Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 394 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 394: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose text (page 372) from what appears to be a historical narrative or chronicle. The text discusses King Edward the Confessor's reign and his efforts to reform the English church and legal system. It describes how Edward, despite his piety, was undermined by corrupt subjects, and explains his consolidation of three Anglo-Saxon legal codes (Marchenlage, Westfexenlage, and Danelage) into a unified common law—a foundation for modern English law. The passage also touches on Edward's marriage and succession issues, mentioning the Earl of Godwyne. The dense, archaic prose with italicized Latin phrases is typical of early modern historical writing rather than penny dreadful fiction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
te, S18. Se -~paiad , a Pe. | ~~ a a ee . ji @ AY ‘ ae ° 4 i 4 Fes ” + » - =< ~ , 5 Ps] Pe dal tt 4 ON > i ee eS he ey Oe & Be na 2 u > si « oft i eee det t fs nd : ‘ * dw r ¥ ta : oT ‘ cai ja y . , 2 ¢ ORS TRA Aah: al! Pt as helt Be , j ' - - : — e rte ' 7 xu te ee eee 4 : ae bine % a “ me | . . @ ’ ‘ ‘ ‘ 7 < ' Kg f @¢ so . Se % 0a ony sat OO © F A a - X . ‘ . e ro ais i ‘ r y ih if a * 7 3 ‘ ‘ J a ¥ J s4 ° ‘ay eg Py | * . , va a ., , ~*~ 7 _ 2 P ~ : ’ . 4 - P ; . : ~ : | He Danes thus outed hence,and the We/f-Saxon or Eng- B 4{h-blood-royal reinthronized in the perfon of the afore- {aid Edward {urnamed the Confeffor, hethe very Mirror of pietie,courage,and luftice)raigned moft prof{peroufly tothe lately afflicted Exgh(h, had not the bleflings of God in a good Prince beene too much abufed by impious Subiedts, For notwithitanding fo religious aking , itis thus fet downe by Authors of the wickednefle of thar time: Sie ad mala perperranaa festinatur, vt nefcire cvimina, crimen effe videatur. And that the Churchmen,admonifhed of their Pride,Remif- nefle,and Mifdoing vfed this fora common Anfwere: Wane altudtempus, aly pro tempore mores, Neither maruell we that this good King fayled in reforming the Pope-imitated pride and Infolencie of his Clergie,feeing it wasthen the common - and cumberfome Cafe of all Chriftendome, For the publike good and Pollicie out of the three forts of allthe aforefaid Lawes called WMarchenlage, Weftfexenlage, and Danelage, he culled and corrected the beft and moft rea- - fonable, founding ofall one Viniuerfal Law whence our now- common-Law hath Originall. For the abrogating from which , and adding fome new, for private prerogative and profit by the Conqueror, who'alfo committed the whole to be written in his Normaine French, wherein the fame is now extant, were afterwards many Infurrections heere « vneill that ‘in the Raigne of Henry the frit was a Reformation therein neerlier to the Confeffors Patterne which fe continueth va- to now :howbeit fometimes by fome in our daies.¢ viworthi- ly me feemeth) threatned Proceffes his intertaynment. Alfo to prevent a litigious Succeffion (for of him and his Queene, notwithftanding bed-Companions, is written pro- fefled and performed Virginitie: or,as haue others, thatthe ‘King her repudiated by occafion perhaps of Earle Goodwyne COmicboo @ com