The church-history of Brittany from the beginning of Christianity to the Norman conquest under Roman governours, Brittish kings, the English-Saxon heptarchy, the English-Saxon (and Danish) monarchy ... : from all which is evidently demonstrated that the present Roman Catholick religion hath from the beginning, without interruption or change been professed in this our island, &c. / by R.F., S. Cressy of the Holy Order of S. Benedict.

* 1.1XXIII. CHAP.

1.2 &c. The Martyrdom of S. Alcmund a Northumbrian Prince.

4.5. &c. Brithric King of the West-Saxons murdred by his Queen Eadburga: For which it was ordained that the wives of succeeding Kings should never have the Title of Queens.

* 1.21. THE Kingdom of the Northumbers at this time was again most greivously plagued by the Danish Pirats: for a most hor∣rible army of them landing in the Northern parts cruelly spoyled the Churches of Hercenes and Tyn∣mouth.

2. The same year also Alcmund son of Alred who had been there King, was apprehended by the guards of the present Vsurping King Eardulf, and by his command was slain, together with all those who had been his companions in banishment.

3. This Prince Alcmund was son of that King Alred who in the year of Christ seaven hundred seaventy four was by a rebellion of his Subiects driven out of his kingdom▪ and fled to the Picts. This Prince willingly followed his Father into banishment, the incommodities whereof he bore with a Chri∣stian equanimity. By such afflictions God di∣sposed this pious Prince for a far richer crown For though by the relation of Ma∣thew of Westminster he is said to have been slain by the cruelty of King Eardulf: yet in our Martyrologe he is commemorated in the quality of a Martyr,* 1.3 made a sacrifice to God by the inhumanity of the Danes. Certain it is that he dyed a violent and uniust death, and by posterity has been a••ways venerated as a Saint: which God approved by many Mi••racles. In the Citty of Darby a magnificent Church was built to his honour, called to this day the Church of S. Alcmund. Another likewise was erected in Shrewsbury, as our Martyrologe testifies,* 1.4 where his Name is ce∣lebrated among Saints on the nineteenth of March. And in former times a great con∣course thither was made, especially from the Northern parts, to pay their devotions to God in honouring his Saint their iniured countreyman.

4. This Century concluded with the death of Brithric King of the West-Saxons by the treacherous cruelty of his Wife. The manner thereof is thus described by Mathew of West∣minster. King Brithric, saith he, had taken to wife Eadburga daughter to Offa King of the Mer∣cians.* 1.5 This woman being exalted to so great ho∣nours, did not content her self, but was restlesse in her ambition to enioy alone all wealth and power. Therefore with a tyrannous malice she was w••nt to accuse before the King and persecute all the Nobles of the Kingdom and all others who favoured iustice. By which means she became the Obiect of the Vniversal hatred both of the Princes and inferiour subiects: Because that wicked wo∣man by her flatteries had so insinuated her self into the Kings affection and esteem, that who∣sever she accused, were presently either banished or slain: Or if she could not obtain this, her custom was privatly to destroy them by poison.

5. Now there was at that time a certain young man of a Noble family and deeply in the Kings favour: against whom the Queen not having any thing of which she could with any pretence of iu¦stice accuse him, she provided poyson with which she killed him. And a part of this poyson the King unawares taesting, immediatly dyed. Her purpose then was not that the poison should be given to the King, but only to the young man his favourite: but by mishap they both drank of it, and both presently dyed.

6. The King being thus unhappily slain, the Queen knowing how universally she was hated, in great fear fled away privatly, carying with her inestimable treasure. And passing the Sea, she went to the Emperour-Charles, to whom she pre∣sented many rich gifts.

On a certain time, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 she was among other Ladies standing in his pre∣sence, being though a most wicked, yet a woman of wonderfull beauty, the Emperour said thus to her, Take your choice, Madame, whether you will have mee, or my Son who stands where at the window, for your husband. She without any de∣liberation, and being incited by her lust, answerd thus, If the choice be left to mee, I would much rather chuse your son then you, because he is younger. Then the Emperour perceiving that the satisfying her lust suggested this answer to her tongue, returned her this quick and elegant reply, If you had chosen mee, I would have given you my Son: But since you have chosen him, you shall have neither him nor mee.

* 1.67. Notwithstanding upon her importunity, and also in regard of her beauty the Emperour bestowd on her a Noble Monastery of Religious wo∣men into which she retired, and there hypocriti∣cally laying aside her secular habit, she took the habit of a Religious woman. having in her heart no sence of the duty to which that Profession obli∣ged her, and for some few years exercised the Of∣fice of Abbesse there.

8. Her memory was in such execration in Brittany, that by an unanimous agreement of the Nobility and Commons in the King∣dom of the West-Saxons a Decree was made, that from that time the wives of those Western Kings should never enioy the Title of Queens, nor partake of any prerogative of Regall dignity.

9. To Brithric there succeeded in that kingdom Egbert, the first founder of the Saxon or English Monarchy, and the first who commanded the Island to be called by a new Name, England: Concerning whom more in the following Book. This I will conclude with the Chronologicall account of this time given by Ethelwerd a Noble Historian of the Royall blood of the Saxons, who lived in the following Age: In the year when Eg∣byrht began his raign there passed from the Crea∣tion of the world six thousand years wanting five:* 1.7 from our Lords Incarnation, eight hundred: from the coming of the Saxons Hengest and Horsa into Brittany, three hundred and fifty years: and from the first entrance of S. Augustin sent by S. Gregory to convert this Nation, two hundred and four years.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XXIII. C.
• * 1.2

  Westmon. hîc.
• * 1.3

  Martyr. Ang. 19. Mart.
• * 1.4

  Id. ib.
• * 1.5

  Westmon. h••c.
• * 1.6

  A. D. 800.
• * 1.7

  Ethelvverd. hist. l. 3. c. 2.