it all. When they had gone so far as they would, then came they at midwinter to their ships. 1011 [E]. Here in this year the king and his witan sent to the host and craved for peace and promised them tribute and food on condition that they would cease from their harrying. They had then overrun i. East-Anglia, ii. Essex, iii. Middlesex,iv. Oxfordshire, v. Cambridgeshire, vi. Hertfordshire, vii. Buckinghamshire, viii. Bedfordshire and (ix.) half Huntingdonshire and x. [much in Northamptonshire]; and, to the south of the Thames, all Kent and Sussex and Hastings' and Surrey and Berkshire and Hampshire and much in Wiltshire. All these misfortunes befell us through ill-counsel, that tribute was not offered to them at the [right] time; but when they had done the most evil, then truce and peace were made with them. And nevertheless for all this truce and peace and tribute, they fared everywhere in troops and harried our wretched folk and captured and slew them. And in this year, between the Nativity of St. Mary (Sept. 8th) and St. Michael's mass (Sept. 29th), they besieged Canterbury and got into it through treachery, because Ælmær betrayed it, whose life the archbishop Ælfheah had before saved. And there they took the archbishop Ælfheah and Ælfward, the king's reeve, and abbess Leofwin and bishop Godwin. And they let abbot Elmær go away. And they took therein all the ecclesiastics and men and women; it is not to be told to any man how many of the folk there were. And afterwards they were within the town as long as they would. And when they had thoroughly ransacked the town, they went to their ships and led the archbishop with them. 4 1 MS. C, D. 5 2 This refers to all the surrounding district, not to the town alone. Originally the name must have been that of a tribe, as the plural form denotes. 3 Nor battle, adds C. 5 Lit., all the men in orders. 4 Leofrun.-C, D. Was then captive he who was erewhile a chief of the English race and of Christendom. be misery seen was seen bliss There might then whence to us came first 'fore God and 'fore the world. And they had the archbishop with them up to the time when they martyred him. 1012 [E]. Here in this year came aldorman Eadric and all the chief witan, ecclesiastical and lay, of the English nation to London, before Easter; at that time was Easter-day on the date Idus April (April 13th); and there they were so long after Easter until the tribute was all paid;' that was eight thousand pounds. Then on the Saturday was the host greatly excited against the bishop, because he would not promise them any money, but forbade that anything should be given for his ransom. They had also drunk deeply, for wine had been brought there from the south. Then they took the bishop, led him to their husting on the Sunday eve, the octaves of Easter [xiii kal. May (April 19th); and there they shamefully killed him]; they pelted him with bones and heads of cattle, and then one of them struck him with an axeiron on the head, so that he sank down beneath the blow; and his holy blood fell on the earth, and his holy soul he sent forth to God's kingdom. And the bishops Eadnoth and Ælfhun and the townsmen received the holy body on the morrow and carried it to London with all honour and buried it in St. Paul's church; and there God now reveals the miracles of the holy martyr. When the tribute was paid and oaths of peace were sworn, then the host dispersed 1 And the witan was assembled for the purpose of paying the tribute to the Danish host.-F. 2 So F. Eight and forty thousand.-C, D. 3 MS. C. 4 And on the morrow the body was carried to London, and the bishops Eadnoth and Ælfhun and the townsmen received it with all honour.-C, D. Swenn far and wide in like manner as before it was assembled. Then five-and-forty ships of the host became subject to the king, and promised him that they would defend this land; and he was to feed and clothe them. 1013 [E]. In the year following that in which the archbishop was martyred, the king appointed bishop Living archbishop to Canterbury. And in this same year before the month of August came king Swegen with his fleet to Sandwich, and went then very speedily about East-Anglia into the mouth of the Humber and so inland along the Trent until he came to Gainsborough. And straightway earl Uhtred and all the Northumbrians submitted to him, and all the folk in Lindsey, and afterwards the folk from the Five Boroughs, and soon after the whole host north of Watling-street; and hostages were given to him from every shire. After he perceived that all the folk were submissive to him, he commanded that his host should be provisioned and horsed; and then afterwards he wended southward with the full fyrd and committed the ships and the hostages to Knut, his son. And after he came across Watling-street, they wrought the most evil that any host might do. Then went he to Oxford, and the townsmen straightway submitted and gave hostages'; and thence to Winchester and did the like. Thence he wended eastward to London, and many of his folk were drowned in the Thames because they did not look for any bridge. When he came to the town, then would not the townsmen submit, but held out against him with full war because king Æthelred was therein and Thurkil with him. Thence king Swegen went to Wallingford and so over the Thames westward to Bath and sat there with his fyrd. And aldorman Athelmær came thither, and the western thegns with him, and they all submitted to Swegen and gave hostages. And when he had thus And so to Winchester, and both the towns submitted and gave hostages; and so he fared eastward, etc.-F. 2 And soon after the whole people received him fully and held succeeded, then wended he northward to his ships; and the whole people had him for full king. And after that the townsmen in London submitted and gave hostages, because they feared that he would destroy them. Then Swegen ordered a full geld and provisions for his host during the winter; and Thurkil ordered the same for the host which lay at Greenwich; but for all that they harried as oft as they would. Then did nothing avail this people either from the south or from the north. Then was the king some while with the fleet which was in the Thames; and the lady then wended over sea to her brother Richard, and Ælfsige, abbot of Peterborough, with her. And the king sent bishop Elfhun with the athelings, Edward and Alfred, over sea that he might take charge of them. Then the king went from the fleet at midwinter to the Isle of Wight and was there during that tide; and after that tide he went over sea to Richard and was there with him until the fortunate occasion when Swegen was dead. And the while that the lady was with her brother beyond sea, Ælfsige abbot of Peterborough, who was there with her, fared to the monastery which is called Bonneval, where St. Florentinus' body lay. There he found a poor stead, a poor abbot and poor monks, for they had been harried. Then he bought there of the abbot and of the monks St. Florentinus' body, all save the head, for five hundred pounds; and then when he came home again, he offered it to Christ and St. Peter. 1014 [E]. Here in this year king Swegen ended his days at Candlemas iii Nones Febr. (Feb. 3rd). [And the same year Ælfwig was consecrated bishop of London him as full king. And the townsmen in London submitted to him and gave hostages. And the king Æthelred sent his queen Ælfgifu Emma over sea to her brother Richard; and Ælfsige, abbot of Peterborough, with her, and bishop Elfhun with the athelings, Edward and Alfred, over sea that he should take charge of them. And the king himself soon fared after them; and was there all the time until Swegen was dead.-F. 3 at York on St. Juliana's mass-day (Feb. 16th).]' And all the fleet chose2 Knut for king. Then decreed all the witan [who were in England], ecclesiastical and lay, that they should send after king Æthelred; and they declared that no lord was dearer to them than their own natural lord, if he would rule them more according to law than he did before. Then sent the king his son Edward hither with his messengers and bade them greet all his people, and said that he would be to them a gracious lord and amend each of those things which they all hated, and each of those things should be forgiven which had been done or said to him on condition that they all unanimously without treachery turned back to him. And then they confirmed full friendship, with word and with pledge, on both sides, and declared every Danish king outlawed1 from England. Then in the spring king Æthelred came home to his own people; and he was gladly received by them all. And, after Swegen was dead, Knut sat with his host at Gainsborough until Easter; and it was agreed between him and the folk in Lindsey that they should horse him and that afterwards they should all fare and harry together. Then came king Æthelred thither to Lindsey with the full fyrd, before they were ready; and then they harried and burnt and slew all the people whom they might reach. Knut wended out to sea with his fleet, and thus the poor people were deceived through him, and then he wended southward until he came to Sandwich; and there he caused to be put ashore the hostages who had been given to his father, and cut off their hands and ears and noses. And besides, all these evils, the king ordered the host, which lay in Greenwich, to be paid twenty-one thousand pounds. And in this year, on the eve of St. Michael's-mass (Sept. 28th), came the This is only in D, and is obviously a later insertion, interrupting the text.-Plummer. Principes autem regis et qui cum eo uenerant in Angliam. -F Lat. 4 An outlaw.-C, D. 3 MS. C. |