It was at this time, or a little earlier, that Brihtric the brother of the Alderman Edric accused Childe Wulfnoth the South Saxon the father of Earl Godwin before the King; on which Wulfnoth departed, and got together twenty ships, and plundered the whole southern coast, and did all manner of evil. Then it was said in the fleet that Wulfnoth might easily be taken if the attempt were made, on which Brihtric went forth with eighty ships, and he thought that he should gain great fame, and that he should bring back Wulfnoth alive or dead. But as they were proceeding in search of him, such a wind arose against them as had never been remembered, and the ships were beaten about and dispersed and driven ashore; and Wulfnoth immediately came and burned them. When it was known in the remainder of the fleet where the King was, how the other ships had fared, it seemed as if all plan and conduct were lost, and the King, with the Aldermen and High-Witan, returned home; thus lightly did they leave their ships, and the people who were in them rowed them back to London. And in this manner they caused the effort of the whole nation to fail, and the dread of the enemy was in no wise lessened, as all the English people had hoped. When the fleet was thus broken up, there came an immense army of the enemy to Sandwich soon after Lammas, and forthwith they went their way to Canterbury, and would speedily have stormed the town, had not the inhabitants with greater speed begged for peace, and all the men of East Kent made a peace with that army, for which they gave three thousand pounds. And soon after this the army sailed round as far as Wight, and they plundered and burned there as was their wont, and also in Sussex, in Hampshire, and in Berkshire. Then the King ordered all the nation to arms, that every quarter might be defended against them; nevertheless they went wherever they would. At one time the King with all the troops which he had collected, had intercepted them as they were returning to their ships, but when all his people were ready to fall upon them, the attack was prevented as usual by the Alderman Ædric. Then after Martinmas the army returned into Kent, and took up their winter quarters on the Thames, and lived upon Essex and upon the neighbouring counties on each side of that river; and they frequently attacked London, but, God be praised, the town yet stands in safety: for they ever failed in their attempts against it. And after Christmas they set out on an expedition through Chiltern, and so to Oxford, and they burned that town, and they plundered on each side of the Thames in returning towards the ships. But when they were warned that troops were assembled at London to oppose them, they passed over at Staines: thus they went on all the winter, and they were in Kent during Lent and repaired their ships. 1010.