But this difference is easily reconciled for if Edwy married her contrary to the canons, the monks would be sure to deny her to be his wife, and would insist that she could be nothing but his strumpet: so that, on the whole, we may esteem this representation of the matter as certain; at least, as by far the most probable.

If Edwy had only kept a mistress, it is well known, that there are methods of accommodation with the church, which would have prevented the clergy from proceeding to such extremities against him: but his marriage, contrary to the canons, was an insult on their authority, and called for their highest resentment.] [Footnote 3: NOTE C, p.91.Many of the English historians make Edgar's ships amount to an extravagant number, to three thousand or three thousand six hundred.

See Hoveden, p.426.Flor.Wigorn, p.607.

Abbas Rieval, p.360.Brompton (p.

869) says that Edgar had four thousand vessels.