The chronicle of Ihon Hardyng in metre, fro[m] the first begynnyng of Engla[n]de, vnto ye reigne of Edwarde ye fourth where he made an end of his chronicle. And from yt time is added with a co[n]tinuacion of the storie in prose to this our tyme, now first emprinted, gathered out of diuerse and sondrie autours of moste certain knowelage [et] substanciall credit, yt either in latin orels in our mother toungue haue writen of ye affaires of Englande.

The .C .v. Chapiter.

¶ Athelwolfe kynge of Westsex, reygned .xix. yere, & dyed the yere .viii. hundreth .liii. after Chrystes byrth,

AThelwolfe was king crowned at his citee Of Westchester, in all royall estate To whome the kinges, & lordes made feau¦te And homage leege as was preordynate That reygned after .xix. yere fortunate And graunted the churche, tythes of corne & haye

Of bestiall also, through Westsex for aye

¶ In the yere eyght hundred thirty and eyght The Danes arriued with shippis fourscore & thre Wher Athelstane his sonne did with theim feight And duke Wolfward, by greate fortunitee Theim toke and sleugh with all felicitee But Athelstane, in that battaile was slaine Of his warres, that was the capitain

¶ And in the yere eyght hūdred thirty and nyne The kyng faught sore w^t Danes at Mersyngton Wher erle Harbart was slain a prince full fyne But Danes all were take and slain their a doune Without mercy, cracked vpon the croune The kyng came home, with honour and victorye As Flores saieth, right in his memorye

¶ And in the yere eyght hundred fourty and one The Danes watched thest sea cost throughout With diuers hostes, for which y^t king made great mone All helples thē, the Danes y^t were so stout In many places, with many dyuerse rout All harmles went, without hurt or pain By dyuers tyme, that yere home again

¶ In the yere eyght hundred foure and fourtye At Carham then, the kyng full sore did fight With Danes fell, and had the victorye And at Alnewik he faught, again furth right With Danes also, wher kyng Redwolf y^t hight Of Northumberlāde, and erle Alffride was slain And full greate parte, of their hoost certain

¶ Kyng Athilwolf came to the South contree Wher Danes then in battaile with hym faught In Somersetshire, wher he made many dye And gate the feld, and sleugh all that he caught Wher great people y^t daye the death hath raught Tharchbishop with his full wise clergie Bysyde Sandwiche, of Danes had victorye

¶ And in the yere eyght hundred fifty and one The Danishe hoost, in Thamis did arriue Kent, and Southray, Sussex, and Hāshire anone Distroyed sore and throughe y^t South gan dryue Wher muche folke thei sleugh, bothe māne & wife Whiche host y^e kyng, w^t battaile slewe doune sore That home again retourned thei no more

¶ And in the yere eyght hundred fifty and three The kyng Edmond of Estangle began To reigne after Albert of greate beautee That holy was, as his legend tell can But Athilwolf the kyng buryed then The kyng of Mers, that had his doughter wed All Wales wan, theim thought thei had well sped

¶ This Athilwolf to Roome toke his waye In pilgremage with hym, his soonne Alurede Cardinall was of Wynchester that daye Wher then he had, the bishoprike, in deede A perfecte clerke, he was as saieth sainct Bede A philosophier wise, and well approued And by the bishop of Rome, cōmēdid well, & loued

¶ And there thei were abydyng ful twoo yere

And home thei came, vnto the kyng of Fraunce And his doughter Indith ther weddid clere By assent of hym, and all his hole puysaunce And so with worship, and noble gouernaunce Fro thens he came, sone into England With hir and with his soonne as I vnderstand

¶ And in the yere eyght hundred fifty and three The death his soule, gan frome his body dryue Vnto the blisse eternall, there to bee In heuen aboue, wher is euerlastyng life To Peter and Pole he graunted infenitife The Roome pence then of all Englande As Flores saieth, as I can vnderstande

¶ He was then buryed, at Winchester in royall wise As to suche a prince, of reason should affere And with his wife, as did full well suffice Foure soonnes he had, worthy without pere Sir Athilwold, Ethelbert, Elfride the dere And Alrude the youngest of echone Afore theim all, one bast had Athelston

¶ Athelbold was kyng after hym and heire And protector, with all the prerogatif His stepdame wed, menne saied it was not faire The churche him gan punishe and chastiue For cause he wed, hir so vnto his wife Again the lawe and christen conciense Vnaccordant, with his magnificence

¶ That reigned whole, twoo yere and no more In greate sikenes and pain inmorderate

Greately vexed, and punisshed was right sore Menne saied it was, for sinne inordinate With his stepdame, that was so consociate But then he had, as God would repentaunce For his trespas and misgouernaunce

¶ Afore he dyed, he did full sore repent And for his synne, stode to correccion Of holy churche, for his amendement Submitted whole, without obieccion And for to liue, in clene perfeccion Departed were by lawe and deuorced Afore his soule was passed and vncorced

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Tythes firste graū¦ted to the clergy in Englande.