ark when he sent
Tristram on a similar errand to Iseault's father, he sent his trusted and
hitherto trustworthy friend AEthelwold to Ordgar. But AEthelwold as soon as
he saw AElfthryth fell hopelessly in love with her, and so hid the king's
message, and wooed and won the fair damsel for himself; and on his return
told the king that the accounts of her beauty were altogether false, that
she was vulgar and commonplace. So the king, believing his friend, turned
his thoughts to other ladies; but before long some rumours of the way in
which he had been deceived came to the king's ear, and he, dissembling his
purpose and not telling him of what he had heard, simply told AEthelwold
that on a certain day he intended to visit the lady himself. AEthelwold, in
alarm, hurried to his wife and begged her to conceal her beauty and clothe
herself in unbecoming attire, so that she might not win the king's
admiration; but she did just the reverse, and enhanced her natural beauty
by donning handsome raiment and jewellery. Her plan succeeded, the king
fell in love with her and, according to one account, slew AEthelwold with
his own hand while they were hunting, and when no man was by; or,
according to another version, he sent him to hold a dangerous command in
the north and slew him by the sword of the Northumbrians. It is, however,
doubtful if Eadgar compassed his death at all, but two years after it he
married his widow, whose beauty was her chief recommendation, for though
it has nothing to do with Romsey, it may be mentioned in passing that it
was she by whose order Eadgar's eldest son by his first wife, Eadward the
Martyr, was murdered at Corfegate, where the well-known castle afterwards
rose and where its ruins remain until this day. Now AEthelwold had
previously had to wife one Brichgyfu, a kins-woman of Eadgar, and had had
by her many sons and daughters, the last born of them was named AEthelflaed;
according to other accounts, AEthelflaed was born after her father's death,
and therefore must have been AElfthryth's child. Be this as it may, she was
in any case akin to the king or queen, and was by them entrusted to the
care of St. Merwynn of Romsey. A true mother in God the abbess proved, and
a dutiful and loving daughter was AEthelflaed. In due time she took the
veil, and the sanctity of her life was shown in various ways, and was
attested by miracles. She made no display of her austerities, pretended to
eat and drink with the other n