8.1. Edward the third of that name is cho|sen king of England by a generall consent, ambassadours are sent to attend him home|wardes to his kingdome, and to informe him of his election, William duke of Normandie accompani|eth him, Edward is crowned king, the subtill ambition or am|bitious subtiltie of earle Goodwine in preferring Edward to the crowne and betraieng Alfred; the Danes expelled and rid out of this land by decree; whether earle Goodwine was guil|tie of Alfreds death, king Edward marieth the said earles daughter, he forbeareth to haue carnall knowledge with hir, and why? he vseth his mother queene Emma verie hardlie, accusations brought against hir, she is dispossessed of hir goods, and imprisoned for suffering bishop Alwine to haue the vse of hir bodie, she purgeth and cleareth hir selfe after a strange sort, hir couetousnesse: mothers are taught (by hir example) to loue their children with equalitie: hir liberall deuotion to Winchester church cleared hir from infamie of couetous|nesse, king Edward loued hir after hir purgation, why Robert archbishop of Canturburie fled out of England into Nor|mandie. The first Chapter.

Edward the third of that name is cho|sen king of England by a generall consent, ambassadours are sent to attend him home|wardes to his kingdome, and to informe him of his election, William duke of Normandie accompani|eth him, Edward is crowned king, the subtill ambition or am|bitious subtiltie of earle Goodwine in preferring Edward to the crowne and betraieng Alfred; the Danes expelled and rid out of this land by decree; whether earle Goodwine was guil|tie of Alfreds death, king Edward marieth the said earles daughter, he forbeareth to haue carnall knowledge with hir, and why? he vseth his mother queene Emma verie hardlie, accusations brought against hir, she is dispossessed of hir goods, and imprisoned for suffering bishop Alwine to haue the vse of hir bodie, she purgeth and cleareth hir selfe after a strange sort, hir couetousnesse: mothers are taught (by hir example) to loue their children with equalitie: hir liberall deuotion to Winchester church cleared hir from infamie of couetous|nesse, king Edward loued hir after hir purgation, why Robert archbishop of Canturburie fled out of England into Nor|mandie. The first Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _IMmediatlie vpon the deth of Hardiknought,Edward. Hen. Hunt. and before his corps was com|mitted to buri|all,Polydor. his halfe bro|ther Edward, sonne of king Egelred begot|ten of quéene Emma, was chosen to be K. of England, by the generall consent of all the nobles and commons of the realme. Therevpon where ambassadours sent with all spéed into Normandie, to signifie vnto him his election, and to bring him from thence into Eng|land in deliuering pledges for more assurance, that no fraud nor deceit was ment of the Englishmen, but that vpon his comming thither, he should receiue the crowne without all contradiction. Edward then aided by his coosine William duke of Normandie, tooke the sea, & with a small companie of Normans came into England, where he was receiued with great ioy as king of the realme, & immediatlie after was crowned at Win [...]hester by Edsinus then arch|bishop of Canturburie, Hen [...]. Hunt. Wil. Malm. The third of Aprill. 1043 on Easter day in the yeare of our Lord 1043, which fell also about the fourth yeare of the emperour Henrie the third surnamed Niger, in the 12 yeare of Henrie the first of that name king of France, and about the third yeare of Macbeth king of Scotland.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 This Edward the third of that name before the conquest, was of nature more méeke and simple than apt for the gouernement of the realme, & there|fore did earle Goodwine not onelie séeke the destruc|tion of his elder brother Alfred, but holpe all that he might to aduance this Edward to the crowne, in hope to beare great rule in the realme vnder him, whome he knew to be soft, gentle, and easie to be persuaded. But whatsoeuer writers doo report here|of, sure it is, that Edward was the elder brother, and not Alfred: so that if earle Goodwine did shew his furtherance by his pretended cloake of offering his friendship vnto Alfred to betraie him, he did it by king Harolds commandement, and yet it may be that he meant to haue vsurped the crowne to him selfe, if each point had answered his expectation in the sequele of things, as he hoped they would; and therfore had not passed if both the brethren had béene in heauen. But yet when the world framed contra|rie (peraduenture) to his purpose, he did his best to aduance Edward, trusting to beare no small rule vnder him, being knowen to be a man more applia|ble to be gouerned by other than to trust to this owne wit: and so chieflie by the assistance of earle Good|wine EEBO page image 187 (whose authoritie, as appeareth, was not small within the realme of England in those daies) Ed|ward came to atteine the crowne: wherevnto the earle of Chester Leofrike also shewed all the furthe|rance that in him laie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Some write (which seemeth also to be confimed by the Danish chronicles)Ran. Higd. ex Mariano. Alb. Crantz. that king Hardiknought in his life time had receiued this Edward into his court, and reteined him still in the same in most ho|norable wise. But for that it may appeare in the ab|stract of the Danish chronicles, what their writers had of this matter recorded, we doo here passe ouer, referring those that be desirous to know the diuersi|tie of our writers and theirs, vnto the same chroni|cles, where they may find it more at large expressed. This in no wise is to be left vnremembred, that im|mediatlie after the death of Hardiknought, it was not onelie decreed & agreed vpon by the great lords & Polydor. Danes expel|led. nobles of the realme, that no Dane from thence|forth should reigne ouer them, but also all men of warre and souldiers of the Danes, which laie within anie citie or castell in garrison within the realme of England, were then expelled and put out or rather slaine (as the Danish writers doo rehearse.)Simon Dun. Amongst other that were banished, the ladie Gonild neece to king Swaine by his sister,Goni [...] néece to K. Swaine was one, being as then a widow, and with hir two of hir sonnes, which she had then liuing; Heming and Turkill were also caused to auoid. Some write that Alfred the brother of king Edward, came not into the realme till after the death of Hardiknought,Polydor. and that he did helpe to expell the Danes, which being doon, he was slaine by earle Goodwine and other of his complices. But how this may stand, considering the circumstances of the time, with such things as are written by di|uers authors hereof, it may well be doubted. Ne|uerthelesse, whether earle Goodwine was guiltie to the death of Alfred, either at this time, or before, certeine it is, that he so cleared himselfe of that crime vnto king Edward the brother of Alfred, that there was none so highlie in fauour with him as earle Goodwine was,K. Edward marieth the daughter of earle Good|wine. insomuch that king Edward maried the ladie Editha, the daughter of earle Good|wine, begotten of his wife Thira that was sister to king Hardiknought, and not of his second wife, as some haue written. Howbeit, king Edward ne|uer had to doo with hir in fleshlie wise. But whether he absteined because he had happilie vowed chastitie, either of impotencie of nature,Polydor. or for a priuie hate that he bare to hir kin, men doubted. For it was thought, that he estéemed not earle Goodwine so greatlie in his heart,K. Edward absteineth from the com|panie of his wife. as he outwardlie made shew to doo, but rather for feare of his puissance dissembled with him, least he should otherwise put him selfe in danger both of losse of life and kingdome.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Howsoeuer it was, he vsed his counsell in orde|ring of things concerning the state of the common wealth, and namelie in the hard handling of his mo|ther queene Emma,K. Edward dealeth strict|lie with his mother quéene Emma. against whome diuers accusa|tions were brought and alledged: as first, for that she consented to marie with K. Cnute, the publike enimie of the realme: againe, for that she did no|thing aid or succour hir sons while they liued in exile, but that woorse was,Quéene Em|ma despoiled of hir goods. She is accu|sed of dissolute liuing. contriued to make them away; for which cause she was despoiled of all hir goods. And because she was defamed to be naught of hir bodie with Alwine or Adwine bishop of Winche|ster, both she and the same bishop were commit|ted to prison within the citie of Winchester (as some write.)Ran. Higd. Howbeit others affirme, that she was strict|lie kept in the abbie of Warwell, till by way of pur|ging hir selfe,She purgeth hir selfe by the law Orda|lum. after a maruellous manner, in pas|sing barefooted ouer certeine hot shares or plough|irons, according to the law Ordalium, she cleared hir selfe (as the world tooke it) and was restored to hir first estate and dignitie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Hir excessiue couetousnesse,Wil. Malm. without regard had to the poore, caused hir also to be euill reported of. A|gaine, for that she euer shewed hir selfe to be more naturall to the issue which she had by hir second hus|band Cnute, than to hir children which she had by hir first husband king Egelred (as it were declaring how she was affected toward the fathers, by the loue borne to the children) she lost a great péece of good will at the hands of hir sonnes Alfred and Edward: so that now the said Edward inioieng the realme, was easilie iuduced to thinke euill of hir, and there|vpon vsed hir the more vncurteouslie. But hir great liberalitie imploied on the church of Winchester, which she furnished with maruellous rich iewels and ornaments, wan hir great commendation in the world, and excused hir partlie in the sight of manie, of the infamie imputed to hir for the immoderate fil|ling of hir coffers by all waies and meanes she could deuise. Now when she had purged hir selfe, as be|fore is mentioned, hir sonne king Edward had hir euer after in great honor and reuerence.Ran. Higd. And where|as Robert archbishop of Canturburie had béene sore against hir, he was so much abashed now at the matter, that he fled into Normandie, where he was borne. But it should séeme by that which after shal be said in the next chapter, that he fled not the realme for this matter, but bicause he counselled the king to ba|nish earle Goodwine, and also to vse the English|men more strictlie than reason was he should.