HOW CANUTE DIED, AND ALFRED FELL BY TREASON;
AND HOW EDWARD AFTERWARDS
BECAME KING.
He who made the history of the Normans, tells us that in those days[1]
Kenut, who was father of Hardekenut, and had married Emma, the wife of
Alred[2], the mother of Edward and of Alfred, died at Winchester.
Hardekenut, during the lifetime of his father, by the advice of his
mother Emma, had gone to Denmark, and became king there, and was much
honoured. On account of Hardekenut's absence, and by an understanding
with her, England fell to Herout[3], a bastard son of Kenut.
Edward and Alfred heard of Kenut's death, and were much rejoiced; for
they expected to have the kingdom, seeing that they were the nearest
heirs. So they provided knights and ships, and equipped their fleet;
and Edward, having sailed from Barbeflo[4], with forty ships, soon
arrived at the port of Hantone, hoping to win the land. But the
Englishmen, who were aware that the brothers were coming, would not
receive them, nor suffer them to abide in the country. Whether it was
that they feared Herout the son of Kenut, or that they liked him best;
at any rate they defended the country against Edward; and the Normans on
the other hand fought them, taking and killing many, and seizing several
of their ships. But the English force increased; men hastened up from
all sides, and Edward saw that he could not win his inheritance without
a great loss. He beheld the enemy's force fast growing in numbers, and
that he should only sacrifice his own men; so fearing that, if taken, he
himself might be killed without ransom, he ordered all his people to
return to the ships, and took on board the harness. He could do no more
this time, so he made his retreat to Barbeflo.
Alfred meantime sailed with a great navy from Wincant[5]; and arriving
safely at Dovre, proceeded thence into Kent. Against him came the earl
Godwin[6], who was a man of a very low origin. His wife was born in
Denmark, and well related among the Danes, and he had Heraut, Guert,
and Tosti for his sons. On account of these children, who thus came by a
Dane, and were beloved by their countrymen, Godwin loved the Danes, much
better in fact than he did the English.
Hearken to the devilry that was now played; to the great treason and
felony that were committed! Godwin was a traitor, and he did foul
treason; a Judas did he show himself, deceiving and betraying the son of
his natural lord,--the heir to the honor (lordship),--even as Judas sold
our Lord. He had sainted and kissed him; he had eaten too out of his
dish, and had pledged himself to bear faith and loyalty. But at
midnight, when Alfred had laid down to rest and slept, Godwin surprised
and bound him; and sent him to London to king Herout, who expected him,
knowing of the treason. From thence he sent him to Eli, and there put
out his eyes and murdered him dishonourably, and by treachery which he
dared not to avow. Those too who came with Alfred (hearken to the foul
cruelty!) were bound fast and guarded; and taken to Gedefort[7], where
all, except every tenth man, lost their heads and died miserably. When
the English had numbered them, setting them in rows, they then
decimated them, making every tenth man stand on one side, and striking
off the heads of the other nine; and when the tithe so set apart
amounted to a considerable number, it was again decimated, and all that
was at last saved was this second tithe.
[Illustration]
Herout soon after died, and went the way he deserved; whereupon the men
of England assembled to consider about making a king in his place. They
feared Edward who was the right heir, on account of the decimation of
the Normans, and the murder of his brother Alvred; and at last they
agreed to make Hardekenut king of England. So they sent for Hardekenut,
the son of Emma and Kenut, and he repaired thither from Denmark, and the
clergy crowned him: but he sent for Edward his brother, the son of Emma
his mother, and kept him in great honour at his court, and was king over
him only in name. Hardekenut was king twelve years, and then fell ill.
He did not languish long, but soon died. His mother lamented over him
exceedingly; but it was a great comfort to her that her son Edward was
come; and he obtained the kingdom[8], the English finding no other heir
who was entitled to the crown.
Edward was gentle and courteous, and established peace and good laws. He
took to wife Godwin's daughter, Edif[9] by name. She was a fair lady,
but they had no children between them, and people said that he never
consorted with her; but no man saw that there was ever any disagreement
between them[10]. He loved the Normans very much, and held them dear,
keeping them on familiar terms about him; and loved duke William as a
brother or child. Thus peace lasted, and long will last, never I hope to
have an end[11].
[Illustration]
[Footnote 1: Canute died 12th November, 1035, or four months and a half
after Duke Robert; so that Wace here retraces his steps to take up
English affairs.]
[Footnote 2: Ethelred, Edward and Alfred are spelt by Wace, Ewart and
Alvred.]
[Footnote 3: Harold.]
[Footnote 4: Barfleur. This expedition took place in 1036. Hantone is
Hampton, probably Southampton.]
[Footnote 5: This port seems to have been Wissant, between Calais and
Boulogne: see _William of_ _Jumieges_ and the _Encomium Emmæ_. Alfred
went by land to the Boulognese.]
[Footnote 6: Spelt Gwine by _Wace_.]
[Footnote 7: Guildford, in Surrey.]
[Footnote 8: Hardicanute died 10th July, 1042. Edward's conduct to his
mother was not consistent with any sense of obligation towards her, nor
indeed with his own generally received character. See an anecdote in
_Roger Hoveden_, 1043.]
[Footnote 9: Or Editha. 'Sicut spina rosam genuit Godwinus Editham.'
Ingulfs account of her kindness, literary tastes, and liberality, in
giving him money, as well as access to the royal larder, may be seen in
his chronicle, and is quoted in the collection of Norman historians by
_Mascres_. As to her matrimonial position with her husband, Wace's words
are
E ço alouent la gent, disant
Ki charnelment od li ne jut,
Ni charnelment ne la conut:
Maiz unkes hom ne l'aparçut,
Ne mal talent entrels ne fut.
]
[Footnote 10: Wace seems not aware that Editha, at the time of the
disgrace of her family, was stripped of all she had, and sent to a
convent.]
[Footnote 11: Wace would appear here to be merely translating some
cotemporary chronicle;--perhaps the same, as he begins this part of his
story by quoting.]