ENG 
with which he had been entrufted during the former 
reign. This account tiie haughty pried refufed to give ; 
wherefore he was deprived of ali the ecclefiadical and ci¬ 
vil emoluments of which he had been in polfellion, and 
banifhed the kingdom. But his exile only ferved to in- 
creafe the reputation of his fandtity among the people ; 
and Odo, archbifhop of Canterbury, was fo much en¬ 
raged, that he pronounced a divorce between Edvvy and 
E-lgiv-a. Ecclefiadical cenfttres were then attended with 
the mod formidable confequences. The king could no 
longer relid the indignation of the church, but fubmitted 
to part with his beautiful wife. Accordingly Odo lent 
into the palace a party of fyldiers, who feized the queen, 
and, by his orders, branded heron the face with an hot 
iron. She was then carried by force into Ireland, there 
to remain in perpetual exile. This injundVion, however, 
was too didreding to her feelings; and, being cured of 
Iter wound, which was purpofely made to deface her 
beauty, die once more ventured to return to the king, 
whom die dill tenderly regarded as her hufband. But 
misfortune continued to purfue her. She was taken pri- 
foner by order of Odo, and put to death in the mod cruel 
manner; having the finews of her legs cut, and her body 
fkamehilly mangled. In the mean lime, a fecret revolt 
againd Edvvy became almod general, indigated by the 
archbidrop ; and Dundan returned to England to put 
liimfelf at the head of the party. The malcontents now 
proceeded to open rebellion; and, having placed Edgar, 
the king’s younger brother, about thirteen years of age, 
at their head, they foon put him in polfeffion of all the 
northern parts of the kingdom. Edwy’s power, and the 
number of his adherents, every day declining, he was 
obliged to confent to a partition of the kingdom ; when 
his death, which happened foon after, freed his enemies 
from all further inquietude, and gave Edgar peaceable 
podedion of the government. 
Edgar being placed on the throne by the influence of 
the monks, A. D. 959, affedfed to be entirely guided by 
their will in all his fucceeding tranfactions. There has 
ever been fome popular cry, fome darling prejudice, 
amongd the Englifh ; and he who has taken the advan¬ 
tage of it, has always found it of excellent aflidance to 
bis government. The fanclity of the monks was the cry 
at that time; and tl)e young king, chiming in with the 
people, at once promoted their happinefs, and his own 
glory. Few Englilh monarchs have reigned with more 
fortune, or more fplendour, than Edgar. Fie not only 
quieted all domedic infurredtions, but reprelfed all fo¬ 
reign invafions ; and his power was fo well edablifhed, 
and (o widely extended, that he is laid to have been 
rowed in his barge by eight tributary kings upon the river 
Dee. The monks, whom he promoted, are loud in his 
praife ; and yet the example of his continence was no 
way correfponding with that chadity and forbearance on 
which they chiefly founded their fuperior pretenfions to 
landtity. It is indeed fomewhat extraordinary, that one 
fho-uld have been extolled for bis virtues by the monks, 
whofe irregularities were fo peculiarly oppodte to the 
tenets they preached. His fir A tranfgreflion of this fund 
was the breaking into a convent, carrying oft'Editlia, a 
nun, by force, and even committing violence on her per- 
fon. For this adt of facrilege, no other penance was en¬ 
joined titan that he diould abftain from putting on his 
crown for feven years. As for the lady, he was permit¬ 
ted to continue bis intercourfe with her without fcandal. 
There was another miftrefs of Edgar’s, named Elfleda 
the Fair, with whom he formed a connection in a very 
Angular manner. Being at the houfe of one of his nobles, 
and fixing la is affections on' the nobleman’s daughter, he 
privately requefted that the young lady diould pafs that 
night with him. The lady’s mother, knowing his power,, 
and. the impetuofity of his temper, prevailed upon her 
daughter feemingly to comply; but, in the mean time, 
fubnituted a beautiful domeltic in the young .lady’s place. 
In the morning, when the king awoke, indead of being 
V.o c. V I. No. 372. 
LAND. 5 53 
difpldafed at the dratagem, be expreded pleafure in the 
adventure; and, transferring his love to Elfleda, die be¬ 
came his favourite, and maintained an afcendency over 
him till bis marriage with Elfrida, daughter to the earl 
of Devondiire. The beauty and accomplifliments of this 
lady, as reprefented by common fame, excited the paf- 
fions of Edgar, and he refolved to have her ;~ but, un¬ 
willing to credit report, he fent Ethelwald, his favourite 
friend, to fee, and inform him, whether Elfrida was in¬ 
deed that incomparable woman which the world had de- 
feribed her to be. 'Ethelwald arriving at the earl’s, had 
no fooner cad his eyes upon the lovely fair one, than 
he became enamoured of her liimfelf. Such was the vio¬ 
lence of his padion, that, forgetting his duty to his maf¬ 
ter, he folicited only his own iutereds, and demanded for 
liimfelf the beautiful Elfrida in marriage. The favou¬ 
rite of a king was not likely to find a refufal ; the earl 
gave his confent, and their‘nuptials were; performed in 
private. Upon his return to court, he allured the king 
that her riches alone, and her high quality, had been the 
only caufe of her celebrity ; and lie appeared amazed 
bow the world could talk fo much, and fo unjuftly, of 
her charms. The king was fatisfied, and no longer felt 
any curiofity, while Ethelwald fecretly indulged in all 
the gratifications of connubial love. When lie had, by 
this deceit, weaned the king from his purpofe, he took 
an opportunity of turning the conversation on Elfrida, 
reprefenting, that though the fortune of the earl of De- 
vondiire’s daughter would be a trifle to a king, yet it 
would be an immenfe acquifition to a needy fubjeCt like 
liimfelf. He, therefore, humbly entreated permillion to 
pay his addrelfes to her, as die was the riched heirefs in 
the kingdom. A requed fo apparently reafonable was 
readily complied with ; Ethelwald returned to his wife, 
and their nuptials were folemnized in public. His greated 
care, however, was employed in keeping her from court; 
and he took every precaution to prevent her appearing 
before a king fo fufceptible of love, and fo capable of in- 
fpiring that padion. But it was itnpoflible to keep his 
treachery concealed. Favourites are never without ene¬ 
mies, who watch every opportunity of riling upon their 
ruin. Edgar was foon informed of the whole tranfac- 
tion ; but, diffembling his refentnient, he took occafion 
to vilit that part of the country where this miracle of 
beauty refided, accompanied by Ethelwald, who reluc¬ 
tantly attended him thither. Upon coming near the la¬ 
dy’s habitation, he told him that lie hud a curiofity to 
fee his wife, of whom he had formerly heard fo much, 
and defired to be introduced as his acquaintance. Ethel¬ 
wald, thunderdruck at the propofal, did all in his power 
to diffuade the king from it, but in vain. All he could 
obtain, was permiflion to go before, on pretence of pre¬ 
paring adequately for his reception. On his arrival, he 
fell at his wife’s feet, confeding what he had done to be 
poffeffed of her charms, and conjuring her to conceal, as 
much as poffible, her beauty from the king, v\ ho was but 
too fufceptible of its power. Elfrida, little obliged to 
him for a padion that had deprived her of a crown, pro- 
mifed compliance ; but, prompted either by the vanity 
of her fex, or by revenge, die adorned her perfon with 
the mod exquifite art, and called up all her beauty on 
the occafion. The event anfvvered her expectations ; the 
king no fooner faw, than he loved her, and was indantly 
refolved to obtain her. The better to effeCt his inten¬ 
tions, he concealed bis pailion from the hufband, and 
took leave with a feeming indifference; but his revenge 
was not the lefs certain and fatal. Ethelwald was foon 
after fent into Northumberland, upon pretence of urgent 
•affairs, and was found murdered in a wood by the way. 
Some fav, he was dabbed by the king’s own hand ; fome, 
that he only commanded.the adallination; however this 
Jae, Elfrida was brought to court by the king’s own or¬ 
der, and their nuptials were performed with the ufual fo- 
lemnity. Such was the criminal padion of a monarch, 
whom the monks have thought proper to reprefent as 
7 B ; the 
