of this land, and the English bloud restored thereto, chieflie by that gratious conclusion of this mariage betwixt king Cnute and [Sidenote:  The English bloud restored.  The praise of queene Emma for hir wisdome.] queene Emma.  For the which no small praise was thought to be due vnto the said queene, sith by hir politike gouernement, in making hir match so beneficiall to hir selfe and hir line, the crowne was thus recouered out of the hands of the Danes, and restored againe in time [Sidenote:  Encomium Emmae.] to the right heire, as by an auncient treatise which some haue intituled “Encomium Emmae,” and was written in those daies, it dooth and may appeare.  Which booke although there be but few copies thereof abroad, giueth vndoubtedlie great light to the historie of that time.

[Sidenote:  Matth.  West.] But now to our purpose.  Cnute the same yeare in which he was thus maried, through persuasion of his wife queene Emma, sent awaie the Danish nauie and armie home into Denmarke, giuing to them fourescore and two thousand pounds of siluer, which was leuied throughout [Sidenote:  Wil.  Malm. 1018.] this land for their wages.  In the yeare 1018, Edrike de Streona earle of Mercia was ouerthrowen in his owne turne:  for being called before the king into his priuie chamber, and there in reasoning the matter about some quarrell that was picked to him, he began verie presumptuouslie to vpbraid the king of such pleasures as he had before time doone vnto him; “I did (said he) for the loue which I bare towards you, forsake my souereigne lord king Edmund, and at length for your sake slue him.”  At which words Cnute began to change countenance, as one maruellouslie abashed, and straightwaies gaue sentence against Edrike in this wise; “Thou art woorthie (saith he) of death, and die thou shalt, which art guiltie of treason both towards God and me, sith that thou hast slaine thine own souereigne lord, and my deere alied brother.  Thy bloud therefore be vpon thine owne head, sith thy toong hath vttered thy treason.”  And immediatlie he caused his throat to be cut, and his bodie to be throwen out at the chamber window into the [Sidenote:  Edrike put to death.] riuer of Thames. ¶ But others say, that hands were laid vpon him in the verie same chamber or closet where he murdered the king, & straightwaies to preuent all causes of tumults & hurlieburlies, he was put to death with terrible torments of fierbrands & links; which execution hauing passed vpon him, a second succeeded; for both his feet were bound together, and his bodie drawne through the streets of the citie, & in fine cast into a common ditch called Houndsditch; for that the citizens threw their dead dogs and stinking carrion with other filth into it, accounting him worthie of a worse rather than of a better buriall.  In such hatred was treason had, being a vice which the verie infidels and grosse pagans abhorred, else would they not haue said, Proditionem amo, proditorem odi; Treason I loue, but a traitor I hate.  This was the end of Edrike, surnamed de Stratten or Streona, a man of great infamie for his craftie dissimulation, falshood and treason, vsed by him to the ouerthrow of the English estate, as partlie before is touched.