year to pafs into Normandy, is not recorded; but that they returned thence more outrageous than before. Mean-while the king, to make fome diverfion, undertakes an expedition both by land and fea into Cumberland, where the Danes were moft planted; there and in the Isle of Man, or, as Camden faith, Anglesey, imitating his enemies in fpoiling and unpeopling. The Danes from Normandy, arriving in the river Ex, laid fiege to Exeter *; but the citizens, as thofe of London, valoroufly defending themfelves, they wrecked their anger, as before, on the villages round about. The country people of Somerfet and. Devonshire affembling themfelves at Penho, fhowed their readiness, but wanted a head; and befides being then but few in number, were eafily put to flight; the enemy plundering all at will, with loaded fpoils paffed into the Ifle of Wight; from whence all Dorfetfhire and Hampshire felt again their fury. The Saxon annals write, that before their coming to Exeter, the Hampshire men had a bickering with them †, wherein Ethelward the king's general was flain, adding other things hardly to be understood, and in one ancient copy; fo end. Ethelred, whom no adversity could awake from his foft and fluggish life, ftill coming by the worse at fighting, by the advice of his peers not unlike himself, fends one of his gay courtiers, though looking loftily, to ftoop bafely, and propofe a third tribute to the Denes: they willingly hearken, but the fum is enhanced now to twenty-four thousand pounds, and paid; the Danes thereupon abftaining from hoftility. But the king, to ftrengthen his houfe by fome potent affinity, marries Emma 1, whom the Saxons call Elgiva, daughter of Richard duke of Normandy. With him Ethelred formerly had war, or no good correfpondence, as appcars by a letter of pope John the fifteenth §, who made peace between them about eleven years before; puffed up now with his fuppofed acceís of ftrength by this affinity, he caufed the Danes all over England, Poft Chrift. 1001. Sim. Dun. + Poft Chrift. 1002. Sim. Dun. + Malmf. § Calvif. though though now living peaceably *, in one day perfidiously to be maffacred, both men, women, and children; fending private letters to every town and city, whereby they might be ready all at the fame hour; which till the appointed time (being the ninth of July) was concealed with great filence †, and performed with much unanimity; fo generally hated were the Danes. Mat. Weft. writes, that this execution upon the Danes was ten years after; that Huna, one of Ethelred's chief captains, complaining of the Danifh infolences in time of peace, their pride, their ravishing of matrons and virgins, incited the king to this maffacre, which in the madness of rage made no difference of innocent or nocent. Among thefe, Gunhildis the fifter of Swane was not fpared, though much deferving not pity only, but all protection: fhe, with her husband earl Palingus coming to live in England, and receiving chriftianity, had her husband and young fon flain before her face, herself then beheaded, foretelling and denouncing that her blood would coft England dear. Some fay this was done by the traitor Edric, to whofe cuftody fhe was committed; but the maffacre was fome years before Edric's advancement; and if it were done by him afterwards, it feems to contradict the private correfpondence which he was thought to hold with the Danes. For Swane, breathing revenge, hafted the next year into England §, and by the treafon or negligence of count Hugh, whom Emma had recommended to the government of Devonshire, facked the city of Exeter, her wall from east to weft-gate broken down: after this wafting Wiltshire, the people of that county, and of Hampshire, came together in great numbers with refolution ftoutly to oppose him; but Alfric their general, whofe fon's eyes the king had lately put out, madly thinking to revenge himself on the king, by ruining his own country, when he should have ordered his battle, the enemy being at hand, feigned himself taken with a vomiting; whereby his army in great discontent, deftitute of a commander, Florent. Huntingd. Chrift. 1003. Sim. Dun. + Calvif 1 Mat. Weft. § Poft turned from the enemy: who ftraight took Wilton and Salisbury, carrying the pillage thereof to the fhips. *Thence the next year landing on the coaft of Norfolk, he wafted the country, and fet Norwich on fire; Ulfketel duke of the Eaft-Angles, a man of great valour, not having space to gather his forces, after confultation had, thought it beft to make peace with the Dane, which he breaking within three weeks, iffued filently out of his fhips, came to Thetford, ftaid there a night, and in the morning left it flaming. Ulfketel, hearing this, commanded fome to go and break or burn his fhips; but they not daring or neglecting, he in the meanwhile with what fecrefy and fpeed was poffible, drawing together his forces, went out against the enemy, and gave them a fierce onfet retreating to their fhips: but much inferiour in number, many of the chief Eaft-Angles there loft their lives. Nor did the Danes come off without great flaughter of their own; confeffing that they never met in England with fo rough a charge. The next year †, whom war could not, a great famine drove Swane out of the land. But the fummer following ‡, another great fleet of Danes entered the port of Sandwich, thence poured out over all Kent and Suffex, made prey of what they found. The king levying an army out of Mercia, and the Weft-Saxons, took on him for once the manhood to go out and face them; but they, who held it fafer to live by rapine, than to hazard a battle, shifting lightly from place to place, fruftrated the flow motions of a heavy camp, following their wonted course of robbery, then running to their fhips. Thus all autumn they wearied out the king's army, which gone home to winter, they carried all their pillage to the Ifle of Wight, and there ftaid till Christmas; at which time the king being in Shropshire, and but ill employed (for by the procurement of Edric, he caused, as is thought, Alfhelm, a noble duke, treacherously to be flain §, and the eyes of his two fons to be put out) they came forth again, overrunning Hampshire and Berkshire, as far as Reading * Poft Chrift. 1004. Sim. Dun. Poft Chrift. 1006. Šim. Dun. † Post Christ. 1005. Sim. Dun. § Florent. and Wallingford: thence to Afhdune, and other places thereabout, neither known nor of tolerable pronunciation; and returning by another way, found many of the people in arms by the river Kenet; but making their way through, they got fafe with vaft booty to their fhips. *The king and his courtiers wearied out with their laft fummer's jaunt after the nimble Danes to no purpose, which by proof they found too toilfome for their foft bones, more ufed to beds and couches, had recourfe to their laft and only remedy, their coffers; and fend now the fourth time to buy a difhonourable peace, every time still dearer, not to be had now under thirty fix thousand pound (for the Danes knew how to milk fuch eafy kine) in name of tribute and expenfes : which out of the people over all England, already half beggared, was extorted and paid. About the fame time Ethelred advanced Edric, furnamed Streon, from obfcure condition to be duke of Mercia, and marry Edgitha the king's daughter. The cause of his advancement, Florent of Worcester, and Mat. Weft. attribute to his great wealth, gotten by fine policies and a plaufible tongue: he proved a main acceffory to the ruin of England, as his actions will foon declare. Ethelred the next year, fomewhat roufing himself, ordained that every three hundred and ten hides (a hide is fo much land as one plow can fufficiently till) should set out a ship or galley, and every nine hides find a corflet and headpiece: new ships in every port were built, victualled, fraught with ftout mariners and foldiers, and appointed to meet all at Sandwich. A man might now think that all would go well; when fuddenly a new mifchief fprung up, diffenfion among the great ones; which brought all this diligence to as little fuccefs as at other times before. Birthric, the brother of Edric, falfely accufed Wulnoth, a great officer fet over the South-Saxons, who, fearing the potency of his enemies, with twenty fhips got to fea, and practifed piracy on the coaft. Against whom, reported to be in a place where he might be eafily furprifed, Birthric fets forth with eighty fhips; all which, driven Poft Chrift. 1007. Sim. Dun. + Poft Chrift. 1008. Sim. Dun. back P 3 back by a tempeft and wrecked upon the fhore, were burnt foon after by Wulnoth. Difheartened with this misfortune, the king returns to London, the rest of his navy after him; and all this great preparation to nothing. Whereupon Turkill, a Danith earl, came with a navy to the ifle of Tanet*, and in Auguft a far greater, led by Heming and Ilaf, joined with him. Thence coafting to Sandwich, and landed, they went onward and began to affault Canterbury; but the citizens and EastKentish men, coming to compofition with them for three thousand pounds, they departed thence to the Isle of Wight, robbing and burning by the way. Against these the king levies an army through all the land, and in feveral quarters places them nigh the fea, but fo unskilfully or unfuccessfully, that the Danes were not thereby hindered from exercifing their wonted robberies. It happened that the Danes were one day gone up into the country far from their fhips; the king having notice thereof, thought to intercept them in their return; his men were refolute to overcome or die, time and place advantageous; but where courage and fortune was not wanting, there wanted loyalty among them. Edric with fubtile arguments, that had a fhow of deep policy, difputed and perfuaded the fimplicity of his fellow counfellors, that it would be beft confulted at that time to let the Danes pafs without ambush or interception. The Danes, where they expected danger finding none, paffed on with great joy and booty to their fhips. After this, failing about Kent, they lay that winter in the Thames, forcing Kent and Effex to contribution, ofttimes attempting the city of London, but repulfed as oft to their great lofs. Spring begun, leaving their fhips, they paffed through Chiltern wood into Oxfordshiret, burnt the city, and thence returning with divided forces, wasted on both fides the Thames; but hearing that an army from London was marched out against them, they on the north fide paffing the river at Stanes, joined with them on the fouth into one body, and enriched with great * Poft Chrift. 1009. Sim. Dun. † Poft Chrift. 1010. Sim. Dun. Florent. fpoils, |