Fabyans cronycle newly prynted, wyth the cronycle, actes, and dedes done in the tyme of the reygne of the moste excellent prynce kynge Henry the vii. father vnto our most drad souerayne lord kynge Henry the .viii. To whom be all honour, reuere[n]ce, and ioyfull contynaunce of his prosperous reygne, to the pleasure of god and weale of this his realme amen

Anglia. THE .CLXXIX. CHAPITER.

EDwarde surna∣med the elder and son of Aluredus / began his reygne ouer y^e more part of England, in y^e yere of our lord .ix hundred & one / & the .vii. yere of Eudo then kynge of Fraunce. This was lower then hys father in letter and connynge / but he was hygher in honoure & worshyp. By his fyrst wife he had a son named Ethelstane, the whych was kynge af¦ter hym. By his seconde wyfe he had two sonnes Edredus & Edwynus / & vii. doughters. And of y^e thyrd wyfe he receyued two sonnes, Edmunde & Edrede / and two doughters Edbur∣ga and Edgina.

The fyrste of these .iii. wyfes hyght Edwyna the second hyght Edgina / & the thyrde was named Ethleeswy¦da. Of y^e forenamed .vii. doughters, which he had by his second wife / one named Alunda or Almyda, was ma¦ryed to the fyrst Otto the emperour. And a nother named Algina, was maryed to Charlis the symple kyng of west Fraūce. And the yōgest of his doughters as sayth Policronica / he wedded vnto Lewys kyng of Guy∣an. But therof speketh nothyng the

frenche cronicle. He set his sonnes to scole / and his doughters he sette to woll worke, takyng exemple of Char¦lis the conquestour.

By authoryte of Formosus the pope, he made .vii. byshoppes in En¦lande. wherof he ordeyned .v. in west Saxon, one in southe Saxon, & one in Mercia at Dorchester. He also for that the munkes of wynchester sayd that his father Alurede walkyd / cau¦sed hym to be remoued vnto the new abbay. About the .v. yere of his rey∣gne Clyto Ethelwaldus a nere kyn∣nesman of his / rebellyd agayn hym, and occupyed y^e towne of wymborne besydes Bathe / & toke thens by force & nunne / & went thens vnto the Da∣nys dwellyng in Northūberlande, & excyted them to ryse agayn kyng Ed¦warde. But the kynge pursued hym so sharpely, that he was constrayned to leue the countrey / and sayled into Fraunce, and lefte the nūne behynde hym / the whych the kynge caused to be restoryd agayn to the house y^t she was taken fro.

The nexte yere folowyng, the sayd Clito wyth his cōpany landed in eest Englande, & gaderyd to hym y^e Da∣nys of that countrey, and with theyr ayde destroyed and pylled the coun∣trey about Crekynforde & Criklade. And then passed y^e ryuer of Thamis & spoyled the land to Bradenestoke / and so frō thens retourned into eest Anglia, y^t is Norffolke & Suffolke.

The kynge folowed his enymyes and spoyled of theyr landes, whyche they helde by composycyon from the ryuer of Owse, to the bordure of saynte Edmundus lande / commaun¦dynge hys knyghtes of hys hoste that none shulde dragge or tarye af∣ter hys hoste, for fere that they were not beclyppyd of theyr enmyes. But the Kentyshe men, whych trusted to myche in theyr owne strength, dyso∣beyed that commaundement. wher∣fore the Danys awaytynge theyr praye / fyll vppon them by bushemen¦tes, and slewe the more partye of theym, wherwyth the kyng was sore dyscontentyd.

Soone after bothe hostes mette. where after longe fyght Clyto wyth many of the Danys was slayne, and the remenaunt constrayned to seche peace / the whyche was graunted vp¦pon certayne condycyons, that they shulde holde theym wythin the boun¦des to theym lymytted / and ouer that paye yerely a certayne money in waye of trybute.

After whyche peace wyth them sta¦blyshed / he repayred cytyes, townes, and castellys, that by the sayde Da∣nys were shatered and broken.

And about the .viii. yere of his rey¦gne / kynge Edwarde repayred the wallys and also the cytye of Kaer∣lyon, that now is called Chester. To the whych were great helpers Ethel¦dred{us} duke of Mercia, & Elfleda his wyfe, doughter of Alurede as before is shewyd, & suster of this kynge Ed∣warde. And that done the kynge buylded a stronge castell at Herforde in y^e egge of walys. And he enlarged so greatly y^e walles of Chester / y^t the castell whych before tyme was wyth out the wall, is now wythin.

And the .ix. yere of his reygn / Ethel¦dred{us} duke of Mercia by coūsayll of his wyfe trāslated y^e bones of y^e holy kyng Oswald, frō Bradony to Glou¦cestre / & there buylded a fayre mona¦stery in the worshyp of saynt Peter.

In the .xii. yere of kyng Edwardes reygne / the Danes repentynge them of theyr couenauntes before made, myndyng & entēdyng y^e breche of the same / assēbled an hoste & met with y^e kynge in Staffordeshyre, at a place called Toten halle, and soone after at wodenesseylde. At whyche .ii. pla∣ces

the kynge slew two kynges, two erlys, and many thousandes of the Danys that then occupyed the coun¦trey of Northumberlande.

And soon after dyed the noble man Etheldredus duke or erle of Mercia or myddell Englande. After whose deth, the kynge for so myche as he hadde often prouyd her wysedome / he toke the rule of that countrey to hys wyfe Elfleda, London alonely exceptyd, the whyche he toke vnder his onwe rule.