in a woode without comfort, was there slayne euen by the swynheard of the sayd Earle, whom before he had so wrōgfully murdered, as partely is aboue touched: MarginaliaCruel tiranny wyth lyke crueltie reuēged.wherby is to be seene, the cruel tyranny of princes neuer to prosper wel, without þ^e iuste reuenge both of God & mā.

MarginaliaKenulphus kyng of the Westsaxons
748Thus Sigebert beyng slayne, in his place succeded Kenulphus, in þ^e yere of our Lord. D. cc. xlviij. who w^t the agremēt of þ^e Westsaxōs was one of þ^e chief doers agaīst Sigebert his master. This Kenulphus kept strongly his lordship agaynst Offa, and agaynst the power of all his enemies: til at lēgth, after þ^t he reigned, as Fabiā sayth, 31. yeres, he resorting to a paramour which he kepte at Merton, MarginaliaMurder reuenged with murder.was there beset and likewise slayne by þ^e traine & meanes of a certaine kynsman of the foresayde Sigebert, named Clito or Cliton, in reuengemēt of kyng Sigebertes death.

MarginaliaOffa kyng of Mertia.Moreouer in the raigne of the foresayd Egbert kyng of Northumberland, and in the viij. yeare of Kenulphus kyng of Weastsaxons: Offa after he had slayne the tyraunt Beoruredus which before had slayne Ethelwald kyng of Mercia, and vncle to this foresaid Offa: raigned kyng of that prouince.

Of this Offa are told many notable deedes, which because thei cōcern rather political affayres, & do not greatly appertayne to þ^e purpose of this Ecclesiastical history, I omit here to recite. As hys warres & victories against Egbert & þ^e Northūbres, as also against Etheldred king of East Angles. Item agaynst Egbert king of Kent, otherwise called Wren, whome Fabian saythe he tooke prisoner, and led her bound with him to Mercia. MarginaliaAn vntruth noted in the story of Fabianus.Malmesbery witnesseth otherwise, this is to be done not by Offa, but by Kenulphus, as Christ willyng hereafter shall appeare. After these victories Offa had such displeasure vnto the Citizens of Canterburye, MarginaliaThe primacie of Canterbury remoued to Lichfield. Lanbright archbishop of Cant.that he remoued the Archbishops see, and landes of Lambrith Archbishop of Canterbury (by the agreement of pope Adrian) vnto Lichfield. He also chased the Britaines or Welchmen into Wales, and made a famous dike betwene Wales and the vtter bondes of Mercia or middle Englande, whych was called Ofditche. And builded there a church which long time after was called Offekyrke. This Offa also married one of his daughters to Brightricus that was king of Westsaxons. And for that in his tyme was variance betwene him and the Frenche men, in so much that þ^e passage of Marchaūtes was forbyddē: therfore he sent Alcuinus a learned man, MarginaliaThis Alcuinus is commēded for his lerning next to Aldelmus & Bede aboue all english saxones.vnto Charles the great, then king of Fraunce, to common the meanes of peace: which Charles had after þ^t the said Alcuinus in great fauour and estimation, and afterward made him abbot of Turonia in Fraunce.

MarginaliaEthelbert kyng of Eastangles wrongfully murdred by Offa.About the latter time of the raigne of Offa, kyng of Mercia: Ethelbert beyng then king of Eastangles (a learned and a right godly Prince) came to the court of Offa: prouoked by the councel of his Nobles, to sue for the mariage of his daughter: well accompanied lyke a Prince, with his men about him. Wherupō, the queene conceauing a false suspicion, and fearing that whych was neuer minded: that Ethelbert with his companye, vnder the pretence and made matter of marriage, was come to worke some violence against her husband, and the kingdome of Mercia, so she persuaded w^t king Offa: MarginaliaThe vayne suspition & wicked councel of a woman.
Ex historia Iornalēsi & Momesberiensi.and certain of her counsel that night, that the next day following, Offa caused him to be trayned into his palace alone from his companye, by one called Guymbertus: who tooke him and bound him, and there stroke of hys head, which forthwith he then presented to the king and queene. And thus the innocent king Ethelbert was wrōgfully murthered, about the yere of our Lord. 793. but not without a iust reuenge at Gods hande. MarginaliaCruel murder reuenged.For as the story recordeth, the foresayde queene worker of this vilanie, lyued not three monethes after: and in her death was so tormented, that she was fayne to byte and rent her tong in peeces with her own teeth. Offa vnderstan-ding at length the innocencie of this king, and the haynous cruelty of his fact: gaue the tenth part of his goods to holy church: and to the church of Hereforde, in remēbrance of this Ethelbert, he bestowed great lands. Moreouer, builded the Abbey of S. Albons, with certaine other Monasteries besides. And so afterward he went vp to Rome for his penance, where he gaue to the church of S. Peter a peny through euery house in hys dominion, which was called commonly Romshot, or Peter pence, payed to the church of S. Peter: MarginaliaOffa and kynreds of kynges made monkes at Rome.and there at lēgth was trāsformed frō a king to a Monk, about the yere of our lord. 794. w^t Kēredus king of Northūberlād aboue mētioned, although some stories deny that he was monke.

MarginaliaEgfretus kyng of Mertia.After Offa king of Mercia, when hee had raygned xxxix. yeares, succeded his sonne Egfretus, who raigned but. 4. monethes: of whom thus writeth the forsayd Alcuinus: MarginaliaAlcuinus Osberto patritio.Non arbritor quod nobilissimus iuuenis Egfretur propter peccata sua mortuus sit: Sed quia pater suus pro cōfirmatione regni eius multū sanguinem effudit. &c. MarginaliaThe fathers fault punished in the child.That is: this noble yong man dyed not so muche for offēces of his own, as for that his father had spilled much bloud, to confirme him in his kingdome.

Next to which Egfretus, succeded Kenulphus in the sayd kingdome of Mercia, which Kenulphus keeping & retayning the hatred of Offa his predecessor agaynst the Cantuarites, made warre agaynst them: MarginaliaEgbert kyng of Kent taken prisoner.where he tooke Egbert their king, otherwise called Wren, whom he bound and led prisoner to Mercia. MarginaliaA princelye example of Clemencye in a noble kyng.Notwithstāding, shortly after being mollified with princely clemency in the towne of MarginaliaThe church of Winchcombe builded by king Kenulphus.Winchcombe, where he had builded the same time a church: vpon the day when he shoulde dedicate the same, in the presence of . xiij. bishops: and of Cutbert, whom he had placed in the same kingdom of Canterbury before: and. x. Dukes, and manye other great estates: MarginaliaEgbert king of Kent, released out of prison.King Kenulphus brought the sayd Egbert kyng of Kent out of prison into the church, where he enlarged him of imprisonment, and restored him to his place agayne. At the sight wherof not onely Cuthbert the foresayd king reioyced, but also al the estatcs and people being there present, made such an exclamation of ioy and gladnes, that the church (and not onelye the church, but also the streetes) range with al. At which tyme such boūtefulnes of giftes and iewels was then bestowed, that frō the highest estate to the lowest, none departed w^tout sōthing geuen, according as to eueri degre was thought meete. MarginaliaA place of Fabian doubted.Although Fabian referreth this storye to king Offa, yet causes there be, why I assēt rather to Mamesbery and to Polichronicon, which attributeth the same to Kenulphus the second king of Mercia, after Offa.

A litle before in speaking of certayne Bishoppes of Rome, mention was made of pope Constantine the first: Pope Gregory the secōd: Pope Gregory the third: and of pope Zacharie, which deposed Childeryke, and set vp Pipinus the Frēch king. &c. Next after this Zachary, in order followed MarginaliaPope Steuen the second.pope Stephan the seconde: to whom the foresayd Pipinus, to gratifie agayne the see of Rome, for this their benefit shewed to him: gaue and contributed to the sayde see of Rome, the exarchat or princedome of Rauēna: the kingdome of the Lūbards: and many other great possessions of Italye: with all the cities therto adioyning vnto the borders of Venice. MarginaliaThe donation of Pipinus. falsly taken to be the donatiō of Constātine.And this donatiō of Pipine, no doubt if the truth were rightly tryed, should be found to be the same, which hitherto falsely hath been thought to be the donation of Constātine. For els how could it be, that the exarchat of Rauenna could belong al thys whyle to the Emperours of Constātinople, if Constantine before, had geuen it & all Italy from the Empyre, to the see of Rome. To this Pipinus, as witnesseth Polychr. MarginaliaEx Polychr. lib. 5. cap. 25.was sent fyrst into Fraunce, þ^e inuentiō of þ^e Organes out of Grecia, by Cōstantine emperour of Constant. anno. dom. 757.

Next to this Stephan the ij. succeded Paul the first,