Chronicles : The Historie of England | Page 3

Alfred and Edward: so
that now the said Edward inioieng the realme, was easilie induced to
thinke euill of hir, and therevpon vsed hir the more vncurteouslie. But
hir great liberalitie imploied on the church of Winchester, which she
furnished with maruellous rich iewels and ornaments, wan hir great
commendation in the world, and excused hir partlie in the sight of
manie, of the infamie imputed to hir for the immoderate filling of hir
coffers by all waies and meanes she could deuise. Now when she had
purged hir selfe, as before is mentioned, hir sonne king Edward
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._] had hir euer after in great honor and
reuerence. And whereas Robert archbishop of Canturburie had béene

sore against hir, he was so much abashed now at the matter, that he fled
into Normandie, where he was borne. But it should séeme by that
which after shal be said in the next chapter, that he fled not the realme
for this matter, but bicause he counselled the king to banish earle
Goodwine, and also to vse the Englishmen more strictlie than reason
was he should.
* * * * *

_Why Robert archbishop of Canturburie (queene Emmas heauie friend)
fled out of England, the Normans first entrance into this countrie,
dearth by tempests, earle Goodwines sonne banished out of this land,
he returneth in hope of the kings fauour, killeth his coosen earle Bearne
for his good will and forwardnes to set him in credit againe, his flight
into Flanders, his returne into England, the king is pacified with him;
certeine Danish rouers arriue at Sandwich, spoile the coast, inrich
themselues with the spoiles, make sale of their gettings, and returne to
their countrie; the Welshmen with their princes rebelling are subdued,
king Edward keepeth the seas on Sandwich side in aid of Baldwine
earle of Flanders, a bloudie fraie in Canturburie betwixt the earle of
Bullongne and the townesmen, earle Goodwine fauoureth the
Kentishmen against the Bullongners, why he refuseth to punish the
Canturburie men at the kings commandement for breaking the kings
peace; he setteth the king in a furie, his suborned excuse to shift off his
comming to the assemblie of lords conuented about the foresaid broile,
earle Goodwine bandeth himselfe against the king, he would haue the
strangers deliuered into his hands, his request is denied; a battell readie
to haue bene fought betweene him and the king, the tumult is pacified
and put to a parlement, earle Goodwines retinue forsake him; he, his
sonnes, and their wiues take their flight beyond the seas._
THE SECOND CHAPTER.
[Sidenote: Robert archbishop of Canturburie. Frenchmen or Normans
first entered into England.] Ye must vnderstand, that K. Edward
brought diuerse Normans ouer with him, which in time of his

banishment had shewed him great friendship, wherefore he now sought
to recompense them. Amongst other, the forenamed Robert of
Canturburie was one, who before his comming ouer was a moonke in
the abbeie of Gemeticum in Normandie, and being by the king first
aduanced to gouerne the sée of London, was after made archbishop of
Canturburie, and bare great rule vnder the king, so that he could not
auoid the enuie of diuerse noble men, and speciallie of earle Goodwine,
as shall appéere. About the third yéere of king Edwards reigne, Osgot
Clappa was banished the realme. And in the [Sidenote: 1047] yéere
following, that is to say, in the yeere 1047, there fell a maruellous great
snow, couering the ground from the beginning of Ianuarie vntill the 17
day of March. Besides this, there hapned the [Sidenote: A great death.
_Ran. Higd._] same yéere such tempest and lightnings, that the corne
vpon the earth was burnt vp and blasted: by reason whereof, there
followed a great dearth in England, and also death of men and cattell.
[Sidenote: Swain Goodwines sonne banished.] About this time Swaine
the sonne of earle Goodwine was banished the land, and fled into
Flanders. This Swaine kept Edgiua, the abbesse of the monasterie of
Leoffe, and forsaking his wife, ment to [Sidenote: Edgiua abbesse of
Leoffe.] haue married the foresaid abbesse. Within a certeine time after
his banishment, he returned into England, in hope to purchase the kings
peace by his fathers meanes and other his friends. But vpon some
[Sidenote: This Bearne was the sonne of Vlfusa Dane, vncle to this
Swaine by his mother, the sister of K. Swaine. _H. Hunt._] malicious
pretense, he slue his coosen earle Bearne, who was about to labour to
the king for his pardon, and so then fled againe into Flanders, till at
length Allered the archbishop of Yorke obteined his pardon, and found
meanes to reconcile him to the kings fauour.
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._] In the meane time, about the sixt yéere of
king Edwards reigne,