520 
VISIT of KNUD the GREAT and QUEEN 
EMMA f0 ELY, ia the YEAR 1035.* 
*¢ Knupb the Great, and Emma, his 
queen, with the chief men of the land, 
failed for Ely, to celebrate, according to 
cultom, the fealt of the Purification of the 
Blefled Virgin. As they failed by the 
church, which is built upon a high rock, 
the fweet found of many voices fell into 
their ears, which came from the monks 
who were celebrating divine fervice at the 
time inthe church. The king inftantly 
commanded that all thofe who were in the 
fhip thould immediately join him in a fong, 
which he compofed in Englifh upon the 
eccafion, and which begins thus—* Merie 
fungen the muneches binnen Ely, tha 
Cnut cing reuther by ; roureth cnites noer 
the land, -and here we thes muneches 
foeng:” that is, ‘ The monks of Ely fang 
{weet, as King Knud rowed by. Row 
nearer to the Jand, my men, that we may 
hear thefe monks fing.” This fong, accord- 
ing to report, was inferted in the Cloilter 
Chronicle of Ely at full length, and was in 
public ufe in England in the days of its au- 
thor. Thus the king fung with the monks 
till he came on fhore, on which he haften~ 
ed to St. Edelreda’s altar, and confirmed 
all the privileges which the former kings 
of England had granted to the monaftery. 
It is faid to have once happened, that the 
water round the monaftery was frozen at 
the time of the feaft of the Purification ; 
and that it was not certain if the ice was 
fufficiently ftrong to bear any perfon; the 
king, however, would not be reftrained 
from joining in the folemn ceremony, but 
pailed over in a fledge, having firft caufed 
a lufty peafant to walk before to try the 
ftrength of theice. The peafant, by or- 
der of Knud, was liberally rewarded for 
the experiment. The king foon after 
caufed a dike to be thrown up, in order to 
Jead away the water by Peterborough and 
Ramefey. This dike was called by fome 
Swerdefdelf, by others Cnutfdelf, and 
fometimes Shed{dike; it now forms the 
divifion between Huntington and Cam- 
bridgefhire. Queen’ Emma prefented to 
the Church of Ely, a purple robe, border- 
ed with gold; it was befides ornamented 
with gold and precious ftones; fo that the 
like was never feen in all England. She 
alfo prefented to each of the faints, in the 
fame church, a filk robe, fet with gold and 
fiones of inferior value. She, likewile, 
gave to the monks a green altar-cloth, 
interlaced with plates of gold; and a linen 
aitar-cloth, of a blood colour, with a goid 
* See Suhm’s Hiftory of Denmark, vol. 3, 
P- 174. 
Vifit of Kiud and Emma to Ely. 
[July 1, 
border, one foot in breadth. Gram, 
Langebek, and Cambden, have amply 
treated of the fignification of the names 
of the two queens, Emma and Alfgiva. 
Langebek contends, that Alfgiva is the 
fame as Zthelwyf; that is, a noble woman, 
In Hemming’s, Thattur fays, fhe is called 
Anna. King Knud entertained a high efteem 
for Alfric, abbot of St. Aiban’s, brother of — 
the famous Leofric. He allowed, him to 
puil down the buildings on Kingfbury, 
which King Ethelred had granted him, 
except a tower near the monaftery, which 
fhould: remain to fhew that it was once a 
royal feat. The abbot either chafed away ~ 
all the people who dwelt there, or com. 
pelled them to become fervants to the 
cloifter. Of all the clergy, however, 
Knud held archbifhop Ethelnoth, and 
Living, monk of Winchefter, in the high- 
eft reverence. He made Living abbot of 
of Taviftock, and afterwards bifhop of 
Crydyntone. He had great influence over 
the king, and could make very free with 
him. He had lived a long time with him 
in Denmark, followed him to Rome, and 
returned thence to England with the 
king’s letter, where he fettled every thing 
to the fatisfaction of his majefty. He pre. 
vailed on Knud to unite the fee of Corn- 
wall with that of Crydyntone; but he 
abufed this addition of power, for he was 
ambitious, proud, and imperious. He 
died in the time of Edward the Confeffor, 
and was buried in Taviftock. Adelwin, 
abbot of Abbington, was alfo a great 
favourite with the king, who granted 
that monaftery confiderable privileges and 
gifts ; particularly a fhrine of gold and 
filver to preferve the remains of St. Vin- 
cent. He expelled the Canik monks out 
of Gloucefer, and put another order in 
their place, by the advice of bifhop Wulf- 
ftan. Thefe tranfaétions may be at- 
tributed to the {uperfition and ignorance 
of the times. It thould not be forgotten, 
that Knud planted a number of {chools 
all over England ; this was an aét worthy 
of a prince, and will find admirers in every 
age. Notwithftanding his liberality, the 
brilliancy of his court, and the expenfive 
wars in which he was engaged, he left 
large fums behind him. He likewife cauf- 
ed feveral buildings to be raifed at his 
own expence, which his father and he had 
demolifhed. In ro1g, he rebuiit the mo- 
maftery of Exeter, which his countrymen 
had broken down. He was temperate in 
his diet. There is a bird in England, of 
‘which he was fo fond, that it bears his 
name to this day; namely, Kaots; in La- 
tin, Tringa Canutus, or Marituria. The 
natives call it by the different names of 
puitte, godwitt, or dotterell,”” 
5 mie 
Aine 
