Asser Saron Chronicle that king Beorhtric unwittingly tasted of the poison, though the queen intended to give it to the young man only, but the king took it too quickly, and so both perished. Beorhtric therefore being dead, the queen could remain no longer among the Saxons, but sailed beyond the sea with immense treasures, and went to the court of the great and famous Charles, king of the Franks. As she stood before the throne, and offered him money, Charles said to her, "Choose, Eadburgh, between me and my son, who stands here with me." She replied, foolishly, and without deliberation, "If I am to have my choice, I choose your son, because he is younger than you." At which Charles smiled and answered, “If y you had chosen me, you would have had my son; but as you have chosen him, you shall not have either of us." However, he gave her a large convent of nuns, in which, having laid aside the secular habit and taken the religious dress, she discharged the office of abbess during a few years: for, as she is said to have lived irrationally in her own country, so she appears to have acted still more so in that foreign country; for being convicted of having had unlawful intercourse with a man of her own nation, she was expelled from the monastery by king Charles's order, and lived a vicious life of reproach in poverty and misery until her death; so that at last, accompanied by one slave only, as we have heard from many who saw Now king Ethelwulf lived Of this prudent that king Bertric unwittingly tasted of the poison, though the 8 However, he gave her a large convent of nuns, in which, of her own nation, and expelled from and Simeon 9 King Ætheluulf lived two he ordered a letter of 4 And when he [ETHELWOLF] years. The most merciful king Among other good deeds of read or wish to hear my work. For the benefit of his soul, then, which he studied to promote in all things from the first flower of his youth, he directed through all his hereditary dominions, that one poor man in ten,* either native or foreigner, should be supplied with meat, drink, and clothing, by his successors, until the day of judgment; supposing, however, that the country should still be inhabited both by men and cattle, and should not become deserted. He com manded also a large sum of money, namely, three hundred mancuses, to be carried every year to Rome for the good of his soul, to be distributed in the following manner: namely, a hundred mancuses in honour of St Peter, specially to buy oil for the lights of the church of that apostle on Easter eve, and also at the cock-crow: a hundred mancuses in honour of St Paul, for the same purpose of buying oil for the church of St Paul the apostle, to light the lamps on Easter eve and at the cock-crow; and a hundred mancuses for the universal apostolic pontiff. Ethelwerd 856 "In decem manentibus" is the "in decem expression of Asser. mansis," which is less intelligible, of Simeon. (9) A. 857. CHARTERS IN 857, 1. BURGRED of Mercia. April 18, subscribed also by Ethelswith regina," and others. II, 63. (10) A. 858. 2 And about two years after he came from France he died, and his body lies at Winches ter. 3 And he reigned eighteen years and a half. Here follows (as paragraph 4 according to the figures) the genealogy given at page 6. But when king Ethelwulf was Lastly, after a year king dead, Athulf died, and his body reposes in the city of Winchester. And then was completed the fiftieth year from the beginning of king Egbyrht's reign. HERE ENDS THE THIRD AND THE PROLOGUE OF THE 10 Florence For the benefit of his soul, then, which he studied to promote in all things from the first flower of his youth, he directed through all his hereditary dominions, that one poor man in ten, either native or foreigner, should be supplied with meat, drink, and clothing, by his successors, until the day of judgment; supposing, however, that the country should still be inhabited both by men and cattle, and should not become deserted. He commanded also a large sum of money,namely 300 mancuses of pennies yearly to be carried to Rome for the good of his soul, to be distributed in the following manner: namely, an hundred mancuses in honour of St Peter, specially to buy oil for the lights of the church of that apostle on Easter eve, and also at the cock-crow: a hundred mancuses in honour of St Paul, for the same purpose, and 100 mancuses for the universal apostolic pontiff. • The ANN ALS say that he was 6 He had first been bishop at on the Winchester, but, death of Egbrict his father, buried at Stæningham [Steyning in necessity compelling it, he Essex]. Essays was made king; and, having married a wife, he begat four sons, who were all kings after him. 4 MATT. WESTM. The same year died Cedda bishop of Hereford, to whom succeeded Albert. When, therefore, the glorious king Ethelwulf was dead, His son Æthelbald, contrary to God's prohibition and the dignity of a Christian, contrary also to the custom of all the pagans, ascended his father's bed, and married Judith, daughter of Charles, king of the Franks, and drew down much infamy upon himself from all who heard of it. Ethelwerd 858 ALSO WILL BE FOUND GREATER GAIN, AND THE ORIGIN OF OUR RACE IS MORE CLEARLY INDICATED. AND, ALTHOUGH I MAY SEEM TO SEND YOU A LOAD OF READING, DEAREST SISTER OF MY DESIRE, DO NOT JUDGE ME HARSHLY, BUT AS MY WRITINGS WERE IN LOVE TO YOU, SO MAY YOU READ THEM. AND MAY GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO IS PRAISED BOTH IN TRINITY AND IN UNIPOTENCE, EVER PRESERVE YOU UNDER THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS, AND YOUR COMPANIONS WITH YOU. AMEN! HERE ENDS THE PROLOGUE. CHAP. I.-OF THE REIGN OF THE SONS OF KING ATHULF, NAMELY ETHELBALD AND ETHELBYRHT. Meanwhile after the death of king Athulf, his sons were raised to the kingdom, namely Ethelbald over the Western Angles, and Æthelbyrht over the men of Kent, and the Eastern, Southern, and Midland Angles. During two years and a half When five years were com of licentiousness after his father he held the government of the West-Saxons. ANNALS. ANNO 859. This year it began to freeze two days before the calends of December [Nov. 29] and ended on the nones of April [AP. 5]. In the year of our Lord's incarnation 860, which was the twelfth from king Ælfred's birth, died Ethelbald, and was buried at Sherborne. His brother Æthelberht, as was fitting, joined Kent, Surrey, and Sussex also to his dominion. In his days a large army of pagans, came up from the pleted. |