EDWIN
In the depths of the forests of the upper Trent valley there was a
wide clearing, and, near the river-bank, on a rising ground sloping
gently inland but abruptly towards the bank, there was an extensive
range of buildings erected round a large court, and surrounded by a
quickset hedge. This was Repton, the royal seat of Kearl the son of
Kinemund, King of the Mercians. Large bodies of men and many tethered
horses were at the foot of the slope. Under the hedge, a few paces from
the gate, sat a handsome young man about twenty-eight years of age,
with his weapons thrown down on the grass beside him. It was evidently
a time of listlessness and peace. He was playing with two little
boys. He was making them go through their _idrottir_, or exercises.
"Now, Eadfrid," said the young man, "stand up by the side of thy tall
brother Offrid." The little lads stood like small sentries. "Mark your
distance, and pick up your clubs." This manoeuvre was also successfully
performed. "Offrid, whirl thy club; Eadfrid, raise thine over thy
head and lower slowly." The boys went to work, looking delighted.
After a time they began playing at ball, while their father looked on,
encouraging them and laughing. Meanwhile there was a stir among the
men at the foot of the hill, and presently seven warriors, splendidly
accoutred, walked up towards the gate, which startled the boys at their
play. The young man rose, and, to his astonishment, the strangers knelt
down and saluted him as their King. He told them to rise and explain
whence they came and who they were. Coelred, Porlor, Lilla, Bassus,
Forthere, Sivel, and Godric stood before Edwin, the son of Ella. They
gave him the message from his sister Alca, and said that they would
fight by his side until he was restored to his throne, and serve him
until death, for his own and his sister's sake. Edwin was a tall man,
like his father and his uncle Elfric, beautifully proportioned, with
fair curling hair, and earnest eyes, which betokened habits of thought
and reflection, unusual in that age. He received his loyal friends
cordially, but without any strong demonstrations, introduced them to
the Mercian King, and saw to their comfort.
At the first opportunity, Coelred explained the state of affairs in
greater detail, and Edwin said it was right that he should put his
position fully before his supporters. "You have doubtless heard,"
he began, "that I was carried off by old Brand when the Bernicians
conquered my country. He took me to the land of Gwynedd, and found
shelter and a home for me near the abode of a good old British priest
named Urien, whose son was my playmate. The grand old warrior watched
over my helpless childhood and my youth. But at last he began to
fail and died. To him I owe my life and all the good that is in me."
Coelred pointed to Forthere and said, "There stands the son of Brand of
Ulfskelf." Edwin at once went up to Forthere, embraced him, and took
both his hands, pressing them affectionately. "As my father was to
thee," said Forthere, "so will I be until death parts us."
Edwin proceeded with his narrative. "When I grew to be a boy, I
remembered the stories of old Brand, and longed to be again among the
English. So I bade farewell to Urien, and to my playmate Rhunn, his
son, who was also intended to be a priest, and went to seek my fortune.
They never tried to convert me to their religion--the British priests
never do--and I worship the gods of my fathers. I will not weary you
with the story of my wanderings and adventures. At last I sought
protection from the King of Mercia. He received me, and treated me as
a brother. I have fought for him in all his wars, and he gave me his
sister Quenberga for my wife. She died, leaving me two little sons. I
am now dependent on the will of my brother-in-law; my horse, even my
arms, are not my own. I cannot even entertain my friends. How then can
I hope to recover my kingdom?" "We have considered all these things,"
said Coelred. "We have not come empty-handed to be a burden to you.
We have enough to equip a bodyguard of a hundred men, well armed and
mounted, with which our King may fight his way from one end of England
to the other, and appear as a worthy son of Ella." Edwin went round and
pressed the hand of each. "How can I express my thanks?" he said. "By
using our services as you see best," they all replied. "But the time is
not yet ripe for the recovery of Deira."
A few days afterwards Edwin called his followers together. "My
brother-in-law, King Kearl of Mercia," he said, "has granted license
to me to take a hundred men into my service. There are tidings from
Wessex that the Britons are gathering together a great army to
overwhelm the sons of Cerdic. Let us offer them our swords and fight
for them, while the course of events in Deira ripens for action." The
proposal was received with acclamation. "There is one thing only that
troubles me, the care of my little sons. I dare not leave them here,"
he continued, "for if anything happened to Kearl, and his cousin, the
savage and brutal Penda, succeeded, they would be as lambs in the jaws
of a wolf." Godric then spoke. "My King," he said, "although I am a
man of the Gainas, I am married in Deira, and came with my friends to
swear obedience to Edwin. I must return to my home, there to prepare
the way for your march northwards at the appointed time. Entrust your
sons to my care. I will guard them with my life. My place is strong, my
followers are true. There will be no suspicion of their identity. They
will be safe."
There were several weeks of preparation. Edwin bade a tender farewell
to his little boys, who rode away with Godric. Soon afterwards he
took leave of his brother-in-law, and fared southwards with his six
paladins, followed by a hundred well-armed Mercian warriors.
The Gewissae had acquired their still disputed territory after a long
and obstinate struggle with the Britons. When Cerdic and his son Cynric
landed in 495 they had to fight on the first day. In 508 there was a
great battle, in which the British king Natan-leod was slain with 5000
men. Cerdic did not assume the position of King of Wessex until 519; he
fought another battle in 527, and conquered the Isle of Wight in 530.
Dying in 534, Cerdic was succeeded by his son Cynric, who fought two
desperate battles with the Britons at Old Sarum and at Banbury, before
he also died in 560. His two sons Ceawlin and Cutha continued the
struggle with great vigour. In 571 Cutha fought the Britons at Bedford,
and captured the four British towns of Lenbury, Aylesbury, Benson, and
Eynsham. Advancing westward, Ceawlin took the towns of Gloucester,
Cirencester, and Bath, and in a great battle killed three British kings
named Comail, Candidan, and Farinmeail at Derham. He fought another
battle at Frethern, taking many towns and vast spoils, but on this
occasion his brother Cutha was slain. Ceawlin was deposed and put to
death in 593, and his successor Ceolwulf had to fight incessantly, that
the Gewissae might hold their own. In 611 Ceolwulf was succeeded by his
nephew Kingils, or Cynegils, who, during his long reign of thirty-one
years, did much to consolidate and extend the realm of Wessex. He
was a grandson of Cutha, the brother of Ceawlin, who were grandsons
of Cerdic. In some way Cynegils had his faithless and truculent son
Cuichelm associated with him in the government, and in 614 the two
leaders were collecting all their forces to the north of the Thames, to
repel a great invasion of the Britons.
Edwin, with his small but effective reinforcement, was received
with great joy by Cynegils. Under the advice of Lilla and Bassus, the
little force was formed into scouting parties, which were of immense
use in keeping Cynegils well informed respecting the movements and
position of the enemy. The two armies gradually approached each other
at a place called Bampton. A council was held, and Edwin advised, at
the suggestion of Bassus, that Cuichelm, who held a separate command,
should be detached round some woods and swampy ground to make a
diversion, while the Kings attacked the hostile army in front. Cuichelm
whispered with his principal thegn, a fierce and savage-looking man
named Eumer, and then spoke against the adoption of Edwin's advice.
After a few more remarks from other thegns, he refused to move. His
force was encamped on a rising ground apart from the main army. "At
least," said Cynegils, "I shall expect you to support me as soon as
the battle begins." "Let your new friends support you," said Cuichelm
brutally, and both he and Eumer scowled sullenly at the strangers.
Eumer was heard to say, "Let us see if these new friends of Cynegils
can win the fight without us. We will not help them." The Britons
were advancing rapidly, and a few hours afterwards Cynegils led
his army to the attack. The fight was long and obstinate. Without
the aid of Cuichelm's force the Britons had a great superiority in
numbers. Cynegils and Edwin were hard pressed. At one time their men
began to give way, but they were gallantly rallied by the paladins
and some of the Wessex thegns, and fought on with renewed vigour.
Message after message was sent to Cuichelm for help, but he would
not move. At length, towards sunset, the Britons began to retreat,
but it was not until their retreat had been converted into a rout
that the recreants led their men down and began the pursuit. It was a
desperately-contested battle, and the Britons left 265 men dead on the
field. Ethelwerd gives the number of slain at 2040. Edwin, Forthere,
and Bassus were wounded, the latter severely. Old Ingebrand, who had
attached himself to Forthere since the death of Hereric, fell fighting
by his side.
Next day Cuichelm and Eumer came to Cynegils to give an account of
the success of their pursuit. Edwin was present, and before all the
thegns declared them to be niddring and unworthy companions. The King
of Deira was then assisted into his camping hut, while Cuichelm and
Eumer cast looks of malignant hatred at the warrior they had treated
so shamefully. The wounds healed under nature's treatment, and the
patients were nearly in a state to resume work, when the King of Wessex
paid a visit to his guest. He seemed ashamed and deeply moved. Thanking
Edwin and his friends warmly for their most efficient aid, he entreated
them to leave the country. "There is a plot against your life," he
said, "and at this moment I cannot promise either to ensure your safety
or to be able effectually to punish the guilty. If anything evil befell
my guests while they were within my jurisdiction, I could not survive
the shame."
Immediate departure could be the only answer to this appeal. Edwin,
with his friends, fared northwards, wanderers and homeless. The
treasure that Coelred brought with him was nearly spent, and it was
necessary to pay and dismiss the Mercian bodyguard. After a long
consultation, Edwin resolved to seek protection from Redwald, the King
of East Anglia.
The kingdom of East Anglia had been founded in about 495 A.D. by Uffa,
a leader of the English, and closely allied to the Deirans, whose
descendants were known as Uffingas. Redwald, who was a grandson of
Uffa, had succeeded in 593. His dominions extended over the territory
included in the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and the
south part of Lincolnshire. Redwald was a sovereign of considerable
capacity. He enjoyed great influence, and after the death of Ethelbert
of Kent in 616 he was acknowledged as Bretwalda. Redwald received Edwin
and his friends with hospitality. They found him at a fortified grange
or country house near Sleaford, not far from the northern frontier of
his dominions; and here they continued to reside, sending messages to
Godric, who assured Edwin that his boys were well, and that the Gainas
and Lindisfarnas were being persuaded to join him, when he should
advance northwards.
It was not long before the presence of Edwin and the great Deiran
thegns at the court of Redwald reached the ears of Ethelfrith the Wild.
He immediately sent messengers offering the East Anglian King a large
sum of money if he would murder Edwin. Redwald indignantly refused.
Soon afterwards a second embassy arrived with the same result. Then
came a third embassy offering the choice of compliance or war. Redwald
hesitated. Ethelfrith had the reputation of being the ablest as well as
the most ruthless leader among the English, and he was very powerful.
The King of East Anglia was fond of "hedging." In after years he had
a chapel containing an altar to Christ and another to Woden, and he
worshipped at both. He promised to deliver Edwin up to Ethelfrith's
envoy or else to make away with him. The interview was secret and at
night, but Coelred and Porlor had the eyes of lynxes in the service
of their master. Among the Bernician envoys they noticed one who was
evidently disguised and ill at ease. They suspected him of being Coifi.
As the envoys went from Redwald's presence to their lodging, the two
brothers seized the man they suspected, hurried him under a clump of
trees, and whispered "Coifi!" He trembled. "Coifi! we know you. If a
hair of our King's head is harmed, we have sworn to kill you. Tell us
everything, or this is your last hour." The wretch confessed all.
Coelred went at once to Edwin's chamber, where he was going to
bed, and told him what was designed by his host. "If you see fit,"
he said, "we will at once take you out of this place, fighting our
way if necessary, and conduct you to Godric's home, where the Gainas
are friendly, and where you will be safe for the time." But Edwin had
lost heart, and for the moment he was overwhelmed by his calamities.
"I thank you for your good will," he replied, "yet I cannot do what
you propose. If I must die, let it rather be by Redwald's hand than
by that of any meaner person." Coelred retired, in great sadness, to
seek his brother, while Edwin dressed and sat against the outer wall of
the palace. He was overwhelmed by many thoughts, not knowing what to
do, or which way to turn. When he had been there a long time, brooding
over his misfortunes in anguish of mind, he saw a person approaching
in the dead of night. The stranger, coming closer, saluted him, and
asked him "why he sat there alone and melancholy on a stone, at that
time of night, when every one else was in bed and fast asleep?" Edwin
in his turn asked, "What is it to thee whether I spend the night within
doors or abroad?" The stranger in reply said, "Do not think that I am
ignorant of the cause of your grief, your watching, and sitting alone
without. For I know who you are and why you grieve, and the evils which
you fear will befall you. But tell me what reward you will give the
man that shall deliver you out of this anguish, and persuade Redwald
neither to do you any harm himself nor to deliver you to be murdered by
your enemies." Edwin replied, "I will give that person all that I am
able, for so singular a favour." The stranger added, "What if I also
assure you that you shall overcome your enemies and surpass in power
not only all your progenitors, but even all that have reigned before
you over the English nation?" Edwin did not hesitate to promise that
he would make a suitable return to him who should so highly oblige
him. Then said the other, "But if he who foretells that so much good
is to befall you can also give you better advice for your life and
salvation than any of your progenitors or kindred ever heard of, do you
consent to submit to him, and to follow his wholesome counsel?" Edwin
did not hesitate to promise that he would in all things follow the
directions of that man who should deliver him from so many calamities
and raise him to a throne. The stranger then laid his hand on Edwin's
head, saying, "When this sign shall be given you, remember this present
discourse that has passed between us, and do not delay the performance
of what you now promise." It was too dark for Edwin to make out the
stranger's features, and he disappeared in the obscurity of the night.
Meanwhile, Coelred and Porlor had not been idle. Porlor had found
favour with the Queen's attendants, and persuaded them to prevail
upon her to grant him an audience, even at that late hour. He told
her what he had discovered from Coifi, and entreated her to save her
husband from the shame of perpetrating such a disgraceful crime as was
involved in the murder or betrayal of an honoured guest. She promised
to do all in her power, telling Porlor to await the result without.
Soon afterwards Redwald went to the Queen's apartment. His mind was not
made up, although he had wished to satisfy the envoys. His wife now put
the matter before him in such dark colours that there was a violent
revulsion of feeling. His face was crimson with shame. He left her
swearing that not only was Edwin safe, but that he would help him to
gain his crown. The Queen then sent for Porlor, and told him the result
of her interview.
Coelred and Porlor were overjoyed. They hurried off in search of
Edwin, and as they came up to him, Coelred cried out, "Arise. Go in and
compose yourself to sleep without fear, for the King's resolution is
altered. He designs to do you no harm, but rather to assist you with
his power." "Was ever man blessed with truer friends!" cried Edwin,
as he embraced the brothers. Next day Edwin related to Coelred his
midnight interview with the stranger, which Coelred repeated to the
other friends. Forthere greeted it with a loud laugh, and said, "I have
seen a monk secretly prowling about, and I recognised him as one I had
known before at Monte Cassiano. His name is Paulinus. Redwald allowed
him to come, and listened to his discourses several times through an
interpreter, but would not permit him to appear in the daytime. The
King of the East Anglians wishes to keep on good terms both with Woden
and with Christ. Hence this secrecy. The night bird has gone now,
and will not be seen again. But mark my words. He is busy hatching a
miracle." And Forthere laughed again.
The King of the East Anglians announced his intention of defending his
guest, and, if the gods were favourable, of restoring him to his crown.
But he said that Ethelfrith was a most formidable antagonist, and that
he would give them but little breathing-time. Redwald's fine young
sons, Reynhere and Eorpwald, were sent to bring together fighting men
as rapidly as possible. Messengers were despatched to Godric, for Lilla
and Bassus felt that their hopes must rest on the result of Godric's
work during the last year, and on the blunders of Ethelfrith. The news
from Godric was excellent. Saebald had arrived at Markham with his
Billingas and with the Athelings, Osric and Oswin. Blecca, the great
thegn of Lindum, promised to join with the Lindiswaras, and the Gainas
were stanch.
The Bernician envoys were dismissed with contumely and defiance.
Ethelfrith was furious, and committed every blunder of which an angry
man could be guilty. He summoned the Deiran thegns to York, and acted
so suspiciously, and with such insolence, that they refused his summons
to join him with their men, and remained neutral, if not hostile.
Levies came in from Bernicia, and as soon as he had what he considered
a sufficient force, the doomed King marched rapidly to the south. He
committed the further blunders of despising his enemy and of taking no
trouble to ascertain his numbers or his plans. The wild King crossed
the Don and marched across the country of the Gainas, direct for
Sleaford.
"We must be satisfied with our present force, and with the aid that
Godric will bring us, as time will not allow us to wait for further
reinforcements," said Bassus, in consultation with the two Kings. "I
know the wild King, and he will do everything in haste. We should
advance rapidly to Godric's home at Markham, near the river Idle.
There will the blow be struck." His advice was taken, and in two days
Redwald's army was massed at Markham. Once more Edwin embraced his
little boys, and saw his two cousins, Osric and Oswin, for the first
time. With himself, the house of Deira now consisted of five male
scions.
Lilla and Bassus laid their plans with admirable skill, leaving
nothing to chance. The village of Markham is divided from the river
Idle by a gentle rising ground. Godric and Blecca were placed half a
mile to the north, with the Gainas and Lindiswaras, just below the
rise, so as to be out of sight from the river. Redwald's main army
was to begin to appear on the rise the moment Ethelfrith reached
the river-bank. This would make him hurry his men across furiously,
and not until the last man was over was the advance to be made. The
river was to be just in rear of the Bernicians. Scouts kept Bassus
exactly informed of the enemy's approach. Ethelfrith despised all such
precautions. Things fell out exactly as was intended. The wild King
shouted and waved his sword when he saw the East Anglians appearing on
the crest of the hill. They halted, and, directly the last Bernician
was across, Redwald and Edwin advanced resolutely to the attack.
Godric alone was visible on the sky-line to the north, and the excited
Ethelfrith did not notice him. A desperate hand-to-hand combat
commenced. Forthere was in the thick of it. He saw the Bernician King
with the glittering gilded boar on his helmet, shouting and calling
on his men. The Berserker rage possessed the son of Brand. Furiously
dealing blows to right and left, he hewed his way to that gilded boar,
and reached it just as Ethelfrith killed the brave young Reynhere
and brutally stamped on his body. The two warriors glared at each
other. Forthere was a much younger and stronger man. "Niddring and
murderer!" he shouted, as he beat down the wild King's guard. "That for
Hereric, and that! and that!" and he dealt him three tremendous blows.
Ethelfrith was on one knee, and Forthere ran him through.
At the moment when Forthere first descried the helmet with the gilded
boar, Godric disappeared from the sky-line. By the time Forthere had
crossed swords with Ethelfrith, the Gainas and Lindiswaras were pouring
over the hillside and falling furiously on the enemy's left flank.
When the wild King was seen to fall, the Bernicians tried to retreat.
The river was in their rear, a fresh enemy on their flank. Very few
prisoners were taken, and Ethelfrith's forces were nearly annihilated.
Next morning Edwin bade farewell to Redwald in a speech full of
graceful thanks. The voice of the East Anglian King was broken with
grief. He said, "I have opened the road wide for you, my friend. I must
now go home to bury my dead. Farewell!"
Lilla urged upon Edwin that if his movements were prompt the whole of
Deira and Bernicia could be secured as far as the Forth. Edwin fully
concurred. Not an hour must be wasted. He thanked Godric and Blecca
warmly for their effective aid, and marched northwards. At first his
little force only consisted of Saebald's Billingas and some Gainas
under Godric. But the march was like a triumphal procession. By the
time he reached York the whole available force of Deira was under
his banner. There was scarcely a halt. Osric was left in command at
York to restore order, and the King marched rapidly northwards. At
Bambrough he found that one of the Bernician thegns had taken all the
sons of Ethelfrith and fled with them into the country of the Picts.
Edwin lamented the loss of Oswald, his sister's son. Nearly all the
other Bernician thegns came into Bambrough and promised obedience. He
then advanced to the shores of the Forth, the northern frontier of his
dominions. Here he established a settlement, and built a fortress on a
high and impregnable rock. It was called Edwins-burg (Edinburgh). When
he returned to York, Edwin was undisputed ruler of the great united
kingdom of Northumbria, extending from the Humber to the Forth.
The work was not yet done. But there were a few weeks of rest. Lilla
was able to visit his beloved Bergliot at Hemingborough, bringing the
little Atheling Oswin with him, to be brought up with his own two
sons and the Princess Ebba. Coelred strongly advised that a final end
should be put to the independence of Elmet, which had become a serious
nuisance. He had been at Stillingfleet, and when he returned to the
King he found that Coifi was in prison. The friends determined to
intercede for him. They remembered the gleeman of their boyhood, he
who had taught them the glorious song of Beowulf and all the northern
lore, they remembered that Alca had acquitted him, and that his latest
treason was atoned for by full confession. At their intercession Edwin
contemptuously told Coifi that he was free to return to his images at
Godmundham.
A large force was organised for the final conquest of Elmet. The
King invited his cousin Braga to accompany him, to take part in a
sacred duty. There was little resistance. The Britons fled in a body
towards Strathclyde, leaving the country to be settled by the advancing
English. At Barwick-in-Elmet the small tumulus hurriedly raised by
Forthere over the body of Hereric was found. The beloved remains were
embalmed with the frankincense and myrrh brought from Ujjayani, and
wrapped in the precious calico and muslin. All his companions, who had
loved the Atheling so well, stood round the body of Hereric, with his
wife Braga and his two little daughters. There was not a dry eye in
the assemblage. King Edwin then ordered that the largest and highest
tumulus in the land should be raised above the most noble and the most
beloved prince of his race.
The King resolved to extend his power from sea to sea, and to include
the Mevanian Islands in his dominions. Scarcely any resistance was
made, and to Coelred was entrusted the conquest of the isles, he being
the ablest and most experienced seaman in Edwin's service. Coelred and
Porlor equipped a small but efficient fleet of armed boats at Chester,
having brought over a number of good sailors from the Humber. Their
expedition was ably conducted and was most successful. The inhabitants
of both the islands submitted, and agreed to acknowledge King Edwin as
their lord.
When the sons of Seomel returned home, there was lasting peace
throughout the vast dominions of Edwin the Great. The members of the
Coelred-_Gemót_ formed the seven firm and solid pillars which supported
the edifice of his power.
At first the friends had served Edwin for his sister's sake, but they
soon began to love him for himself. His good qualities were not on
the surface. He was generous, unsuspicious, and not vindictive. His
friendships were not quickly formed, but they were deep and lasting. He
now looked upon his seven paladins as brothers. He was a man of rare
ability and sound judgment. He was slow to form a decided opinion.
He pondered long over what he was told, dismissing it from his mind
and recalling it again two or three times, before he reverted to the
subject and announced his decision. When a resolution was once taken he
acted promptly and vigorously. He soon became devoted to his country,
and placed the good of his people before all earthly considerations;
and he was endowed with rare gifts which enabled him to secure it. He
had common sense surely guiding him to the right course, even when the
materials for forming a sound judgment were incomplete or inadequate.
He was far in advance of his age by reason of his genius, and not owing
to the extraordinary accidents which raised his paladins so high above
their countrymen in knowledge and experience. Such a man, with such
marvellous assistance, could not fail to become a great sovereign. The
friends had not poured their experiences into his ears at once and in
full detail, as they did in the case of his sister Alca. After much
anxious consultation they had only astonished him with a bare outline
of their stories, reserving particular points to be explained to him in
order to illustrate discussions on measures or decisions, as the cases
arose. By this course they believed they would be most useful in the
service of their King.
Aldby, his birthplace and the beloved home of his peerless sister Alca
the Queen, became the favourite residence of King Edwin.