The history of Great Britaine under the conquests of ye Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans Their originals, manners, warres, coines & seales: with ye successions, lives, acts & issues of the English monarchs from Iulius Cæsar, to our most gracious soueraigne King Iames. by Iohn Speed.

OFFA THE ELEVENTH KING OF THE MERCIANS, AND THE SIX∣TEENTH MONARCH OF THE ENGLISH∣MEN, HIS ACTS, RAIGNE, WIFE AND ISSVE. CHAPTER XXVIII.

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OFfa, the cosen of King Ethel∣bald, after some time of Inter-regnum, succeeded him in his dominions of Mercia; a man of so high stomacke and stoutnes of mind, that he thought no∣thing vnpossible for him to attaine: and for vertue and vice, so equally com∣posed, that hardly could bee iudged to whither of them the scale of his carriage most inclined, although the Monke of S. Albans, and writer of his life, doth blanch out his graces with superlatiue praises.

(2) His Parents hee nameth Twin•…•…reth and Mer∣cella, and himselfe hee saith to haue been first named Pinered, borne both lame, deafe, and blinde, wherein he so continued vnto his mans estate. The rage of Bernred (saith the same Author) had forced all three into a solitary place, where suddenly by miracle Pine∣red was restored, and for that cause called another Offa; who presently assailed, and in a great battel man∣fully fought, slew the vsurping Bernred. The Nobles of Mercia being rid of that Tyrant by the valour of Offa, gladly imbraced & receiued him for their King; who began his raigne with greater shew of glory, then any Mercian before him had done, being in number the eleuenth that had raigned in that Prouince, and is accounted the sixteenth Monarch of the Englishmen.

(3) His neighbour Kings foreseeing whereat his eye glanced, sollicited by Letters Charles the Great, then King of France, against him, who wrote vnto Offa in their behalfe, and in threatning wise commanded him to desist. But he was so farre from fearing of his threats, that to his contempt he was the more eager.

(4) The first that felt his fury, were the Kentish∣men vnder Alrik their King, whose ouerthrow was the lesse dishonourable (saith Malmesbury) for that they were vanquished by so great a Monarch. The place was Otteford, vnfortunate to them, where their King was slaine by the hand of Offa himselfe, their forces quite discomfited by the losse of this field, and their Coun∣try trodden downe vnder the feet of the Mercians.

(5) From South to North King Offa then mar∣ched, and beyond Humber made hauocke of all that stood against him; whence returning triumphant, he set vpon the West-Saxons, that had formerly ioined with his enemies: the place was Bensinton, which Ca∣stell King Offa tooke, with the discomfiture of King Kenwolfe, and all his West-Saxons; who sought their reuenge by the aides of the Britaines in Wales. Their King (saith mine Author) was then Marmodius, betwixt whom some intercourse by letters passed, & great presents to King Offa sent, onely to protract time, and to worke vpon aduantage.

(6) In this Interim of complements, for a further security, Offa caused a great ditch to be drawn betwixt his and the Britaines borders, which worke began at Basingwark in Flint-shire, and North-wales; not farre from the mouth of Dee, and ranne along the moun∣taines into the South, & ended neer Bristow at the fall of Wye; the tract whereof in many places is yet seene, and is called to this day Clawdh Offa, or Offaes ditch. Marmodius, who openly bare saile to this wind, and seemed to winke at Offaes intent, secretly called a Counsell of State, wherein he declared how the Act thus in working, would soone proue the bane of li∣berty vnto their country, and the marke of dishonor to thēselues & posterity for euer; therefore his aduice was, that by some stratagem it might be staid by time.

(7) To this his Britaines consented, the truce yet lasting, and the feast of Christs Natiuity euen then at hand; in the celebration wherof was held the greatest aduantage with least suspect, to put themselues in action against it; and secretly working the assistance of their allies the Saxons; both of the South, the West, and the North, vpon Saint Stephens day at night, sud∣dainely brake downe the banke of this fortification, filling vp againe a great part of the Ditch, and in the morning most furiously rushed into Offa his Court,

putting a great number to the sword, who were more intentiue and regard full to the Feast, then to a∣ny defence from their cruell and mercilesse swords.

(8) These wrongs King Offa delaied not to re∣quite, first making their hostages his vassals and slaues, and then with a great army entring Wales, in a bloody and sore-fought battaile hee ouercame Marmodius and all his associates in the field. Thus then as a Conquerour ouer all his enemies trium∣phantly after ten yeares wars abroad returned he to his owne Kingdome, neither puffed with pride, nor suffring his title to be enlarged according to his con∣quests: yet he was not neglectiue of regall state, by the report of the Ligger booke of S. Albans, which saith, that in regard of his great prerogatiue, and not of any pride, he first instituted and commanded, that euen in times of peace also, himselfe and his Successors in the Crowne, should as he passed through any Cities, haue Trumpetters going and sounding before them, to shew that the person of the King should breed both feare, and honor in all which either see him or heare him.

(9) Vnto King Charles of France he wrote in ex∣cuse of his warres, and desire of his amity; whom Charles againe congratulated with letters of gladnes, both for his victories, and the Christian piety in his land embraced; desiring of Offa safe conduct for such his subiects, as came to his country in deuoti∣on to God, and withall sent to him, (for a present) a Booke of the Decrees of the second Councell of Nice. Which Synodall Booke (to vse Roger Houedens owne words) was sent vnto King Charles from Con∣stantinople, wherin (alas for pity) by the vnanimous as∣sertion of three hundred Bishops or more congregated in that Councell, were decreed many things inconuenient, yea and quite contrary to the true faith; as is most especially the worshipping of Images, which the Church of God doth vtterly detest. Against which Booke Albinus wrote an Epistle, admirably strengthned by the authority of the holy Scriptures, which together with the foresaid Booke him∣selfe presented in the name of the Princes & Bishops of this land, vnto the foresaid Charles King of France. Such in∣tercourse both for State and Church had this great Offa with that great Charles.

(10) His last warres (according to mine Author) were against the Danes, whom he forced to their ships with the losse as well of their booties, as of many of their liues; and then (saith he) with the spirit of humi∣lity, both to recall himselfe from the trace of blood, and to the better establishment of his kingdomes peace, he ioined in affinity with his neighbour Prin∣ces, vpon whō he bestowed his daughters in mariage.

(11) And making Egfrid his sonne a King with himselfe, in great deuotion went to Rome, where with the like zeale and example of Inas the West-Sax∣on, he made his Kingdome subiect to a Tribute, then called Peter-pence, afterwards Rom-Scot; besides other rich gifts that he gaue to Pope Hadrian for canoni∣zing Albane a Saint: in honour of whom, and in re∣pentance of his sinnes, at his returne (ouer against Verolanium, in the place then called Holmehurst, where that Protomartyr of Britaine, for the constant profession of Christ, lost his head) Offa built a mag∣nificke Monastery in Anno 795. indowing it with lands and rich reuenewes for the maintenance of an hundred Monks: vpon the first gate of entrance in stone standeth cut a Salteir Argent in a field azure, & is assigned by the iudicious in Heraldry to bee the Armes that he bare.

(12) Also in testimony of his repentance for the bloud hee had spilt, he gaue the tenth part of all his goods vnto the Churchmen, and vnto the poore. At Bathe he also built another Monastery, and in War∣wickshire a Church, where the adioyning towne, from it and him, beareth the name Off-church.

(13) Finally, when hee had raigned thirty nine yeares, he died in peace at his towne Off-ley the nine and twentieth of Iuly, the yeare of Christ Iesus, se∣uen hundred ninety foure: and with great solemnity his body was buried without the towne of Bedford in a Chapell standing vpon the Banke of Owse, which long since was swallowed vp by the same riuer: whose Tombe of lead (as it were some phantasticall thing) appeareth often (saith Rouse) to them that seek it not, but to them that seeke it, is altogether inunible.

His wife.

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(14) Quendrid the wife of King Offa hath not her parentage set down by any of our Writers: notwith∣standing, the recorder of this his life, saith that her name was Drida, and that shee was the kinswoman to Charles the Great King of France, and by him for some offence banished his Realme, who arriuing vpon the coasts of England in a ship without tackle, was taken thence, and relieued by Offa, being then a young Nobleman, where shee changed her name vnto Petronilla; with whom hee fell so farre in loue that hee made her his wife, contrary to the liking of his Parents. She was a woman of condition am∣bitious, couetous, and cruell, as appeared special∣ly in the death of Ethelbert, King of the East Angles, that came to her husbands Court to marry their daughter; whose port shee so much enuied, that shee procured him to bee treacherously murdered: the manner the foresaid Author declared to be by his fall into a deepe pit, purposely made in his bed-chamber, and vnder his chaire of estate. That his head was cut off, and found by a blind-man, that the well which beares his name sprung vp presently in the place where it lay, that the bloud thereof gaue the blind man his sight, and that Dryda died in the same pit which she had digged for Ethelbert, I leaue to the credite of my author, and the liking of my Reader: but certaine it is that Gods vengeance followed this heynous fact within one yeare after the same was committed, by the death of her selfe, her husband, & her Sonne, and the translation of that Kingdome from the Mercians to the West-Saxons.

An ancient Saxon coine inscribed with her name, CENEDRED REGIN. we haue found and here placed, which the iudicious suppose to be hers, and that not vnlikely, shee being so powerfull, proud and ambitious.

His Issue.

(15) Egfrid the onely sonne; and heire apparant of King Offa and Queene Quendred, was the onely ioy and pride of his parents, who succeeded his Fa∣ther in his dominions and title, and in the same yeare also in the shades of death.

(16) Ethelburga, the eldest daughter of King Offa and Queene Quendred was maried to Brithrick the sixeteenth King of the West-Saxons: shee was a Lady of passing beautie, but withall of an insolent dispo∣sition, hating all whom her husband loued, and practising the deathes of them that she hated. She departed into France after the poisoning of her husband, & for that her offence, a law was enacted to the great preiudice of the West-Saxons Queenes, as in the raigne of Brithrick we haue declared.

(17) Elfled, the second daughter of King Offa, & Queene Quendred, by the report of Randulph Hig∣den the Monke of Chester, was the second wife to E∣thelred King of Northumberland, who in regard of her had put from him his former wife, for which his subiects rose in Armes against him, and slew him in the last yeare of King Offa his raigne.

(18) Elfrid the third and yongest daughter of King Offa, and Queene Que•…•…dred, being promised in mariage, and assured vnto Ethelbert King of the East Angles, after the murther of her hoped Bridegroom, with great lamentations, and prophesying threats of reuenge, abandoned the society of men, and with∣drew herselfe vnto the monastery of Crowland in the

Fennes, where in contemplation and solitary sadnes she spent the remainder of her life; and yet there are that suppose her to bee the wife of King Kenwolfe, who was the founder of Winchcombe Monastery, & the successor of his brother Egfride.

(19) Fremund by Iohn Capgraue is supposed to be the sonne of King Offa, who, as he saith, was traite∣rously murdered by one Oswy that enuied his victo∣ries which he gat against the Danes: his body was buried at Offchurch in Warwickshire, and neere vnto the Palace of Offa; alleadging for his Author one Burghard, who was at his death, and wrote his life; yet some there are that thinke him mistaken, for that hee calleth him a young man, when as those warres hapned an hundred yeares after King Offa his life.

Notes

• Monarch 16.
• Offa•…•…
• An. Do. 758.
• Wil. Malmsbury.
• Liber M. S.
• The parents of Offa.
• Bernred slaine.
• King Charles the Great.
• Malmsbury.
• Bensinton Castel taken by King Offa.
• Liber S. Albans, M. S. Marmodius a Welsh King.
• Offaes ditch.
• Chron. Wallis.
• Marmodius trea∣chery.
• The Britain•…•… ac∣cessary to it.
• Saxons assistance.
• Offa•…•… ple 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• Marmodius van∣quished by Offa.
• The Ligger of 〈◊〉〈◊〉. M. S.
• King Charles con∣gratulateth Offa.
• Ro. Houed. •…•…nal. part 1. The second Councell of Nice.
• Alcuinm.
• Offa•…•… last wars.
• Offa went to Rome.
• His repentance.
• Off-ley Towne.
• I〈◊〉〈◊〉 S Al•…•…s M. S. 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉.
• In the life of S. Albane. prefixed before the Led∣ger booke of that Abbey.
• Offa affectioned to Quend•…•…d.
• Quend•…•…d her trechery.
• Quendred rewar∣ded with the like paines.
• Egfrid the only son of Offa.
• Ethelburga the first daughter.
• Cap. 7. Sect. 16.
• Polycbr. •…•…sted the second daughter.
• Elfrid the third daughter.
• Iohn Capgraue.
• Burghard.