82 ANNAIS OP ROGER DE HOVEDEN. A.D. 999. in England, having sailed round "Wessex, entered the mouth of the river Severn, and at one time laid waste South Britain ;u at another, CornwaB ; at another, Wesedport, in Devonshire ; and, burning a vast number of towns, put multitudes of people to the sword; and after this, again going round Penwith-steort12 up to the mouth of the river Tamar, their ships having coasted along Devonshire and CornwaB, they disembarked from their ships, leaving them behind, and, there being no one to prevent them, continued their conflagrations and slaughter as far as Lideford.13 In addition to this, they burned the monastery of the primate, Ordulf, whieh is called Taustokt,14 and, laden with great booty, made their way back to their ships, and wintered at that place. In the year 998, the above-named army of the pagans, leaving the mouth of the river whieh is called Prome, repaired again to Dorsetshire, and, after their usual manner, betook themselves to plundering; and, as often as they took up their quarters in the Isle of "Wight,15 levied supplies upon Sussex and the provinee of Southampton. Against such an outburst as this, forces were often gathered together ; but, as often as the English were about to engage in battle, either through treachery or some misfortune, they turned their backs and left the victory in the hands of the enemy. In the year 999, the army of the pagans so often mentioned, entering the mouth of the river Thames, passed up the river Meodewege,16 as far as Bochester, and for a few days laid strict siege to it, upon which, the people of Kent, uniting together to repel them, had a severe engagement with them ; but, after many had "been slain on both sides, the Danes remained masters of the river. After this, taking horse, the Danes laid waste almost the whole of the western coast of Kent. On hearing of this, Egelred, the king of the EngBsh, by the advice of his » South Wales. 12 Of this place Lambarde says : " The country that lieth next the point of Cornwall is to this day called Penwith ; and, therefore, the Saxons adding ' steort,' which signifyeth a last of a region or promontory that runneth narrow into the sea, called that cape Penwithsteort." 13 A town in Devonshire, on the river Tamar. 14 Tavistock. 16 As a sample of the state of the text, this passage is thus printed : " Et quotiescunque invecta jacuit de Suthsaxonia, et Suthaintunensi provincia sibi victum accepit." 16 Medway.