Saron Chronicle THE INVASION OF EAST ANGLIA, "There was a man of royal birth in the kingdom of Denmark, named Lodbroc, who had two sons, Hinguar and Hubba. This man embarked one day with his hawk in a small boat, to catch ducks and other wild fowls on the adjoining sea coasts and islands. A terrible storm at length arose, by which Lodbroc was carried away. and tossed for several days At that same time they came and to Medeshamstede," Asser over every part of the Ocean. After burned and beat it down, according as he had a mind. This, And the same year died archbishop Ceolnoth. In the same year Ceolnoth, But Lodbroc was the master of a small dog of the harrier species, which he had nourished from its birth, and which loved him much. When Berne the huntsman returned home with the other hounds, this little dog remained alone with its master's body. In the morning the king asked what had become of Lodbroc; to which Berne replied, that he had parted from him yesterday in the wood, and had not seen him since. At that moment the harrier entered the hall, and went round, wagging its tail, and fawning on the whole company, and especially on the king. When he had eaten his fill, he again left the hall: this occurred repeatedly, until some one at last followed the dog to see where he went, and, having found the body of the murdered Lodbroc, came and told the story to the king. Archbishop Ceolnoth also died that same year, and is buried in the city of Canterbury. Then went Æthered and Ælf- 6 A. 871. .) In the year of our Lord's Here the army Came to incarnation 871, which was Reading in Wessex. the twenty-third of king Alfred's life, the pagan army, of hateful memory, left the East-Angles, and entering The MS. is imperfect in these places. After one year therefore the army of the barbarians abovementioned set out for Reading, and the principal object of the impious crew was to attack the West-Saxons; and 871 Florence Huntingdon Simeon tyrdom, he there fell gloriously. Of his passion I would fain insert some particulars into our history, that the sons of men may know and perceive how terrible is Christ the son of God in the counsels of men, and with what glorious triumph he adorns those whom he torments here under cast ashore in Denmark, and brought the name of suffering, that the saying may be fulfilled, He The affair was now diligently enquired into, and when the truth was at last discovered, the huntsman was exposed on the sea without oars in the boat which had belonged to to Lodbroc. In a few days he was before the sons of Lodbroc, who putting him to the torture, demanded of him what had become of their father, to whom they knew the boat belonged. To this Berne replied, that their father Lodbroc had fallen into the hands of Edmund king of is not crowned except he strive lawfully, [II TIM. ii, 5]. the East-Angles, and held it with the right hand of power, East Anglia, by whose orders he had always adoring and glorifying Almighty God for all his good been put to death." things which he had enjoyed. In the same year Ceolnoth, To whom the venerable The same year in which the BROMPTON. When king Edmund was slain, his brother Edwold dreading the pleasures of the world seeing that a hard lot had fallen on himself and his brother, retired to the monastery of Carnelia in Dorsetshire near a clear well, which saint Augustine had formerly brought out of the earth by prayer to baptize the people in, and there he led a hermit's life on only bread and water. MATT. WESTM. In the same Huntingdon by reason of their numbers, routes. duke Edelwlf, meeting 2 consuls Sidrac. Simeon the West-Saxons, came to the royal city called At Reading, situated on the South bank of the river Thames, in the district which is now called Berkshire by the inhabitants of that country. On the third day from that on which these enemies of the English came, their earls with a great multitude gallopped along the side of that river, and carried off a great quantity of booty. Some of them tried to make a rampart between the river Thames and Kennet: but their design, and the work of the Danes was dissipated by the help of the English, that the words of the scholastic poet might be fulfilled: Though deck'd in Tyrian robes He shall not shun his fate; The gems that wreathe his brow Draw down the people's hate. &c. &c. And when those plunderers were setting manfully to their work, suddenly Ethelwlf the vigorous duke of Berkshire came down upon them, surrounded by his squadrons and armed in triple mail. Seeing the multitude of the barbarians, the leader of the Christians said to his men, "Their army is numerous, but yet we may treat them with contempt; for though they attack us with the advantage of more men, yet our commander, Christ, is braver than they." The Christians then meet the Danes, trusting in the protection of the Christian name: the aforesaid duke exhorts his men especially to resist their adversaries, being posted with his legions at a place called Englafeld. Here they fought a fierce battle, in which many fell wounded or were killed on both sides. There fell a prince of the Danes with a great multitude of his army; the others escaped by flight; and the Christians gained the palm of victory and were masters And after 4 days, king Edel- were victorious. of the place of death. These things having thus happened, when 4 days from that time had elapsed, the powerful king Ethelred, and his brother Elfred, having assembled large armies, as is the power and the excellence of kings, came to Reding, desiring either to live gloriously in their kingdom, or to die in battle for Christ. And when king Ethelred, powerful in arms, had arrived with his beloved brother at the gate of the fortress, slaying and Saxon Chronicle Asser Ethelwerd 871 And alderman Æthelwulf was slain, and the Danishmen had possession of the place of carnage. And about four days after this, king Æthered and Ælfred his brother fought against the whole army at Escesdun [ASDOWN], and they were in two bodies in the one were Bachsecg and Halfdene the heathen kings, and in the other were the earls. And then king Ethered fought against the division under the kings, and there king Bagsecg was slain; and Ælfred his brother against the division under the earls. fled, the pagans obtained the I MATT. WESTM. calls him Roused by this calamity, the Escesdun [ASHDOWN,] time before had obtained the victory: the barbarians at last triumph. The body of the above-named Four days after king the- tell an untruth, marched up promptly with his men to give them battle; for king Æthered remained a long time in his tent in prayer, hearing the mass, and said that he would not leave it, till the priest had done, or abandon the divine protection for that of men. And he did so too, which afterwards availed him much with the Almighty, as we shall declare more fully in the sequel. Now the Christians had determined that king Æthered, with his men, should attack the two pagan kings, but that his brother Ælfred, with his troops, should take the chance of war against the two earls. Things being so arranged, the king remained a long time in prayer, and the pagans came up rapidly to fight. Then Alfred, though possessing a subordinate authority, could no longer support the troops of the enemy, unless he retreated or charged upon them without waiting for his brother. At length he bravely led his troops against the hostile army, as they had before arranged, but without awaiting his brother's arrival; for he relied in the divine counsels, and forming his men into a dense pha |