II.

CHAP. the vices and prétended luxury of the age: They were particularly vehement against the diffolute lives of the fecular clergy, their rivals: Every inftance of libertinifm in any individual of that order was reprefented as a general corruption: And where other topics of defamation were wanting, their marriage became a fure fubject of invective, and their wives received the name of concubine, or other more opprobrious appellation. The fecular clergy, on the other hand, who were numerous and rich, and poffeffed of the ecclefiaftical dignities, defended themfelves with vigour, and endeavoured to retaliate upon their adverfaries. The people were thrown into agitation; and few inftances occur of more violent diffenfions, excited by the most material differences in religion; or rather by the most frivolous: Since it is a juft remark, that the more affinity there is between theological parties, the greater commonly is their animofity.

THE progrefs of the monks, which was become confiderable, was fomewhat retarded by the death of Edred, their partifan, who expired after a reign of nine years". He left children; but as they were infants, his nephew Edwy, son of Edmund, was placed on the throne.

EDW Y.

955. EDWY, at the time of his acceffion, was not above fixteen or seventeen years of age, was poffeffed of the most amiable figure, and was even endowed, according to authentic accounts, with the moft promifing virtues. He would have been the favourite of his people, had he not unhappily, at the commencement of his reign, been engaged in a controverfy with the monks, whofe rage neither the graces of the body nor virtues of the mind could mitigate, H. Hunting. lib. 5. p. 356. and

Chron. Sax. p. 115.

II.

and who have purfued his memory with the fame CHAR.
unrelenting vengeance, which they exercifed against
his perfon and dignity during his fhort and unfortu-
nate reign. There was a beautiful princefs of the
royal blood, called Elgiva, who had made impref-Story of
fion on the tender heart of Edwy; and as he was of
an age when the force of the paffions firft begins to Elgiva

be felt, he had ventured, contrary to the advice of
his gravest counfellors, and the remonftrances of
the more dignified ecclefiaftics', to efpoufe her;
though fhe was within the degrees of affinity prohi-
bited by the canon-law. As the aufterity, affected
by the monks, made them particularly violent on
this occafion, Edwy entertained a strong prepof-
feffion against them; and feemed, on that account,
determined not to fecond their project, of expelling
the feculars from all the convents, and of poffeffing
themselves of thofe rich establishments. War was
therefore declared between the king and the monks;
and the former foon found reafon to repent
his pro-
voking fuch dangerous enemies. On the day of his
coronation, his nobility were affembled in a great
hall, and were indulging themfelves in that riot and
diforder, which, from the example of their German
ancestors, had become habitual to the English
when Edwy, attracted by fofter pleasures, retired
into the queen's apartment, and in that privacy
gave reins to his fondness towards his wife, which
was only moderately checked by the prefence of her
mother. Dunstan conjectured the reafon of the
king's retreat; and carrying along with him Odo,
archbishop of Canterbury, over whom he had
gained an abfolute afcendant, he burst into the
apartment, upbraided Edwy with his lafciviouf-
ness, probably bestowed on the queen the most op-
probrious epithet that can be applied to her fex,
and tearing him from her arms, pufhed him back,
r Wallingford,

P W. Mahnef. lib. 2. cap. 7. P. 542.

9 Ibid.

II.

CHAP. in a difgraceful manner, into the banquet of the nobles'. Edwy, though young, and oppofed by the prejudices of the people, found an opportunity of taking revenge for this public infult. He queftioned Dunstan concerning the administration of the treafury during the reign of his predeceffor; and when that minifter refufed to give any account of money expended, as he affirmed, by orders of the late king, he accused him of malverfation in his office, and banished him the kingdom. But Dunstan's cabal was not unactive during his abfence: They filled the public with high panegyrics on his fanctity: They exclaimed against the impiety of the king and queen: And having poifoned the minds. of the people by thefe declamations, they proceeded to still more outrageous acts of violence against the royal authority. Archbishop Odo fent into the palace a party of foldiers, who feized the queen; and having burned her face with a red-hot iron, in order to deftroy that fatal beauty which had feduced Edwy, they carried her by force into Ireland, there to remain in perpetual exile". Edwy, finding it in vain to refift, was obliged to confent to his divorce, which was pronounced by Odo"; and a catastrophe, ftill more difmal, awaited the unhappy Elgiva. That amiable princefs, being cured of her wounds, and having even obliterated the fcars with which Odo had hoped to deface her beauty, returned into England, and was flying to the embraces of the king, whom fhe ftill regarded as her husband; when fhe fell into the hands of a party, whom the primate had fent to intercept her. Nothing but her death could now give fecurity to Odo and the monks; and the moft cruel death was requifite to fatiate their vengeance. She was hamftringed; and

s W. Malmef. lib. 2. cap. 7. Ofberne, p. 195, 196. Wallingford, p. 542. " Oiberne, p. 84. Gervafe, p. 1644.

p. 83. 105. M. Weft.
Alur. Beverl. p. 112.
w Hoveden, p. 425.

expired

expired a few days after at Glocefter in the most CHAP.

acute torments*.

THE English, blinded with fuperftition, instead of being fhocked with his inhumanity, exclaimed that the misfortunes of Edwy and his confort were a juft judgment for their diffolute contempt of the ecclefiaftical statutes. They even proceeded to rebellion against their fovereign; and having placed Edgar at their head, the younger brother of Edwy, a boy of thirteen years of age, they foon put him in poffeffion of Mercia, Northumberland, EaftAnglia; and chafed Edwy into the fouthern counties. That it might not be doubtful at whofe inftigation this revolt was undertaken, Dunftan returned into England, and took upon him the government of Edgar and his party. He was first inftalled in the fee of Worcester, then in that of London', and, on Odo's death, and the violent expulfion of Brithelm, his fucceffor, in that of Canterbury; of all which he long kept poffeffion. Odo is tranfmitted to us by the monks under the character of a man of piety: Dunitan was even canonized; and is one of thofe numerous faints of the same stamp who difgrace the Romish calendar. Meanwhile the unhappy Edwy was excommunicated, and purfued with unrelenting vengeance; but his death, which happened foon after, freed his enemies from all farther inquietude, and gave Edgar peaceable poffeffion of the government*.

EDGAR.

THIS prince, who mounted the throne in such early youth, foon discovered an excellent capacity in the adminiftration of affairs; and his reign is

* Oberne, p. 84. Gervafe, p. 1645, 1646.

y Chron. Sax.

p. 117. Flor. Wigorn. p. 605. Wallingford, p. 544.

z Hoveden, p. 425. Ofberne, p. 199.

See note [B] at the end of the volume.

I 3

Brompton, p. 863.

one

II.

II.

CHAP. one of the most fortunate that we meet with in the
ancient English hiftory. He fhowed no averfion to
war; he made the wifeft preparations against in-
vaders: And by this vigour and forefight he was
enabled, without any danger of fuffering infults, to
indulge his inclination towards peace, and to employ
himself in fupporting and improving the internal
government of his kingdom. He maintained a
body of difciplined troops; which he quartered in
the north, in order to keep the mutinous North-
umbrians in fubjection, and to repel the inroads of
the Scots. He built and fupported a powerful
navy; and that he might retain the feamen in the
practice of their duty, and always prefent a formi-
dable armament to his enemies, he ftationed three
fquadrons off the coaft, and ordered them to make,
from time to time, the circuit of his dominions *.
The foreign Danes dared not to approach a country
which appeared in fuch a posture of defence: The
domeftic Danes faw inevitable deftruction to be the
confequence of their tumults and infurrections: The
neighbouring fovereigns, the king of Scotland, the '
princes of Wales, of the Ifle of Man, of the Ork-
neys, and even of Ireland, were reduced to pay
fubmiffion to fo formidable a monarch. He carried
his fuperiority to a great height, and might have
excited an univerfal combination against him, had
not his power been fo well established, as to deprive
his enemies of all hopes of fhaking it. It is faid,
that refiding once at Chester, and having purposed
to go by water to the abbey of St. John the Baptift,
he obliged eight of his tributary princes to row him
in a barge upon the Dee. The English hiftorians
are fond of mentioning the name of Kenneth III.
king of Scots, among the number: The Scottish
hiftorians either deny the fact, or affert that their

bigden, p. 265.

See note [C] at the end of the volume. "C Spell. Conc. p. 432. W. Malmet, lib. 2. cap. 8. Hove den, p. 406. H. Hunting, lib. 5, p. 356.