KING EDGAR a.d. . 



973- 1 



eche one being of looo. ships, for so it is anciently 1 



recorded. ] 



Idem quoque j^dgarus, 4000. naves congregavit, ex ^^nulphus , 

 quibus omni anno, post festum Paschale, 1000. ^^^^^^"^^^' 



naves ad quamlibet Angliae partem statuit, sic, ; 



aestate Insulam circumnavigavit : hyeme vero, ] 

 judicia in Provincia exercuit : & haec omnia ad sui 



exercitium, & ad hostium fecit terrorem. j 



.1 



COuld, and would that peaceable & wise king Edgar, \ 



before need, as being in peace and quiet with all 1 



nations about him, and notwithstanding mistrusting his ■ 



possible enemies, make his pastimes so roially, politically, i 



and triumphantly, with so many thousand ships, and at the i 



least with ten times so many men as ships, and that yerely ? \ 

 and shall we being not assured of such neighbors friend- 

 ship, as may become to us as cruel and tyrannicall enemies 

 as never king Edgar needed to dread the like, and they as 

 many and mighty princes, as never king Edgar coped with 

 the like, shall we (said he) not judge it some part of wis- 

 dome, to imitate carefully in some litle proportion (though 

 not with so many thousands) the prosperous pastimes of 



peaceable king Edgar, that Saxonicall Alexander ? yea, j 



prosperous pastimes these may bee justly counted, by which I 



he also made evident to the whole world, that as he wisely \ 



knew the ancient bounds and limits of this British Empire, j 



so that he could and would royally, justly, and trium- [I. 8.] ■ 



phantly enjoy the same, spite of the devil, and maugre the ' 



force of any forreine potentate. And al that, so highly and ] 



faithfully to the glory of God finally intended and brought ! 



to passe, as the wisest and godliest Prelates and counsellors ! 



of those dayes (so counted of and recorded) coulde best 1 



advise and direct him, or perchance, but sincerely com- ] 



mend and duetifully incourage him in, he being of him- ' 



selfe so bent, as purposing first invincibly to fortifie the j 



chiefe and uttermost walles of his Islandish Monarchie, 1 



against all forreine encombrance possible. And in that i 



fortification furthering and assuring to trust best his owne ; 



19 ' 



