hardly any person was able to pay it. In consequence of this, to all who, before his arrival, greatly wished for it, he beeame exceedingly odious. Added to this, he was extremely exasperated against earl Godwin, and Living, the bishop of Worcester, for the death of his brother Alfred, Alfric, the archbishop of York, and certain others being their accusers. He therefore took away the bishopric of Worcester from Living, and gave it to Alfric; but in the following year he took it from Alfric, and restored it, with marks of kindness, to Living, with whom he had become reconciled.

But Godwin, to make his peace, presented to the king a galley or ship, of exquisite workmanship, having a gilded beak, provided with the choicest equipments, and fitted out with splendid arms and eight hundred picked soldiers. Each one of these had on his arms bracelets of gold, weighing sixteen ounces, a triple coat of mail, a helmet on his head partly gilded, a sword girt to his loins with a gilded hilt, a Danish battle-axe ornamented with gold hanging from the left shoulder, in his left hand a shield, the boss and studs of which were gilded, and in his right a lance, which in the English language is called "Ategar.'

In addition to this, he made oath before the king, and almost all the nobles and most dignified thanes of England, that it was neither by his advice or concurrence that his brother had been deprived of his sight, but that his lord, king Harold, had ordered him to do what he did do.

In the year 1041, Hardicanute, king of the English, sent the servants of his household throughout all the provinces of the kingdom, to collect the tribute which he had ordered. A sedition arising in consequence, two of them, Feader and Turstan by name, were slain by the people of the province of Worcester and the citizens, in the upper room of a tower in the monastery of Worcester, whither they had fled for the purpose of concealment; this took place on the fourth day before the nones of May, being the second day of the week. sequence of this, the king, being aroused to anger, for the purpose of avenging their death, despatched thither, Thuri, earl of MidAnglia, Leofric, earl of Mercia, Godwin, earl of Wessex, Si

In con

78" Octingesimo" in the text. Eighty, spite of the eight hundred of Roger of Wendover, is much more probable.

ward, earl of Northumbria, Rome, earl of Maiseveth," and the earls of the whole of England, and nearly all his own household servants, with a great army, Alfric then being bishop of Worcester; these he sent thither, with orders to slay all they could, and, after plundering the city, to set it on fire and lay waste the whole province.

A short time after the feast of All Saints, they began to lay waste the city and the province, and ceased not to do so for four days; however, they took and slew but few of the citizens or provincials, because, their approach being known beforehand, the provincials had taken to flight in various directions; but a multitude of the citizens had fled for refuge to a certain little island, situate in the middle of the river Severn, which is called Beverege, and, having thrown up fortifications there, stoutly defended themselves against their enemies, until peace was restored and they had free liberty to return home. On the fifth day, therefore, after the burning of the city, every man returned home laden with considerable spoil, and the king's anger was immediately appeased. Not long after this, Edward, the son of Egelred the former king of the English, came to England from Normandy, where he had been in exile many years, and being honorably entertained by his brother, king Hardicanute, took up his residence at his court.

In the year 1042, Hardicanute, king of the English, was present at a banquet, at which Osgod Clapa, a man of high rank, was marrying his daughter Gyta, to Tuvy, a Dane, and a very influential man, at a place which is called Lamtithe; while in merry mood, and in perfect health and good spirits, he was enjoying the hilarity of the nuptials by the side of the bride, and standing up, was drinking to certain men, he suddenly fell to the earth with a dreadful shock, and remaining speechless, expired on the sixth day before the ides of July, being the third day of the week, and being carried to Winchester, was buried near king Canute, his father.

Upon this, his brother Edward, by the especial aid of earl Godwin and Living, the bishop of Worcester, was elevated to the dignity of king, at London; his father was Egelred, whose

Radnorshire.

Lambeth, in Surrey. This event took place at Clapham, which was formerly in the parish of Lambeth.

father was Edgar, whose father was Edmund, whose father was Edward the Elder, whose father was Alfred.

In the year from the incarnation of our Lord 1043, on the first day of Easter, being the nones of April, Edward was anointed king at Winchester, by Eadsy, archbishop of Canterbury, and Alfric, archbishop of York, and nearly all the other bishops of England.

In the same year, after the feast of Saint Martin, the king, with Leofric, Godwin, and Siward attending him, suddenly. proceeded from the city of Gloucester to Worcester, and following the advice which they had given him, took away from his mother all the valuables she had, consisting of gold, silver, jewels, precious stones, and other things; either because before he had been made king, or since then, she had given him less than he required, and had been extremely harsh towards him. Edmund, bishop of Durham, having departed this life, he was succeeded by Egelric, Siward being at that time earl of Northumbria.

In the year 1044, Alword, bishop of London, who, both before he was bishop, and in the time of his episcopate, was abbat of the monastery of Evesham, being unable to perform the duties of the see by reason of his infirmities, wished to reside at Evesham, but the brethren of that place would by no means consent thereto. Consequently, taking away most of the books and ornaments that he had given to that place, and as some say, some things that other persons had given, he retired to the monastery of Ramsege, and gave to Saint Benedict all that he brought; there he took up his abode, and dying there in the same year, on the eighth day before the calends of August, being the fourth day of the week, he was buried at that place.

81

At a general synod, which at this time was held at London, a religious monk of Evesham, who had also been a monk in the Isle of Man, was chosen abbat of Evesham, and was ordained on the fourth day before the ides of August, being the sixth day of the week. In the same year, the noble matron Gunhilda, the daughter of king Wertgeorn and of the sister of king Canute, who was left a widow after the

81 Ramsey.

82 4 'Qui et Manni," are the words in the text; but they are most probably not the correct reading.

death of earl Hacun and Harold, with her two sons, Hemming and Turkill, was expelled from England. Proceeding to Flanders, she resided for some time at a place which is called Briege,83 and then went to Denmark.

84

In the year 1045, Brithwold, bishop of Wiltshire, departed this life, and was succeeded by Herman, the king's chaplain, a native of Lorraine. In the same year, Edward, king of the English, assembled a very strong fleet, at the port of Sandwich, against Magnus, king of Norway, who was making preparations to invade England; but a war being waged against himself by Sweyn, king of the Danes, it put an end to the expedition.

85

In the year 1046, on the tenth day before the calends of April, being the Lord's day, Living, bishop of the Wiccii, and of Devonshire and Cornwall, died; after whose death the bishopric of Crediton and Cornwall was immediately given to Leofric, a Briton,86 the king's chancellor; and Aldred, who was first a monk of Winchester, and afterwards abbat of Tavistock, received the bishopric of the Wiccii.87 In this year Osgod Clapa was banished from England. Magnus, king of Norway, the son of king Olaf the Saint, having put to flight Sweyn king of the Danes, subdued the country of Denmark.

In the year 1047, the snow fell, in the west of England, in such vast quantities, that it even broke down the woods. Aldwin, bishop of Winchester, departed this life, on which Stigand was raised to the see. Sweyn, king of the Danes, sent ambassadors to Edward, king of the English,88 on which earl Godwin advised the king to send him at least fifty ships, equipped with soldiers; but because this advice did not seem good to earl Leofric and all the people, he was not willing to send him any. After this, Magnus, king of Norway, attended with a large and powerful fleet, fought a battle with Sweyn, and, after many thousands had been slain on both sides, expelled him from Denmark; after which, he reigned over that country as well, and compelled the Danes to pay him a small tribute, and not long after, died.

83 Bruges.

8 Bishop of Ramesbury; which see was afterwards removed to Salisbury. 85 Worcester. 86 A native of Wales.

87 The meaning is, that the bishopric of Worcester was divided into two; that of Crediton being formed from it.

88 The text has here, "Norreganorum," "of the Norwegians," evidently

a mistake.

VOL. I.

I

In the year 1048, Sweyn regained possession of Denmark, and Harold Harfager, who was the son of Siward, king of Norway, and, on the mother's side, brother of Saint Olaf, and on the father's side, uncle to king Magnus, returned to Norway, and shortly after sent ambassadors to Edward, king of the English, and offered to him, and received in return, assurances of peace and friendship. On the calends of May, being the Lord's day, there was a great earthquake at Worcester, in the county of the Wiccii, at Derby, and at many other places; a mortality among men and animals prevailed throughout many of the provinces of England, and fires in the air, commonly called woodland 69 fires, destroyed towns and crops of standing corn in the province of Derby, and some other provinces.

In the year 1049, Leo began to reign," the hundred and fifth pope; he was the pope who composed the new Gregorian chaunt. The emperor Henry collected an innumerable force against Baldwin, earl of Flanders, especially because he had burned his palace at Nimeguen, and, most beauteous as it was, destroyed it. Pope Leo took part in this expedition, and a great number of noblemen and grandees of many nations. Sweyn, king of the Danes, as the emperor had commanded him, was there also with his fleet, and on this occasion took the oaths of fealty to the emperor, who sent also to Edmund, king of the English, and requested that he would not allow Baldwin to escape, if he should attempt to do so by sea. In consequence of this, the king went with a large fleet to the port of Sandwich, and remained there until the emperor had obtained of Baldwin every thing he required.

In the meantime, earl Sweyn, the son of earl Godwin and Gyta, who had formerly left England, (because he was not allowed to marry Edgiva, abbess of the monastery of Leominster, whom he had debauched), and had gone to Denmark, returned with eight ships, and, dissembling, declared that he would, in future, continue faithful to the king. Earl Beorn, who was the son of the Danish earl Ulph, the uncle of Sweyn, the son of Spralling, the son of Urse, promised him that he would obtain his request of the king, and that his earldom should be restored to him.

Therefore, after earl Baldwin had made peace with the emperor, the earls Godwin and Beorn, with the king's permission, came with forty-two ships to Pevensey; but the rest of the 89 Silvaticus.

90 Leo the Ninth.