Forkbeard Two

1004. SWAN came with his fleet to Norwich, ravaged all the borough and burnt it down. Then Ulfcytel advised, with the counsel-lore to East Anglia, that it would be better for them to buy peace from the force before they did too much harm in the land, because they had come without warning, and he did not have time to gather his troops. Under the truce, which should have been between them, the force stole up from the ships and went their way to Thetford. When Ulfcytel perceived that, he sent word that the ships should be hewn apart, but those he had in mind for this failed; then he gathered his troops secretly as quickly as he could. The force came to Thetford within three weeks of ravaging Norwich, and were there for one night, ravaged the borough burnt it down. In the morning they meant to go to their ships, Ulfcytel came with his host; they came resolutely together, and many dead fell on either hand. The most senior of the East Anglian people were killed, but if their full strength had been there, they would never have been able to get back to their ships; as they said themselves, they had never met harder hand-play in England than Ulfcytel brought them.

1013. The year after the archbishop was martyred, the king appointed bishop Lifing to the archbishop's throne in Canterbury; and in the same year, before the month of August, came king SWAN with his fleet to Sandwich, he went very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber's mouth, and so upward along the Trent till he came to Gainsborough. Eorl Uhtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, all the folk of Lindsey, then the folk of the Five Boroughs, soon all the force north of Watling Street; he was given hostages from each shire. When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south In full force, and entrusted his ships and the hostages to his son Cnut. After he came over Watling Street, they worked the most evil that a force might do. They went to Oxford, and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to Winchester, and did the same, then eastward to London. Many of his people drowned In the Thames, because they did not look for a bridge. When he came to the town, the inhabitants would not submit, but held against him with all their force, because king Aethelred was inside, and Thurkil with him. Then king SWAN went from there to Wallingford, over the Thames to Bath, and stayed there with his troops; ealdorman Aethelmaer came, and the western thanes with him. They all bowed to SWAN and gave hostages. When he had thus fared, he went northward to his ships, and all the nation had accepted him as full king. The people of London afterwards submitted and gave hostages, because they feared that he would destroy them. SWAN demanded full tribute and provisions for his force that winter. Thurkil demanded the same for the force that lay in Greenwich, and even so, they ravaged as often as they would. Then nothing went right for this nation, south or north. The king was for some time with the fleet that was on the Thames, and his lady went over the sea to her brother Richard, and Aelfsig, abbot of Peterborough, with her; the king