Old English Chronicles Part 6

CHAP. XVI.--_Of the rule of king Cuthred._

A. 750. After twelve years king Cuthred began to make war against duke Ethelhun, for some state-jealousy.

A. 752. Again after two years he drew his sword against king Ethelbald at a place called Beorgforda.[41]

A. 753. After another year he gratified the fierce propensities of his nature by making war against the Britons: and after another year he died, A.D. 754.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 41: Without doubt this is Burford in Oxfords.h.i.+re.]

CHAP. XVII.--_Of the acts of king Sigebert and of his reign._

Furthermore Sigebert received the kingdom of the western English.

A. 756. At the end of one year after Sigebert began to reign, Cynewulf, invading his kingdom, took it from him, and drew away all the wise men of the west country, in consequence of the perverse deeds of the aforesaid king; nor was any part of his kingdom left to him except one province only, named Hamptons.h.i.+re [Hamps.h.i.+re]. And he remained there no long time; for, instigated by an old affront, he slew a certain duke, and Cynewulf drove him into the wilds of Andred: and so he fled from thicket to thicket, until he was at last slain by a herdsman at a place named Pryffetesflodan,[42] and so the blood of duke c.u.mbra was avenged.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 42: Privett, Hamps.h.i.+re.]

CHAP. XVIII.--_Of the reign of Cynewulf, his war and deeds._

A. 755. These things having been premised, Cynewulf frequently fought no slight battles against the Britons. For when thirty-one years had pa.s.sed, he tried to expel from his territories a certain chief named Cyneard, brother to Sigebert, whose deeds have been related above. He was afterwards besieged by this prince, for it was told him that he was in company of a certain courtezan at a place called Meranton [Merton], and though he had with him only a few men, who knew nothing of the matter, he surrounded the house with arms. The king, seeing how he was situated, leaped to the door, and bravely repelled their weapons; but making up his mind he rushed upon the prince, and inflicted no slight wounds upon him; his companions, not forgetting his threats, raised their weapons and slew the king. The report being spread, the king's soldiers, who had been in his company, each for himself, as was their custom, made an attack, uttering shouts. But the prince, soothing them, promised them gifts and ample honours. They desire death, now that their lord is dead; nor do they attend to his promises, but rush with one accord upon death. None of them escaped with life except one British hostage, and he had received severe wounds. When, therefore, the day dawned, it became known to the soldiers, who had remained behind the king's back, they a.s.sembled together and set forth, and with them Osric the duke and Wigferth the knight. They found the prince in the house, where their master was lying dead. The doors are beleaguered on both sides. Within are the one party, and the other party are without. The prince asks a truce, and makes ample promises; his object is future sovereignty. The king's friends spurn these offers, and rather seek to separate from the prince their relations who were in his company. These reject their proposals; on the contrary they answer their friends thus:[43] "No tie is so powerful as that which binds us to our lord; and whereas you ask us to depart, we tell you that we made the same proposal to those who were slain with your king, and they would not accede to it." To this the other party rejoined, "But you will remain unhurt, if you only depart, nor share in the vengeance which we shall inflict for those who were slain with the king." They returned no answer to this, but silently begin the battle; s.h.i.+eld punishes s.h.i.+eld, and arms are laced in bucklers, relation falls by his kinsman; they smash the doors, one pursues after another, and a lamentable fight ensues. Alas! they slay the prince; all his companions are laid low before his face, except one, and he was the baptismal son of duke Osric, but half alive, and covered with wounds.

Now Cynewulf reigned thirty-one years, and his body lies entombed in the city of Winchester. The above-named prince also reposes in the church commonly called Axanminster.[44] Both their families trace to Cerdic.

A. 755. In the same year Ethelbald, king of Mercia, was slain at a place called Seccandune,[45] and his body rests in a monastery called Reopandune.[46] Bernred succeeded to the kingdom, and not long after he also died.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 43: This is a sort of paraphrase rather than a translation: the original is not only bad in style and ungrammatical, but exceedingly corrupt and very obscure.]

[Footnote 44: Now Axminster. The syllable _an_ or _en_ occurs similarly in many ancient Saxon towns; thus Bedanford, Oxenford, &c., and Seccandune, Reopandune below.]

[Footnote 45: Now Seckington.]

[Footnote 46: Now Repton.]

CHAP. XIX.--_Of the reign of king Offa and of his deeds._

A. 756. In the revolution of the same year, Offa succeeded to the kingdom, a remarkable man, son of Thingferth; his grandfather was Enwulf, his great-grandfather Osmod, his great-grandfather's father Pybba, his great-grandfather's grandfather was Icel, his sixth ancestor Eomaer, the seventh Angeltheow, the eighth Offa, the ninth Waermund, the tenth Wihtlaeg, the eleventh Woden.

A. 773. Also after seventeen years, from the time that Cynewulf took the kingdom from Sigebert, the sign of our Lord's cross appeared in the heavens after sun-set, and in the same year a civil contest[47] took place between the people of Kent and Mercia, at a place called Cittanford:[48] and in those days some monstrous serpents were seen in the country of the Southern Angles, which is called Suss.e.x.

A. 777. About four years after, Cynewulf and Offa fought a battle near the town of Bensington, which was gained by Offa.

A. 779. Two years afterwards, the Gauls and Saxons stirred up no slight contests with one another.

A. 783. In short, after four years, Cyneard slays king Cynewulf, and is himself also slain there.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 47: The term 'civile bellum'--_civil war_ is used by Ethelwerd, to denote a battle between the kindred Anglo-Saxon kingdoms; the cla.s.sical reader will also note the use of the word 'bellum' for 'proelium.']

[Footnote 48: This should be Ottanford, or Otford, in Kent, a place of great antiquity.]

CHAP. XX.--_Of the acts of Bertric, king of the West-Saxons._

A. 783. In the same year Bertric received the kingdom of the West-Angles, whose lineage traces up to Cerdic.

A. 786. After three years, he took in marriage Offa's daughter Eadburga.

HERE ENDS BOOK THE SECOND,

AND

THE PROLOGUE OF BOOK THE THIRD BEGINS.

After what has been written in the foregoing pages, it remains that we declare the contents of our third book. We exhort you, therefore, most beloved object of my desire, that the present work may not be thought tedious by you for its length of reading, since to thee especially I dedicate this. Wherefore, the farther my mind digresses, the more does my affectionate love generate and expand itself.

HERE ENDS THE PROLOGUE,

AND THE BOOK BEGINS.