Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/713

Rh  1em 1em  EDWARDS, (?–?), a musician and writer of interludes, was born in Somersetshire, studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, took his master of arts degree in, entered at Lincoln s Inn, and was appointed in a gentleman of the royal chapel and master of the singing boys. He probably died about the end of, as his epitaph was written by Turberville in the following year. A &quot;tragedy&quot; from his pen possibly, in spite of the designa tion, the comedy of Damon and Pithias was acted before Queen Elizabeth at Christmas ; and on September 3, , the same honour was accorded to his Palamon and Arcite. The latter play was never printed, and like most of the author s productions is now lost, but the former, entered at Stationers Hall in –, appeared in with the title of &quot; The excellent Comedie of two the moste faithfullest freendes, Damon and Pithias,&quot; was reprinted in, and may be found in Dodsley s Old Plays, vol. i., and Ancient British Drama, vol. i. It is written in rhymed lines of rude construction, varying in length and neglecting the caesura, and, according to A. W. Ward, it is &quot; one of the clumsiest of our early plays, both in action and in language.&quot; Its principal subject is tragic, but it is interlarded, with scenes of vulgar and witless farce. A number of the author s shorter pieces are preserved in the Paradise of Dainty Devices, first published in, and reprinted in the British Bibliographer, vol. iii. ; the best known are the lines on May, the Amantium Ira;, and the Commendation of Music, which has the honour of furnish ing a stanza to Romeo and Juliet. The Historic of Damocles and Dionise is assigned to him in the edition of the Paradise. In his own day Edwards was held in the highest estimation. &quot; He united,&quot; says Warton, &quot;all those arts and accomplishments which minister to popular pleasantry ; he was the first fiddler, the most fashionable sonneteer, the readiest rhymer, and the most facetious mimic of the court.&quot;

1em  EDWIN, or, king of Northumbria, was the son of ^Ella, king of Deira, and was born about. At the death of yElla, in, Ethelfrid, king of Bernicia, ^Ella s brother-in law, usurped the throne of Deira, and. united the two kingdoms Deira and Bernicia, under the name of Northumbria. Edwin ultimately found shelter with Rsedwald of East Anglia, who, in, defeated and slew Ethelfrid near the river Idle, and enabled Edwin to mount the Northumbrian throne. In Edwin married Ethelburgha, daughter of Edbert, king of Kent. She had been converted to Christianity, and, at her desire, Faulinus, a Christian missionary, was allowed to enter Northumbria. Not long after Paulinus s arrival, Eumer, an envoy of the king of Wessex, made an attempt to&quot;assassinate Edwin, who was only saved by Lilla, one of his thanes, throwing him self between him and the assassin s weapon. The thane was killed, and the sword passing through his body inflicted also a dangerous wound on the king. The queen about the same time was seized by the pangs of childbirth, and was so alarmed on account of what had happened that she aud her infant were for a time in imminent clanger. Paulinus offered up prayers for their recovery, and Edwin was so much impressed by the seeming answer to the petition, that, though he did not at once adopt the Christian faith, he permitted the infant and twelve of his household to be baptized. He also declared to Paulinus that if he should succeed in overthrowing the West Saxons, against whom he had determined to make war, he would himself become a Christian, and receive the rite of baptism. After his victorious return he renounced his heathen gods, but it required all Paulinus s powers of persuasion to get him finally to adopt Christianity, and to give it his sanction as the religion of Northumbria. Ultimately, however, he convened a council of his nobles to ask their advice, and when they unanimously declared for the new religion, Coifi, the high priest, at once offered to destroy all the heathen places of worship throughout the land. This was done, and in the Northumbrians flocked in crowds to be baptized by Paulinus. While the introduction of Christianity into Northumbria is the circumstance most worthy of mention in Edwin s reign, it was also remarkable in other respects. So strict was his administration of justice, that it was said that &quot; a woman with her babe might walk scatheless from sea to sea in Edwin s day.&quot; He was also the first real Bretwalda, although ./Ella, his father, first laid claim to the title. He compelled the sub mission of the West Saxons, conquered Anglesea and Man by his fleet, and received tribute from all the king doms south of the Huvnber, with the exception of Kent. To guard his northern dominion he erected the fortress of Edinburgh or Edwin s burgh. In Pencla, king of Mercia, taking advantage of a reaction that was setting in in favour of the old paganism, determined to resist Edwin s authority and combining with Cadwallader, king of the 