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Updated: May 22, 2025
From the main archway of the old hall issued the bridal procession whence the funeral of Edmund had but emerged one year before: she, surrounded by such friends and neighbours as yet lived and were permitted to hold their lands up to this time in peace, while he came from a neighbouring castle, newly erected, where he had spent the night with great pomp and state, preceded by heralds with their trumpets, and surrounded by all the knightly robbers who had been already successful in grasping manors and estates round Aescendune.
"How like his mother he is what a load his simple tale has removed from my breast! God, I thank thee! the old house of my fathers yet lives in this boy worthier far than I to represent it." The remainder of the journey of Edward of Aescendune to the camp of the Crusaders before Jerusalem was uneventful.
Just then I interrupted them, for I could no longer hear the blasphemy. "How now, Siric," said I; "hast thou come to Aescendune to revile the saints?" "Nay, Father," said he, with a mocking smile; "I was only rejoicing that they were not exposed to such trials as we. Job's Chaldeans were gentlefolk in comparison with our Danes." "Thou blasphemest; and what didst thou say of the blessed St. Brice?"
The thrall, Oslac, imperilling his life for our sake, has been to Aescendune, and brings us back certain information that there is a great gathering of men and horse to explore the swamp, for they guess shrewdly that we are hidden here, and they know now who burnt their farms and slew their men in the woods thus making them afraid, the cowards, to venture therein save in large parties.
The winter opened drearily for the inhabitants of Aescendune, for the "mystery of the forest" was yet unsolved; none knew whence those incendiaries had issued who had given Yew Farm, with all its inmates, to the vengeful flames; but that this latter conflagration was in some way connected with the earlier destruction of St. Wilfred's Priory seemed not unlikely to most men.
Here we close our extracts from Father Cuthbert's Diary; but; before taking leave of him, we are sure our readers would like to hear a few more words about his future fortunes, and those of the house of Aescendune. Better king than Canute, saving only the great Alfred, and perhaps Edgar, had never sat on the English throne.
It was then settled that the two boys, Etienne de Melville and Wilfred of Aescendune, thereby thrown together, should each inherit the lands and honours of their respective sires; but that, should the latter die, the united estates should fall to Etienne de Malville, did he still survive.
At length an incurable disease seized me, and I determined to unburden my conscience, and dragged myself here, only to learn that the sweet lady of Aescendune had died within the year, with all the symptoms of rapid decline, and upon my sod I charge Hugo de Malville with the murder. Given in the infirmary of the house of St. Wilfred, in the month of May, 1068.
"Siward, my father, bid the advanced guard bend its course towards Aescendune at once." "My lord, the men are too weary to travel all night. We had purposed halting when we reached the battlefield on our march southward. There is a cross-country road thence to Aescendune, almost impassable in the night."
The first day after the departure of the king from Aescendune passed rapidly away.
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