His Issue.
(11) Ethelbald, the eldest sonne of King Ethelwolfe, and of Lady Osburg his first wife, was brought vp in * 1.1 his youth in the exercise of warre, and serued vnder his Father in the great victory obtained against the Danes at Ocley in Surrey, in the yeare eight hundred fifty one: afterwards hee turned his force against his Father; and at his returne from Rome, practised to defeat him of his Kingdome, and was ready to haue giuen him battaile, had not his Father parted with him his Dominion.
(12) Ethelbert, the second son of King Ethelwolfe * 1.2 and Lady Osburg his first wife, was in the life time of his Father, after the decease of his vncle Ethelstan, appointed and placed his Successor in his Kingdome ouer the South-Saxons, the Kentish, and the East-Sax∣ons, without any mention or meaning (as it seemeth,) that hee should intermeddle further with any other part of England. Notwithstanding after the death of his brother Ethelbald, it was generally holden of all men for law, equity, and reason, that he should succeed him in the Monarchy: and so he did, with the consent of his Brethren, and without resistance, or contradiction of any other.
(13) Ethelred the third sonne of King Ethelwolfe, * 1.3 and Lady Osburg his first wife, had by the dispo∣sition of his Father in his last will, the one halfe of his Fathers proper inheritance; which was all such land as King Egbert his Grandfather had before hee was King, and was no part of the Demaines of the Kingdome, and this was diuided betwixt him and his brother Elfred, as the kingdome was betweene their elder Brethren Ethelbald and Ethelbert: with an intent that this Ethelred should succeed his brother Ethelbald in the kingdome of the West-Saxons; not∣withstanding, his brother Ethelbert, after the de∣cease of King Ethelbald, entred into the other part, adioining it to his former kingdome, and was king of the whole, and after left it entire to this Ethelred, who succeeded him in the Monarchy.
(14) Elfred, the fourth sonne of King Ethelwolfe and of Lady Osburg his first wife, was borne at Wan∣tage * 1.4 in Barkeshire, in the yeare of our Lord God, eight hundred forty nine; and the thirteenth of his fathers raign. Being a child of fiue yeeres old, he was sent very honourably attended to the City of Rome, where Leo the fourth then Bishoppe confirmed him, was his Godfather at the confirmation, and annointed him to the expectation of a kingdome: growne in yeares, hee grew so in discretion, magnanimity and fauour of all men, that in the successiue raignes of his three elder Brethren, he ruled as a Vice-roy or se∣condary king vnder euery of them, and after them at the last succeeded in the English Monarchy.
(15) Ethelfwith, the daughter of King Ethelwolfe * 1.5 and Lady Osburg, was maried to Burthred the twen∣tieth King of Mercia, which mariage was solemnized at the towne of Chippinham in Wiltshire, in the mo∣neth of Aprill, and yeare of Christs Natiuity eight hundred thirty fiue, and the fifteenth of her fathers raigne: but within twenty two years after, they were both forced by the Danes to abandon their kingdom, and departed into Italy, where the King died the same yeare in the English Colledge at Rome: shee liued af∣ter him fifteene yeares in the habite of a N•…•…ne, at the City of Pad•…•…a, and there died, and was honou∣rably buried in the yeare of our Lord God eight hun∣dred eighty nine, which was the eighteenth yeare of her brother King Elfreds raigne.
(16) Ne•…•…te, supposed by Iohn Capgra•…•…e the Legend writer, to be the sonne of King Ethelwolfe, was in his * 1.6 youth brought vp at Glastenbery vnder Dunstan, who was afterward Arthbishop of Ca•…•…terbury. He proued a man of great learning, and was one of the first Rea∣ders of Diuinity in the Vniuersity of Oxford, at the