Book IV, Chapter 21

THe Saxons that, in these discents, deriue from Gods and men,
[…]oue, Minos Get a, Flokwald, Flyn, Fredw[…]lfe, Fraeloffe, Woden,
Each as here placed others son, not onely Conquer here,
But with their wandring Armies spoyle the World through-out welnere.
The English Saxon Kings oppresse the mightier ones the weake:
Each trifling cause sufficing here their loue and leagues to breake.
One seazeth of his Neighbours Realme, and is disseaz'd ere-long:
For Empire some, for Enuie some, and some to right their wrong
Contend vnto their common losse, and some like Monsters rain:
As Sig[…]ert, who for tyrannie did banishment sustaine.

He wandred vnbewailed long, a man whom men exempt
From house and helpe, pursuing him with capitall contempt.
Forlorne therefore, with drouping lims, and dropping eies, in vaine,
He frendles walks the fruitles Woods, and foodles did complaine.
A Swineheard meeting him by chaunce, and pitying his estate,
Imploy'd the Westerne King, vnknowne, on his affaires to wait.
Nor did the needie King disdaine such roome, for such reliefe:
An vnder-Swineheardship did serue, he sought not to be chiefe.
But when by speech and circumstance, his Maister vnderstood,
His seruant was the somtimes King: blood cries (quoth he) for blood:
My giltles Master in thy pompe, thou Tyrant, diddest slay,
Nor vnreuenged of his death thou shalt escape away.
With that he tooke a Libbat vp, and beateth out his braines:
And dead (so odious Tyrants be) not one for him complaines.

NOt all so ill, yeat cause of worse vnto the English state
Was Osbert of Northumberland: his loue did winne him hate.
Enamored on Lord Buerns wife, as tired in the Chace,
He left the Hounds, and with a fewe dismounts at Buerns Place.
Her husband absent, heartely his Lady entertaines
The King, and feasts him Royally, not sparing cost or paines.
But he that fed on Fansies food, and hungred whil'st he eates,
Thought Venus sparer in her loues then Ceres in her meates.
The Trayne and table voyded, then he taking her apart,
Directs her by his tongue and teares vnto his louing heart.
Delay he sayth, breedeth doubts, but sharpe deniall death,
Or do not long surcharge my blisse, or soone discharge my breath:
For if my praiers adde no edge vnto thy begged doome,
The vintage of my thriftlesse lo[…]e is blasted in the bloome.
Be fauorable to my fire: for thy sweete sake, be bolde,
I durst attempt euen Hell (if hell so sweete a thing might holde.)

Doe thinke her coie, or think her chaste, my Censure I suspend[…]
Some Women yeeld not at the first, yeat yeeld they in the ende.
She gaue repulses to his lust, and he replies of Loue:
Not all the Writs Diana had might Cupids Plaint remoue.
She countermaunding his demaund, he ceased Courting now,
And did with her by violence what vertues disalow:
And then departed, leauing her in selfe-conceit disgraste:
More trespassed then some would thinke, and yeat perhaps as chaste.
Home came her Lord, whose browes had buds, and found his wife in tears,
And (foolish thing) she told a troth, for which reuēge he swears.
But so the man did proue a beast: he better might haue hid it,
Some such are mistically domme, yeat domly doe forbid it.
His Wiues escapes done secretly, if by the man detected,
Shewes hilled būps (supposed būps) meerehornes, not hornes suspected.
At Denmarke in his Cosins Court, he telleth of his wrong:
And gaines against his soueraigne Lord of Danes an Armie strong:
Hungar and Hubba, and himselfe, Conductors of this Hoast,
Did with their forren forces land, and spoyle the Northerne Coaste.
The vicious valiant Osbret, that had vanquished ere then
The King and Kingdome of the Scots, though wanting armes & men,
Thought skorne his foes should beard him so & bar him vp in walles,
And therefore, issuing out of Yorke, vpon the Danes he falles.
A Bloodie Bargaine then begonne, no fight might fearcer be,
And of the Danish part were slaine for euery English three.
But manhood lost, and number wonne, the Danes they got the fielde:
And Osbret dyed valiantly, that not to liue would yeeld.

MEane while the Danes with fresh supplies ariue at euerie Shore,
And warre almost in euery shire infesting England sore:

With whome couragious Etheldred contended long in vaine,
By them was he, King Ella, and the holy Edmund slaine.
Nothing was done, but all vndone, till King Alured hee
In daunger of his Royall selfe did set his subiects free:
For euery day, in euery place, the Danes did so increase,
That he nor any English King enioy one day of peace.
Nor mightier men at Armes than they, might any wheare be found,
Who in their diuers Wars els-where did diuers Realmes confound:
For as the Gothes, the Vandales, Hunnes, and Saxons earst did range,
So now the Danes did plague the world, as sent by interchange.
This Westerne and victorious king, and greatest Monarke heere,
Perceiuing of this spoyled Isle a toward Ruine neere,
Disguised like a Minstrill poore, did haunt the Danish Tents,
And with his feats and melodie the Enemie presents:
And of their sloth, their gluttonie, and Counsels priuie so,
He tooke aduantage, giuing them a sodaine ouerthrow.
And s[…]ayeth Hubba, Hungar, and the Cause of their repayr,
And putteth all to sword and Seas that vnbaptized wair.

Yeat to Northumberland return'd fearce Gurmond with the Danes,
Meane time did king Alured die, the Hatchet of their Tranes.
But Adelstane (one king betwixt) not onely clear'd the Land
Of Danes, but of all England had sole Empire in his hand.
Thus of this long dismembred Realme was he the onely King:
In which, till Egelred, his raigne did prosper euerie thing.
He raigning, much of England then the Lordly Danes did hold,
Exacting Tributes euery yeare, and selling Peace for Gold.
And (which no doubt did hatch those Plagues) the King a wicked one,
Did enter by his Brothers blood, extorting thus his Throne:

King Edgar that subdu'd the Scots, and slaughtered the Danes,
And of the Welch had tribute Wolffs, of whom it more remaines
That, as it were in Triumph-wise, Eight Vnder kings did roe
Him, Sterns-man, on the Riuer Dee, with diuers honors moe,
This Edgar by a former wife had Edward, by an other
This Egelred, a Sonne vnto a kind and cruell Mother:
For as she labors to preferre her owne by well and ill,
So to destroy her Son-in-law she wanted meanes, not wil.
And meanes did hit. King Edward hunts, and hunting lost his Traine,
Whom, man-les, at her Castle Corfe the Queene did entertaine.
He hauing seene to whom he came in curtesie to see,
Made haste away, in Quest of them that still a hunting be:
And when he, mounted, should depart, to him his Stepdame drinkes.
Whom, pledging, him an Hierling stab'd, & life-les downe he sinkes.

Thus Egelred obtain'd the Crowne, but for his cr[…]wing so
His Subiects grudge, and he became a Preface to their woe.
For when this proud and vitious king, was neither lou'd of his,
Nor liued safely for the Danes, his secret Edict is,
That sodainely in one selfe hower, throughout the Land should passe charge
A common Massaker of Danes, which so performed was:
Hartfordia Welwyn (Wealth-wyn then, for promptnesse in that
Beginning, other Townes as it themselues from Danes inlarge.