THE TENTH CHAPTER.

[Sidenote:  Wil.  Malm.] When Cuthred K. of Kent had reigned 8 yeeres, as before is mentioned, he was constreined to giue place vnto one Baldred, that tooke vpon him the gouernment, & reigned the space of 18 yeeres, without anie great authoritie, for his subiects regarded him but sorilie, so that in the end, when his countrie was inuaded by the Westsaxons, he was easilie constreined to depart into exile.  And thus was the kingdome of Kent annexed to the kingdome of the Westsaxons, after the same kingdome had continued in gouernment of kings created of the same nation for the space of 382 yeers, that is to say, from the yeere of our Lord 464, vnto the yeere 827.  Suithred or Suthred [Sidenote:  The end of the kingdome of Kent. 827.] king of Essex was vanquished and expelled out of his kingdome by Egbert king of Westsaxons (as before ye maie read) in the same yeere that the Kentishmen were subdued by the said Egbert, or else verie [Sidenote:  The end of the kingdome of Essex.] shortlie after.  This kingdome continued 281 yeeres, from the yeere 614, vnto the yeere 795, as by the table of the Heptarchie set foorth by Alexander Neuill appeereth.  After the deceasse of Kenwulfe king [Sidenote:  Matth.  West. 821] of Mercia, his sonne Kenelme a child of the age of seuen yeeres was admitted king, about the yeere of our Lord 821.  He had two sisters, Quendred and Burgenild, of the which the one (that is to say) [Sidenote:  The wickedness of Quendred.] Quendred, of a malicious mind, mooued through ambition, enuied hir brothers aduancement, and sought to make him awaie, so that in the end she corrupted the gouernour of his person one Ashbert, with great rewards and high promises persuading him to dispatch hir innocent brother out of life, that she might reigne in his place.  Ashbert one day vnder a colour to haue the yoong king foorth on hunting, led him into a thicke wood, and there cut off the head from his bodie, an impe by reason of his tender yeeres and innocent age, vnto the world [Sidenote:  King Kenelm murthered.] void of gilt, and yet thus traitorouslie murthered without cause or crime:  he was afterwards reputed for a martyr.

[Sidenote:  See legenda aurea. fol. 165. in the life of S. Kenelme.] There hath gone a tale that his death should be signified at Rome, and the place where the murther was committed, by a strange manner:  for (as they say) a white doue came and lighted vpon the altar of saint Peter, bearing a scroll in hir bill, which she let fall on the same altar, in which scroll among other things this was conteined, “In clenc kou bath, Kenelme kinbarne lieth vnder thorne, heaued bereaued:”  that is, at Clenc in a cow pasture, Kenelme the kings child lieth beheaded vnder a thorne.  This tale I rehearse, not for anie credit I thinke it woorthie of, but onelie for that it seemeth to note the place where the yoong prince innocentlie lost his life.