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Bid your men free us, and we shall harm none." The leader spoke in Welsh, and his men fell back from us. Then he came to my side and asked what we did here so late. And as he spoke it came to me that the best thing to do would be to tell him the very truth. No more than himself were we friends of Offa and Quendritha. "To tell the truth, we are flying from Sutton," I said.
An’ Danny waded in jus’ to keep that one"—the boy pointed straight at Drew—"offa Helms. That’s what happened. Th’ boys didn’t mean no harm—jus’ havin’ a little fun—when these Rebs jumped ’em!" Drew pulled up his neckerchief and dabbed at his cut lip. Anse had subsided, though he was still watching the sergeant with an unrelenting gaze.
Offa is generally held responsible for the murder, about 793, of Æthelberht, King of the East Angles, who had been promised his daughter, Æthelthryth, in marriage. His murder gained for him martyrdom with its immortal glory, and he could scarce have met his death under happier auspices.
"I fear what I am about to say," he continued, "will startle you all. Redwald is a member of the family himself." "A member of the family!" "Yes. Is there any one present who remembers the unhappy brother of our late lamented lord Oswald, the son of Offa?" "Yes," said the old chamberlain, "I remember him well; and I see now what you mean." "Is not the expression of the face identical?
The boards were of hewn oak, and how thick one could not tell. "Fetch Offa the king," said a Mercian; "we had better tell him. No use in gaping here. We can swear that Ethelbert has not passed out of these doors." "No," said Selred quickly; "that were to wake the whole palace. Let us seek further into this. Thanes, if aught has been done amiss to our king, we are all in danger."
I thought Offa seemed heavy and moody, but in every wise friendly. Tired he was, methought, for it had been a long day. Ethelbert signed to me, Father Selred, and Sighard to follow him, and we went into his apartment, closing the door after us. Out in the council chamber we left three of the Anglian thanes and three Mercian, who would act as guards for the night.
The actual extant books which we can trace to this foundation are few and for the most part late. St. Albans, founded by King Offa in the eighth century, has left us, as I said, no catalogue, but there are many of its books in our libraries. Two groups of them stand out. These are very finely written.
Ethelbert, the last of these princes, was treacherously murdered by Offa, King of Mercia, in the year 792, and his state was thenceforth united with that of Offa, as we shall relate presently.
Ethelswitha visited, or started to visit, the tomb years later, we are told, in 888, when Mercia had risen to new life under her great brother's rule. Through these same months Guthrum, Oskytal, and the rest are wintering at Repton, after destroying there the cloister where the kingly line of Mercia lie; disturbing perhaps the bones of the great Offa, whom Charlemagne had to treat as an equal.
He was a splendid beast, the like of whom my forefathers had slain in fair hunt among the Mendips long ago, until none were left for us today. The wild Welsh hills held them for Offa, as did his midland forests everywhere, as men told me. Now at this last gathering I did not see Gymbert.
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