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860

Florence

Huntingdon

Simeon

MATT. WESTM. In the year of Grace 858, died Æthelbald bishop of Lichfield, to whom succeeded Humbert.

12 His

son Æthelbald, contrary to God's prohibition and the dignity of a Christian, contrary also to the custom of all the pagans, ascended his father's bed, and married Judith, daughter of Charles, king of the Franks, and thus

13 during two years and a half of licentiousness after his father he held the government

859.

860.

of the West-Saxons.

Died Æthelbald king and was buried at Sherborne.

His

His

brother Æthelbert, as was fitting, joined Kent, Surrey, and Sussex also to his dominion.

In his days a large army of pagans, came up from the

The aforesaid most noble king left to his son Ethelbald the hereditary kingdom of Wessex. To his son Ethelbert he left the kingdom of Kent and Essex and Sussex. Both the brothers therefore, youths of the best disposition, ruled happily their kingdom, whilst each lived,

When Adelbald

king of Wessex had held his
kingdom in peace five years,

MATT. WESTM. In the year of
Grace 859, Æthelbald king of the
West-Saxons, growing wise out of
his error aforesaid, dismissed Judith

he was cut off by an early
death: all England mourned
the youth of king Adelbald,
and great woe was made for
him. They buried him at
Sherborne, and England
afterwards felt how much it

had lost in him.
Adelbricht the brother of the
aforesaid king, reigned after
him over Wessex, who before
was king of Kent.

In his days
came a naval host, and

son Ethelbald, in spite of the prohibition of Jesus Christ, and contrary to the custom of all the pagans, ascended his father's bed, and took to wife, with great infamy, Judith daughter of Charles king of the Franks, and thus

lawless, for two years and a half, he held the helm of the West-Saxons, after the death

of his noble father.

his step-mother, whose bed he had polluted, and having done penance, governed his kingdom with peace and justice, for the rest of his life.

In the year 860, the 12th after the birth of the noble prince Elfred, Ethelbald died and was buried in Sherborne.

After his death his brother Ethelbyrht added these provinces to his own kingdom; that is Kent, Surrey and Sussex, with all their towns and territories, as was fitting. In the course of that year, a great army of pagans, com

Saron Chronicle

and the crews stormed Winchester. And alderman Osric with the men of Hampshire, and alderman Æthelwulf with the men of Berkshire, fought against the army, and put them to flight, and had possession of the place of slaughter.

Asser

sea, and attacked and destroyed the city of Winchester. As they were returning laden with booty to their ships, Osric, earl of Hampshire, with his men, and earl Æthelwulf, with the men of Berkshire, confronted them bravely; a severe battle took place, and the pagans were slain on every side; and, finding themselves unable to resist, they took flight like women, and the Christians were masters of the place of death.

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CHARTERS IN 860. 1. ÆTHELBERHT of Wessex, subscribed also by "Æthelred filius regis," and others. ІІ, 68. 2. ÆTHELBALD king of Wessex, signed also by "Æthelberht rex,"" Judith regis filius [sic MS.]," and others. 11, 69. 3. A third charter, subscribed by "ÆTHELBEARHT rex,", "Æthelred fili. regis," " Elfræd fili. regis," and others, without a date, is givențin II, 70, as belonging to either 860, 861, or 862.

(2) Α. 861.

(4) Α. 862.

(3) Here died S. Swithun the bishop.

As St Swithin is such a well-known personage, the following notice of him by MATTHEW of WESTMINSTER, may amuse some of my readers.

"In the year of Grace 862, Saint Swithin, bishop of the city of Winchester, departed to the Lord. This holy man, whilst he still lived, was the possessor of many virtues, but was most famous for mildness and humility. It happened once, that this servant of God was sitting by chance with the workmen at Winchester bridge, that his presence

(5) Α. 863.

6) Α. 864.

8 Here the heathen arıny sat down in Thanet, and made peace with the men of Kent, and the men of Kent promised them money for the peace; and during the peace

CHARTERS IN 861: none.

might stir them into activity: when lo, a woman carrying eggs for sale passed by on her way to the city. The workmen all ran round her, making fun, as men of that kind often do, and broke all her eggs for her. When the news of this shameful deed and the poor woman's complaint reached the bishop's ears, he sighed at her loss, and moved to kindness, made the sign of the cross over the broken eggs, whereby they all became whole again. Of the humble-mindedness of this holy man, it is a memorable example, that, as often as he was about to dedicate a new church-building, he always went thither on foot, and not on a horse or in a carriage, however long the journey might be. And that this might not furnish ridicule to the ignorant, or be set down by the proud for vain glory, he used to withdraw himself from the sight of men, and travel al

2 In the year of our Lord's incarnation 864, the pagans wintered in the isle of Thanet, and made a firm treaty with the men of Kent, who promised them money for adhering to their covenant; but

ways by night. He was a lover of solitary holiness and thought that he should sacrifice his interests to any external show. At length, when he was on the point of bidding farewell to this present life, he commanded his domestics, on their obedience to his episcopal authority, to bury his body outside the church, where it might be trodden under the feet of passers-by, and wetted by the dew from heaven. His successor in the bishopric was Ealferth, a man sufficiently learned in church matters, who for some time had wisely fulfilled the duties for his predecessor:

After four years, from the death of king Æthelbald, the pagans strengthen their position in the isle of Thanet, and promise to be at peace with the men of Kent, who on their part prepare money

864

Florence

Huntingdon

sea, and attacked and des- landing destroyed Winches

men

of

troyed the city of Winchester. As they were returning laden with booty to their ships, Osric, earl of Hampshire, with his men, and earl Æthelulf, with the Berkshire, confronted them bravely; a severe battle took place, and the pagans were slain on every side, and, finding themselves unable to resist, they took flight like women, and the Christians were masters of the place of death.

ter: and so

An ancient city fell

That many years had ruled.

Then duke Osric with [the men of] Hamptonshire, and duke Edelwlf with [the men of] Berkshire, fought against the same army; and, when they had put them to flight with great slaughter, our men

were victorious.

MATT. WESTM. In the year of Grace 861,. died Rethun bishop of Leicester, to whom sûcceeded Aldred.

CHARTERS IN 862. 1. ÆTHELRED: subs. by Ælfred frater regis and others. II, 71. 2. ETHELBERT king of Wessex: subscribed also by

"Ætherred fil. regis," "Ælfred fil. regis" and others. II, 73.

CHARTERS IN 863. 3, ETHELBERT, subscribed also by Ethered fil. reg. and others, II, 74. 2. A charter

In the 5th

one

(2) 861.

(3) 862. Saint Swithin took his flight to heaven, the 10th Indiction, sixth before the nones of July [JULY 2) the 5th day of the week.

Simeon

ing from the sea, assaulted
and destroyed the city of
Winchester. But when the

aforesaid army was on its way
back to the ships, loaded with
booty, Osric the worthy leader
of the men of Hampshire,
came up with his people, and
the good earl Ethelwlf with
the men of Berkshire, man-
fully met them with an im-
mense army, and joining bat-
tle, the pagans were slain on
all sides by the English, who
were aided by the angelic
spirits.
And when the dreadful ene-
mies were unable to stand
any longer for their wounds,
a great multitude cruelly fell,
others hid themselves among
the thick bushes, and some
like women, took to flight.
The English, with fortune
smiling upon them, were mas_
ters of the field of death.

(4) 863.

(5) 864.

The pagans wintered in the isle of Thanet, and made a firm treaty with the men of Kent, who promised them money for adher

year of king Adelbrict, the
army of the pagans came to
Tenet; and, when the men of
Kent had purchased of them
a truce with money, they
suddenly broke away

of EDWARD king of Mercia, &c.
at II, 77, belongs to 860-865.

In the year 864, the pagans wintered in the island which is called Thanet, and is surrounded on every side by the stream of the sea. They made a solemn treaty with the men of Kent, who

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In the year of our Lord's
incarnation 866, which was
the eighteenth of king Alfred,
Æthelred, brother of Æthel-
bert, king of the West Saxons,
undertook the government of
the kingdom.
And the same

year a large fleet of pagans
came to Britain from the
Danube, and wintered in
the kingdom of the Eastern-
Saxons, which is called in

And the same year a great
heathen army came to the
land of the English nation,
and took up their winter
quarters among the East-
Angles, and there were Saxon East-Anglia; and
there they became principally

horsed; and the East-Angles

*

made peace with them.

DE DANURIO Or-BIA is probably a corruption of DE DANIA "from

Denmark."

an army of cavalry.

ANNALS. ANNO 865. The Normans came into France in the middle of July.

After one year king Æthelbyrht died, and his body rests peaceably in the monastery

named Sherborne.

CHAP. II. OF THE REIGN OF
KING ETHELRED.

Ethered succeeded to the

throne after the death of his brother Ethelbyrht.

In the same year the fleets of the tyrant Ingware arrived in England from the north, and wintered among the East Angles, and having established their arms there, they get on their horses, and make

peace with all the inhabitants

in the neighbourhood.

But, to speak in nautical phrase, I will no longer commit my vessel to the power of the waves and of its sails, or keeping off from land steer my round-about course through so many calamities of wars and series of years, but will return to that which first prompted me to this task; that is to say, I think it right in this place briefly to relate as much as has come to my knowledge about the character of my revered lord Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, during the years that he was an infant and a boy.

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night, and plundered the promised to pay them money, eastern parts of Kent.

if they should keep the treaty. But in the mean time, breaking forth secretly by night from their camp, like foxes, and violating the truce, and despising the promise of

money, they remained quiet for a few days. But, oh horrible! they devastated the eastern coast of the Kentish people. They knew that they should get greater money by stolen booty than by peace: as also it happened.

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Thus king Ethelbyrht, for
five years, peacefully, amia-
bly, and honorably ruled
the kingdom that had been
intrusted to him; and it was
to the great grief of his
princes, biskops, and all his
people, that he went the way
of all flesh: leaving the
government of his earthly
kingdom, he began to be a
partaker of the other.
2 He was buried near his bro-
ther in Sherborne, where he
awaits the comfort of a future
resurrection.

In the following year, that is 866, which was the 18th since the birth of Elfred, Ethelred the brother of Ethel

byrt king of the West-Saxons, undertook the government of the kingdom.

In the same year a great fleet of pagans from Danubia entered the borders of Britain, and so wintered on the kingdom of the Eastern-Anglia, which is called in the Saxon tongue East-angle, and there the large army became cavalry, riding and scouring here and there, carrying off an enormous booty, and sparing neither men nor women, widows nor maids.

In these days the prince Elfred began with sweet meditation to be imbued with

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