THE XXIJ.  CHAPTER.

[Sidenote:  Matth.  West. saith 34.] After the deceasse of Chelricus king of the Westsaxons, we find that Ceowlfe or Ceoloulph succeeded in gouernment of that kingdome, and reigned twelue yeeres.  He began his reigne (as should appeere [Sidenote:  Matth.  West. saith 607.] by some writers) about the yeere of our Lord 597, and spent his time for the more part in warres, not giuing place to idlenesse, but seeking either to defend or inlarge the confines of his dominion.  He was the sonne of Cutha, which was the sonne of Kenrike, which was the sonne of Certike.  After Wibba or Wipha king of Mercia (who, nothing inferiour to his father, did not onelie defend his kingdome, but also inlarge it, by subduing the Britains on ech side) one Ceorlus [Sidenote:  Ceorlus king of Mercia.] succeeded in that kingdome, being not his sonne but his kinsman.  This Ceorlus began his reigne about the yeere of our Lord 594, as [Sidenote:  594.] Matth.  West. recordeth.

[Sidenote:  Beda. Edelferd.] Ye haue heard that Edelferd, which otherwise is called also by writers Edelfride, surnamed the wild, gouerned still the Northumbers, which Edelferd did more damage to the Britains than anie one other king of the English nation.  None of them destroied their countries more than he did:  neither did anie prince make more of the Britains tributaries, or inhabited more of their countries with English people than he.  Heerevpon Edan king of those Scots which inhabited Britaine, being therewith mooued to see Edelfride prosper thus in his conquests, came against him with a mightie armie:  but ioining in battell with Edelfride and his power, at a place called Degsastane, or Degsastone, or Deglaston, he lost the most part of his people, and with the residue that were left aliue, he escaped by flight.  This was a sore foughten battell, with much bloudshed on both parties.  For notwithstanding that the victorie remained with the Northumbers, Theobaldus the brother of Edelferd was slaine, with all that part of the English host which he gouerned:  and it was fought in the [Sidenote:  603.] yeere of our Lord 603, in the 19 yeere of the reigne of the foresaid Edelferd, and in the sixt yeere of Ceowlfe king of the Westsaxons, and [Sidenote:  Henr.  Hunt.] in the first yeere of the emperor Phocas, or rather in the last yeere [Sidenote:  Beda lib. 1. cap. 34.] of his predecessor Mauricius.  From that day, till the daies of Beda, not one of the Scotish kings durst presume to enter into Britaine [Sidenote:  Wil.  Malm. See in Scotland.] againe to giue battell against the English nation, as Beda himselfe writeth.  But the Scotish writers make other report of this matter, as in the historie of Scotland ye maie find recorded.