7.8. A great waste by an inundation or in|breaking of the sea, a tribute of 30000 pounds to the Danes, king Egelred holdeth a councell at Oxford, where he causeth two noble men of the Danes to be murdered by treason, Ed|mund the king: eldest sonne marieth one of their wiues, and seizeth vpon his [...] lands; Cnute the Damsn king returneth into England, the Damsn and English armies en|counter, both [...]; Cnute maketh waste of certeine [...], Edmund preuenteth [...] purposed treason, Edrike de Streona [...] to the Danes, the Westernemen yeeld to Cnute; Mercia refuseth to be subiect vnto him, Warwikeshire wasted by the Danes; Egelred assembleth an armie against them in vaine; Edmund & Vtred with ioined forces lay waste such countries and people as became subiect to Cnute; his policie to preuent their purpose, through what countries he passed, Vtred submitteth himselfe to Cnute, and deliuereth pledges, he [...] put to death and his lands alienated, Cnute pur|sueth Edmund to London, and prepareth to besiege the citie, the death and buriall of Egelred, his wiues, what issue he had by them, his infortunatenesse, and to what af|fections and vices he was inclined, his too late and bootlesse seeking to releeue his decaied kingdome. The eight Chapter.

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A great waste by an inundation or in|breaking of the sea, a tribute of 30000 pounds to the Danes, king Egelred holdeth a councell at Oxford, where he causeth two noble men of the Danes to be murdered by treason, Ed|mund the king: eldest sonne marieth one of their wiues, and seizeth vpon his [...] lands; Cnute the Damsn king returneth into England, the Damsn and English armies en|counter, both [...]; Cnute maketh waste of certeine [...], Edmund preuenteth [...] purposed treason, Edrike de Streona [...] to the Danes, the Westernemen yeeld to Cnute; Mercia refuseth to be subiect vnto him, Warwikeshire wasted by the Danes; Egelred assembleth an armie against them in vaine; Edmund & Vtred with ioined forces lay waste such countries and people as became subiect to Cnute; his policie to preuent their purpose, through what countries he passed, Vtred submitteth himselfe to Cnute, and deliuereth pledges, he [...] put to death and his lands alienated, Cnute pur|sueth Edmund to London, and prepareth to besiege the citie, the death and buriall of Egelred, his wiues, what issue he had by them, his infortunatenesse, and to what af|fections and vices he was inclined, his too late and bootlesse seeking to releeue his decaied kingdome. The eight Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _BUt now to returne to our purpose, and to shew what chanced in England after the departure of Cnute.1015 In the same yeare to the forsaid ac|customed mischiefes an vn|woontedMatt. VVest. misaduenture hap|pened: for the sea rose with such high spring-tides, that ouerflowing the coun|tries next adioining, diuers villages with the inha|bitants were drowned and destroied.Simon Dun. Also to in|crease the peoples miserie, king Egelred comman|ded, Wil. Malm. Matth. West. A councell at Oxford. Sigeferd and Morcad mur|dered. that 30000 pounds should be leuied to paie the tribute due to the Danes which lay at Gréenewich. This yeare also king Egelred held a councell at Oxford, at the which a great number of noble men were present, both Danes and Englishmen, and there did the king cause Sigeferd and Morcad two noble personages of the Danes to be murdered within his owne chamber, by the traitorous practise of Edrike de Streona, which accused them of some conspiracie. But the quarell was onelie as men sup|posed, for that the king had a desire to their goods and possessions.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Their seruants tooke in hand to haue reuenged the death of their maisters, but were beaten backe, wherevpon they fled into the steeple of saint Fris|wids church, and kept the same, till fire was set vpon the place, and so they were burned to death. The wife of Sigeferd was taken, & sent to Malms|burie, being a woman of high fame and great wor|thinesse, wherevpon the kings eldest sonne named Edmund, tooke occasion vpon pretense of other bu|sinesse to go thither, and there to sée hir, with whome he fell so far in loue, that he tooke and maried hir. That doone, he required to haue hir husbands lands and possessions,Edmund the kings eldest sonne marri|eth the widow of Sigeferd. which were an earles liuing, and lay in Northumberland. And when the king refused to graunt his request, he went thither, and seized the same possessions and lands into his hands, without hauing anie commission so to doo, finding the far|mers and tenants there readie to receiue him for their lord.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Whilest these things were a dooing, Cnute hauing made his prouision of ships and men, with all neces|sarie furniture (as before ye haue heard) for his re|turne into England,Cnute retur|neth into England. set forward with full purpose, either to recouer the realme out of Egelreds hands, or to die in the quarrell. Herevpon he landed at Sandwich, and first earle Turkill obteined licence to go against the Englishmen that were assembled to resist the Danes, [...] and finding them at a place cal|led Scora [...]tan, he gaue them the ouerthrow, got a great bootie, and returned therewith to the ships. Af|ter this, Edrike gouernor of Norwaie made a rode likewise into an other part of the countrie, & with a rich spoile, and manie prisoners, returned vnto the nauie. After this iournie atchiued thus by Edrike, Cnute commanded that they should not waste the countrie anie more, but gaue order to prepare all things readie to besiege London: but before he at|tempted that enterprise, as others write, he mar|ched foorth into Kent, or rather sailing round about that countrie,Wil. Malm. Hen. Hunt. Matth. West. Sim. Dun. tooke his iournie westward, & came to Fromundham, and after departing from thence, wasted Dorsetshire, Summersetshire, & Wiltshire.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 King Egelred in this meane time lay sicke at Cossam;King Egel|red sicke. Matth. West. and his sonne Edmund had got togither a mightie hoast, howbeit yer he came to ioine bat|tell with his enimies, he was aduertised, that earle Edrike went about the betraie him, and therefore he withdrew with the armie into a place of suertie. But Edrike to make his tratorous purpose manifest to the whole world,Edrike de Streona [...]|eth to the Danes. Simon. Dun. The west countrie. The people of Mercia would not yéeld. Matth. West. Hen. Hunt. fled to the enimies with fortie of the kings ships, fraught with Danish souldiers. Herevpon, all the west countrie submitted it selfe vnto Cnute, who receiued pledges of the chiefe lords and nobles, and then set forward to subdue them of Mercia. The people of that countrie would not yéeld, but determined to defend the quarrell and title of king Egelred, so long as they might haue a|nie capteine that would stand with them, and helpe to order them. In the yeare 1016,1016 in Christmas, Cnute and earle Edrike passed the Thames at Kir|kelade, & entring into Mercia, cruellie began with fire and sword to waste and destroie the countrie, and namelie Warwikeshire.Warwikeshire wasted by the Danes.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the meane time was king Egelred recoue|red of his sicknesse,King Egel|red recouered of his sicknesse and sent summons forth to raise all his power, appointing euerie man to resort vnto him, that he might incounter the enimies and giue them battell.He assembleth an armie in vaine. But yet when his people were assem|bled, he was warned to take héed vnto himselfe, and in anie wise to beware how he gaue battell, for his owne subiects were purposed to betraie him. Here|vpon the armie brake vp, & king Egelred withdrew to London, there to abide his enimies within the walles, with whom in the field he doubted to trie the battell. His sonne Edmund got him to Utred, an earle of great power, Wil. Malm. Edmund king Egel|reds sonne. inhabiting beyond Humber, and persuading him to ioine his forces with his, forth they went to waste, those countries that were become subiect to Cnute, as Staffordshire, Leice|stershire, and Shropshire, not sparing to exercise great crueltie vpon the inhabitants, as a punish|ment for their reuolting, that others might take ex|ample thereby.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But Cnute perceiuing whereabout they went, politikelie deuised to frustrate their purpose, and with dooing of like hurt in all places where he came, passed through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Huntingtonshire, and so through the fens came to Stamford, and then entred into Lincolnshire,Cnute, what countries he passed through and from thence into Notinghamshire, & so into Yorke|shire, not sparing to doo what mischiefe might be de|uised in all places where he came. Utred aduertised hereof, was constreined to depart home to saue his owne countrie from present destruction, and there|fore comming backe into Northumberland, & per|ceiuing himselfe not able to resist the puissant force of his enimies, was constreined to deliuer pledges,Earle Utred deliuered pledges to Cnute. and submit himselfe vnto Cnute. But yet was he not hereby warranted from danger, for shortlie af|ter he was taken, and put to death, and then were EEBO page image 175 his lands giuen vnto one Iricke or Iricius,Al [...]ds Egri|cus. whome afterward Cnute did banish out of the realme, be|cause that he did attempt to chalenge like authoritie to him in all points as Cnute himselfe had. After that Cnute had subdued the Northumbers, he pur|sued Edmund, till he heard that he had taken Lon|don for his refuge, and staied there with his father. Then did Cnute take his ships,Cnute prepa|reth to besiege London. and came about to the coasts of Kent, preparing to besiege the citie of London.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the meane time,King Egel|red departed this life. Simon Dun. Matth. West. king Egelred sore worne with long sicknesse, departed this life on the 23 of Aprill, being saint Georges day, or (as others say) on saint Gregories day, being the 12 of March, but I take this to be an error growen, by mistaking the feast|day of saint Gregorie for saint George. He reigned the tearme of 37 yeares,He is buried in the church of S. Paul at London. or little lesse. His bodie was buried in the church of saint Pauls, in the north Ile besids the quéere, as by a memoriall there on the wall it maie appeare. He had two wiues (as before is mentioned.) By Elgina his first wife he had issue thrée sonnes, Edmund, Edwine, and Adelstane; be|sides one daughter named Egiua. By his second wife Emma, daughter to Richard the first of that name, duke of Normandie, and sister to Richard the second, he had two sonnes, Alfrid and Edward.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 This Egelred (as you haue heard) had euill suc|cesse in his warres against the Danes, and besides the calamitie that fell thereby to his people, manie other miseries oppressed this land in his daies, not so much through his lacke of courage and slouthfull negligence, as by reason of his presumptuous pride, whereby he alienated the hearts of his people from him.The pride of king Egelred alienated the harts of his people. His affections he could not rule, but was led by them without order of reason, for he did not onlie disherit diuerse of his owne English subiects wish|out apparant cause of offense by plaine forged cauil|lations; and also caused all the Danes to be mur|dered through his realme in one day, by some light suspicion of their euill meanings: but also gaue him|selfe to lecherous lusts, in abusing his bodie with naughtie strumpets, for saking the bed of his owne lawfull wife, to the great infamie & shame of that high degrée of maiestie, which by his kinglie office he bare and susteined. To conclude, he was from his tender youth more apt to idle rest, than to the ex|ercise of warres; more giuen to pleasures of the bo|die, than to anie vertues of the mind: although that toward his latter end, being growen into age, and taught by long experience of worldlie affaires, and proofe of passed miseries, he sought (though in vaine) to haue recouered the decaied state of his common wealth and countrie.

¶In this Egelreds time, and (as it is recorded by a British chronographer) in the yéere of our Lord 984, one Cadwalhon, the second sonne of Ieuaf tooke in hand the gouernance of Northwales, and first made warre with Ionauall his coosen, the sonne of Meyric, and right heire to the land, and slue him, but Edwall the yoongest brother escaped awaie priuilie. The yéere following, Meredith the sonne of Owen king or prince of Southwales, with all his power entered into Northwales, and in fight slue Cadwalhon the sonne of Ieuaf, and Meyric his bro|ther, and conquered the land to himselfe. Wherein a man maie sée how God punished the wrong, which Iago and Ieuaf the sonnes of Edwall Uoest did to their eldest brother Meyric,Sée the histo|rie of Cam|briae pag. 62, 63 who was first disherited, and afterward his eies put out, and one of his sonnes slaine. For first Ieuaf was imprisoned by Iago; then Iago with his sonne Constantine, by Howell the son of Ieuaf: and afterward the said Howell, with his brethren Cadwalhon and Meyric, were flaine and spoiled of all their lands.