But now to returne to our purpose, and to shew what chanced in England
[Sidenote: 1015. _Matt. West._ _Simon Dun._ _Wil. Malm._]
after the departure of Cnute. In the same yeare to the forsaid
accustomed mischiefes an vnwoonted misaduenture happened: for the sea
rose with such high spring-tides, that ouerflowing the countries next
adioining, diuers villages with the inhabitants were drowned and
[Sidenote: _Matt. West._]
destroied. Also to increase the peoples miserie, king Egelred
commanded, that 30000 pounds should be leuied to paie the tribute due
to the Danes which lay at Greenewich. This yeare also king Egelred
[Sidenote: A councell at Oxford. Sigeferd and Morcad murdered.]
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 supposed, for that the king had a desire to their goods
and possessions.
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 Friswids 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 Malmsburie, being a woman of high fame and great worthinesse,
wherevpon the kings eldest sonne named Edmund, tooke occasion vpon
pretense of other businesse to go thither, and there to sÈe hir, with
whome he fell so far in loue,
[Sidenote: Edmund the kings eldest sonne marrieth the widow of
Sigeferd.]
that he tooke and maried hir. That doone, he required to haue hir
husbands lands and possessions, 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 farmers
and tenants there readie to receiue him for their lord.
[Sidenote: Cnute returneth into England.]
Whilest these things were a dooing, Cnute hauing made his
prouision of ships and men, with all necessarie furniture (as before
ye haue heard) for his returne into England, set forward with full
purpose, either to recouer the realme out of Egelreds hands, or to die
[Sidenote: _Encomium EmmÊ_.]
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 called
Scorastan, he gaue them the ouerthrow, got a great bootie, and
returned therewith to the ships. After 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 attempted that
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm_. _Hen. Hunt_. _Matth. West_. _Sim. Dun_.]
enterprise, as others write, he marched foorth into Kent, or rather
sailing round about that countrie, tooke his iournie westward, & came
to Fromundham, and after departing from thence, wasted Dorsetshire,
Summersetshire, & Wiltshire.
[Sidenote: King Egelred sicke. _Matth. West._]
King Egelred in this meane time lay sicke at Cossam; and his sonne
Edmund had got togither a mightie hoast, howbeit yer he came to ioine
battell with his enimies, he was aduertised, that earle Edrike went
about to betraie him, and therefore he withdrew with the armie
[Sidenote: Edrike de Streona flÈeth to the Danes. _Simon Dun._]
into a place of suertie. But Edrike to make his tratorous purpose
manifest to the whole world, fled to the enimies with fortie of the
kings ships, fraught with Danish souldiers. Herevpon, all the west
[Sidenote: The west countrie]
countrie submitted it selfe vnto Cnute, who receiued pledges of the
chiefe lords and nobles, and then set forward to subdue them of
[Sidenote: The people of Mercia would not yÈeld. _Matth. West_.
_Hen. Hunt._]
Mercia. The people of that countrie would not yÈeld, but
determined to defend the quarrell and title of king Egelred, so long
as they might haue anie capteine that would stand with them, and helpe
[Sidenote: 1016]
to order them. In the yeare 1016, in Christmas, Cnute and earle
Edrike passed the Thames at Kirkelade, & entring into Mercia, cruellie
began with fire and sword to waste and destroie the countrie, and
[Sidenote: Warwikeshire wasted by the Danes.]
namelie Warwikeshire.
[Sidenote: King Egelred recovered of his sicknesse. He assembleth an
armie in vaine.]
In the meane time was king Egelred recouered of his sicknesse, and
sent summons foorth to raise all his power, appointing euerie man to
resort vnto him, that he might incounter the enimies and giue them
battell. But yet when his people were assembled, he was warned to take
hÈed vnto himselfe, and in anie wise to beware how he gaue battell,
for his owne subiects were purposed to betraie him. Herevpon 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
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._ Edmund king Egelreds sonne.]
trie the battell. His sonne Edmund got him to Vtred, an earle of great
power, 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, Leicestershire, and
Shropshire, not sparing to exercise great crueltie vpon the
inhabitants, as a punishment for their reuolting, that others might
take example thereby.
[Sidenote: Cnute, what countries he passed through.]
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, and from thence into Notinghamshire, & so
into Yorkeshire, not sparing to doo what mischiefe might be deuised in
all places where he came. Vtred aduertised hereof, was constreined to
depart home to saue his owne countrie from present destruction, and
therefore comming backe into Northumberland, & perceiuing himselfe not
[Sidenote: Earle Vtred deliuered pledges to Cnute. _Ali˘s_ Egricus.]
able to resist the puissant force of his enimies, was constreined
to deliuer pledges, and submit himselfe vnto Cnute. But yet was he not
hereby warranted from danger, for shortlie after he was taken, and put
to death, and then were his lands giuen vnto one Iricke or Iricius,
whome afterward Cnute did banish out of the realme, because 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 pursued
Edmund, till he heard that he had taken London for his refuge, and
[Sidenote: Cnute prepareth to besiege London.]
staied there with his father. Then did Cnute take his ships, and came
about to the coasts of Kent, preparing to besiege the citie of London.
[Sidenote: King Egelred departed this life. _Simon Dun._
_Matth. West._]
In the meane time, 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
[Sidenote: He is buried in the church of S. Paul at London.]
Gregorie for saint George. He reigned the tearme of 37 yeares, or
little lesse. His bodie was buried in the church of saint Pauls, in
the north Ile besids the quÈere, 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 thrÈe sonnes, Edmund, Edwine, and
Adelstane; besides 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.
This Egelred (as you haue heard) had euill successe 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
[Sidenote: The pride of king Egelred alienated the harts of his
people.]
his people from him. 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 without apparant cause of offense by
plaine forged cauillations; and also caused all the Danes to be
murdered through his realme in one day, by some light suspicion of
their euill meanings: but also gaue himselfe to lecherous lusts, in
abusing his bodie with naughtie strumpets, forsaking the bed of his
owne lawfull wife, to the great infamie & shame of that high degrÈe
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 exercise of warres; more giuen to pleasures of the bodie, 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 yÈere 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 yÈere 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 brother, and conquered the land to himselfe. Wherein a man maie
[Sidenote: SÈe the historie of Cambria pag. 62, 63.]
sÈe how God punished the wrong, which Iago and Ieuaf the sonnes
of Edwall Voell did to their eldest brother Meyric, 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 slaine and
spoiled of all their lands.
* * * * *
_Edmund Ironside succedeth his father in the kingdome, the
spiritualtie favouring Cnute would haue him to be king, the Londoners
are his backe friends, they receiue Edmund their king honorablie and
ioifullie, Cnute is proclaimed king at Southampton, manie of the
states cleaue vnto him, he besiegeth London by water and land, the
citizens giue him the foile, he incountreth with king Edmund and is
discomfited, two battels fought betweene the Danes and English with
equall fortune and like successe, the traitorous stratagem of Edrike
the Dane, king Edmund aduisedlie defeateth Edriks trecherie, 20000
of both armies slaine, Cnute marching towards London is pursued of
Edmund, the Danes are repelled, incountred, and vanquished; queene
Emma prouideth for the safetie of hir sonnes; the Danes seeke a
pacification with Edmund, thereby more easilie to betraie him; Cnute
with his armie lieth neere Rochester, king Edmund pursueth them, both
armies haue a long and a sore conflict, the Danes discomfited, and
manie of them slaine; Cnute with his power assemble at Essex and there
make waste, king Edmund pursuith them, Edrike traitorouslie reuolteth
from the English to succour the Danes, king Edmund is forced to get
him out of the field, the Englishmen put to their hard shifts and
slaine by heapes; what noble personages were killed in this battell,
of two dead bodies latelie found in the place where this hot and
heauie skirmish was fought._