Here begynneth a shorte and abreue table on the Cronycles ...

¶How the Danys tooke yorke / and slewe the kynge Osbrygt / and soone after slewe kynge Eelle.

[illustration]

Sall was redy y^t two bre¦thern toke leue ofthe kyn¦ge Godren. and wente to∣warde the see for to passe•• o¦uer in to Inglonde as fast as they myght spede Now is Buerne so welle comfor∣ted and faste hyed hym wyth the Danys that they ben arryued in the North coūtre & comen thrugh out Holdernes / and destroyed all the countree and brenned townes / & robbed folke / and sle∣we all that they myght take tyll that they came vnto yorke. And whan kyng Osbryght sawe them come / He tooke alle hys people that he had with hym & came out of the cytee & faught with them / but noo foyson he ne hadde ayenst them / and moche of the people that there was were slayne on bothe partyas. And kynge Os¦bryght hym self there was slayne / and the cyte anene was take and the Danys wente in. ¶And there was also an other kynge in Nor∣thumberlonde / that Buernes frendes hadde those & helde hym for kynge / a man that was called Elle / for as moche as they wolde not to kynge Osbryght be attendan̄t / for the despyte that he had done vnto Buerne theyr cosyn. ¶It befell thus that the kyng Elle was gone in to the wood hym for to dyosporte & of the ve¦nyson some he had taken. And as he sate in the wood at meete / to a knyght he sayde. we ha•• wel spedde and moche venyson taken. ¶And with that worde came in a man & to hym sayd yf yeso moche of venyson haue wonne / an ho¦dred tymes so moche more ther ayenst haue ye loste. For all thys coūtree the Danys haue go∣ten / and taken the Cytee of yorke / and ayenst you shall it holde / that neuer ye shalcome ther¦in / and for soo moche they haue slayne kynge Osbryght. whan kynge Elle herde these wor¦des / he lete assemble all the folke of he coūtree and ordeyned all the power that he myght ha∣ue and wolde haue goten the towne of yorke with strength. But the Danys came out ano∣ne & yaue hym a strōge batayll. And selwe the kyng Elle & the moost parte of y^e peple y^t he had brought with hym. ¶And the same place the∣re they were slayne / shalle euer more be called Elle crofte / and that place is a lytell from yor¦ke. ¶And the rested the Danys neuer tyl that they hadde conquered all Northumberlonde. And in that countree they made wardeynes / and wente further in to the londe / and tooke Notyngham. And there they abode all y^e wyn¦ter / and dyed all the sorowe that they myght ¶And after whan Somer tyme came they re¦meued frome Notyngham and came in to Ni¦choll and Lyndesey / and to Holonde. For noo man myght them wythstande / soo moche po∣wer and strengthe they had