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.

EDVVY THE TVVENTIE EIGHTH KING OF THE VVEST-SAXONS, AND * 1.1 * 1.2 TWENTIE NINTH MONARCH OF THE ENGLISHMEN: HIS RAIGNE, ACTS, AND DEATH. CHAPTER XLI.

[illustration]

EDwy, the eldest sonne of King Edmund, after the de∣cease of his vncle Edred, * 1.3 succeeded him in his do∣minions, and was the twentie eighth King of the West-Saxons, and the twen∣tie ninth Monarch of the Englishmen: he began his raigne in the yeare of the worlds saluation, 955. and was annointed & crowned at Kingston vpon Thame∣sis, by the hands of Otho the 22. Archbishop of Can∣terbury.

(2) Yong hee was in yeares, and vitious of life, if the Monkish Story-writers of those times * 1.4 his deadly enemies may be credited, not past thir∣teene when he entred gouernment, and that begun with a capitall sinne: for they report, that vpon the solemne day of his Coronation, and insight of his Nobles, as they sate in Counsell, with shamelesse and vnprincelike lust, he abused a Lady of great estate, & his neere kinswoman, whose husband shortly after he slew, the more freely to possesse his incestuous pleasure: and to fill the pennes of his further infa∣my ready to their hands, that wrote his life, hee was a great enemy vnto the Monkish orders (a sore in those dayes very tender to be touched, and may well be thought the cause of many false aspersions on him,) whom from the Monastery of Malmsbury Glasenbury and others, hee expelled, placing mar∣ried Priests in their roomes: Dunstan likewise the * 1.5 Abbot Saint of Glasenbury hee banished the Realm,

for his ouer-bold reprehensions; if not rather for retaining the treasure deliuered him by King Edred, and demaunded againe in his sicknesse; when by the voice (forsooth) of an Angell from heauen, his * 1.6 iourney was staid, and those rich Iewels not deliue∣red the King in his life; I will not say kept backe, lest Dunstan with Balaam (whose stories are not much vnlike) should bee thought to follow (as he * 1.7 did) the wages of deceit.

(3) Howsoeuer, the reuerent opinion of the Monks single life, and the conceiued holines of Ab∣bot Dunstan in those misty times, did daily counter∣poize * 1.8 young Edwy in esteeme, which made his best acts construed, and recorded to the worst; insomuch that his Subiects minds, ebbing as the Sea from the full, drew backe the current of their subiectiue affe∣ctions, and set the eye of obedience vpon Prince Ed∣gar his Brother: and albeit his young yeeres may seeme to cleare him from the imputation of so lust∣ful a fact, as he is charged with, at the day of his assu∣ming the Crowne; and the separation from his wife, (as too neere in consanguinity) wrought griefe en∣ough in his distressed heart, yet pittilesse of his e∣state, and carelesse of their owne allegiance, the Mer∣cians with the Northumbrians did vtterly cast off obe∣dience, and sweare their fealty to Edgar, not fully foureteene yeeres aged: Ed•…•… then raigning in a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 decaying estate, was he•…•…d of such his subiects, in no * 1.9 better esteeme, then was Iehoram of Iudah, who is said to haue liued without being desired: for very griefe whereof after foure yeares raigne hee ended his life, the yeare of our Lord 959: whose body was buri∣ed in the Church of the new Abbey of Hide at Win∣chester, erected without the Wall in the North of that City.

His Wife.

(4) Elfgine, the wife of King Edwy, was a Lady of great beauty, and nobly descended, yea, and by some deemed somewhat too neare in the bloud roiall, to bee matched with him in spousall bed: her fathers name is not recorded, but her mother was Etheigiue, whom some scandalized to haue beene his Concu∣bine, and the onely causer of Dunstans banishment. The subiects disliking of this vnlawfull marriage, & further instigated by the Monkes, (whose humo∣rous * 1.10 pleasures, or displeasures could very much sway the state in those daies,) failed by degrees to performe their duties to their King, and her they likewise enforced to a separation, in the third yeere of his regardlesse gouernment, and of Christ Iesus, 958. without other mention of her life or death.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Monarch 29.
• * 1.2

  Edwy.
• * 1.3

  An. Do. 955.
• * 1.4

  Edwyes 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.5

  M. Fox Acts and Monuments.
• * 1.6

  Wil. Malmsb.
• * 1.7

  Iud. 1. 11.
• * 1.8

  Abbot Dunstan.
• * 1.9

  〈1 line〉〈1 line〉.
• * 1.10

  Iohn 〈◊〉〈◊〉.