Observations of all the Kings of England, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Edward the Confessor.
THe son of King Ethelred, Edwardus Cognomento, ob p…etatem Confessor. Selden. Ianus Ang.the thirty seventh Monarch of the English men.
He was born at Islip near unto Oxford, and tenderly educated by Queen Emma his Mother, and after his Fathers death, for safety sent into France.
He was the last King of the Saxon race.
Such was the opinion conceived of his holiness of life, as that shortly after his decease, he was canonized amongst the Saints, and named Edward the Confessour.
To gain the more love of his Subjects at his first entrance,It was imposed by his Father, and payed for forty years continuance, cut of the lands of all, except only the Clergy. Danegeldum s…u Danageldum▪ …d est, Tributum Danicum dicebatur. Selden. Mar… clausum. … … c. 11. vid plura. … Ibid. he remitted the taxe of forty thousand pounds, yearly gathered by the name of Dane-gilt, so grevous to the Commons.
Fertur Edwardus Confessor (teste Ingulpho) cùm se daemonem vidisse, super dcervo Daingeldi exultantem protestatus esset, aspectunique exhorruisset; collecium illico restitui juss…sse, & retento ne iota uno, feram exactionem perpetuum relaxasse. Spelmanni Glossarium Danegaldi redditio propter pyratas primitus statuta est. Hoved. dnnal. pars posrerior▪ p. 603. vide plura ibid.
He collected the Laws of his predecessors into a body, for the administration of justice, which some say are the ground of our Common-Law, though the pleading be altered, since the Norman conquest.
He found the Realm governed by three different Laws; the West-Saxon Law; the Mereian Law; and the Dane Law. Out of these three Lawes, partly moderated, and partly supplied, he composed one body of Law, commonly called St Edwards Laws, which were of so great equity, that when they were abrogated by the Conquerour,A Treatise of union of the two Realms of England and Scotland▪ c. …. and the Crown fell into controversie between Maud the Empress, and King Stephen, the people alwayes inclined to favour that part, who put them in fairest hope of restitution of those Laws. And afterwards in many Civil dissensions, the greatest demand of the people appeareth to have been the restitution of King Edwards Laws.
These Laws are partly Ecclesiasticall; partly Civill.
Lambard de priseis Anglorum legibus, mentions Leges boni Regis Edwardi, quas Gulielmus Bastardus postea confirmavit.
In these Laws it is observable;
1. That all capitall, corporall, pecuniaty punishments; fines for criminall offence… ▪ … all reliefs, services, and duties to the King, are reduced to a certainty, not le…t arbitrary to the King, his Justices, or other Officers, for the Subjects greater liberty, ease and security.
2. That they protect, preserve the possessions, priviledges, persons of the Church and Clergy, from all invasion, injury, violence, and disturbance.
The Raign of this King was very peaceable.
He first used the broad Seal.
His Wife was named Editha, the vertuous Daughter of an infamous Father, Earl Godwin.
Sicut spina Rosam, genuit Godwinus Editham.
His unnaturall dealing with his good Mother Emma, and vertuous Wife Editha, in whose breast there was a School of all liberall Sciences, saith William Malmesbury, cannot be excused. For upon a poor surmise of Incontinency, with Alwin Bishop of Winchester, his Mother in his presence was put to the*E…ymon ipsius habe primum nominis Op … privativa est particula d…el pars sonat, totum, expers quasi criminis. Purgationis autem sive Ordalii g…us duplex, i…ncum & aqu…um. Dupl…i etiam forma ign…, …simul…tus cum quis criminis aut nuda man… s…rrum gestabat, aut pedibua m… dus ig…i…o… ve…res premebit. Distinguebant porro juxta ferr… magnitudinem, quod si uni…s esset pondo, simplex; si trium, triplex Ordalium nominabant. Seld. Analect Auglebrit. l 2. c. 8. Vide ejus Janum Anglorum. l 2. p 253, 254, 255, 256. Vedesis Glossarium annexum legibus Henrici primi apud Lamba… lu… de pr…s… Anglorum legibus. See Dr. Hackwels Apology of Gods p…vidence in the government of the world. l. 4. c. 2. Sect. 5 against the Ordeal Laws. Ordalium, to pass blindfolded between nine glowing Coulters, which she did without hurt.
His refusing carnall copulation with his Queen,Sr Iohn Hayward alleadgeth two other causes, impotency of nature, and suspicion against her. either out of a vowed virginity, as most Historians conclude; or out of a detestation of Earl Godwins trayterous race, quod Rex religiosus de genere proditoris, haeredes, qui sibi succederent, corrupto semine regio, noluerit p…r…ari, as Ingulphus, Matthew Westminster, and others record; whereby he exposed the Kingdome for a prey, to the ambitious pretenders aspiring after it.
The King after this craved mercy and pardon from his Mother, for the infamy and injury done unto her, for which he was disciplined and whipped by his Mother, and all the Bishops there present.
The first curing the Kings Evil, is referred to him, and thence to have continued to his successors.
Solebat Rex Edwardus divinitus solo tactu sanare strumosos, hoc est, strumam patientes. Est enim srruma morbus, quem Itali scrophula… vulgo vocant, à scrophis, quae ea mala scabie afflictantur. Polyd. Virg. Ang. hist. l. 8.
Struma gutturis vitium, quod nonnulli scrophulam dicunt, solo tactu in quam plurimis sanasse dicitur. Lil. Ang. Reg. Chronicon.
He raigned twenty three years, and six moneths, and died in the Painted Chamber at Westminster.
He built St Peters Church in Westminster, Ediderat à …undamentis Ba…dicam seu Ecclesia… S. Petri Westmonasterii, supra modum saeculi augustissim…m; qua nostratibus etiam exemplum dedit condendi Ecclesias in formam Crucis Christi passioualis, id est, productiore radio inferiori. Spelm. de Concil p. …36.and was there buried.
In hoc Rege linea Regum Angliae defecit,Matth. Paris. hist. Ang. p. 2. quae à Cerdicio primo Westsaxonum Rege, ex Anglis, quingentis & septuaginta uno annis, non legitur interrupta, praeter paucos Danos, qui peccatis exigentibus gentis Anglorum, aliquandiu regnaverunt.
Harold.
The second of that name,Earl Godwin Father to King Harold, having procured the untimely death of Alfred Brother to King Edward the Confessor, denied is continually with solemn oathes; and especially once when he dined with the King. At what time occasion being offered to speak of that matter, he took a piec… of broad, and prayed to God that the same might be his last, if he were any way consenting or privy thereto; and so eating the bread, was choaked therewith, and died there in the Kings presence. Henry Hunting hist. l. 6. Ingulphus hist. Ang. 153. Polyd. Virg Ang. hist the thirty eighth Monarch of the English men.
Son of Earl Goodwin, a man of excellent parts, and approved valour.
He driven by tempest into Normandy, was affianced to Adelizi, the Dukes fifth Daughter. He covenanted with the Duke to make him successor to Edward, in the Kingdome of England.
Mr. Fox's Acts and Monuments vol. 1. Mr. Cambden in his Brittannia; Holinshed; Sir Iohn Hayward; Sir Richard Baker incline to this opinion, that Harold by his might, power, craft, policy, usurped and invaded the Crown without any right, against his Oath.
After Edwards death, the Duke sent to him to put him in mind of his Covenant and Oath; but Harold replied, that this Oath being constrained, did no way binde. The Duke William landing in Sussex, to cut off all occasion of return, he fired his own Fleet, and upon the shore erected a fortress, to be if need were a retiring place for his Souldiers.
Harold and he fighting seven miles from Hastings in Sussex, The Archers of the Normans send forth their arrows on every side as thick as hail; which kind of fight, as it was unto the Engl…sh m…n strange, so it was unto them no less terrible. Milles.Harold was slain, and his Army vanquished. His overthrow was a just punishment of God upon him, for his perjury.
He raigned but nine moneths, and nine dayes.
In him was compleated the period of the Saxons Empire in Brittain, after they had continued from their first erected Kingdome by Hengis… in Kent, the space of six hundred and ten years, without any interruption, saving the small inter-Raigns of three Danish Kings.
The Normans were a mi… people of Norvegians, Walsingham History is called Hypodigma Neustriae.Suevians, and Danes. That Province in France was then called Neustria, and now Normandy, of the name Norman, given unto them,Ayscis. because they came out of the North parts.
The Normans laboured by all means to supplant the English, Haec gen… á Dacia oriunda, ferox statim tanto reg…o potita mores optimos, leges sanctissimas divina humanaque vertere, ac denique genus ipsum A…g…icum perdere conata est. Polyd. Virg. Aug. hist. Proaem. in l. 9.and to plant their own language amongst us; and for that purpose, they both gave us the Lawes, and all manner of pastimes, in the French tongue; as he that will peruse the Laws of the Conquerour, and consider the terms of Hawking, Hunting, Tenice, Dice-play, and other disports, shall easily perceive. Lamb's Perambulation of Kent.