his kingdom, as the heathen hordes were overrunning every quarter he detached the ealdorman Wulf herd, with part of his army, to attack the Danes who had landed near Hamton [Southampton], out of 33 ships; whom he triumphantly defeated with great slaughter. King Ethelwulf also dispatched the ealdorman Ethelhelm, with the Wessex forces, against another band of the enemy, at Port1; but after a long fight Ethelhelm was slain, and the Danes gained the day. The year following, Herebert, the ealdorman, fought with them at "Mercsware;' ."2 but the Danes defeated and routed his troops, and he was slain. The same year the heathen army reduced all the eastern coast of England, in Lindsey, East-Anglia, and Kent, putting vast numbers of the inhabitants to the sword. A year later, the army of the Danes, penetrating further into the country, made great slaughter about Canterbury, Rochester, and London.

[A.D. 840.] In the fifth year of his reign, Ethelwulf having divided his army, fought with one division against the men who disembarked from 35 ships at Charmouth, where he was defeated by the Danes, for, though their fleet was small, the largest ships were crowded with men. The fifth year afterwards, Elcstan, the venerable bishop [of Sherburn], and Ernwulf, the ealdorman, with the Somersetshire men, and Osric, the ealdorman, with the men of Dorset, fought with the Danes at the mouth of the Parret, and, by God's help, gained a glorious victory, having slain great numbers of the enemy [A.D. 851]. In the sixteenth year of his reign, Ethelwulf, with his son Ethelbald, collecting his whole force, fought a battle with a very great army, which, landing from 250 ships at the mouth of the Thames, had taken by storm two noble and famous cities, London and Canterbury, and routed Berthwulf, king of Mercia, with his army, a defeat which he never recovered. He was succeeded by Burhred in the kingdom of Mercia. The

1 Portland Island. The Saxon Chronicle says that Ethelhelm headed the men of Dorset.

2 Matthew of Westminster mistakes the name of a people for the name of a place. Both Ingram and Giles translate it among the marshlanders." Florence of Worcester interprets the passage "quamplures Merscuario

rum," some of the Mercians

Danes, entering Surrey, encountered the royal troops at Ockley, where ensued between the two numerous armies one of the greatest battles ever fought in England. The warriors fell on both sides like corn in harvest, and the bodies and limbs of the slain were swept along by rivers of blood. It would be tedious and wearisome to describe particulars. God vouchsafed the victory to the faithful, and caused the heathen to suffer a disgraceful defeat; so King Ethelwulf signally triumphed. The same year, Athelstan, king of Kent, and Ealhere, the ealdorman, had a naval action with the Danes, at Sandwich, in which they took nine ships, and put the rest of the fleet to flight, with great slaughter of the enemy. An ealdorman named Ceorl, also, with the men of Devonshire, fought against the heathens at Wieganbeorge1, slaying many and obtaining the victory. This year, therefore, was fortunate to the English nation; but it was the first that the heathen army remained in the country over winter 2.

[A.D. 853.] In the eighteenth year of his reign, Ethelwulf gave powerful assistance to King Burhred in reducing the North-Welsh to subjection: he also gave him his daughter in marriage. The same year, King Ethelwulf sent his son Alfred to Rome, to Leo the pope, and Leo afterwards consecrated him king, and adopted him for his son. This year, the ealdormen Ealhere, with the men of Kent, and Huda, with the men of Surrey, fought against the army of the pagans in the Isle of Thanet, and great numbers were slain and drowned on both sides, and both the ealdormen were killed.

In the nineteenth year of his reign, Ethelwulf gave the tenth of all his land to ecclesiastical uses, for the love of God and for his own salvation. Afterwards he went to Rome in great state, and abode there a year. On his return, he obtained in marriage the daughter of Charles the Bald, king of France, and brought her with him to his

1 Wembury, near Plymouth.

2 One MS. of Henry of Huntingdon's adds "in Thanet," which agrees with the Saxon Chronicle.

3 Not only the tenth of the royal domains, but the ten h of all the lands in the kingdom. See the Saxon Chronicle, and Matthew of Westminster who transcribes the original charter.

own country. Two years after his marriage he departed this life, and was buried at Winchester [A.D. 858]. At first he had been bishop of Winchester1; but on the death of his father Egbert, from the necessity of the case, he was made king. He had by his [first] wife four sons, all of whom, in turn, succeeded him in the kingdom. About this time the heathens wintered in Sheppey.

This illustrious king Ethelwulf left his hereditary kingdom of Wessex to his son Ethelbald; and to his other son, Ethelbert, he left the kingdoms of Kent, Essex, and Sussex. Both brothers were young men of princely virtues, and ruled their kingdoms well as long as they lived. Ethelbald, the king of Wessex, held his peaceably five years, and then prematurely died of disease." All England lamented the royal youth and mourned over him deeply, and they buried him at Sherborne [A.D. 860], and the English people felt what they had lost in him.

Ethelbert, the brother of the last-named king, succeeded him in the kingdom of Wessex, having been before king of Kent. In his time a large fleet came over, and the crews stormed Winchester. Thus it was that

Then Osric, the ealdorman, with the men of Hampshire, and Ethelwulf, the ealdorman, with the men of Berkshire, fought against this army, and, routing it with great slaughter, remained the victors.

[A.D. 865.] In the fifth year of Ethelbert's reign, the army of the heathens came into Thanet, and the Kentish men came to terms with them, promising money; but, pending the treaty, the enemy stole away by night, and ravaged all the eastern part of Kent. The same year, Ethelbert, after a reign of five years in Wessex and ten years in Kent, departed this life [A.D. 866]; upon which, Ethelred, his brother, ascended the throne. The same

year a great army of pagans landed in England, under the

Henry of Huntingdon is the only authority for Ethelwulf's having received ordination as a bishop. Some of the old writers describe him as a sub-deacon. See Goscelin's Life of Swithun. Roger of Wendover agrees with Huntingdon.—Petrie. 2 "Urbs antiqua ruit," Virg. Æn. ii. 368.

command of their chiefs, Hinguar and Ubba, most valiant but cruel men; Hinguar being of great ability, and Ubba of extraordinary courage. They spent the winter in EastAnglia, entering into a treaty and receiving horses from the inhabitants, who, being awed into tranquillity by the enemy's force, were spared for the present.

In the second year of Ethelred's reign, this army, under the command of Hinguar and Ubba, marched into Northumbria as far as York. There was great dissension among the people of that province, they having, with their usual fickleness, ejected their king Osbert, and set up one named Ella, who was not of the royal blood. Being at length reconciled, they assembled an army and came to York, where the pagan army lay. Having effected a breach in the wall, they entered the town, fighting boldly, and both kings, Osbert and Ella, were slain, with a vast number of the Northumbrians within and without the city: the survivors made a treaty with the heathens. This year died Bishop Elestan, and he was buried at Sherborne, where he had been bishop 50 years.

[A.D. 868.] King Ethelred, in the third year of his reign, went to Nottingham, with his brother Alfred, to the help of Burhred, king of Mercia; for the army of the Danes had marched to Nottingham, and there wintered. Hinguar, seeing that the whole force of the English was assembled, and that his army was besieged and inferior in strength, had recourse to smooth words, and with dangerous cunning obtained terms of peace from the English. He then retired to York, and with great cruelty maintained possession one year. St. Edmund was taken to heaven in the year of our Lord 870, the fifth of the reign of Ethelred. For the army, mentioned before, under the command of their King Hinguar, marching through Mercia to Thetford, established itself there for the winter, causing entire ruin to the wretched inhabitants. Whereupon Edmund, the king, preferring rather to suffer death than to witness the sufferings of his people, was seized by the infidels, and his sacred body was fastened to a stake, and transfixed by their arrows in every part. But God, in his mercy, honoured the spot with numerous miracles.

[A.D. 871.] In the sixth year of King Ethelred there came

a new and immense army, which, rushing like a torrent, and carrying all before it, advanced as far as Reading. Their numbers were so great that as they could not march in one body they advanced in troops by separate routes. They were led by two kings, Boegsec and Healfdene. Three days after this, Ethelwulf, the ealdorman, attacked two of the enemy's chiefs at Englefield, and slew one of them who was called Sidroc. Four days afterwards, King Ethelred, with his brother Alfred and a great host, arrived at Reading, and gave battle to the army of the Danes. Great numbers fell on both sides, but the Danes gained the victory. Four days afterwards, King Ethelred and his brother Alfred fought the whole army assembled at Ashdown. It was formed in two divisions: one, headed by the pagan kings Bogsec and Healfdene, was encountered by King Ethelred, and Boegsec was slain; the other division was led by the pagan earls, and Alfred, the king's brother, attacked them, and killed the five earls, Sidroc the elder, and Sidroc the younger, and Osbern, and Frena, and Harold. The army was routed and many thousands were slain, the battle lasting till night-fall. Fourteen days afterwards, King Ethelred and Alfred his brother again engaged the enemy at Basing, but there the Danes obtained the victory. Again, in the course of two months, King Ethelred and his brother Alfred fought another battle with this same army at Merton, in which numbers fell on both sides; and the Danes, though they gave way for a time, in the end remained victors. In this battle were slain Heahmund, bishop [of Sherborne], and many other great men of the English. After this battle the great army came in the summer to Reading. This year King Ethelred died after Easter; he had reigned five years, and was buried at Wimburn Minster. Then Alfred, his brother, the son of Ethelwulf, began his reign over Wessex; and one month afterwards, he fought with a small band against the united army at Wilton, and put them to flight for a time, but afterwards the Danes gained the day. This year, therefore, there were nine pitched battles with the Danish army in that part of

1 Henry of Huntingdon calls them "consuls," the Saxon Chronicle "earls," the Norwegian "jarls."