had been given to the church of the above-named saint ; he repeatedly threatened, also, that if it was not quickly paid, beyond a doubt he would burn the town, together with the townsmen, utterly destroy the church of the martyr himself, and torment the clergy with various tortures. In addition to this, he even dared frequently to speak slightingly of the martyr himself, and to say that he was no saint at all. But, inasmuch as he was unwilling to put an end to his misdeeds, the Divine vengeance did not permit this blasphemer to live any longer. At length, towards the evening of the d:iy on which, in a general council which he had held at a place which is called Geagnesburt,43 he had again repeated these threats, while surrounded with most numerous crowds of Danes, he alone beheld Saint Edmund coming armed towards him ; on seeing whom, he was terrified, and began to cry out with loud shrieks, exclaiming, "Fellow-soldiers, to the rescue, to the rescue! behold Saint Edmund has come to slay me ;" after saying which, being pierced by the Saint with a spear, he fell from the throne41 upon which he was sitting, and, suffering great torments until nightfall, on the third day before the nones of February, terminated his life by a shocking death. After his death, the fleet of the Danes elected his son, Canute, king. But the elders of the whole of England, with one consent, in all haste sent messengers to king Egelred, declaring that they loved no one, and would love no one, more than their own natural lord, if he would either rule them more becomingly, or treat them with more mildness than he had previously done. On hearing this, he sent his son, Edward, to them, with his deputies, and in a friendly way greeted his people, both great and small, promising that he would be to them a loving and affectionate lord, and would consult their wishes in all things, would listen to their advice, and with a forgiving temper pardon whatever had been said in abuse, or done in contradiction by them to himself or his family ; if, on the other hand, they would be ready to restore him with unanimity and without guile, to his kingdom. To this they all made answer in kindly terms, and full friendship was 41 Probably Gainsborough. ** " Emissario " is the word in the text, probably a mistake for some other word. " Missarius " means one that strikes or wounds ; but if it is to be retained here, some other word is omitted. 94 ANNALS OF ROGER DE EOVEDEN. A.D. 1014.