and of myself, unless he come to repentance. And I give, in acknowledgment, to St. Peter, my mass-hackel, and my stole, and my reef,' for the service of Christ." "I, Oswald, archbishop of York, assent to all these words, by the holy rood which Christ suffered on.""I, Athelwold, bishop, bless all who shall observe this; and I excommunicate all who shall break this, unless he come to repentance." Here was Aelfstan bishop, Athulf bishop, and Escwi abbat, and Osgar abbat, and Aethelgar abbat, and Aelfere the ealdorman, Aethelwin the ealdorman, Brithnoth; Oslac the ealdorman, and many other great men and all assented to it, and all signed it with Christ's cross. This was done after the birth of our Lord nine hundred and seventy-two years, of the king's reign the sixteenth year.

Then the abbat Aldulf bought lands, numerous and many, and then greatly enriched the minster withal; and then was he there so long as until the archbishop Oswald of York was dead,' and then he was chosen archbishop. And then, soon, another abbat was chosen of the self-same minster, who was called Kenulf: he was afterwards bishop at Winchester. And he first made the wall about the minster: then gave he that to name " Burch," which before was called Medeshamstede: he was there until he was appointed bishop at Winchester." Then another abbat was chosen of the self-same minster, who was called Aelfsi: Aelfsi was then abbat, from that time, fifty years. He took up St. Kyneburh and St. Kyneswith, who lay at Castre, and St. Tibba, who lay at Rihall, and brought them to Burch, and made an offering of them all to St. Peter in one day; and preserved them all the while he was there.

A.D. 963. This year, by king Eadgar, St. Aethelwold was chosen to the bishopric at Winchester. And the archbishop of Canterbury, St. Dunstan, consecrated him bishop, on the first Sunday of Advent; that was on the 3d of the kalends of December [29th Nov.].

A.D. '964. This year king Edgar expelled the priests at Winchester from the Old-Minster and from the New-Minster, and from Chertsey, and from Middleton, and filled them with monks; and he appointed abbat Aethelgar abbat to the New-Minster, and Ordbriht to Chertsey, and Cyneward to Middleton.

A.D. 964. This year were the canons driven out of the Old-Minster by king Eadgar, and also from the New-Minster, and from Chertsey, and from Middleton; and he appointed thereto monks and abbats: to the NewMinster Aegelgar, to Chertsey Ordberht, to Milton Cyneward.

A.D. 965. In this year king Eadgar took Aelfythe [Aelfthrythe?] for his queen; she was the daughter of Ordgar the ealdorman. A.D. 966. 'This year Thored, Gunner's son, ravaged Westmoreland. And that same year Oslac obtained an ealdordom. A.D. 967.

A.D. 968. In this year king Eadgar ordered all Thanet-land to be ravaged.

consecrated bishop of Dorchester, and afterwards of York; by favour of king Eadred, and of all his witan, he was consecrated archbishop; and he was a bishop twenty-two years; and he died on the mass-night of All-Hallows [1st Nov.], ten days before Martinmass, at Thame. And abbat Thurkytel, his kinsman, carried the bishop's body to Bedford, because he was then, at that time, abbat there.

A.D. 972. 'This year died Edmund the etheling, 'and his body lies at Rumsey.

A.D. 972. This year Eadgar the etheling was consecrated king at the Hot-baths, on Pentecost's mass-day, on the 5th of the ides of May [11th May] the thirteenth year since he had obtained the kingdom; and he was then one less than thirty years of age. And soon after that, the king led all his ship-forces to Chester; and there came to meet him six kings, and they all plighted their troth to him, that they would be his fellow-workers by sea and by land.

A.D. $973.
Here was Eadgar,

the ruler of the Angles,
in full assembly,
hallowed king,
at the old city
Akemanscester;
but it the islanders,
by another word,
the men name Bath.
There was much bliss
on that blessed day
to all occasioned,
which the children of men
name and call

Pentecost's day.

There was a heap of priests;
of monks a large band,
as I have heard,

of sage ones, gathered :
and then gone were
ten hundred years,
by calculation,
from the birth-tide

of the glorious King,
Pastor of light.

But that there remaining

then still was,

of yearly-tale,

as writings say,

seven and twenty:

so nigh had to the Victor-lord

a thousand run out

when this befel.

And to himself, Eadmund's
offspring, had
nine and twenty,

(guardian 'gainst evil works,)
years in the world
when this was done,

and then in the thirtieth, was
hallowed as ruler.

A.D. 974.

A.D. 975.
Here, ended
the joys of earth,

Eadgar, of Angles the king,
chose him another light,
beauteous and pleasant
and left this frail,
this wretched life.
Children of men name,
men on the earth,
every where, that month,
in this land,

those who erewhile were
in the art of numbers
rightly taught,
July month,

when the youth departed,
on the eighth day,
Eadgar, from life,
bracelet-giver to heroes.

And then his son succeeded

1 As far as "etheling" from B. C. 970, D. E. 971, G. Erased from A. 2 From G.

Read 973.

From D. E. F.

A.D. 974, C.

A.D. 975. The 18th of the ides of July [8th July].

And this year Eadward, Eadgar's son, succeeded to the kingdom; and then soon, in the same year, during harvest, appeared "cometa," the star; and then came in the following year a very great famine, and very manifold commotions among the English people.

And at that time also was Oslac, the great earl, banished from England.

1 The date is from D. E. F.

A.D. 976. 'This year was the great famine among the English nation.

A.D. 977. This year, after Easter [8th April], was the great council at Kirtlington; and there died bishop Sideman, by a sudden death, on the 2d of the kalends of May [30th April]. He was bishop in Devonshire, and he desired that the resting-place of his body should be at Crediton, at his episcopal seat. Then commanded king Eadward and archbishop Dunstan that he should be borne to St. Mary's minster, which is at Abingdon: and so too was it done; and he is moreover honourably buried on the north side, in St. Paul's chapel.3

A.D. 978. In this year all the chief witan of the English nation fell at Calne from an upper chamber, except the holy archbishop Dunstan, who alone supported himself upon a beam; and there some were grievously maimed, and some did not escape with life. 'In this year was king Eadward martyred; and Aethelred the etheling, his brother, succeeded to the kingdom, and he was in the same year consecrated king. In that year died Alfwold; he was bishop of Dorset,' and his body lies in the minster at Sherburn.

A.D. 979. In this year was Aethelred consecrated king at Kingston, on the Sunday, fourteen days after Easter; and there were at his consecration two archbishops and ten suffragan bishops. That same year was seen a bloody cloud, oftentimes, in the likeness of fire; and it was mostly apparent at midnight, and so in various beams was coloured; when it began to dawn then it glided away.

A.D. 979. This year was king Edward slain at even-tide, at Corfes-gate, on the 15th of the kalends of April [18th Mar.], and then was he buried at Wareham, without any kind of kingly honours.

› Here ends MS. B., near the bottom of the (recto) page.-P.

4 This first sentence is from D. E. F.

From A. C. G. which, with Florence of Worcester, place the death of Edward and the coronation of Ethelred under the year 978; but in 979 C. repeats the account of his coronation, as though a year had intervened between the murder of Edward and that event; unless, on the latter occasion, the writer may be supposed to begin the year either at Lady-day or at Easter. Florence says he was crowned on Sunday, the 14th of April, indiction vi., which characters agree with 978.-P.

To the end of the year from C.

The whole of this year is from C.

7 That is, of Sherburn.

D. E. F.

'This year Aethelred succeeded to the kingdom; and he was very quickly after that, with much joy of the English witan, consecrated king at Kingston.

A.D. 980. In this year abbat Aethelgar was consecrated bishop, on the 6th of the nones of May [2d May],' to the episcopal seat at Selsey. And in the same year was Southampton ravaged by a shipforce, and the most part of the townsmen slain, and led captive. And that same year was Thanet-land ravaged. And that same year was Legecester-shire [Chester] ravaged by a northern shipforce. In this year St. Dunstan' and Aelfhere the ealdorman fetched the holy king's body, St. Edward's, from Wareham, and bore it with much solemnity to Shaftsbury.

A.D. 981. In this year St. Petroc's-stowe [Padstow] was ravaged; and that same year was much harm done everywhere by the seacoast, as well among the men of Devon as among the Welsh. And in the same year died Aelfstan, bishop of Wiltshire, and his body lies in the minster at Abingdon; and Wulfgar then succeeded to the bishopric. And in the same year died abbat Womaer at Ghent. A.D. 981. "This year came first the seven ships, and ravaged Southampton. A.D. 982. In this year landed among the men of Dorset three ships of pirates; and they ravaged in Portland. That same year London was burnt; and in the same year died two ealdormen, Aethelmaer in Hampshire, and Eadwin in Sussex; and Aethelmaer's body lies at Winchester, in the New-Minster, and Eadwin's in the minster at Abingdon. This same year died two abbesses in Dorset, Herelufu at Shaftesbury, and Wulfwin at Wareham. And that same year went Odda,' the Roman emperor, to Greek-land [Calabria], and there met he a large force of Saracens, coming up from the sea, and they would then go plundering the Christian people. And then the emperor fought against them, and there was great slaughter made on either hand; and the emperor had possession of the place of carnage; and nevertheless he was there much harassed before he turned thence and as he went homeward, then died his brother's son, who was named Odda [Otho], and he was Leodulf's son, the etheling's, and Leodulf was the elder Odda's [Otho's] son, and king Edward's daughter's son.1o

11

::

A.D. 983. This year died Aelfhere the ealdorman, "and Aelfric succeeded to the same ealdorman-ship." "And pope Benedict [VII.] died.

A.D. 984. This year died the benevolent bishop of Winchester, Athelwold, father of monks, on the kalends of August [1st Aug.]; and the consecration of the succeeding bishop, Aelfheah, who by another name was called Godwin, was on the 14th of the kalends of November [19th Oct.];" and he took the episcopal seat at 2 C. as far as "ship-force."

A.D. 980, F.

3 Namely, the third Sunday after Easter.

D. E. F. after the conclusion of A.D. 979, in the smaller type.

• Dunstan is not mentioned in D. E., nor do these copies speak of king Edward as a saint.

• C.

9 Otho the Third.

7 From D. E.

10 See A.D. 925.

12 The remainder of the year is not in A. G.

14 This clause not in D. E.

8 C.

11 A. C. D. E. F. G.

13 That, namely, of Mercia.

1 A. C. D. E. F. G.

16 This was the twenty-second Sunday after Trinity, in the year 984.