Thames. On the southside of the same riuer, they spoiled and wasted
Kent, Southerie, Sussex, Barkeshire, Hampshire, and (as is before
said) a great part of Wiltshire.

* * * * *




_King Egelred offereth the Danes great summes of moneie to desist
from destroieng his countrie, their unspeakable crueltie,
bloudthirstinesse, and insatiable spoiling of Canturburie betraied
by a churchman; their merciles murthering of Elphegus archbishop of
Canturburie, Turkillus the Dane chiefe lord of Norfolke and Suffolke,
a peace concluded betweene the Danes and the English vpon hard
conditions; Gunthildis a beautifull Danish ladie and hir husband
slaine, hir courage to the death._

THE FIFT CHAPTER.


[Sidenote: The king sendeth to the Danes. _Simon Dun._]
The king and the peeres of the realme, vnderstanding of the Danes
dealing in such merciles maner (as is aboue mentioned) but not knowing
how to redresse the matter, sent ambassadors vnto the Danes, offering
them great summes of moneie to leaue off such cruell wasting and
spoiling of the land. The Danes were contented to reteine the moneie,
but yet could not absteine from their cruell dooings, neither was
their greedie thirst of bloud and spoile satisfied with the wasting
and destroieng of so manie countries and places as they had passed