay of the church by the meanes of troubles procured by the Danes, England first curssed and why; a prouinciall councell summoned for the reliefe of the churches ruine, Pleimond archbishop of Canturburie sent to Rome, bishops ordei|ned in sundrie prouinces; dissention among writers what pope should denounce the foresaid cursse; a succession of archbishops in the see of Can|turburie, one brother killeth an other. The xviij. Chapter.

Elfleda the sister of king Edward high|lie commended for gouernment, what a ne|cessarie staie she was vnto him in hir life time, what townes she builded and repared, hir warlike exploits against the Danes, hir death and buriall; the greatest part of Britaine in K. Edwards dominion, he is a great builder and reparer of townes, his death, the dreame of his wife Egina, and the issue of the same, what children king Ed|ward had by his wiues, and how they were emploied, the decay of the church by the meanes of troubles procured by the Danes, England first curssed and why; a prouinciall councell summoned for the reliefe of the churches ruine, Pleimond archbishop of Canturburie sent to Rome, bishops ordei|ned in sundrie prouinces; dissention among writers what pope should denounce the foresaid cursse; a succession of archbishops in the see of Can|turburie, one brother killeth an other. The xviij. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _NOt without good reason did king Edward permit vn|to his sister Elfleda the go|uernment of Mercia, during hir life time: for by hir wise and politike order vsed in all hir dooings, he was greatlie furthered & assisted; but speci|allie in reparing and building of townes & castels, wherein she shewed hir noble magnificence,Hen. Hunt. Matth. West. Simon Dun. in so much that during hir gouernment, which continued about eight yéeres, it is recorded by writers, that she did build and repare these towns, whose names here insue: Tamwoorth beside Lichfield, Stafford, War|wike, Shrewsburie,Tamwoorth was by hir repared, anno 914. Eadsburie and Warwike. Watersburie or Weddesburie, Elilsburie or rather Eadsburie,915 in the forrest of De la mere besides Chester,Chester re|pared, 905. Sim. Dun. Brimsburie bridge vpon Seuerne, Rouncorne at the mouth of the riuer of Mercia with other. Moreouer, by hir helpe the citie of Chester, which by Da [...]es had beene greatlie defa|ced, was newlie repared, fortified with walls and turrets, and greatlie inlarged. So that the castell which stood without the walls before that time, was now brought within compasse of the new wall.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Moreouer she boldlie assalted hir enimies which went about to trouble the state of the countrie, as the Welshmen and Danes. She sent an armie into Wales, and tooke the towne of Brecknocke with the queene of the Welshmen at Bricenamere. Also she wan from the Danes the towne of Darbie,Quéene of the Welshmen ta|ken. Brecanamere Ran. Higd. Hen. Hunt. and the countrie adioining.918 In this enterprise she put hir owne person in great aduenture: for a great multi|tude of Danes that were withdrawen into Darbie,Darbie won from the Danes. valiantlie defended the gates and entries, in so much that they slue foure of hir chiefe men of warre, which were named wardens of hir person, euen fast by hir at the verie entrie of the gates. But this notwith|standing, with valiant fight hir people entered, and so the towne was woon: she got diuerse other pla|ces out of their hands, & constreined them of Yorke|shire to agree with hir, so that some of them promised to become hir subiects: some vowed to aid hir, and some sware to be at hir commandement.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Finallie,Hen. Hunt. this martiall ladie and manlie Elfleda, the supporter of hir countriemen, and terrour of the enimies, departed this life at Tamwoorth about the 12 of Iune,Anno Christ in the 18 or rather 19 yéere of hir bro|ther king Edwards reigne,919 as by Matth. West. Matt. West. Simon Dun. it should appeere. But Simon Dunelm. writeth, that she deceassed in the yeere of Christ 915, which should be a|bout the 14 yéere of king Edwards reigne. Hir bodie was conueied to Glocester, and there buried with|in the monasterie of S. Peter, which hir husband and she in their life time had builded, and translated thi|ther the bones of saint Oswill from Bardona. The same monasterie was after destroied by Danes. But Aldredus the archbishop of Yorke,Ranul. who was al|so bishop of Worcester, repared an other in the same citie, that was after the chiefe abbeie there. Finallie, in memorie of the said Elfleds magnanimitie and valorous mind, this epitaph was fixed on hir toome.

O Elfleda potens, ô terror virgo virorum,

O Elfleda potens, nomine digna viri.

Te quóque splendidior fecit natura puellam,

Te probitas fecit nomen habere viri.

Te mutare decet sed solùm nomina sexus,

Tu regina potens réxque trophea parans.

Iam nec Caesareos tantùm mirere triumphos,

Caesare splendidior virgo virago, vale.

O puissant Elfled, ô thou maid of men the dread and feare,Translated by Abraham Fleming.

O puissant Elfled woorthie maid the name of man to beare.

A noble nature hath thee made a maiden mild to bee,

Thy vertue also hath procurde a manlie name to thee.

It dooth but onelie thee become, of sex to change the name,

A puissant queene, a king art thou preparing trophes of fame.

Now maruell not so much at Cae|sars triumphs [trim to vieu;]

O manlike maiden more renowmd than Caesar was, a dieu.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 After the deceasse of Elfleda, king Edward tooke the dominion of Mercia (as before we haue said) in|to his owne hands,This Alfwen was sister to Edelfled, as H. Hunt. saith. and so disherited his néece Alfwen or Elswen, the daughter of Elfleda, taking hir awaie with him into the countrie of Westsax|ons. By this meanes he so amplified the bounds of his kingdome,Strateluid or Stretcled, a kingdome in Wales. that he had the most part of all this I|land of Britaine at his commandement: for the kings of the Welshmen; namelie the king of Stret|cled, and of the Scots, acknowledging him to be their chiefe souereigne lord,K. Edward a great builder and reparer of townes. Notingham bridge built. and the Danes in Nor|thumberland were kept so short, that they durst at|tempt nothing against him in his latter daies: so that he had time to applie the building and reparing of cities, townes, and castels, wherein he so much de|lighted. He builded a new towne at Notingham on the southside of Trent, Matt. West. Manchester repared. Anno 816. Simon Dun. and made a bridge ouer that riuer betwixt the old towne and the new. He also re|pared Manchester beyond the riuer of Mercia in Lancashire, accounted as then in the south end of Northumberland, and he built a towne of ancient writers called Thilwall, neere to the same riuer of Mercia, and placed therein a garrison of souldiers: diuerse other townes and castels he built, as two at Buckingham on either side the water of Ouse (as before is shewed) and also one at the mouth of the ri|uer of Auon.Henr. Hunt. He likewise built or new repared the townes of Tocetor and Wigmore, with diuerse o|ther, as one at Glademuth, about the last yéere of his reigne. Some also he destroied which séemed to serue the enimies turne for harborough, as a castell at Temnesford, which the Danes builded and fortified.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 At length, after that this noble prince king Ed|ward had reigned somewhat aboue the tearme of 23 yéeres, he was taken out of this life at Faringdon: EEBO page image 153 his bodie was conueied from thence vnto Winche|ter, and there buried in the new ab [...]eie. He had thrée wiues, or (as some haue written) but two, affirming that Edgiua was not his wife, but his concu [...]ine of whome he begat his eldest sonne Adelstan,Polydor. who suc|céeded him in the kingdome. This Edgiua (as hath béene reported)A dreame. dreamed on a time that there rose a moone out of hir bellie, which with the bright shine thereof gaue light ouer all England: and telling hir dreame to an ancient gentlewoman, who coniectu|ring by the dreame that which followed, tooke care of hir, and caused hir to be brought vp in good manners and like a gentlewoman, though she were borne but of base parentage.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Heerevpon when she came to ripe yéeres, king Ed|ward by chance comming to the place where she was remaining, vpon the first sight was streight rauished with hir beautie (which is déed excelled) that she could not rest till he had his pleasure of hir, and so begot of hir the foresaid Adelstan: by hir he had also a daugh|ter that was maried vnto Sithrike a Dane and K. of Northumberland.Matt. West. Polydor. The Scotish writers name hir Beatrice, but our writers name hir Editha. His se|cond or rather his first wife (if he were not maried to Eguina mother to Adelstan) was called Elfleda or Elfrida, daughter to one earle Ethelme, by whom he had issue;The issue of K. Edward. to wit, two sonnes Ethelward and Ed|win, which immediatlie departed this life after their father; and six daughters, Elfleda, Edgiua, E|thelhilda, Ethilda, Edgitha, and Elfgiua. Elfleda became a nun, and Ethelh [...]lda also liued in perpetu|all virginitie, but yet in a laie habit.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Edgitha was maried to Charles king of France, surnamed Simplex. [...]has Edgiua And Ethilda by helpe of hir bro|ther Adelstan was bestowed vpon Hugh sonne to Robert earle of Paris,Wil. Malm. for hir singular beautie most highlie estéemed: sith nature in hir had shewed as it were hir whole cunning, in perfecting hir with all gifts and properties of a comelie personage. Edgiua and Elgiua were sent by their brother Adelstan in|to Germanie, vnto the emperor Henrie, who bestow|ed one of them vpon his sonne Otho, that was after emperor, the first of that name; and the other vpon a duke inhabiting about the Alpes: by his last wife named Edgiua, he had also two sonnes, Edmund & Eldred, the which both reigned after their brother A|delstan successiuelie. Also he had by hir two daugh|ters, Edburge that was made a nun, and Edgiue a ladie of excellent beautie, whom hir brother Adelstan gaue in mariage vnto Lewes king of Aquitaine.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Whilest this land was in continuall trouble of warres against the Danes,Ran. Higd. Wil. Malm. Matth. West. as before is touched, small regard was had to the state of the church, in so|much that the whole countrie of the Westsaxons by the space of seuen yéeres togither (in the daies of this king Edward) remained without anie bishop, to take order in matters apperteining to the church. Wherevpon the pope had accurssed the English peo|ple,England first [...]curssed. bicause they suffred the bishops sées to be vacant so long a time. King Edward to auoid the cursse, as|sembled a prouinciall councell,Anno 903. 905, in the which the archbishop of Canturburie Pleimond was presi|dent. Wherein it was ordeined, that whereas the pro|uince of Westsaxons in times past had but two bi|shops, now it should be diuided into fiue diocesses, e|uerie of them to haue a peculiar bishop.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 When all things were ordered and concluded in this synod (as was thought requisite) the archbishop was sent to Rome with rich presents, to appease the popes displeasure. When the pope had heard what or|der the king had taken, he was contented therewith. And so the archbishop returned into his countrie, and in one day at Canturburie ordeined seuen bishops, as fiue to the prouince of Westsaxons, that is to say, Fridestane to the sée of Winchester, Adelstan to S. Ge [...]man in Cornwall,Winchester. Cornwall. Shireborne. Welles. Kirton. Mercia. Werstan to Shireborne, A|delme to Wel [...]es, and Edulfe to Kirton. Also to the prouince of Sussex he ordeined one Bernegus, and to Dorchester for the prouince of Mercia one Ce|nulfus.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶Héere ye must note, Wil. Malm. saith that pope Formosus pronounced this cursse. that where William Malme. Polychro. and other doo affirme, that pope Formosus did accursse king Edward and the English nation, for suffering the bishops sées to be vacant, it can not stand with the agréement of the time, vnlesse that the cursse pronounced by Formosus for this matter long afore was not regarded,904 vntill Edward had re|spect thereto. For the same Formosus began to go|uerne the Romane sée about the yéere of our Lord 892,Polydor. and liued in the papasie not past six yeeres, so that he was dead before king Edward came to the crowne. But how so euer this matter maie fall out, this ye haue to consider: although that Pleimond was sent vnto Rome to aduertise the pope what the king had decréed & doone, in the ordeining of bishops to their seuerall sées, as before ye haue heard, yet (as maister Fox hath noted) the gouernance and directi|on of the church depended chieflie vpon the kings of this land in those daies, as it manifestlie appeereth, as well by the decrees of king Alfred, as of this king Edward, whose authoritie in the election of bishops (as before ye haue heard) séemed then alone to be suf|ficient.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Moreouer, I thinke it good to aduertise you in this place, that this Pleimond archbishop of Canturbu|rie (of whome ye haue heard before) was the 19 in number from Augustine the first archbishop there: for after Brightwold that was the 8 in number, and first of the English nation that gouerned the sée, suc|céeded Taduin, that sat thrée yéeres, Notelin fiue yéeres, Cuthbert 18 yéeres, Brethwin thrée yeeres, Lambert 27 yéeres, Adelard 13 yéeres, Wilfred 28 yéeres. Theologildus or Pleogildus [...] yéeres, Celuo|tus or Chelutus 10 yéeres. Then succéeded Aldred, of whome king Edward receiued the crowne, and he was predecessor to Pleimond.Hen. Hunt. A litle before the death of king Edward, Sithrike the king of Northumber|land killed his brother Nigellus, and then king Rei|nold conquered the citie of Yorke.