6.20. Adelstane subdueth Constantine king of Scots, Howell king of Wales, and Wul|ferth king of Northwales, the Scots possesse a great part of the north countries, Adelstane con|quereth the Scots for aiding Godfrie his enimie; a miracle declaring that the Scots ought to obey the king of Eng|land; king Adelstane banisheth his brother Edwin, he is for a conspiracie drowned in the sea, Adelstane repenteth him of his rigour (in respect of that misfortune) against his brother; Aulafe sometimes king of Northumberland inuadeth Eng|land, he disguiseth himselfe like a minstrell and surueieth the English campe vnsuspected, he is discouered after his depar|ture, he assaileth the English campe, Adelstane being comfor|ted with a miracle discomfiteth his enimies, he maketh them of Northwales his tributaries, he subdueth the Cornish|men, his death; the description of his person, his ver|tues, of what abbeis & monasteries he was foun|der, his estimation in forren realmes, what pretious presents were sent him from other princes, and how he bestowed them; a remembrance of Guy the erle of Warwike. The xx. Chapter.

Adelstane subdueth Constantine king of Scots, Howell king of Wales, and Wul|ferth king of Northwales, the Scots possesse a great part of the north countries, Adelstane con|quereth the Scots for aiding Godfrie his enimie; a miracle declaring that the Scots ought to obey the king of Eng|land; king Adelstane banisheth his brother Edwin, he is for a conspiracie drowned in the sea, Adelstane repenteth him of his rigour (in respect of that misfortune) against his brother; Aulafe sometimes king of Northumberland inuadeth Eng|land, he disguiseth himselfe like a minstrell and surueieth the English campe vnsuspected, he is discouered after his depar|ture, he assaileth the English campe, Adelstane being comfor|ted with a miracle discomfiteth his enimies, he maketh them of Northwales his tributaries, he subdueth the Cornish|men, his death; the description of his person, his ver|tues, of what abbeis & monasteries he was foun|der, his estimation in forren realmes, what pretious presents were sent him from other princes, and how he bestowed them; a remembrance of Guy the erle of Warwike. The xx. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _AFter that king Adelstane had subdued them of Nor|thumberland, he was aduer|tised, that not onelie Con|stantine king of Scots, but also Huduale or Howell K. of Wales went about a pri|uie conspiracie against him. EEBO page image 155 Herevpon with all conuenient spéed assembling his power,Wil. Malm. he went against them, and with like good for|tune subdued them both, and also Uimer or Wul|ferth R. of Northwales, so that they were constrei|ned to submit themselues vnto him, who shortlie af|ter moued with pitie in considering their sudden fall, restored them all three to their former estates, but so as they should acknowledge themselues to gouerne vnder him, Matth. West. The noble saieng of king Ade [...]stane. pronouncing withall this notable sai|eng, that More honorable it was to make a king, than to be a king.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Ye must vnderstand,926 that (as it appeareth in the Scotish chronicles) the Scotishmen in time of wars that the Danes gaue the English nation, got a part of Cumberland and other the north countries into their possession, and so by reason of their néere adioi|ning vnto the confines of the English kings, there chanced occasions of warre betwixt them, as well in the daies of king Edward, as of this Adelstane his sonne, although in déed the Danes held the more part of the north countries, till that this Adelstane conquered the same out of their hands, and ioined it vnto other of his dominions, constreining as well the Danes (of whome the more part of the inhabi|tants then consisted) as also the Englishmen, to o|bey him as their king and gouernour. Godfrie (as is said) being fled to the Scots,Polydoc. did so much preuaile there by earnest sute made to king Constantine, that he got a power of men, and entring with the same into Northumberland, besiged the citie of Du|resme, soliciting the citizens to receiue him, which they would gladlie haue doone, if they had not per|ceiued how he was not of power able to resist the puissance of king Adelstane: and therefore doub|ting to be punished for their offenses if they reuol|ted, they kept the enimies out.934 King Adelstane being sore moued against the king of Scots, that thus aided his enimies, raised an armie, and went northward, purposing to reuenge that iniurie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 At his comming into Yorkshire,Ran. Higd. he turned out of the way, to visit the place where saint Iohn of Be|uerlie was buried, and there offered his knife, pro|mising that if he returned with victorie, he would re|déeme the same with a woorthie price: and so procee|ded and went forwards on his iournie, and entring Scotland,Sim. Dun. wasted the countrie by land vnto Dunfoa|der and Wertermore, and his nauie by sea destroied the coasts alongst the shore, euen to Catnosse, and so he brought the king of Scots and other his eni|mies to subiection at his pleasure,The Scots subdued. constreining the same K. of Scots to deliuer him his son in hostage.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 It is said, that being in his iournie néere vnto the towne of Dunbar, he praied vnto God, that at the instance of saint Iohn of Beuerlie,A token she|wed iniracu|lo [...]ske that the Scots ought to be subiect to the kings of England. it would please him to grant, that he might shew some open token, whereby it should appeare to all them that then liued, and should he [...] succéed, that the Scots ought to [...] subiect vnto the kings of England. Herewith, the king with his sword s [...]ote vpon a great stone standing néere to the castle of Dunbar, and with the stroke, there appeared a clift in the saine stone to the length of [...], which remained to be shewed as a [...] backe to [...], he redeemedes es year after. At his [...] his knife with a large price, as before he had promised.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 After this was Edwin the kings brother a coused of some conspiracie by him begi [...] against the king, wherevpon he was banished the land, and sent out in an old rotten vessell without rower or mariner, onelie accompanied with one esquier,Wil. Malm. Matt. West. so that beingstanding néere to the castle of Dunbar, and with the lanched foorth from the shore,934. through despaire Ed|win leapt into the sea, and drowned himselfe, but the esquier that was with him recouered his bodie, and brought it to land at Withsand besides Cantur|burie. But Iames Maier in the annales of Flan|ders saieth, that he was drowned by fortune of the seas in a small vessell, and being cast vp into a créeke on the coast of Picardie, was found by A|dolfe earle of Bullongne that was his coosin ger|mane, and honorablie buried by the same Adolfe in the church of Bertine. In consideration of which déed of pietie and dutie of mindfull consanguinitie, the king of England both hartilie thanked earle Adolfe, and bestowed great gifts vpon the church where his brother was thus buried. For verelie king Adel|stane after his displeasure was asswaged,Repentance too late. and hea|ring of this miserable end of his brother, sore repen|ted himselfe of his rigour so extended towards him, in so much that he could neuer abide the man that had giuen the information against him, which was his cupbearer, so that on a time as the said cupbea|rer serued him at the table, and came towards him with a cup of wine, one of his feet chanced to slide, but he recouered himselfe with the helpe of the other foot, saieng,

One brother yet hath holpen & succored the other: which words cost him his life.

For the king remembring that by his accusation he had lost his brother that might haue béene an aid to him, caused this said cupbearer to be straight put to death.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In this meane while,Wil. Malm. Aulafe the sonne of Sithe|rike,had giuen the information against him, which was late king of Northumberland (who is also na|med by writers to be king of the Irishmen, and of manie Ilands) assembled a great power of Danes, Irishmen, Scots, and other people of the out Iles, and imbarked them in 615 ships and craiers, with the which he arriued in the mouth of Humber, and there comming on land, began to inuade the coun|trie.937 This Aulafe had maried the daughter of Con|stantine king of Scots,Simon Dun. by whose procurement, not|withstanding his late submission, Aulafe tooke in hand this iournie. King Adelstane aduertised of his enimies arriuall, gathered his people, and with all conuenient spéed hasted towards them, and appro|ching néerer vnto them, pitcht downe his field at a place called by sonne Brimesburie, by others Bri|mesford, and also Brunaubright,Hen. Hunc. and by the Sco|tish writers Browmingfield.Wil. Malm.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 When knowledge hereof was had in the enimies campe,Matth. West. Aulafe enterprised a maruelous exploit, for taking with him an harpe,Hector Boet. he came into the Eng|lishhis late submission,Ran. Higd. Aulafe tooke in campe,Aulafe disgui|sed, commeth to view the English camp offring himselfe disguised as a minstrell, to shew some part of his cunning in musicke vpon his instrument: and so being suffered to passe from tent to tent, and admitted also to plaie afore the king, surueied the whole state and order of the armie. This doone, he returned, meaning by a cammisado to set vpon the kings tent. But one that had serued as a souldier sometime vnder Aulafe, chanced by mar|king his demeanour to know him, and after he was gone, vttered to the king what he knew. The king séemed to be displeased, in that he had not told him so much before Aulafs departure: but in excusing himselfe, the souldier said:

Ye must remember (if it like your grace) that the same faith which I haue gi|uen vnto you, I sometime owght vnto Aulafe, ther|fore if I should haue betraied him now, you might well stand in doubt least I should hereafter doo the like to you: but if you will follow mine aduise, re|moue your tent, least happilie he assaile you vn|wares.

The king did so, and as it chanced in thegone, vttered to the king what he knew. The king night following,Aulafe assai|leth the En|glish campe. Aulafe came to assaile the En|glish campe, and by fortune comming to the place where the kings tent stood before, he found a bishop lodged, which with his companie was come the same day to the armie, and had pitcht vp his tent in that place from whence the king was remoued: and so was the same bishop, and most part of his men there slaine. which slaughter executed, Aulafe passed for|ward, EEBO page image 156 and came to the kings tent, who in this meanegone, vttered to the king what he knew. The king time, by reason of the alarum raised, was got vp, and taking to him his sword in that sudden fright, by chance it fell out of the scabbard, so that he could not find it, but calling to God and S. Aldelme (as saith Polychron.) his sword was restored to the scab|bard againe.Ran. Higd. The king comforted with that mira|cle, boldlie preased foorth vpon his enimies, and so valiantlie resisted them, that in the end he put them to flight, and chased them all that morning and day following, Wil. Malm. The enimies discomfited. so that he slue of them an huge number. Some haue written, that Constantine king of Scots was slaine at this ouerthrow, and fiue other small kings or rulers, with 12 dukes, and welnéere all the armie of those strange nations which Aulafe had gathered togither. But the Scotish chronicles affirme, that Constantine was not there himselfe, but sent his sonne Malcolme, which yet escaped sore hurt and wounded from the battell, as in the same chronicles ye may sée more at large.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 When K. Adelstane had thus vanquished his eni|mies he went a|gainst them of Northwales, whose rulers and prin|ces he caused to come before him at Hereford, and there handled them in such sort, that they couenan|ted to pay him yeerlie in lieu of a tribute 20 pounds of gold,Tribute. 300 pounds of siluer, and 25 head of neate, with hawks and hownds a certeine number. Af|ter this, he subdued the Cornishmen: and whereas till those daies they inhabited the citie of Excester, mingled amongest the Englishmen, so that the one nation was as strong within that citie as the other,The Cornish men subdued. he rid them quite out of the same, and repared the walles, and fortified them with ditches and turrets as the maner then was,Excester re|pared. and so remoued the Cornish men further into the west parts of the countrie, that he made Tamer water to be the confines be|twéene the Englishmen and them.940 Finallie the noble prince king Adelstane departed out of this world,Simon Dun. The decease of king Adel|stane. the 26 day of October, after he had reigned the tearme of 16 yeares. His bodie was buried atmingled amongest the Englishmen, so that the one Malmesburie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 He was of such a stature,The de [...]crip|tion of king Adelstane. as exceeded not the com|mon sort of men, stooping somewhat, and yellowe haired, for his valiancie ioined with courtesie belo|ued of all men, yet sharpe against rebels, and of in|uincible constancie: his great deuotion toward the church appeared in the building, adorning & indow|ing of monasteries and abbeis. He built one at Wilton within the diocesse of Salisburie, and an other at Michelnie in Summersetshire. But besides these foundations, there were few famous mona|steries within this land, but that he adorned the same either with some new péece of building, iew|els, bookes, or portion of lands. He had in excéeding fauour Wolstan archbishop of YorkeWolstan arch|bishop of Yorke. that liued in his daies, for whose sake he greatlie inriched that bishoprike. His fame spread ouer all the parties of Europe,His estima|tion in foraine realmes. so that sundrie princes thought themselues happie if they might haue his friendship, either by affinitie or otherwise: by meanes whereof, he be|stowed his sisters so highlie in mariage as before ye haue heard. He receiued manie noble and rich pre|sents from diuers princes, as from Hugh king of France, horsses and sundrie rich iewels, with cer|teine relikes: as Constantines sword, in the hilt whereof was set one of the nailes wherewith Christ was fastened to the crosse, the speare of Charles the great, which was thought to be the same where with the side of our sauiour was pearced, the banner of saint Maurice, with a part of the holie crosse, andaffinitie or otherwise: by meanes whereof, he be|stowed likewise a part of the thorned crowne: yet Mande|uile saw the one halfe of this crowne in France, and the other at Constantinople, almost 400 yeares af|ter this time, as he writeth. Of these iewels king Adelstane gaue part to the abbie of saint Swithon at Winchester, and part to the abbie of Malmesbu|rie. Moreouer, the king of Norwaie sent vnto him a goodlie ship of fine woorkmanship, with gilt sterne and purple sailes, furnished round about the decke within with a rowe of gilt pauises. ¶In the daies of this Adelstane reigned that right worthie Guy earle of Warwike,Harding. who (as some writers haue re|corded) fought with a mightie giant of the Danes in a singular combat, and vanquished him.