Saron Chronicle

And then was that kingdom divided into five, and five kings were consecrated there

to.

:

This, however, was done by permission of Earnulf: and they said that they would hold it from his hand, because none of them on the father's side was born thereto except him alone. Earnulf then dwelt in the land east of the Rhine and Rothulf then succeeded to the middle kingdom, and Oda to the western part, and Beorngar and Witha to the land of the Lombards and to the lands on that side of the mountain: and that they held in great discord, and fought two general battles, and oft and many times laid waste the land, and each repeatedly drove out the other.

And that same year that the army went up beyond the bridge at Paris, alderman Æthelhelm carried the alms of the West-Saxons and of king Alfred to Rome.

Asser

appointed, and the kingdom
was split into five parts; but
the principal rank in the
kingdom justly and deserv-
edly devolved on Earnulf,
save only that he committed
an unworthy offence against
his uncle. The other four
kings promised fidelity and
obedience to Earnulf, as was
proper; for none of these
four kings was hereditary on
his father's side in his share
of the kingdom, as was Ear-
nulf; therefore, though the
five kings were appointed
immediately on the death of
Charles, yet the empire re-
mained in the hands of
Earnulf.

Such, then, was the division
of the kingdom; Earnulf re-
ceived the countries on the
east of the river Rhine;
Hroththwlf [RODULF] the
inner parts of the kingdom;
Oda the western part; Beorn-
gar and Witha [GUIDO],
Lombardy, and those coun-
tries which are in that part
of the mountains; but they
did not keep these large do-
minions in peace, for they
twice fought a pitched battle,
and often mutually ravaged
their kingdoms, and drove
each other out of their
dominions.

In the same year in which
that [pagan] army left Paris
and went to Chezy, Æthel-
helm, earl of Wiltshire, car-
ried to Rome the alms of
king Ælfred and of the

Saxons.

Ethelwerd 887

The kingdom was then divided into five, and so many kings in the same: but all things are done by the permission of King Earnulf, and they promised to be all under his subjection, because they were not like him, descended from the paternal stock;

and he lived after this on the eastern side of the river Rhine.

But Hrodulf occupied the middle parts of the kingdom, Odda the western parts, and Beorngar with Vuitha held the kingdom of the Lombards from the division of the Jovian mountain [MOUNT ST BERNARD]. There they began a civil war; people assailed people; the lands of both were continually disturbed, nor was there any hope of quiet.

The same year, in which the barbarians had settled on the bridge of Paris, duke Æthelhelm received no small part of the money paid from the diocese of the English by the king for the people, and went to Rome.

In the same year also Elfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, so often before mentioned, by divine inspiration, began, on one and the same day, to read and to interpret; but that I may explain this more fully to those who are ignorant, I will relate the cause of this long delay in beginning, On a certain day we were both of us sitting in the king's chamber, talking on all kinds of subjects as usual, and it happened that I read to him a quotation out of a certain book. He heard it attentively with both his ears, and addressed me with a thoughtful mind, showing me at the same moment a book which he carried in his bosom, wherein the daily courses and psalms, and prayers which he had read in his youth, were written, and he commanded me to write the same quotation in that book. Hearing this, and perceiving

his ingenuous benevolence, and devout desire of studying the words of divine wisdom, I gave, though in secret, boundless thanks to Almighty God, who had implanted such a love of wisdom in the king's heart. But I could not find any empty space in that book wherein to write the quotation, for it was already full of various matters; wherefore I made a little delay, principally that I might stir up the bright intellect of the king to a higher acquaintance with the divine testimonies. Upon his urging me to make haste and write it quickly, I said to him, "Are you willing that I should write that quotation on some leaf apart? For it is not certain whether we shall not find one or more other such extracts which will please you; and if that should so happen, we shall be glad that we have kept them apart." "Your plan is good," said he, and I gladly made haste to get ready a sheet, in the beginning of which I wrote what he bade me; and on that same day, I wrote therein, as I had anticipated, no less than three other quotations which pleased him; and from that time we daily talked together, and found out other quotations which pleased him, so that the sheet became full, aud deservedly so; according as it is written, "The just man builds upon a moderate foundation, and by degrees passes to greater things.' Thus, like a most productive bee, he flew here and there, asking questions as he went, until he had eagerly and unceasingly collected many various flowers of divine Scripture, with which he thickly stored the cells of his mind.

Now when that first quotation was copied, he was eager at
once to read, and to interpret in Saxon, and then to teach
others; even as we read of that happy robber, who recog-
nized his Lord, aye, the Lord of all men, as he was hanging
on the blessed cross, and saluting him with his bodily eyes
only, because elsewhere he was all pierced with nails, cried,
"Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom!
for it was only at the end of his life that he began to learn
the rudiments of the Christian faith. But the king, inspired
by God, began to study the rudiments of divine Scripture on
the sacred solemnity of St Martin [Nov. 11], and he con-
tinued to learn the flowers collected by certain masters, and
to reduce them into the form of one book, as he was then
able, although mixed one with another, until it became almost
as large as a psalter. This book he called his ENCHIRIDION
or MANUAL [HAND-BOOK], because he carefully kept it at hand
day and night, and found, as he told me, no small consolation
therein.

But as has already been written by a certain wise man,
Of watchful minds are they whose pious care

It is to govern well,

so must I be watchful, in that I just now drew a kind of comparison or similarity, though in dissimilar manner, between that happy robber and the king; for the cross is hateful to every one, wherever there is suffering. But what can he do, if he cannot save himself or escape thence? or by what art can he remain there and improve his cause? He must therefore, whether he will or no, endure with pain and sorrow that which he is suffering.

Now the king was pierced with many nails of tribulation, though placed in the royal seat; for from the twentieth year of his age to the present year, which is his 45th, he has been constantly afflicted with most severe attacks of an unknown complaint, so that he has not a moment's ease either

887

Florence

Namely on the holy feast

day of St Martin bishop of Tours.

Huntingdon

Simeon

Now the king was pierced with many nails of tribulation; though placed in the royal seat; for from the twentieth year of his age, as we have said, to his 45th and more, he was constantly afflicted with most severe attacks of an unknown complaint, so that he had not a moment's ease either from suffering the pain which it causes, or from the gloom

9 He was afflicted with many tribulations of this world, notwithstanding that he was placed in kingly power.