And Fortune (as her self) determining to show

That she could bring an ebb on valiant Edmond's flow, [chance, And eas❜ly cast him down from off the top of By turning of her wheel, Canutus doth advance. Where she beheld that prince which she bad favour'd long [among (Even in her proud despite) his murther'd troops With sweat and blood besmear'd (dukes, earls and bishops slain, [Dane) In that most dreadful day, when all went to the Through worlds of dangers wade'; and with his sword and shield,

Such wonders there to act, as made her in the field Ashamed of herself, so brave a spirit as he [be. By her unconstant hand should so much wronged "But, having lost the day, to Glocester he draws,

To raise a second power in his slain soldiers' cause. When late-encourag'd Knute, whilst fortune yet doth last, [fast. Who oft from Ironside fled, now follow'd him as "Whilst thus in civil arms continually they toil, And what th' one strives to make, the other seeks to spoil, [noxious hands With threat'ning swords still drawn; and with ob. Attending their revenge, whilst either enemy stands, One man amongst the rest from this confusion breaks,

And to the ireful kings with courage boldly speaks; "Yet cannot all this blood your ravenous outrage fill?

Is there no law, no bound, to your ambitious will, But what your swords admit? as nature did ordain Our lives for nothing else, but only to maintain Your murthers, sack, and spoil? If by this wasteful

war

The land unpeopled lie, some nation shall from far, By ruin of you both, into the isle be brought, Obtaining that for which you twain so long have fought. [mean Unless then through your thirst of empery you Both nations in these broils shall be extinguish'd clean, [right, Select you champions fit, by them to prove your Or try it man to man yourselves in single fight.' "When as those warlike kings, provok'd with courage high,

It willingly accept in person by and by.

And whilst they them prepare, the shapeless concourse grows

In little time so great, that their unusual flows Surrounded Severn's banks, whose stream amazed stood,

Her Birlich to behold, inisled with her flood,

That with refulgent arms then flamed; whilst the kings, [springs, Whose rage out of the hate of either's empire Both armed cap a-pie, upon their barred horse Together fiercely flew; that in their violent course (Like thunder when it speaks most horribly and loud,

hope,

[cloud) Tearing the full-stuft paunch of some congealed Their strong hoofs strook the earth and with the fearful shock, [unlock. Their spears in splinters flew, their beavers both "Canutas, of the two that farthest was from [cope, Who found with what a for his fortune was to Cries, Noble Edmond, hold; let us the land divide.' [side Here th' English and the Danes, from either equal Were echoes to his words, and all aloud do cry, "Courageous kings, divide; 'twere pity such should die.'" [to suppress

When now the neighbouring floods will'd Wrekin His style, or they were like to surfeit with excess. And time had brought about, that now they all began

To listen to a long told prophecy, which ran [see Of Moreland, that she might live prosperously to A river born of her, who well might reckon'd be The third of this large isle: which saw did first

Supremest in her place: whose circuit was extent From Avon to the banks of Severn and to Trent: Where empress-like she sate with nature's bounties blest, [the rest, And serv'd by many a nymph; but two, of all That Staffordshire calls hers, there both of high [surmount

account.

The eld'st of which is Cank: though Needwood her In excellence of soil, by being richly plac'd 'Twixt Trent and batt'ning Dove; and equally embrac'd

By their abounding banks, participates their store; Of Britain's forests all (from th' less unto the more)

For fineness of her turf surpassing; and doth bear
Her curled head so high, that forests far and near
Oft grutch at her estate; her flourishing to see,
Of all their stately tyers disrobed when they be
But (as the world goes now) O woful Cank the while,
As brave a wood-nymph once as any of this isle;
Great Arden's eldest child: which, in her mother's
ground
[crown'd;
Before fair Feck'nham's self, her old age might have
When as those fallow deer, and huge-haunch'd
stags that graz'd

Upon her shaggy heaths, the passenger amaz'd
To see their mighty herds, with high palm'd heads
to threat
[meant to set
The woods of o'ergrown oaks; as though they
Their horns to th' other's heights. But now, both

those and these

too too long; Of whom report may speak (our mighty wastes She from her chilly site, as from her barren feed, For body, horn, and hair, as fair a beast doth breed

As scarcely this great isle can equal: then of her,
Why should'st thou all this while the prophecy
defer?
[grew,

Who bearing many springs, which pretty rivers
She could not be content, until she fully knew
Which child it was of hers (born under such a fate)
As should in time be rais'd unto that high estate.
(I fain would have you think, that this was long ago,
When many a river, now that furiously doth flow,
Had scarcely learn'd to creep) and therefore she

doth will

Wise Arden, from the depth of her abundant skill, To tell her which of these her rills it was she meant. To satisfy her will, the wizard answers; "Trent." For, as a skilful seer, the aged forest wist,

A more than usual power did in that name consist, Which thirty doth import; by which she thus divin'd,

There should be found in her, of fishes thirty kind; And thirty abbeys great, in places fat and rank, Should in succeeding time be builded on her bank; And thirty several streams from many a sundry way,

Unto her greatness should their wat❜ry tribute pay. This Moreland greatly lik'd: yet in that tender love,

Which she had ever born unto her darling Dove, She could have wish'd it bis: because the dainty grass

That grows upon his bank, all other doth surpass. But, subject he must be: as Sow, which from her

clear Tain,

[would be. That comes alone to Dove) of which, Hanse one And for himself he fain of Manyfold would free (Thinking this amorous nymph by some means to beguile)

He closely under earth conveys his head a while. But, when the river fears some policy of his, And her beloved Hanse immedia.ely doth miss, Distracted in her course, improvidently rash, She oft against the cleefs her crystal front doth dash: [to bear; Now forward, then again she backward seems As, like to lose herself by straggling here and there. [of her sight,

Hanse, that this while suppos'd him quite out No sooner thrusts his head into the cheerful light, But Manyfold that still the run-away doth watch, Him (ere he was aware) about the neck doth catch: And, as the angry Hanse would fain her hold re

move,

[Dove. They struggling tumble down into their lord, the Thus though th' industrious Muse hath been

TAKING her progress into the land, the Muse comes southward from Cheshire into adjoining Stafford, and that part of Shropshire which lies in the English side east from Severn.

And into lesser streams the spacious current cut.

In that raging devastation over this kingdom by the Danes, they had gotten divers of their ships fraught with provision out of Thames into the river Ley (which divides Middlesex and Essex) some twenty miles from London; Alfred holding his tents near that territory, especially to prevent their spoil of the instant harvest, observed that by

dividing the river, then navigable between them and Thames, their ships would be grounded, and themselves bereft of what confidence their navy had promised them. He thought it, and did it, by parting the water into three channels. The Danes betook themselves to flight, their ships left as a prey to the Londoners.

Her lord's embraces vow'd she never more would know.

This Alured left his son Edward successor, and, among other children, this Elfled, or Ethelfled his daughter, married to Ethelred earl of Mercland. Of Alfred's worth and troublous reign, because

here the author leaves him, I offer you these of an

ancient English wit:

Nobilitas innata tibi probitatis honorem Armipotens Alfrede dedit, probitasque laborem Perpetuumque labor nomen. Cui mixta dolori Gaudia semper erant, spes semper mixta timori. Si modo victor eras, ad crastina bella pavebas: Si modo victus eras, ad crastina bella parabas. Cui vestes sudore jugi, cui sicca cruore Tincta jugi, quantum sit onus regnare probarunt. Huntingdon cites these as his own; and if he deal plainly with us (I doubted it because his MS. epigrams, which make in some copies the eleventh and twelfth of his history, are of most different strain, and seem made when Apollo was either angry, or had not leisure to overlook them) he shows his Muse (as also in another written by him upon Edgar, beginning Auctor opum, vindex scelerum, largitor honorum, &c. in that still declining time of learning's state, worthy of much precedence. Of Ethelfled, in William of Malmesbury, is the Latin of this English: "She was the love of the subject, fear of the enemy, a woman of a mighty heart; having once endured the grievous pains of child-birth, ever afterward denied her husband those sweeter desires; protesting, that yielding indulgence towards a pleasure, having so much consequent pain, was unseemly in a king's daughter." She was buried at saint Peter's in Gloucester; her name loaden by monks with numbers of her excellencies.

obtaining of lustful sensuality, as stories will tell you, in that of earl Ethelwald, the nan Wulfrith, and the young lass of Andover) called Egelfled, surnamed Ened, daughter to Odmer, a great nobleman, Edward: and by queen Elfrith, daughter to Orgar earl of Devonshire, Ethelreds, of sme seven years' age at his death. That Egeldes was a profest nun (d), some have argued, and so make Ethelred the only legitimate heir to the crown: nor do I think that, except Alfrith, he was married to any of the ladies on whom he got children. Edward was anointed king (for in those days was that use of anointing among the Saxon princes, and began in king Alfred) but not without disliking grudges of his stepmother's faction, which had nevertheless in substance, what his vain name only of king pretended: but her bloody hate, bred out of womanishi ambition, straining to every point of sovereignty, not thus satisfied, compelled in her this cruelty. King Edward, not suspecting her dissembled purposes, with simple kindness of an open nature, wearied after the chase in Purbeck Isle, in Dorsetshire, without guard or attendance, visits her at, Corfe Castle; she under sweet words and saluting kisses, palliating her hellish design, entertains him: but while he being very hot and thirsty (without imagination of treason) was in pledging her, she, or one of her appointed servants (e), stabbed the innocent king. His corpse, within a little space expiring its last breath, was

brought.

After he had taken Wales and Scotland (as our historians say) from Howel, Malmesbury calls him Ludwal, and Constantine; he restored presently their kingdoms, affirming, that it was more for his majesty to make a king than be one. The Scotish stories (a) are not agreeing here with ours; against whom Buchanan storms, for affirming what I see not how he is so well able to confute, as they to justify. And for matter of that nature, 1 rather send you to the collections in Edward the First, by Thomas of Walsingham, and thence for the same and other to Edward Hall's Henry VIII (6).

A Neptune, whose proud sails the British ocean swept.

That flower and delight of the English world, in whose birth-time Saint Dunstan (as is said) at Glastenbury, heard this angelical voice ;

To holy church and to the Lord pays is ybore and blis

By thulke child's time, that nouthe ybore is.

(among his other innumerable benefits, and royal cares) had a navy of 3600 sail (e); which by tripartite division in the east, west, and northern coasts, both defended what was subject to pirates' rapine, and so made strong his own nation against the enemies' invasion.

By civil stepdame's hate to death was lastly done.

Edgar had by one woman (his greatest stains showed themselves in this variety and unlawful

(a) Hector Boeth. lib. 11. & Buchanan, (b) Rob. Glocestrens. Hist. 6. reg. 85. (c) Some say c13, clɔ, ɔ. ɔ.

earl of Mercland, translated into Shaftsbury, which (as to the second song I note) was hereby for a time called Saint Edward's (f). Thus did his brother-in-law Ethelred (according to wicked Elfrith's cruel and traitorous project) succeed him. As, of Constantine Copronymus, the Greeks, so of this Ethelred is affirmed, that, in his holy tineture, he abused the fout with natural excrements, which made Saint Dunstan, then christening him, angerly exclaim, 'Per Deum & Matrem ejus, ignavus homo erit. Some ten years of age was he, when his brother Edward was slain, and, out of mother extremely disliking, being author of the childish affection, wept for himn bitterly; which bis murther only for his sake, most cruelly beat him herself with a handful of wax (g).

Candlen long and towe Heo (h) ne bileved noght ar he lay at hir vet yswowe (i): [he was War thoru this child afterward such hey mon as Was the worse wan he ysey (k) candlen vor this

cas.

But I have read it affirmed (?), that Ethelred had seen his mother unmercifully with them whip never would endure any wax candles, because he the good Saint Edward. It is not worth one of the candles, which be the trner; I incline to the first. To expiate all, she afterward built two nunneries, one at Werwel, the other at Ambresbury; and

(d) Ex Osberno in Vita Dunstan. Fox. Eccles. Hist. 4.

(e) Vide Malmesb. lib. 2. cap. 9. & Huntingdon. Hist. 5.

() Malmesb. lib. de Pontific. 2. (g) Rob. Glocestrensis.

(h) Shee. (1) Feet in woe.

(k) Saw.

() Vit. S. Edwardi apud Ranulph. Cest. lib. 6.