A.D. 766. DEATH OF KDTEWTJLPH. 27 gustala,' who had lately died. About this time, there was a synod held at Ade.4 After Kinewulph had reigned twenty-six years, and, being victorious, had gained many battles against the Britons,* and subdued them on every side,6 at length, he determined on banishing a certain young man, named Krneard, the brother of Sigebert. Upon this, he attacked the king at Meretune,7 whither he had privately gone to visit a certain female. On finding this to be the case, the king stoutly defended himself at the door, until he caught sight of the youth, upon which he rushed out and wounded him, whereon all his confederates turned upon the king, and slew him On the uproar being heard, the king's soldiers, who were in the town, ran towards the youth, and refusing gifts of lands and money that were offered by him, all died bravely fighting, with the exception of one Briton, who was severely wounded, and taken as a hostage. In the morning, the soldiers of the king, who were near at hand in waiting,8 when the king was slain, hemmed in the young man and his confederates; on which he thus said to them; " Your kinsmen are on my side; I will give you lands and money to your hearts' content, if you will not fight against us ; I made the same offer to your companions, and refusing it they perished!'' To this they made answer, that no money was dearer to them than their lord, and that they would avenge the death of their king and their comrades ; and then rushing on, after a severe combat at the door, they slew the young man and eighty-four others who were with him. The only one left was a little son of the young man, and he received a wound. Kinewulph was buried at Winchester, in the thirty-first year of bis reign, the young man at Acsminster.' Brithric, who also sprang from king Cerdie so often mentioned, » ' Hexham. 4 Evidently a mistake for Acle, or Aclea, or Ockley, in Surrey ; which is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the place where the svnod was held in 782. s The Welsh. 6 The various reading, ? Ex omnia parte," has been adopted, as it seems preferable to the words of the text, " Ex Dei parte." 7 Merton, in Surrey. 8 " In atrio," literally, " in the court." • Axminster, in Devon. William of Malmesbury, and Roger of Wen-dover, however, agree in stating, that he was buried at Repandun, or Repton, in Derbyshire. Kinewulph, in reality, reigned only nine and twenty years.