Soon our days will flow tranquilly on.  May God mercifully continue peace in our days.

“Stablish the thing, O God, that thou hast wrought in us.”

Christmas, 1017.—­

Strange news greet our festival.  Edric Streorn has gone suddenly, unhouselled, unanointed, unabsolved, to his great account.  Hermann, who is now an officer in the royal hus-carles, has arrived from court, and from him we have learnt all particulars.

Edric was alone with the king in a chamber overlooking the Thames.  Hermann was on duty without, with some of the guard, when he heard voices within in hot contention.

“You will grant me no favour, not even the life of this traitor, who, I tell you, is conspiring against you, and desires to place Edwy, the Etheling, Edmund’s brother, on the throne in your place.”

“Your proof lies, I suppose, in the hatred you have always borne him,” was the king’s reply.

Hermann could not help hearing, they spoke so loudly, but the next words enchained his attention.

“I tell thee the name ‘Alfgar’ is first and foremost amongst the signatures of the men who have conspired to cast thee from the throne.”

“Then I conclude you placed it there; tush, man, I know thee of old!”

“Why should you suspect this? was not he Edmund’s faithful friend, worshipping him as a god, and would he not do all he could for his brother?”

“I thought you held him guilty of Edmund’s murder.”

“That was only because I wished to remove two enemies from your path instead of one you will not remove one from mine; lo!  I forsook Edmund my king for thy sake, and for thy sake I slew him, and thus thou rewardest me.”

Then Canute waxed furious, and he shouted, “Guard! guard!”

Hermann rushed in; and amongst others Eric, the Earl of Northumbria.

“What, wretch! murderer! apostate blasphemer of the saints! didst thou murder Edmund, my brother Edmund, who was dear to me as Jonathan to David, seeing we were bound to each other by an oath!  Thou didst stretch thy hand against the Lord’s anointed, and thou shalt die the death.

“Cut him down! cut him down, Eric! cut him down, Hermann.”

Eric stepped forward in an instant, and with his huge battle-axe cleft the unhappy traitor, who had fallen to his knees to obtain mercy, from the head to the shoulders.

“Throw the carcase out of window,” cried the furious king; “let the fishes have the carrion.  Never shall he find a grave, the vile regicide; and that he should think I would reward his guilt!  Nay, I have served him as David did the Amalekite.”

Eric and Hermann, between them, raised the corpse, and flung it, all bleeding and disfigured, into the Thames, the tide just running out beneath the walls.

I ought to write, “So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord!” But the awful doom of his unrepentant soul saddens me, much as he has hated me and mine.