month of July an innumerable fleet of Danes arrived in England, and entered the port of Sandwich, and ravaging all places with fire and sword, first in Kent and then in Sussex, collected a very large quantity of spoil. On this, king Egelred assembled an army in Mercia and Wessex, and resolved to fight manfully with them ; but they would under no circumstances engage with him openly, but frequently committed their ravages, now in one place, and now in another, immediately, after their usual manner, retreating to their ships ; and in this way, throughout the autumn, they harassed the army of the English. At length, on the approach of winter, as they Avere retiirning homeward with enormous booty, they repaired to the Isle of Wight, and remained there until the Nativity of our Lord j23 on the approach of which, as the king was at that period staying in the province of Shrewsbury, they made way through the province of Southampton to Berkshire, and burned Beading, and WaBingford, and Ceolesy,23 with a great number of men. Moving thence, they passed Easterdune2' and came to Cwichelmelow s25 returning from there by another road, the pirates provoked the natives of the place to battle, and at once engaging with them, put them to flight, and then retreated to the ships with the booty they had taken. In the year 1007, by the advice of his chief men, Egelred, king of the EngUsh, sent ambassadors to the Danes, and told them that he was willing to give them sustenance and tribute, on condition that they should desist from their ravages, and keep a lasting peace with him ; to this request they consented, and from that time, provisions, and a tribute of thirty-six thousand pounds, were given to them from the whole of England. In this year, also, king Egelred made a certain Edric, whose surname was Streone, duke of the Mercians ; who, although he had Edgitha the king's daughter in marriage, was still frequently found, by his shifting craftiness, to be a perfidious traitor to his country, and a public enemy, as will appear in the sequel ; at last, in the reign of king Canute, he received a worthy reward for his treachery. In the year 1008, Egelred, king of the English, ordered for 22 Christmas Day. 23 Cholsey. 21 Ashdown, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 35 The same place that is also called Ceolesy ; it is four miles from VVallingford, in Berkshire. 86 ANNALS OP SOGER DE HOVEDEN. A.D. 1003.