The History of England - Vols. 1 to 6 (83 page)

[NOTE [B]]
There is a seeming contradiction in ancient historians with regard to some circumstances in the story of Edwy and Elgiva. It is agreed, that this prince had a violent passion for his second or third cousin, Elgiva, whom he married, though within the degrees prohibited by the canons. It is also agreed, that he was dragged from a lady on the day of his coronation, and that the lady was afterwards treated with the singular barbarity above mentioned. The only difference is, that Osborne and some others call her his strumpet, not his wife, as she is said to be by Malmesbury.

But this difference is easily reconciled: For if Edwy married her contrary to the canons, the monks would be sure to deny her to be his wife, and would insist that she could be nothing but his strumpet: So that, on the whole, we may esteem this representation of the matter as certain; at least, as by far the most probable. If Edwy had only kept a mistress, it is well known, that there are methods of accommodation with the church, which would have prevented the clergy from proceeding to such extremities against him: But his marriage, contrary to the canons, was an insult on their authority, and called for their highest resentment.

[z]Higden, p. 265.

[NOTE [C]]
Many of the English historians make Edgar’s ships amount to an extravagant number, to 3000, or 3600: See Hoveden, p. 426. Flor. Wigorn. p. 607.

Abbas Rieval p. 360. Brompton, p. 869, says that Edgar had 4000 vessels. How can these accounts be reconciled to probability, and to the state of the navy in the time of Alfred? W. Thorne makes the whole number amount only to 300, which is more probable. The fleet of Ethelred, Edgar’s son, must have been short of 1000 ships; yet the Saxon Chronicle, p. 137, says it was the greatest navy that ever had been seen in England.

[a]Spell. Conc. p. 432.

[b]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Hoveden, p. 406. H. Hunting. lib. 5. p. 356.

[c]Chron. Sax. p. 117, 118. W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Hoveden, p. 425, 426. Osberne,

p. 112.

[d]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Hoveden, p. 425.

[e]Gervase, p. 1616. Brompton, p. 864. Flor. Wigorn. p. 606. Chron. Abb. St. Petri de

Burgo, p. 27, 28.

[f]Abbas Rieval. p. 360, 361. Spell. Conc. p. 476, 477, 478.

PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011)

341

http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/695

Online Library of Liberty: The History of England, vol. 1

[g]Chron. Sax. p. 118. W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Seldeni Spicileg. ad Eadm. p. 149,

157.

[h]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Osberne, p. 3. Diceto, p. 457. Higden, p. 265, 267, 268.

Spell. Conc. p. 481.

[i]Osberne, p. 111.

[k]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Higden, p. 268.

[l]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Hoveden, p. 426. Brompton, p. 865, 866. Flor. Wigorn.

p. 606. Higden, p. 268.

[m]Chron. Sax. p. 116. H. Hunting. lib. 5. p. 356. Brompton, p. 865.

[n]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8.

[o]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 6. Brompton, p. 838.

[p]Hoveden, p. 427. Eadmer, p. 3.

[q]Eadmer, ex edit. Seldeni, p 3.

[r]W. Malm. lib. 2. cap. 9. Hoveden, p. 427. Osberne, p. 113.

[s]Chron. Sax. p. 123. W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 9. Hoveden, p. 427. Brompton, p. 870.

Flor. Wigorn, p. 607.

[t]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 9.

[u]W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 9. Osberne, p. 112. Gervase, p. 1647. Brompton, p. 870.

Higden, p. 269.

[w]Chron. Sax. p. 124. W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 9. Hoveden, p. 427. H. Hunting. lib. 5.

p. 357. Gervase, p. 1647. Brompton, p. 870. Flor. Wigorn. p. 607. Higden, p. 269.

Chron. Abb. St. Petri de Burgo, p. 29.

[x]Chron. Sax. p. 124.

[y]Chron. Sax. p. 126.

[z]Chron. Sax. p. 127. W. Malm. p. 62. Higden, p. 270.

[a]Chron. Sax. p. 128. W. Malm. p. 62.

[b]Hoveden, p. 429. Chron. Mailr. p. 153.

[c]H. Hunt. p. 359. Higden, p. 271.

PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011)

342

http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/695

Online Library of Liberty: The History of England, vol. 1

[d]Dudo, ex edit. Duchesne, p. 70, 71. Gul. Gemeticenis, lib. 2. cap. 2, 3.

[e]Dudo, p. 71. Gul. Gem. in epist. ad Gul. Conq.

[f]Gul. Gemet. lib. 2. cap. 6.

[g]Dudo, p. 82.

[h]Ypod. Neust. p. 417.

[i]Gul. Gemet. lib. 2. cap. 17.

[k]Gul. Gemet. lib. 2. cap. 19, 20, 21.

[l]Order. Vitalis, p. 459. Gul. Gemet. lib. 4. cap. 1.

[m]Order. Vitalis, p. 459.

[n]Wallingford, p. 547.

[NOTE [D]]
Almost all the ancient historians speak of this massacre of the Danes as if it had been universal, and as if every individual of that nation throughout England had been put to death. But the Danes were almost the sole inhabitants in the kingdoms of Northumberland and East Anglia, and were very numerous in Mercia. This representation therefore of the matter is absolutely impossible. Great resistance must have been made, and violent wars ensued; which was not the case. This account given by Wallingford, though he stands single, must be admitted as the only true one. We are told, that the name
Lurdane, lord Dane,
for an idle lazy fellow, who lives at other people’s expence, came from the conduct of the Danes, who were put to death. But the English princes had been intirely masters for several generations; and only supported a military corps of that nation. It seems probable, therefore, that it was these Danes only that were put to death.

[o]There were 243,600 hydes in England. Consequently the ships equipped must be

785. The cavalry was 30,450 men.

[p]W. Malm. p. 72. In one of these sieges, Canute diverted the course of the Thames,

and by that means brought his ships above London bridge.

[q]Chron. Sax. p. 151. W. Malmes. p 73.

[r]W. Malmes. p. 73. Higden, p. 275.

[s]W. Malm. p. 74.

[t]Chron. Sax. p. 154. W. Malm. p. 76.

[u]H. Hunt. p. 365. Ypod. Neustr. p. 434. Hoveden. p. 438. Chron. Mailr. p. 156.

Higden, p. 277. Chron. St. Petri di Burgo, p. 39. Sim. Dun. p. 179. Abbas Rieval. p.

PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011)

343

http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/695

Online Library of Liberty: The History of England, vol. 1

366, 374. Brompton, p. 935. Gul. Gem. lib. 7. cap. 11. Matth. West. p. 209. Flor.

Wigorn. p. 622. Alur. Beverl. p. 118.

[w]Spellm. Glossary in verbo
Hocday.

[x]Anglia Sacra, vol. I. p. 237.

[y]Higden, p. 277.

[z]Ingulf, p. 62.

[a]Ibid.

[b]Chron. Sax. p. 161.

[c]W. Malm. p. 80.

[d]Chron. Sax. p. 157.

[e]W. Malm. p. 80. Higden, p. 277. Abbas Rieval. p. 366, 377. Matth. West. p. 221.

Chron. Thom. Wykes, p. 21. Anglia Sacra, vol. I. p. 241.

[f]Chron. Sax. p. 163. W. Malm. p. 81. Higden, p. 279.

[g]Chron. Sax. p. 163. W. Malm. p. 81.

[h]Sim. Dun. p. 186

[i]Chron. Sax. p. 166.

[k]Ibid.

[NOTE [E]]
The ingenious author of the article godwin, in the Biographia Britannica, has endeavoured to clear the memory of that nobleman, upon the supposition, that all the English annals had been falsified by the Norman historians after the conquest. But that this supposition has not much foundation, appears hence, that almost all these historians have given a very good character of his son Harold, whom it was much more the interest of the Norman cause to blacken.

[l]Brompton, p. 948.

[m]W. Malm. p. 79. Hoveden, p. 443. Chron. Mailr, p. 158. Buchanan, p. 115. edit.

1715.

[n]Ingulf, p. 68.

[o]Brompton, p. 910.

[p]W. Malm. p. 95.

PLL v6.0 (generated September, 2011)

344

http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/695

Online Library of Liberty: The History of England, vol. 1

[q]Ypod. Neust. p. 452.

[r]W. Malm. p. 95. Gul. Gemet. lib. 7. cap. 1.