Chapter XXV: The Reign of Athelstan

Athelstan, the favourite grandchild of Alfred the Great--While
but a boy his grandfather invests him with the honours of
knighthood--He is educated by Alfred's daughter, Ethelfleda--
Athelstan's sister married Sigtryg, a descendant of the famous
sea-kings--The Dane repudiates his wife, and renounces his new
religion--Athelstan invades his dominions--Death of Sigtryg,
and flight of his sons--Preparation for the invasion of England
--The force arrayed against Athelstan--Measures adopted by the
Saxon king--Preparations for battle--Picturesque description
of the battle of Brunanburg--Anglo-Saxon song on Athelstan's
victory--High position attained by Athelstan--Otho the Great
marries Athelstan's sister--The Saxon monarch forms an alliance
with the emperor of Germany and the king of Norway--Harold of
Norway suppresses piracy--Sends his son Haco to be educated
at the Saxon court--Presents a beautiful ship to Athelstan--
Death of Harold, king of Norway--List of the kings who were
established on their thrones by Athelstan--His presents to the
monasteries--His charity and laws for the relief of the poor--
Cruelty to his brother Edwin--Death of Athelstan p. 212

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE REIGNS OF EDMUND AND EDRED.

Accession of Edmund the Elder--Anlaf, the Dane, invades Mercia,
and defeats the Saxons--Edmund treats with Anlaf, and divides
England with the Danes--Perilous state of the Saxon succession
prevented by the death of Anlaf--Change in Edmund's character
--His brilliant victories--Cruelty to the British princes--
Edmund assassinated while celebrating the feast of St. Augustin,
by Leof, the robber--Mystery that surrounds the murder of
Edmund the Elder--Edred ascends the Saxon throne--Eric, the
sea-king--His daring deeds on the ocean--Description of
his wild life--Edred invades Northumbria--Eric attacks his
own subjects--Edred's victory over the Danes--Scandinavian
war-song on the death of Eric--Death of Edred p. 218

CHAPTER XXVII.

EDWIN AND ELGIVA.

Edwin's marriage with Elgiva--Odo, the Danish archbishop--
St. Dunstan--His early life--He becomes delirious--His
intellectual attainments--His persecution--He falls in love
--Is dissuaded from marriage by the bishop, Ælfheag--He is
again attacked with sickness--Recovers, and becomes a monk--
Lives in a narrow cell--Absurdity of his rumoured interviews
with the Evil One--His high connexions--Analysis of his
character--Dunstan's rude attack upon King Edwin, after the
banquet--Dunstan again driven from court--Remarks on his
conduct--Elgiva is cruelly tortured, and savagely murdered
by the command of Odo, the archbishop of Canterbury--Dunstan
recalled from his banishment--Supposed murder of Edwin p. 227

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE REIGN OF EDGAR.

Power of Dunstan--He is made Archbishop of Canterbury--He
appoints his own friends counsellors to the young king--His
encouragement of the fine arts--Enforces the Benedictine
rules upon the monks--Speech of Edgar in favour of Dunstan's
reformation in the monasteries--Romantic adventure of Elfrida,
daughter of the Earl of Devonshire--Death of Athelwold--
Personal courage of Edgar--His love of pomp, and generosity--
His encouragement of foreign artificers--His tribute of wolves'
heads--England infested with wolves long after the commencement
of the Saxon period--Many of the Saxon names derived from the
wolf--Death of Edgar--Elfric's sketch of his character--
Changes wrought by Edgar p. 233

CHAPTER XXIX.

EDWARD THE MARTYR.

Dunstan still triumphant--Is opposed by the dowager-queen Elfrida
--Her attempts to place her son, Ethelred, upon the throne,
frustrated by Dunstan--Contest between the monks and the
secular clergy--The Benedictine monks driven out of Mercia--
The Synod of Winchester--Dunstan's pretended miracle doubted--
The council of Calne--William of Malmesbury's description of
the assembly--Dunstan's threat--Falling in of that portion
of the floor on which Dunstan's opponents stood--Reasons
for supposing that the floor was undermined by the command of
Dunstan--Death of his enemies, and triumph of the archbishop
--Edward's visit to Corfe Castle--He is stabbed in the back
while pledging his stepmother, Elfrida, at the gate--His
dreadful death--Character of Elfrida p. 238