But now to make an end with king
Edward, he was of person comelie, & of an indifferent stature, of
white haire, both head and beard, of face ruddie, and in all parts of
his bodie faire skinned, with due state and proportion of lims as was
thereto conuenient. In the yeere before the death of king Edward, a
blasing starre appeared, the which when a moonke of Malmesburie
named Eilmer beheld, he vttered these words (as it were by way of
prophesieng:) Thou art come (saith he) thou art come, much to be
lamented of manie a mother: it is long agone sith I saw thee, but now
I doo behold thee the more terrible, threatening destruction to this
countrie by thy dreadfull appearance. In the person of king Edward
ceased by his death the noble progenie of the Westsaxon kings, which
had continued from the first yeare of the reigne of Cerdike or
Cerdicius, the space of 547 yeeres complet. And from Egbert 266
yeeres.
Moreouer, sith the progenie of the Saxon kings seemeth wholie to take
end with this Edward surnamed the Confessor, or the third of that name
before the conquest, we haue thought good for the better helpe of
memorie to referre the reader to a catalog of the names as well of
those that reigned among the Westsaxons (who at length, as ye haue
heard, obteined the whole monarchie) as also of them which ruled in
the other seuen kingdomes before the same were vnited vnto the said
kingdome of the Westsaxons, which catalog you shall find in the
description of Britaine, pag.
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