Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 1.djvu/52

38 rival, he marched against him and his new allies, his army increasing daily. The Danes, unable to resist the overwhelming forces led against them, dismissed the pretender from amongst them, and ceded several strongholds as the price of peace.

In the year 915, according to some historians, Edward founded the University of Cambridge; others contend for a yet earlier date—an assumption, however, resting on tradition merely. They attribute it to one Cantaber, three hundred years before the Christian era.

In 910 the war between the two races broke out once more, and lasted, with brief intermission, for ten years; when the Danes, finding they were losing ground, sued for peace. Those who inhabited Mercia were the first to submit, the East Anglians followed their example, and the Northumbrians were the last.

Edward was materially assisted in these struggles by his warlike sister Elfleda, the widow of the Earl of Mercia, who, despite her sex, appears to have delighted in arms. Aided by her brother's troops, she attacked the Welsh, who had sided with the Danes, and obliged them to pay tribute to her.

On the death of this princess the Welsh threw off the yoke, and made a desperate effort to regain their freedom. They entered into an alliance with the Danes; but on the defeat of the latter Edward marched against them, vanquished Rees ap Madoc, their king, and once more reduced them to become tributaries.

Although Edward equalled his illustrious predecessor in military talents, and was much more fortunate in all his undertakings, he was far inferior to him in virtue, having several concubines; his son by one of these, named Egwina, ultimately succeeded him.

Concerning this woman, the chroniclers relate that she was the daughter of a shepherd, and, whilst watching her father's flock, fell asleep in the fields, and had an extraordinary dream. She dreamt that a globe of light, resembling the moon, shone out from her body, and that all England was illuminated by it. This she related to Edward's nurse, who was so struck by it that she adopted her, gave her a good education, and purposely threw her in the way of the king, by whom she had three children, Athelstan, Alfred, and a daughter named Editha.

Edward had four other sons and several daughters. The eldest son, Elfward, died at Oxford a few days after his father; and Edwin, the second, perished miserably. Edmund and Edred, Edward's sons by his queen Edgiva, both lived to reign in England.

Of the daughters several married, and the rest devoted themselves to a religious life. Enfleda, the eldest, was Abbess of Ramsey; Ogina married Charles the Simple, King of France; Edilda became a nun. Another sister, named Eadhild, was the wife of Hugh, Earl of Paris, whose son, Hugh Capet, afterwards became so celebrated. Eadgith was the wife of Otho, the German emperor, and Edgiva queen of Louis the Blind, King of Provence. Another sister, named Edburga, became a nun.

It was during the reign of Edward that the famous adventurer Rollo, who had led a band of Normans into France, compelled Charles the Simple to confirm him in the new possession of Neustria, and bestow on him the hand of his daughter Gisella in marriage. The only condition the feeble monarch ventured to exact was that the barbarian should be baptised, a ceremony to which Rollo readily submitted, and assumed the title of Duke of Normandy, holding his possessions as a fief from the crown of France.  

E, the eldest legitimate son of Edward, having survived his father but a few days, and his brothers being; under age, Athelstan, the son of the concubine Egwina ascended the throne in A.D. 924, to the secret discontent of many of the nobility and clergy, who were opposed to him from the illegitimacy of his birth; and a conspiracy was soon entered into to dethrone the new monarch, and raise the young Prince Edwin in his place.

Alfred, the chief of the conspirators, had even taken private measures to seize Athelstan at Winchester, and put out his eyes. The plot being discovered, he was apprehended by the king's order, but would confess nothing; he obstinately persisted in protesting his innocency, and offered to purge himself by oath in the presence of the Pope, an ordeal looked upon in that age as infallible in discovering the truth, since he who was rash or wicked enough to forswear himself was certain, according to the superstition of the time, to meet with a signal punishment. Athelstan agreed to this, and sent him to Rome, to take the oath before Pope John. Perhaps he was unwilling to begin his reign with blood, or, as the sequel proved, had taken effectual means to prevent his returning; for, shortly after the arrival of the accused in Rome, word was sent that Alfred, having sworn to his innocence before the Pope, suddenly fell into a fainting fit, which, lasting three days, ended with his life; and that the Pope, convinced by his death that he had committed perjury, had ordered his body to remain in the English college till the king's pleasure should be known; upon which Athelstan, pleased with being thus rid of his enemy, consented he should have Christian burial. His lands were, however, confiscated, and given to Malmesbury monastery, and the king had inserted in the grant an account of the whole conspiracy, "to testify to the world that he dedicated to God what was his own."

The death of Edward, and the troubles which succeeded, affording the Danes, as they imagined, a favourable opportunity to revolt, they had begun to take such measures as obliged Athelstan to march into their country; but as they had not yet drawn their forces together, they were so surprised by the arrival of the king on their frontiers, that without endeavouring to defend themselves, they returned to their allegiance; and Sithric, one of their kings, sued for peace upon whatever terms the king might be pleased to impose. Athelstan being desirous to live in peace with the Danes, in order that he might have time to establish himself in the throne, not only pardoned his revolt, but gave him his sister Editha in marriage, on condition that he would receive baptism.

