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Jevice

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clouds, he set himself to think out how, trusting in God's mercy, he might, by some fixed rule and without hesitation, keep this vow changelessly, even unto death. And, when he had thought this over for a while, he found out at length a useful device, and of good wit. Then bade he his chaplains bring him wax enough, and weigh it out in the balance against pennies. And when so much wax had been measured out as failing weighed 72 pennies, he bade his chaplains make thereof six candles of equal weight, and that each candle should have 12 inches [uncias pollicis] marked thereon. So, when this device had been hit upon, those six ales candles were lighted, and burnt without fail day and night throughout

the 24 hours before the holy relics of many a Saint of God, which were ever with him whithersoever he went.

§ 136. Sometimes, however, these candles would not last throughout a whole day and night, even unto the same hour at which they had been lighted the evening before ;—and this through the draughts of wind which, day and night, ceaselessly blew in through the doors and windows of the churches, and through the many chinks in the stonework and the woodwork and the partitions, yea, and the holes in tents, and caused the candles to burn away over quickly, before completing their hour. Therefore thought he out how he might hinder this draught, and found a plan, like a wise and cunning craftsman, and bade make of wood and horn a full fair lantern. For cowhorn is white, and, when planed down to a thin sheet, as transparent as glass. And when this wonderful lantern of wood and horn was completed, a candle set therein gave as much light inside as though it were outside, and was let and hindered by never a draught, for he had bade a horn door [valvam] to be made to the mouth of the lantern. By this device, then, the six candles, one after the other, burnt without stay for the 24 hours, neither more nor less. And when they went out others were lighted.

§ 137. Now when all this was wholly set in order, he was fain to keep the half of his service for God, according to his vow ;—nay, even more, so far as his power and sufficiency (to say nothing of his infirmity) would permit. At great length moreover did he look into the truth of the judg ments he gave; and this chiefly through his care for the poor, to whom, amid the other duties of this life, he ever took special heed. For in all the whole realm, save him alone, the poor had few or none to champion them. For all the high and mighty of the land gave thought to the things of this world rather than the things of God. Yea, more greedy was each of his own worldly gain than for the common weal.

§ 138. Pains, likewise, took he in judgment, for the good of his folk, high-born and low-born alike. For at the courts of the Aldermen and Sheriffs would they oft-times perversely strive together, so that scarce a man, whatsoever the doom of the Aldermen and Sheriffs might be, would allow it to be right. And through stress of this perverse stubbornness,

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all appealed [suborabant] to the King's own judgment, and, on either dy

side, hasted them thereto. Howbeit were any conscious of unright in his

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cause, he, though bound by law and bond to come, yet came he against his will, for never would he by choice appear before the judgment-seat of such a judge. For well he knew that there no whit of his wrong-doing could be pleaded for a moment.

§ 139. And no wonder; for in deciding a case, as in all things else, our King was a most keen searcher out of truth. For nearly every sentence given throughout the whole realm, in his absence, did he himself revise with all his wit, whether they were righteous or unrighteous. And if he perceived in those sentences ought of injustice, then would he mildly summon the judges before him, either in person or by some accredited friend, and would ask them why they had judged thus wrongfully. Was it through ignorance? Was it through malice? Was it for love or fear of any? Was it for hate of any? Was it through greed of money?

§ 140. And, in the end, if those judges confessed that they had given judgment for any such reason, as that they knew no better, then would he, with good sense and self-control, blame their lack of skill and wisdom, and say, 'Much, truly, do I wonder at this rashness of yours, that ye, who, by God's gift and mine, take upon you the office and rank of the wise, yet neglect to study and work wisdom. I bid you, therefore, either at once to lay down that earthly authority and office which ye hold, or set yourselves to much more earnest study of wise teaching. Such is my behest.'

§ 141. At hearing this would the Aldermen and Sheriffs tremble, as though they had been chastised full sorely, and strove with all their might to turn to the study of Equity. Thus, wondrous to tell, did the Aldermen, Sheriffs, and Thanes, unlettered men as they were, almost all, even from their cradles, set to work at letters with a will. For sooner chose they to learn unwonted lessons, hard though they found it, than give up their office and authority.

§ 142. But if any, either from age or from slowness of wit (through lack of use), could make no speed in his liberal studies, then would he bid his son, if he had one, or some other kinsman, or even, if it might no better be, his own man, free or thrall (whom he had long before made a reader), to recite to him Saxon books, day and night, whensoever leisure [licentia] might serve. And with many a sigh grieved he from his inmost heart, that he had not in youth set him to these studies. And happy counted he the lads of to-day, who could have the good fortune to be trained in liberal arts. But themselves they thought unlucky, seeing that in their youth they had never been taught, and in age, much as they longed therefor, learn they could not. So now we have set forth the pains of both old and young in learning letters at our King's bode.

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[Here Asser abruptly breaks off. His later paragraphs bear evident internal marks of having been written after Alfred's death, and we do not know what prevented the completion of the biography. The obituary notice which follows is almost certainly a compilation from later

authorities, though doubtless Asser intended to conclude with something of the sort.]

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[In the year of our Lord 900, Alfred the Truth-teller, in war ever the sturdiest of heroes, noblest of the Kings of Wessex, prudent and religious and wise beyond all, in this year, after reigning 29 years and a half over all England (save those parts which were under the Danes), to the grievous woe of his folk, went the way of all flesh on the 7th of the Kalends of November [Oct. 26], in the year of his reign 29 and a half, of his age 51, of the indiction 4. And in the royal city of Winchester was he buried meetly, with all royal honours, in the church of St. Peter the Prince of the Apostles. And there standeth his tomb, wrought of marble porphyry, most precious.]

NOTE A.
Ethandune, p. 100.

Bishop Clifford's ingenious theory that Edington in Somerset (near Glastonbury) is intended seems barely possible. This place is some 40 miles from both Brixton and Chippenham. The former of these Asser places but a day's march from the battlefield, and the latter he certainly implies to be the stronghold to which the Danes were chased instantly after the fight. Edington near Westbury is some 12 miles from either, and about half-way between. Heddington, near Calne, also satisfies Asser's conditions. Bishop Clifford finds Iglea in Edgar Lea, near Glastonbury, and Cynuit at Combwich.

NOTE B.
Eald-Seaxum, p. 102.

The old Saxons are placed by Alfred, in his Orosius' (§ 12), to the north of the East Franks, between the Elbe and Rhine, and south-east of the Frisians (Hollanders). Yet, by some confusion, he makes their western boundary the mouth of the Elbe. Asser, therefore, may have meant this by the sinus in § 73. Or he may mean the mouth of the Rhine, or of the Scheldt.

NOTE C.

Holy Scripture, p. 115.

This quotation is not from the Bible, and its source appears to be untraceable. But there existed amongst the Jews very elaborate traditional rules for the 'dividing aright' of the Temple offerings. And these were widely enough known to be incidentally referred to by St. Paul, in 2 Tim. ii. 15: 'rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

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II.

THE ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE.

F the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle six early MSS. are still extant, one in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, one in the Bodleian Library, and the remainder among the Cottonian collection in the British Museum. They do not all cover the same period of history; some beginning with the invasion of Julius Cæsar, others with the Christian Era, and ending, also, at various dates, from 977 to 1154. Internal evidence shows them to have been written at sundry times (none later than the twelfth century), and in divers parts of England-Wessex, Kent, Mercia, and Northumbria. But all are from a common ninth-century exemplar. The latest original handwriting of any copy ends 1122, the earliest 891. This last is the Cambridge MS., which formerly belonged to the library of Canterbury Abbey. Like all other books in abbey libraries throughout England, it was sold for waste-paper at the Reformation, but rescued by Archbishop Parker, who gave it to his old College. It was probably written early in the tenth century.

The standard edition of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is that of Messrs. Petrie and Hardy.

ENTRIES RELATING TO THE LIFE OF ALFRED IN THE ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE.

851. This year King Athelstan [of Kent] and Ealhere the Alderman cut to pieces a mighty host at Sandwich in Kent, and took nine ships, and put the rest to flight. The Heathen, for the first time, stayed over winter, and that in Thanet. And this same year came there 350 ships into Thames-mouth, and they stormed Canterbury, and eke London, and put to flight Beorhtwulf, King of the Mercians, and his host with him. Then went they south over Thames into Surrey; and there King Ethelwulf and his son Ethelbald, with all the muster of the West Saxons, fought them at Ockley. And there made they the greatest slaughter among the Heathen host that ever was heard tell of, and there won the day.

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853. This year ... King Ethelwulf sent his son Alfred to Rome. Leo was then Pope of Rome, and took him for his own son in Confirmation. . . And Ethelwulf. gave his daughter to Burghred, King of the Mercians. 855.... King Ethelwulf gave by writ the tenth part of his land for the glory of God and his own eternal salvation. And the same year he went to Rome, with mickle worship, and there dwelt he a twelvemonth, and then home again. Then did Charles, King of the Franks, give his daughter unto him for wife; and so came he back to his folk, and right glad they were thereof. And about two years after he died, and his body lieth at Winchester. And he reigned eighteen years and a half.

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Then came Ethelwulf's two sons to the kingdom. Ethelbald took the realm of the West Saxons, and Ethelbert the Kentish-men, and the East Saxons, and Surrey, and the South Saxons. .

And when Pope Leo heard say that he [Ethelwulf] was dead, then hallowed he Alfred to King. . .

860. This year died King Ethelbald; and lieth at Sherborne. And Ethelbert took on all his brother's kingdom; and in goodly peace did he hold it, and great quietness.

And in his days came there a mighty ship-host to land, and stormed Winchester. And Osric the Alderman, with the men of Hampshire, and Ethelwulf the Alderman, with his Berkshire men, fought that host, and put them to flight, and held the death-stead [i.e., won the field). And Ethelbert reigned five years; and lieth at Sherborne.

861. This year died St. Swithun the Bishop.

865. The Heathen host sat them down in Thanet, and made peace with the men of Kent, and they plighted them pay for that peace. Yet amid the peace and the pay-plight the Host by night stole away, and harried all Kent eastward.

866. This year Ethelred, Ethelbert's brother, came into the West Saxon kingship.

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