* * * * *




_Offa king of Mercia, his manhood and victories against the Kentishmen
and Westsaxons, he killeth Egilbert king of Eastangles by a policie
or subtill deuise of profered curtesie, he inuadeth his kingdome,
and possesseth it, the archbishops see of Canturburie remoued to
Lichfield; archbishop Lambert laboring to defend his prerogatiue is
depriued by king Offa, he seizeth vpon churches and religious houses;
mistrusting his estate, he alieth himselfe with other princes; he
maketh amends for the wrongs that he had doone to churches and
religious houses, he goeth to Rome, maketh his realme tributarie to
the said see, Peter pence paid, he falleth sicke and dieth, places to
this day bearing his name in memorie of him, the short reigne of his
sonne._

THE FOURTH CHAPTER.


[Sidenote: OFFA. 758.]
After that Offa had slaine Bernred the vsurper of the kingdome
of Mercia (as before is mentioned) the same Offa tooke vppon him the
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._ _Wil. Malm._]
gouernment of that kingdome 758, a man of such stoutnesse of
stomach, that he thought he should be able to bring to passe all
things whatsoeuer he conceiued in his mind. He reigned 39 yeares. His
dooings were great and maruellous, and such as some times his vertues
surpassed his vices, and sometime againe his vices seemed to