Moreouer he did not onelie shew himselfe wise in words, but desired also to excell in staiednesse of maners, and continencie of life.  Whereby he wan to him the hearts of his people, who perceiuing that he was nothing delighted in the companie of women, and therefore minded not mariage, they of a singular loue and fauour towards him, required that he should in anie wise yet take a wife, that he might haue issue to succeed him.  At length the matter being referred to his councell, he was persuaded to follow their aduises.  And so Alfreda the daughter of Offa king of Mercia was affianced to him:  so that he himselfe appointed (as meanes to procure more fauour at his father in lawes hands) to go fetch the bride from hir fathers house.

Manie strange things that happened to him in taking vpon him this [Sidenote:  Tokens of mishap to follow.] iournie, put him in great doubt of that which should follow.  He was no sooner mounted on his horsse, but that (as seemed to him) the earth shooke vnder him:  againe, as he was in his iournie, about the mid-time of the day, such a darke mist compassed him on ech side, that he could not see nor discerne for a certeine time anie thing about him at all:  lastlie, as he laie one night asleepe, he thought he saw in a dreame the roofe of his owne palace fall downe to the ground.  But though with these things he was brought into great feare, yet he kept on his [Sidenote:  The innocent mistrustfull of no euill.] iournie, as he that mistrusted no deceit, measuring other mens maners by his owne.  King Offa right honourablie receiued him:  but his wife named Quendred, a wise woman, but therewith wicked, conceiued a malicious deuise in hir hart, & streightwaies went about to persuade hir husband to put it in execution, which was to murther king Ethelbert, and after to take into his hands his kingdome.

Offa at the first was offended with his wife for this motion, but [Sidenote:  Iohn Capgr. Winnebert.] in the end, through the importunate request of the woman, he consented to hir mind.  The order of the murther was committed vnto one Winnebert, that had serued both the said Ethelbert & his father [Sidenote:  Sim.  Dun. saith 771.] before time, the which feining as though he had beene sent from Offa [Sidenote:  Offa conquereth Eastangles.] to will Ethelbert to come vnto him in the night season, slue him that once mistrusted not anie such treason.  Offa hauing thus dispatched Ethelbert, inuaded his kingdome, and conquered it.

But when the bride Alfreda vnderstood the death of hir liked make and bridegrome, abhorring the fact, she curssed father and mother, and as it were inspired with the spirit of prophesie, pronounced that woorthie punishment would shortlie fall on hir wicked mother for hir heinous crime committed in persuading so detestable a deed:  and [Sidenote:  Alfreda a nun. Beda. Matth.  West.] according to hir woords it came to passe, for hir mother died miserablie within