[Sidenote:  Will.  Malmes.] But (as hath beene reported) Dunstane then said that the English people should suffer condigne punishment generallie, with losse of ancient liberties, which before that time they had inioied.  Dunstane also long before prophesied of the slouthfulnesse that should remaine in this Egelred.  For at what time he ministred the sacrament of baptisme to him; shortlie after he came into this world, he defiled the font with the ordure of his wombe (as hath beene said:) whervpon Dunstane being troubled in mind, “By the Lord (saith he) and his blessed mother, this child shall prooue to be a slouthfull person.”  It hath beene written also, that when he was but ten yeeres of age, and heard that his brother Edward was slaine, he so offended his mother with weeping, bicause she could not still him, that hauing no rod at hand, she tooke tapers or sizes that stood before hir, and beat him so sore with them, that she had almost killed him, whereby he could neuer after abide to haue anie such candels lighted before him.

[Sidenote:  Polydor.] This Egelred (as writers say) was nothing giuen to warlike enterprises, but was slouthfull, a louer of idlenesse, and delighting in riotous lusts, which being knowne to all men, caused him to be euill spoken of amongst his owne people, and nothing feared amongst strangers.  Heerevpon the Danes that exercised rouing on the seas, began to conceiue a boldnesse of courage to disquiet and molest the sea-coasts of the realme, in so much that in the second yeere of [Sidenote:  Ran.  Higd. 980.] this Egelreds reigne, they came with seuen ships on the English coasts [Sidenote:  Simon Dun.] of Kent, and spoiled the Ile of Tenet, the towne of Southampton, and in the yeere following they destroied S. Petroks abbeie in Cornwall, Porthland in Deuonshire, and diuerse other places by the sea side, speciallie in Deuonshire & Cornwall.  Also a great part of Cheshire was destroied by pirats of Norway.

[Sidenote:  982.] The same yeere by casualtie of fire, a great part of the citie [Sidenote:  983.  Alfer or Elfer duke of Mercia departed this life.] of London was burnt.  In the yeere of our Lord 983, Alfer duke of Mercia departed this life, who was coosen to king Edgar, & his [Sidenote:  Alfrike or Elfrike duke of Mercia. Fabian. Wil.  Malm. Matt.  West.] sonne Alfrike tooke vpon him the rule of that dukedome, and within three yeeres after was banished the land.  About the eight yeere of his reigne, Egelred maried one Elgina or Ethelgina, daughter of earle Egbert.  In the ninth yeere of his reigne, vpon occasion of strife betweene him and the bishop of Rochester, he made warre against the same bishop, wasted his lordships, and besieged the citie of Rochester, till Dunstan procured the bishops peace with paiment of an hundred pounds in gold.  And bicause the K. would not agree with the bishop without moneie at the onelie request of Dunstane, the said Dunstane did send him woord, that sithens he made more account of gold than of God, more of monie than of S. Andrew, patrone of the church of Rochester, and more of couetousnesse than of him being the archbishop, the mischiefs which the Lord had threatned would shortlie fall and come to passe, but the same should not chance whilest he was aliue, who died in the yeere following, on the 25 of Maie, being saturdaie.