Chronicles : The Historie of England | Page 6

and towne
there.
* * * * *

_The Danes inuading the west parts of this land make great hauocke by
fire and sword, they arriue at Rochester, and conquer the Kentishmen in
field, king Egelred ouercommeth the Danes that inhabited Cumberland
and wasteth the countrie, the Summersetshire men are foiled; the
miserable state of the realme in those daies; the English bloud mixed
with the Danes and Britaines, and what inconueniencies grew thervpon,
the disordered gouernement of king Egelred, sicknesses vexing the
people, treason in the nobles, the tribute paid to the Danes vnmercifillie
inhansed, the realme brought to beggerie; king Egelred by politike

persuasion and counsell marrieth Emma the duke of Normandies
daughter, vpon what occasion the Normans pretended a title to the
crowne of England, they conquer the whole land, what order king
Egelred tooke to kill all the Danes within his kingdoms, and what rule
they bare in this realme yer they were murdered, the thraldome of the
English people under them, whereof the word Lordane sprang_.
THE THIRD CHAPTER.
In the ninteenth yere of king Egelreds reigne, the Danes sailed about
[Sidenote: 997. The Danes inuade the west parts of this land.]
Cornewall, and comming into the Seuerne sea, they robbed & tooke
preies in the coasts of Deuonshire & Southwales, and landing at
Wicheport, they burned vp the countrie, and came about vnto
Penwithstréet on the south coast, and so arriuing in the mouth of Tamer
water, came vnto Lidford, and there wasted all afore them with force of
fire. They burned, amongst other places, the monasterie of [Sidenote:
Tauestocke.] saint Ordulfe at Essingstocke. After this they came into
Dorcetshire, and passed through the countrie with flame and fire, not
finding anie that offered to resist them. The same yéere also they
soiourned in the Ile of Wight, and liued vpon spoiles & preies which
they tooke in [Sidenote: 998.] Hampshire and Sussex. At length they
came into the Thames, and so [Sidenote: 999. The Danes arriue in the
Thames.] by the riuer of Medwey arriued at Rochester. The
Kentishmen assembled togither and fought with the Danes, but they
were ouercome, and so left the field to the Danes. After this, the same
Danes sailed into Normandie, and king Egelred went into Cumberland,
where the Danes inhabited in great numbers, whome he ouercame with
sore warre, and [Sidenote: 1000.] wasted almost all Cumberland, taking
great spoiles in the same. [Sidenote: 1001. Exmouth] About the same
time, or shortlie after, the Danes with their nauie, returning out of
Normandie, came vnto Exmouth, and there assaulted the castell, but
they were repelled by them that kept it. After this they spread abroad
ouer all the countrie, exercising their accustomed trade of destroieng all
before them with fire and sword. The men of [Sidenote: Pentho.]
Summersetshire fought with them at Pentho, but the Danes got the
vpper hand.

Thus the state of the realme in those daies was verie miserable, for
there wanted worthie chieftains to rule the people, and to chastise them
when they did amisse. There was no trust in the noble men, for euerie
one impugned others dooing, and yet would not deuise which [Sidenote:
Disagréement with councellors what fruit it bringeth.] way to deale
with better likelihood. When they assembled in councell, and should
haue occupied their heads in deuising remedies for the mischiefe of the
common wealth, they turned their purpose vnto altercation, about such
strifes, contentions and quarels as each one against other, and suffered
the generall case to lie still in the dust. And if at anie time there was
anie good conclusion agreed vpon, for the withstanding of the enimie,
& reléefe of the common wealth, anon should the enimie be aduertised
thereof by such as were of aliance or consanguinitie to them. For (as
Caxton, Polychr. and others say) the English bloud was so mixed with
that of the Danes and Britains, who were like enimies to the
Englishmen, that there was almost few of the nobilitie and commons,
which had not on the one side a parent of some of them.
Whereby it came to passe, that neither the secret purposes of the king
could be concealed till they might take due effect; neither their
assemblies proue quiet without quarelling and taking of parts. Manie
also being sent foorth with their powers one way (whilest the king went
to make resistance another) did reuolt to his enimies, and turned their
swords against him (as you haue heard of Elfrike and his complices,
and shall read of manie others) so that it was no maruell that Egelred
sped no better, and yet was he as valiant as anie of his predecessors,
although the moonks fauour him not in their writings, because he
demanded aid of them toward his warres,