[Sidenote: BURTHRED king of Mercia.]
In the yeare following, that is to say, in the third yéere of
Ethelreds reigne, he with his brother Alured went to aid Burthred king
of Mercia, against the two foresaid Danish capteines Hungar and Vbba,
the which were entred into Mercia, and had woon the towne for the
winter season. Wherevpon the foresaid Ethelred and Burthred with their
[Sidenote: Danes besieged in Notingham.]
powers came to Notingham, and besieged the Danes within it. The Danes
perceiuing themselues in danger, made suite for a truce & abstinence
from war, which they obteined, and then departed backe to Yorke, where
they soiourned the most part of all that yeare.
In the sixt yeare of king Ethelreds reigne, a new armie of great force
and power came into the countrie of the Westsaxons vnder two leaders
[Sidenote: Basreeg and Halden.]
or kings of the Danes, Basréeg and Halden. They lodged at Reding with
their maine armie, and within thrée daies after the earle of
[Sidenote: Edelwulfe, erle of Barkshire fought at Englefield with the
Danes.]
Berrockshire Edelwulfe fought at Englefield with two earles of those
Danes, vanquished them, and slue the one of those earles, whose name
was Sidroc. After this king Ethelred and his brother Alured came with
a great host vnto Reding, and there gaue battell vnto the armie of
Danes, so that an huge number of people died on both parts, but the
Danes had the victorie.
[Sidenote: The Danes wan the victory at Reading.]
After this also king Ethelred and his brother Alured fought againe
with those Danes at Aschdon, where the armies on both sides were
diuided into two parts, so that the two Danish kings lead the one part
of their armie, & certeine of their earles lead the other part.
Likewise on the English side king Ethelred was placed with one part of
the host against the Danish kings, and Alured with the other part was
appointed to incounter with the earles. Herevpon they being on both
parts readie to giue battell, the euening comming on caused them to
deferre it till the morow. And so earlie in the morning when the
armies should ioine, king Ethelred staied in his tent to heare diuine
seruice, whilest his brother vpon a forward courage hasted to
incounter his enimies, the which receiued him so sharplie, and with so
cruell fight, that at length, the Englishmen were at point to haue
turned their backs. But herewith came king Ethelred and manfullie
ended the battell, staied his people from running away, and so
encouraged them, and discouraged the enimies, that by the power of God
[Sidenote: The Danes discomfited.]
(whom as was thought in the morning he had serued) the Danes finallie
were chased and put to flight, losing one of their kings (that is to
say) Basreeg or Osreeg, and 5 earles, Sidroc the elder, and Sidroc the
yoonger, Osberne, Freine, and Harold. This battell was sore foughten,
and continued till night, with the slaughter of manie thousands of
Danes. About 14 daies after, king Ethelred and his brother Alured
fought eftsoones with the Danish armie at Basing, where the Danes had
[Sidenote: A battell at Merton.]
the victorie. Also two moneths after this they likewise fought with
the Danes at Merton. And there the Danes, after they had béene put to
the woorse, & pursued in chase a long time, yet at length they also
[Sidenote: He was bishop of Shireborne as _Matt. West._ saith.]
got the victorie, in which battell Edmund bishop of Shireborne was
slaine, and manie other that were men of woorthie fame and good
account.
In the summer following, a mightie host of the Danes came to Reading,
[Sidenote: _Polyd. Virg._]
[Sidenote: Iuarus.]
and there soiourned for a time. ¶ These things agrée not with that
which Polydor Virgil hath written of these warres which king Ethelred
had with the Danes: for he maketh mention of one Iuarus a king of the
Danes, who landed (as he writeth) at the mouth of Humber, and like a
stout enimie inuaded the countrie adioining. Against whome Ethelred
with his brother Alured came with an armie, and incountring the Danes,
fought with them by the space of a whole day togither, and was in
danger to haue béene put to the woorse, but that the night seuered
them asunder. In the morning they ioined againe: but the death of
Iuarus, who chanced to be slaine in the beginning of the battell,
[Sidenote: Danes put to flight.]
discouraged the Danes, so that they were easilie put to flight, of
whome (before they could get out of danger) a great number were
slaine. But after that they had recouered themselues togither, and
found but a conuenient place where to pitch their campe, they chose to
[Sidenote: Agnerus and Hubba.]
their capteines Agnerus, and Hubba, two brethren, which indeuored
themselues by all meanes possible to repaire their armie: so that
within 15 daies after, the Danes eftsoones fought with the Englishmen,
and gaue them such an ouerthrow, that little wanted of making an end
of all incounters to be attempted after by the Englishmen.
But yet within a few daies after this, as the Danes attended their
market to spoile the countrie and range somewhat licentiouslie abroad,
they fell within the danger of such ambushes as were laid for them by
king Ethelred, that no small slaughter was made of them, but yet not
without some losse of the Englishmen. Amongest others, Ethelred
himselfe receiued a wound, whereof he shortlie after died. Thus saith
Polydor touching the warres which king Ethelred had with the Danes,
who yet confesseth (as the trueth is) that such authors as he herein
followed, varie much from that which the Danish writers doo record of
these matters, and namelie touching the dooings of Iuarus, as in the
Danish historie you may sée more at large.
But now to our purpose touching the death of king Ethelred, whether by
reason of hurt receiued in fight against the Danes (as Polydor saith)
or otherwise, certeine it is, that Ethelred anon after Easter departed
[Sidenote: Winborne abbeie.]
this life, in the sixt yeare of his reigne, and was buried at Winborne
[Sidenote: Agnerus.]
[Sidenote: _Fabian._]
[Sidenote: 870.]
[Sidenote: Edmund K. of the Eastangles.]
abbey. In the daies of this Ethelred, the foresaid Danish capteins,
Hungar, otherwise called Agnerus, and Hubba returning from the north
parts into the countrie of the Eastangles, came vnto Thetford, whereof
Edmund, who reigned as king in that season ouer the Eastangles, being
aduertised, raised an armie of men, and went foorth to giue battell
vnto this armie of the Danes. But he with his people was chased out of
[Sidenote: Framingham castell.]
the field, and fled to the castell of Framingham, where being
enuironed with a siege by his enimies, he yéelded himselfe vnto them.
And because he would not renounce the christian faith, they bound him
[Sidenote: King Edmund shot to death.]
to a trée, and shot arrowes at him till he died: and afterwards cut
off his head from his bodie, and threw the same into a thicke groue of
bushes. But afterwards his friends tooke the bodie with the head, and
[Sidenote: Eglesdon.]
buried the same at Eglesdon: where afterward also a faire monasterie
was builded by one bishop Aswin, and changing the name of the place,
it was after called saint Edmundsburie. Thus was king Edmund put to
death by the cruell Danes for his constant confessing the name of
Christ, in the 16 yeare of his reigne, and so ceased the kingdome of
Eastangles. For after that the Danes had thus slaine that blessed man,
they conquered all the countrie, & wasted it, so that through their
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
[Sidenote: Eastangles without a gouernour.]
tyrannie it remained without anie gouernor by the space of nine
[Sidenote: Guthrun a Dane king of Eastangles.]
yeares, and then they appointed a king to rule ouer it, whose name was
Guthrun, one of their owne nation, who gouerned both the Eastangles
and the Eastsaxons.
Ye haue heard how the Danes slue Osrike and Ella kings of
Northumberland. After which victorie by them obteined, they did much
[Sidenote: _Polychron._]
hurt in the north parts of this land, and amongest other cruell deeds,
they destroied the citie of Acluid, which was a famous citie in the
time of the old Saxons, as by Beda and other writers dooth manifestlie
[Sidenote: _Caxton._]
appeare. Here is to be remembred, that some writers rehearse the cause
to be this. Osbright or Osrike king of Northumberland rauished the
wife of one Berne that was a noble man of the countrie about Yorke,
who tooke such great despight thereat, that he fled out of the land,
and went into Denmarke, and there complained vnto the king of Denmarke
his coosin of the iniurie doone to him by king Osbright. Wherevpon the
king of Denmarke, glad to haue so iust a quarell against them of
Northumberland, furnished foorth an armie, and sent the same by sea
(vnder the leading of his two brethren Hungar and Hubba) into
Northumberland, where they slue first the said king Osbright, and
after king Ella, at a place besides Yorke, which vnto this day is
called Ellas croft, taking that name of the said Ella, being there
slaine in defense of his countrie against the Danes. Which Ella (as we
find registred by writers) was elected king by such of the
Northumbers, as in fauour of Berne had refused to be subiect vnto
Osbright.
* * * * *
_Alfred ruleth ouer the Westsaxons and the greatest part of England,
the Danes afflict him with sore warre, and cruellie make wast of his
kingdome, they lie at London a whole winter, they inuade Mercia, the
king whereof (Burthred by name) forsaketh his countrie and goeth to
Rome, his death and buriall; Halden king of the Danes diuideth
Northumberland among his people; Alfred incountreth with the Danes
vpon the sea, they sweare to him that they will depart out of his
kingdome, they breake the truce which was made betwixt him and them,
he giueth them battell, and (besides a great discomfiture) killeth
manie of their capteines, the Danes and English fight neere Abington,
the victorie vncerteine, seuen foughten fieldes betwixt them in one
yeare, the Danes soiourne at London._