THE HEPTARCHY.

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in the court, and serving in the armies of that chap.prince, the most able and most generous that had i.appeared in Europe during several ages, he acquiredthose accomplishments, which afterwards enabledhim to make such a shining figure on the throne:

And familiarizing himself to the manners of theFrench , who , as Malmefbury observes '**, wereeminent both for valour and civility, above allthe western nations, he learned to polish therudeness and barbarity of the Saxon character:

His early misfortunes thus proved of singularadvantage to him.

It was not long ere Egbert had opportunitiesof displaying his natural and acquired talents.

Brithric, King ofWessex, had married Eadburga,natural daughter of Offa, king of Mercia , aprofligate woman, equally infamous for crueltyand for incontinence. Having great influenceover her husband, she often instigated him todestroy such of the nobility as were obnoxiousto her; and where this expedient failed , shescrupled not being herself active in traitorous at-tempts against them. She had mixed a cup ofpoison for a young nobleman, who had acquiredher husband’s friendship , and had on that accountbecome the object of her jealousy : but unfortunate-ly, the king drank of the fatal cup along withhis favourite, and soon aster expired “ 7 . This

Lib. 2. cap. n.

1-7 Higdert , lib. A. M. West. p. IZ2. Asscr, in vitaAlfredi , p. z. ex edit Camdeni.