7.13. The trespuissance of Cnute, the am|plenesse of his dominions, the good and cha|ritable fruits of his voiage to Rome redoun|ding to the common benefit of all trauellers from England thither, with what great personages he had conference, and the honour that was doone him there, his in|tollerable pride in commanding the waters of the flouds not to rise, he humbleth himselfe and confesseth Christ Iesus to be king of kings, he refuseth to weare the crowne during his life, he reproueth a gentleman flatterer, his issue legiti|mate and illegitimate, his inclination in his latter yeares, what religious places he erected, repaired, and inriched; what notable men he fauoured and reuerenced, his lawes; and that in causes as well ecclesiasticall as tempo|porall he had cheefe and sole gouernement in this land, whereby the popse vsurped title of vniuersall supremasie is impeached. The xiij. Chapter.

The trespuissance of Cnute, the am|plenesse of his dominions, the good and cha|ritable fruits of his voiage to Rome redoun|ding to the common benefit of all trauellers from England thither, with what great personages he had conference, and the honour that was doone him there, his in|tollerable pride in commanding the waters of the flouds not to rise, he humbleth himselfe and confesseth Christ Iesus to be king of kings, he refuseth to weare the crowne during his life, he reproueth a gentleman flatterer, his issue legiti|mate and illegitimate, his inclination in his latter yeares, what religious places he erected, repaired, and inriched; what notable men he fauoured and reuerenced, his lawes; and that in causes as well ecclesiasticall as tempo|porall he had cheefe and sole gouernement in this land, whereby the popse vsurped title of vniuersall supremasie is impeached. The xiij. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _THis Cnute was the migh|tiest prince that euer reigned ouer the English people:The large do|minion of K. Cnute. Hen. Hunt. Alb. Crantz. for he had the souereigne rule o|uer all Denmark, England, Norwaie, Scotland, and part of Sweiden. Amongest other of his roiall acts, he caused such tolles and tallages as were demanded of way-goers at bridges and stréets in the high way betwixt England and Rome to be diminished to the halfes, and againe got also a moderation to be had in the paiment of the archbishops fées of his realme, which was leuied of them in the court of Rome when they should receiue their palles, as may appeare by a letter which he himselfe being at Rome, directed to the bishops and other of the nobles of England. In the which it also appeareth, that besides the roiall interteinment, which he had at Rome of pope Iohn, he had conference there with the emperour Conrad, with Rafe the king of Burgongne, and manie o|ther great princes and noble men,Grants made to the benefit of Englishmen. at the instance of king Cnute. which were pre|sent there at that time: all which at this request, in fa|uour of those Englishmen that should trauell vnto Rome, granted (as haue said) to diminish such duties as were gathered of passingers.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 He receiued there manie great gifts of the empe|rour,Fabian. and was highlie honored of him, and likewise of the pope, and of all other the high princes at that time present at Rome:Polydor. Matt. West. so that when he came home (as some write) he did grow greatlie into pride, insomuch that being néere to the Thames, or rather (as other write)He caused his chaire to be set there, as Matth. West. saith. Hen. Hunt. vpon the sea strand, néere to South|hampton, and perceiuing the water to rise by reason of the tide, he east off his gowne, and wrapping it round togither, threw it on the sands verie neere the increasing water, and sat him downe vpon it, spea|king these or the like words to the sea:

Thou art (saith he) within the compasse of my dominion, and the ground whereon I sit is mine, and thou knowest that no wight dare disoboie my commandements; I therefore doo now command thée not to rise vpon my ground, nor to presume to wet anie part of thy souereigne lord and gouernour.

But the sea kéeping hir course, rose still higher and higher, and ouerflow|ed not onelie the kings féet, but also flashed vp vnto his legs and knees. Wherewith the king started sud|denlie vp, and withdrew from it, saieng withall to his nobles that were about him:The saieng of king Cnute.

Behold you noble men, you call me king, which can not so much as staie by my commandement this small portion of water. But know ye for certeine, that there is no king but the father onelie of our Lord Iesus Christ, with whome he reigneth, & at whose becke all things are gouerned. Let vs therefore honor him, let vs confesse and professe him to be the ruler of heauen,Zealouslie inough, if it had bm accor|ding to true knowledge. earth, and sea, and besides him none other.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 From thence he went to Winchester, and there with his owne hands set his crowne vpon the head of the image of the crucifix, which stood there in the church of the apostles Peter and Paule,Ran. Higd. Polydor. Matth. West. and from thenceforth he would neuer weare that crowne nor anie other. Some write that he spake not the former words to the sea vpon anie presumptuousnesse of mind, but onelie vpon occasion of the vaine title,Polydor. which in his commendation on of his gentlemen gaue him by way of flatterie (as he rightlie tooke it) for he called him the most mightiest king of all kings,Flatterie re|proued. which ruled most at large both men, sea, and land. Therefore to reprooue the fond flatterie of such vaine persons, he deuised and practised the déed be|fore mentioned, thereby both to reprooue such flat|terers, and also that men might be admonished to consider the omnipotencie of almightie God. He had issue by his wife quéene Emma, a sonne named by the English chronicles Hardiknought, but by the Danish writers Canute or Knute: also a daughter named Gonilda,Polydor. that was after maried to Henrie the sonne of Conrad, which also was afterwards emperour,Alb. Crantz. and named Henrie the third. By his concubine Alwine that was daughter to Alselme, whome some name earle of Hampton, he had two bastard sonnes, Harold and Sweno. He was much giuen in his latter daies to vertue, as he that consi|dered how perfect felicitie rested onelie in godlines and true deuotionPolydor. Fabian. to serue the heauenlie king and gouernour of all things.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 He repared in his time manie churches, abbeies, and houses of religion, which by occasion of warres had béene fore defaced by him and his father, but speciallie he did great cost vpon the abbeie of saint Edmund, in the towne of Burie, as partlie before is mentioned. He also built two abbeies from the foundation, as saint Benets in Norffolke, seuen EEBO page image 182 miles distant from Norwich, and an other in Nor|waie.Which is sup|posed to be Barelow: for A [...]hdone it selfe is halfe a mile from thence. He did also build a church at Ashdone in Essex, where he obteined the victorie of king Edmund, and was present at the hallowing or consecration therof with a great multitude of the lords and nobles of the realme, both English and Danes.1020 He also holpe with his owne hands to remooue the bodie of the holie archbishop Elphegus,Simon Dun. when the same was translated from London to Canturburie. The roiall and most rich iewels which he & his wife quéene Emma gaue vnto the church of Winchester, might make the be|holders to woonder at such their exceeding and boun|tifull munificence.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Thus did Cnute striue to reforme all such things as he and his ancestors had doone amisse, and to wipe awaie the spot of euil dooing, as suerlie to the outward sight of the world he did in deed; he had the archbishop of Canturburie Achelnotus in singular reputation, and vsed his counsell in matters of im|portance.Leofrike earle of Chester. He also highlie fauoured Leofrike earle of Chester, so that the same Leofrike bare great rule in ordering of things touching the state of the com|mon wealth vnder him as one of his chiefe councel|lors. Diuerse lawes and statutes he made for the go|uernment fo the common wealth,King Cnutes lawes. partlie agréeable with the lawes of king Edgar, and other the kings that were his predecessors, and partlie tempered ac|cording to his owne liking, and as was thought to him most expedient: among the which there be di|uerse that concerne causes as well ecclesiasticall as temporall. Whereby (as maister Fox hath noted) it maie be gathered, that the gouernment of spirituall matters did depend then not vpon the bishop of Rome, but rather apperteined vnto the lawfull au|thoritie of the temporall prince, no lesse than matters and causes temporall. But of these lawes & statutes enacted by king Cnute, ye may read more as ye find them set foorth in the before remembred booke of mai|ster Willliam Lambert, which for briefenesse we héere omit.