s and the inhabitants of the five boroughs,(44) as well as the
towns of Winchester and Oxford, taking hostages from each as he went, that
he thought he might venture once more to attack London itself; hoping for
better success than had attended him on previous occasions. He was the
more anxious to capture London, because Ethelred himself was there, but he
again met with such determined resistance, and so many of his followers
were drowned in the Thames that for the fourth time he had to beat a
retreat.(45)

(M30)

Leaving London for a while, Sweyn proceeded to conquer that part of
England which still held out against him, and having accomplished his
purpose, was again preparing to attack the one city which had baffled all
his attempts to capture, when the Londoners themselves, finding further
opposition hopeless, offered their submission and left Ethelred to take
care of himself.(46) This he did by betaking himself to Normandy, where he
remained until Sweyn's death in the following year (3rd Feb., 1014).

(M31)

Upon this event taking place, the crews of the Danish fleet assumed the
right of disposing of the English crown, and elected Sweyn's son, Cnut, to
be king. The English, however, compelled as they had been by superior
strength to submit to the father, were in no mood to accept without a
struggle the sovereignty of his son. The whole of the Witan at once
declared in favour of sending for Ethelred, with the assurance "that no
lord was dearer than their natural lord," if only he would promise to
govern them more justly than before.(47) Ethelred sent word by Edmund his
son that "he would be to them a kind lord, and amend all the things which
they eschewed, and all the things should be forgiven which had been done
or said to him, on condition that they all, unanimously and without
treachery, would turn to him." Pledges were given and taken on either
side, and thenceforth a Danish king was to be looked upon as an
outlaw.(48)

(M32)

When Ethelred arrived in England, he was accompanied according to an
Icelandic Saga,(49) by King Olaf, of Norway, who assisted him in expelling
the Danes from Southwark, and gaining an entrance into the city. The
manner in which this was carried out, is thus described. A small knot of
Danes occupied a stronghold in the City, whilst others were in possession
of Southwark. Between the two lay London Bridge--a wooden bridge, "so broad
that two waggons could pass each other upon it"--for