6.12. Burthred king of Mercia with aid be|seegeth the Danes in Notingham, Bas [...]|reeg and Halden two Danish kings with their powers [...] the Westsax [...] they are incoun|tred by [...] ear [...]e of Ba [...]k [...]shire; King [...] giueth them and their cheefe guide a sore [...], what Polydor Virgil recorder touching one [...] king of the Danes, and the warres that Ethelred had with them his death; Edmuisd king of Eastangles giueth battell to the Danes, he yeeldeth himselfe, and for christian religion sake is by them most cruellie murthered, the kingdome of the Eastangles endeth, Guthran a Dane gouerneth the whole countrie, K. Osbright rauisheth the wife of one Bearne a noble man, a bloodie bat|tell insueth therevpon, wherein Os|bright and Ella are slaine. The twelft Chapter.

Burthred king of Mercia with aid be|seegeth the Danes in Notingham, Bas [...]|reeg and Halden two Danish kings with their powers [...] the Westsax [...] they are incoun|tred by [...] ear [...]e of Ba [...]k [...]shire; King [...] giueth them and their cheefe guide a sore [...], what Polydor Virgil recorder touching one [...] king of the Danes, and the warres that Ethelred had with them his death; Edmuisd king of Eastangles giueth battell to the Danes, he yeeldeth himselfe, and for christian religion sake is by them most cruellie murthered, the kingdome of the Eastangles endeth, Guthran a Dane gouerneth the whole countrie, K. Osbright rauisheth the wife of one Bearne a noble man, a bloodie bat|tell insueth therevpon, wherein Os|bright and Ella are slaine. The twelft Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _IN the yeare following,Burthred king of Mer|cia. that is to say, in the third yéere of Ethelreds reigne, he with his brother Alured went to aid Burthred king of Mercia, against the two foresaid Danish capteines Hungar and Ubba, the which were entred into Mercia, and had woon the towne for the winter season. Wherevpon the foresaid E|thelred and Burthred with their powers came to Notingham,Danes besie|ged in No|tingham. and besieged the Danes within it. The Danes perceiuing themselues in danger, made suite for a truce & abstinence from war, which they obtenred and then departed backe to Yorke, where they s [...]urned the most part of all that yeare.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 In the sixt yeare of king Ethelreds reigne, a new armie of great force and power came into the countrie of the Westsaxons vnder two leaders or kings of the Danes,Basreeg and Halden. Basréeg and Halden. They lodged at Reding with their maine armie, and with|in thrée daies after the earle of Berrockshire Edel|wulfe fought at Englefield with two earles of those Danes,Edelwulfe. erl [...] of Bark|shire fought at Englefield with the Danes. vanquished them, and slue the one of those earles, whose name was Sidroc. After this king Ethelred and his brother Alured came with a great host vnto Reading, and there gaue battell vnto the armie of Danes, so that an huge number of people died on both parts, but the Danes had the victorie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 After this also king Ethelred and his brother Alured fought againe with those Danes at Asch|don,The Danes wan the victo|rie at Rea|ding. where the armies on both sides were diuided into two parts, so that the two Danish kings lead the one part of their armie, & certeine of their earles lead the other part. Likewise on the English side king Ethelred was placed with one part of the host against the Danish kings, and Alured with the other part was appointed to incounter with the earles. Herevpon they being on both parts readie to giue battell, the euening comming on caused them to de|ferre it till the morow. And so earlie in the morning when the armies should ioine, king Ethelred stated in his tent the heare diuine seruice, whilest his bro|ther vpon a forward courage hasted to incounter his enimies, the which receiued him so sharplie, and with so cruell fight, that at length, the Englishmen were at point to haue turned their backs. But here|with came king Ethelred and manfullie ended the battell, staied his people from running away, and so encouraged them, and discouraged the enimies, that by the power of God (whom as was thought in the morning he had serued) the Danes finallie were chased and put to flight, losing one of their kings (that is to say) Basreeg or Osréeg,The Danes discomfited. and 5 earles, Si|droc the elder, and Sidroc the yoonger, Osberne, EEBO page image 144 Freine, and Harold. This battell was sore fough|ten, and con [...]inued till night, with the slaughter of manie thousands of Danes. About 14 daies after, king Ethelred and his brother Alured fought eft|soones with the Danish armie at Basing, where the Danes had the victorie.A battell at Merton. Also two moneths after this they likewise fought with the Danes at Merton. And there the Danes, after they had béene put to the woorse,He was bi|shop of Shire|borne as Matt. West. saith. & pursued in chase a long time, yet at length they also got the victorie, in which battell Edmund bishop of Shireborne was slaine, and manie other that were men of woorthie fame and good account.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 In the summer following, a mightie host of the Danes came to Reading, and there soiourned for a time.Polyd. Virg. ¶These things agrée not with that which Po|lydor Virgil hath written of these warres which king Ethelred had with the Danes: for he maketh mention of one Iuarus a king of the Danes,Iuarus. who landed (as he writeth) at the mouth of Humber, and like a stout enimie inuaded the countrie adioining. Against whome Ethelred with his brother Alured came with an armie, and incountring the Danes, fought with them by the space of a whole day togi|ther, and was in danger to haue béene put to the woorse, but that the night seuered them asunder. In the morning they ioined againe: but the death of I|uarus, who chanced to be slaine in the beginning of the battell,Danes put to flight. discouraged the Danes, so that they were easilie put to flight, of whome (before they could get out of danger) a great number were slaine. But after that they had recouered themselues togither, and found out a conuenient place where to pitch their campe, they chose to their capteines Agnerus, and Hubba,Agnerus and Hubba. two brethren, which indeuored themselues by all meanes possible to repaire their armie: so that within 15 daies after, the Danes eftsoones fought with the Englishmen, and gaue them such an ouer|throw, that little wanted of making an end of all in|counters to be attempted after by the Englishmen.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But yet within a few daies after this, as the Danes attended their market to spoile the countrie and range somewhat licentiouslie abroad, they fell within [...]he danger of such ambushes as were laid for them by king Ethelred, that no small slaughter was made of them, but yet not without some losse of the Englishmen. Amongest others, Ethelred himselfe receiued a wound, whereof he shortlie after died. Thus saith Polydor touching the warres which king Ethelred had with the Danes, who yet confesseth (as the trueth is) that such authors as he herein followed, varie much from that which the Da|nish writers doo record of these matters, and name|lie touching the dooings of Iuarus, as in the Danish historie you may sée more at large.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But now to our purpose touching the death of king Ethelred, whether by reason of hurt receiued in fight against the Danes (as Polydor saith) or o|therwise, certeine it is, that Ethelred anon after Easter departed this life,Winborne ab|beie. in the sixt yeare of his reigne, and was buried at Winborne abbey. In the daies of this Ethelred, the foresaid Danish cap|teins,Agnerus. Fabian. Hungar, otherwise called Agnerus, and Hubba returning from the north parts into the countrie of the Eastangles,870 came vnto Thetford, whereof Edmund, who reigned as king in that sea|son ouer the Eastangles,Edmund K. of the East|angles. being aduertised, raised an armie of men, and went foorth to giue battell vn|to this armie of the Danes. But he with his people was chased out of the field, and fled to the castell of Framingham,Framingham castell. where being enuironed with a siege by his enimies,King Ed|ward shot to death. he yéelded himselfe vnto them. And because he would not renounce the christian faith, they bound him to a trée, and shot arrowes at him till he died: and afterwards cut off his head from his bodie, and threw the same into a thicke groue of bu|shes. But afterwards his friends tooke the bodie with the head,Egleseon. and [...]uried the same at Egleseon: where afterward also a faire monasterie was buil|ded by one bishop Aswin, and changing the name of the place, it was after ca [...]ed saint Edmundfbu|rie. Thus was king Edmund put to death by the cruell Danes for his constant confessing the name of Christ, in the 16 yeare of his reigne, and so ceased the kingdome of Eastangles.Wil. Mal [...]. For after that the Danes had thus slaine that blessed man, they con|quered all the countrie, & wasted it,Eastangles without a go|uernour. so that through their tyrannie it remained without anie gouernor by the space of nine yeares, and then they appointed a king to rule ouer it,Guthruns Dane king of Eastangles. whose name was Guthrun, one of their owne nation, who gouerned both the East|angles and the Eastsaxons.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Ye haue heard how the Danes slue Osrike and Ella kings of Northumberland. After which victo|rie by them obteined, they did much hurt in the north parts of this land,Polychron. and amongest other cruell deeds, they destroied the citie of A [...]uid, which was a fa|mous citie in the time of the old Saxons, as by Be|da and other writers dooth manifestlie appeare. Here is to be remembred, that some writers rehearse the cause to be this.Caxton. Osbright or Osrike king of Nor|thumberland rauished the wife of one Berne that was a noble man of the countrie about Yorke, who tooke such great despight thereat, that he fled out of the land, and went into Denmarke, and there com|plained vnto the king of Denmarke his coosin of the iniurie doone to him by king Osbright. Wherevpon the king of Denmarke, glad to haue so iust a quarell against them of Northumberland, furnished foorth an armie, and sent the same by sea (vnder the lea|ding of his two brethren Hungar and Hubba) into Northumberland, where they slue first the said king Osbright, and after king Ella, at a place besides Yorke, which vnto this day is called Ellas croft, ta|king that name of the said Ella, being there slaine in defense of his countrie against the Danes. Which Ella (as we find registred by writers) was elected king by such of the Northumbers, as in fauour of Berne had refused to be subiect vnto Osbright.