[Sidenote: Walalege.]
murthering of king Ethelbert, raised warre against king Ardulfe,
and fought a battell with him at Walleg, but king Ardulfe got the
vpper hand, and chased Wade and other his enimies out of the
[Sidenote: 799.]
field. In the yéere 799, duke Aldred that had murthered Ethelbert or
Athelred king of Northumberland, was slaine by another duke called
Chorthmond in reuenge of the death of his maister the said Ethelbert.
Shortlie after, about the same time that Brightrike king of
Westsaxons departed this life, there was a sore battell foughten
in Northumberland at Wellehare, in the which Alricke the sonne of
Herbert, and manie other with him were slaine: but to rehearse all the
battels with their successes and issues, it should be too tedious and
irkesome to the readers, for the English people being naturallie hard
[Sidenote: The English men afflicted each other with ciuill warre.]
and high-minded, continuallie scourged each other with intestine
warres. About six or seuen yéeres after this battell, king Ardulfe was
expelled out of the state.

¶ Thus ye may consider in what plight things stood in Northumberland,
by the often seditions, tumults and changings of gouernors, so that
there be which haue written, how after the death of king Ethelbert,
otherwise called Edelred, diuers bishops and other of the chiefest
nobles of the countrie disdaining such traitorous prince-killings,
ciuill seditions, and iniurious dealings, as it were put in dailie
practise amongst the Northumbers, departed out of their natiue borders
into voluntarie exile, and that from thencefoorth there was not anie
of the nobilitie that durst take vpon him the kinglie gouernement
amongst them, fearing the fatall prerogatiue thereof, as if it had
béene Scians horsse, whose rider came euer to some euill end. But