He was, accordingly, first taken to a tree and scourged.

Then he was shot at with arrows, until, as the account states, his body was so full of the arrows that remained in the flesh that there seemed to be no room for more.

During all this time Edmund continued to call upon the name of Christ, as if finding spiritual refuge and strength in the Redeemer in this his hour of extremity; and although these ejaculations afforded, doubtless, great support and comfort to him, they only served to irritate to a perfect phrensy of exasperation his implacable pagan foes.

They continued to shoot arrows into him until he was dead, and then they cut off his head and went away, carrying the dissevered head with them.

Their object was to prevent his friends from having the satisfaction of interring it with the body.