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THE STORY OF KING ALFRED.

Alfred, however, remained in Athelney until six weeks after Easter, which brings us to the month of May or June. He was not wholly inactive; he was continually leading sallies against the enemy, surprising bodies of them, cutting them off, and coming upon them unexpectedly. It is also reasonable to suppose that he was sending out messengers to call only the fyrd, wherever there was a chance of finding men still living and The renewal of ready to obey the summons. hostilities was not altogether the work of the king; had he not been backed by the tenacity, the obstinacy of a people who knew not when they were beaten, he would have effected nothing. The leader of men, even if he be a Napoleon or a Hannibal, is dependent on the courage of his Then there came good news to Athelney. A Danish fleet of twenty-three ships had come from South Wales, where they had wintered, to the coast of Devonshire, and on landing the enemy had been met and totally defeated, with the loss of more than eight hundred men, the death of the leader, and the capture of the banner called the "Raven."

men.

“In the same year the brother of Hingwar and Halfdene, with twenty-three ships, after much slaughter of the Christians, came from the country of Demetia, where he had wintered, and sailed to Devon, where, with twelve hundred others, he met with a miserable death, being slain while committing his misdeeds, by the king's servant, before the Castle of Cynuit (Kynwith), into which many of the king's servants, with their followers, had fled for safety. The pagans, seeing that the castle was altogether unprepared and unfortified, except that it had walls in our fashion, determined not to assault it, because it was impregnable and secure on all sides, except the hut they began to

blockade it, thinking that those who were inside would soon surrender either from famine or want of water, for the castle had no spring near it. But the result did not fall out as they expected; for the Christians, before they began to suffer from want, inspired by Heaven, judging it much better to gain victory or death, attacked the pagans suddenly in the morning, and from the first cut them down in great numbers, slaying also their king, so that few escaped to their ships; and there they gained a very large booty, and amongst other things the standard called Raven; for they say that the three sisters of Hingwar and Hubba, daughters of Lodobroch, wove that flag and got it ready in one day. They say, moreover, that in every battle, wherever the flag went before them, if they were to gain the victory a live crow would appear flying on the middle of the flag; but if they were doomed to be defeated it would hang down motionless, and this was often proved to be so."

The loss of this magic banner was, no doubt, a grievous discouragement to the Danes. I have no doubt that by this loss and by the reverses— the unexpected reverses-which followed, they were prepared for the strange and sudden surrender which followed.

Alfred met his newly raised army near Stourton, in Wiltshire. A modern town, called Alfred's Town, has been built to commemorate the awakening of the people. They came with renewed. hope and with renewed courage to be led once more by the young king, in whom neither hope nor courage had ever faltered, Alfred made no stay at Stourton. The day after the meeting he led his forces to a place called Iglea (Iley), perhaps near Melksham, perhaps Leigh, now Westbury, Wilts, and on the following day to Ethandune, near Eddington, now a village on the east of Westbury. Here may be seen at the present

day a camp covering twenty-three acres of ground called Bratton Castle, formed in part by a double rampart in some places thirty-six feet high. This place is said to have been the entrenchment to which the Danes retreated after the battle of Ethandune. The battle continued during the whole day, ending with the flight of the Danes and the slaughter of a great number. All the Danes who did not take refuge in this fort were killed, and their cattle and everything with them were seized by the Saxons. The Danes had been often beaten in battle; victory or defeat was uncertain, it was the end they looked to, and if they could renew their struggle they cared little for a repulse. But on this occasion their plight was desperate, for Alfred invested the camp. They seem to have been unable to sally out by day, or, after their favourite device, to creep out by night and escape. Was it the loss of the "Raven" which weighed down their hearts? I think so, and the comparison of Alfred's God with their own. They had no provisions. After a fortnight they sued for peace.

"When he had been there fourteen days, the pagans, driven by famine, cold, fear, and last of all by despair, asked for peace, on the condition that they should give the king as many hostages as he pleased, but should receive none of him in return, in which form they had never before made a treaty with any one. The king, hearing that, took pity upon them, and received such hostages as he chose; after which the pagans swore, moreover, that they would immediately leave the kingdom; and their king, Guthrun, promised to embrace Christianity, and receive Baptism at King Alfred's hands. All of which articles he and his son fulfilled as they had promised. For after seven weeks Guthrum, king of the pagans, with thirty men chosen from the army, came to Alfred at a

ALFRED'S WARS.

99 place called Aller, near Athelney, and there King Alfred, receiving him as his son by adoption, raised him up from the holy laver of Baptism on the eighth day, at a royal villa named Wedmore, where the holy chrism was poured upon him. After his Baptism he remained twelve nights with the king, who, with all his nobles, gave him many fine houses.'

It is, therefore, certain that Alfred was complete master of the situation. Had he chosen, he might have massacred the whole army; it was better statesmanship to let them go with such pledges as they would give, and, not trusting to their promises, to bind them to the victors by the tie of conversion and Baptism. Guthrun was baptized: the rite was the beginning of a new order. Then was made the Treaty of Wedmore, thus presented by Stubbs

"This is the peace that King Alfred and King Guthrun, and the wise men of all the English nation, and all the people that are in East Anglia (England), have all ordained and with oaths confirmed, for themselves and for their descendants, as well for born as for unborn, who reck of God's mercy or of ours.

Concerning our land boundaries; up on the Thames, and then up on the Lea, and along the Lea unto its source, then right to Bedford, then up on the Ouse and Watling Street.

"There is this: If a man be slain, we estimate all equally dear, English and Danish, at eight half-marks of pure gold; except the ceorl who resides on rent (gafol) land and their freedmen (liesings); they also are equally dear, either at two hundred shillings.

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And if a king's thegn be accused of manslaying, if he dare to clear himself, let him do that with twelve king's thegns. If any one accuse that man who is of less degree than the king's thegn, let him clear himself with eleven of his equals, and with one king's thegn. And so in every

suit which may be for more the