75 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

p. over them by treachery and violence, and pro-bably exercised with tyranny, immediately rosein arms, and craved the protection of EgbertBernulf, the Mercian king, who marched againstthem, was defeated and slain ; and two yearsafter, Ludecan, his successor, met with the samefate. These insurrections and calamities facilitatedthe enterprises of Egbert, who advanced into thecenter of the Mercian territories, and made easyconquests over a dispirited and divided people.In order to engage them more easily to submis-sion, he allowed Wiglef, their countryman, toretain the title of king, whilst he himself exer-cised the real powers of sovereignty Theanarchy, which prevailed in Northumberland,tempted him to carry still farther his victoriousarms; and the inhabitants, unable to resist hispower, and desirous of possesiing some establishedform of government, were forward, on his firstappearance, to fend deputies, who submitted tohis authority, and swore allegiance to him astheir sovereign. Egbert, however, still allowedto Northumberland , as he had done to Merciaand East-Anglia, the power of electing a king,who paid him tribute, and was dependent onhim.

Thus were united all the kingdoms of theheptarchy in one great state, near four hundredyears after the first arrival of the Saxons in Britain;

Ethelwerd, cap. z.Ingulph. p. 7, S. iv..