Compare 1577 edition: 1 This Gormo was now a man far striken in age, and blind, hauing small ioie of anie worldlie plea|sures, otherwise than to heare of the welfare and pro|sperous proceedings of his sonnes. When therefore his wife quéene Thira had perfect aduertisement of hir sonnes death, and that neither she nor anie other durst breake the matter vnto hir husband, she deui|sed a shift how to signifie that vnto him by outward signes, which by word of mouth she was afraid to ex|presse, as thus. She caused moorning apparell to be made for hir husband, & putting off his roiall robes, The policie of Thira to sig|nifie to hir husband the death of their sonne Ca|nute. clad him therewith, and other things apperteining to moorners she also put about him, and prepared all such furniture and necessaries as were vsed for fune|rall exequies, witnessing the lamentable griefe con|ceiued for the losse of some friend, with that kind of moorning wéed and funerall ceremonies. Which when Gormo perceiued: Wo is me (saith he) you then signifie the death of my sonne Canute. Where|to she made answer, that he and not she did discouer the truth of that which was meant by those moorning garments; and with that spéech ministred cause of hir husbands death, whereby she became presentlie a widow, not openlie moorning for hir sonne, before she moorned likewise for hir husband: for he tooke such griefe for Canutes death, that immediatlie he died thorough sorow and dolor: so as Thira was thus driuen to lament, as well the death of hir sonne, as Gormo dieth of sorrow. of hir husband both at once. But now to the purpose of the Irish historie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Ye haue thus partlie heard what the Danish wri|ters doo record in their histories, touching the con|quests which their people made in Ireland; but whe|ther the same be meant of that which goeth before, or rather of that which followeth, touching the trade which the Norwegian merchants vsed thither; or whe|ther the Irish writers haue passed these iournies o|uer with silence, which the Danish writers in forme (as before is touched) doo make mention of, I cannot affirme. But like it is that as the Danes, or Nor|mans, whether you will call them, did inuade Ire|land as well as England, France, and Scotland, in those daies according to the report of their writers, and that by waie of open warre as well to conquer the countrie, as to take preies, prisoners, and booties, and not for trade of merchandize onelie: albeit that they might peraduenture so get entrie at the first, as by the Irish histories it should seeme they did shortlie after the slaughter of Turgesius. And afterwards when they saw themselues setled, and perceiued that they began to grow to be enuied of their Irish neighbours, who therevpon would not sticke to mo|lest them as occasions serued, they saw no better meane to assure themselues against their aduersa|ries, than to send vnto their countriemen, which in those daies roued abroad (as before I haue said) in euerie quarter of this our west ocean, waiting for oportunitie to aduance their conquests in each coun|trie where anie thing might be gotten. And so this maie agrée verie well with the Irish writers, whom as I doo not take vpon me to controll, but rather to report the storie as I find it by them written, I will procéed with the order which they follow. After the countrie was deliuered of the tyrannie wherewith it was oppressed by the same Turgesius & his people, Danes or Norwegians whether they were (for so Cambrensis estéemeth them) the Irish-deliuered of seruile bondage, fell to their old woonted vomit, in persecuting each other: and hauing latelie defaced their fortified townes and castels, as receptacles and couerts for the enimie, all sides laie more open to receiue harme.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 This being perceiued and thoroughlie considered, the princes that in the late rule of Turgesius had espied some towardnesse to wealth & ease, fell in hand to discourse the madnesse & follie of their ancestors, which saw not the vse of that which their enimies ab|used: they begun to loth their vnquiet trade of life, to wish either lesse discord, or more strength in each mans dominion; to cast the danger of naked coun|tries, readie to call in the enimies, as the strength of forts & castels was a meane to preserue them from losse. Faine would they haue prouided remedie in this case, if they had knowne how. The former sub|iection, though it seemed intollerable, yet they felt therein procéeding steps towards peace. The gaine that rose of merchandize, rest and suertie to the whole estate of the countrie. For the difference was great betwixt the indeuours of the two nations, Norwe|gians and Irish. The first knew the waie to thriue, might they get some commodious seats and soile. The other had commodities plentie, and cared not for them.