[Sidenote: ALURED OR ALFRED.]
[Sidenote: 871. as _Mat. West._ & _Sim. Dunelmen._ doo note it.]
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._]
After the decease of king Ethelred, his brother Alured or Alfred
succéeded him, and began his reigne ouer the Westsaxons, and other the
more part of the people of England, in the yeare of our Lord 872,
which was in the 19 yeare of the emperour Lewes the second, and 32
yeare of the reigne of Charles the bald, king of France, and about the
eleuenth yeare of Constantine the second king of Scotland. Although
this Alured was consecrated king in his fathers life time by pope Leo
(as before ye haue heard) yet was he not admitted king at home, till
after the decease of his thrée elder brethren: for he being the
yoongest, was kept backe from the gouernement, though he were for his
wisdome and policie most highlie estéemed and had in all honour.
[Sidenote: Alured persecuted by Danes.]
[Sidenote: _Matt. Westm._]
In the beginning of his reigne he was wrapped in manie great troubles
and miseries, speciallie by the persecution of the Danes, which made
sore and greeuous wars in sundrie parts of this land, destroieng the
same in most cruell wise. About a moneth after he was made king, he
[Sidenote: The Danes obteine the victorie.]
gaue battell to the Danes of Wilton, hauing with him no great number
of people, so that although in the beginning the Danes that day were
put to the woorse, yet in the end they obteined the victorie. Shortlie
after, a truce was taken betwixt the Danes and the Westsaxons. And the
Danes that had lien at Reading, remoued from thence vnto London, where
[Sidenote: The Danes wintered at London.]
[Sidenote: 874.]
they lay all the winter season. In the second yeare of Alured his
reigne, the Danish king Halden led the same armie from London into
Lindseie, and there lodged all that winter at Torkseie. In the yeare
[Sidenote: Repton.]
following, the same Halden inuaded Mercia, and wintered at Ripindon.
There were come to him thrée other leaders of Danes which our writers
name to be kings, Godrun, Esketell, & Ammond, so that their power was
[Sidenote: Burthred king of Mercia.]
greatlie increased. Burthred king of Mercia which had gouerned that
countrie by the space of 22 yéeres, was not able to withstand the
puissance of those enimies: wherevpon he was constreined to auoid the
countrie, and went to Rome, where he departed this life, and was
buried in the church of our ladie, néere to the English schoole.
[Sidenote: 875.]
In the fourth yeare of king Alured the armie of the Danes diuided it
selfe into two parts, so that king Halden with one part thereof went
[Sidenote: The Danes went into Northumberland.]
into Northumberland, and lay in the winter, season néere to the riuer
of Tine, where hee diuided the countrie amongest his men, and remained
there for the space of two yeares, and oftentimes fetched thither
booties and preis out of the countrie of the Picts. The other part of
[Sidenote: The Danes at Cambridge.]
[Sidenote: 876.]
the Danish armie with the thrée foresaid kings or leaders came vnto
Cambridge, and remained there a whole yeare. In the same yeare king
Alured fought by sea with 7 ships of Danes, tooke one of them, &
chased the residue. In the yeare next insuing, the Danes came into the
countrie of the Westsaxons, and king Alured tooke truce with them
[Sidenote: The Danes tooke an oth.]
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._]
againe, and they sware to him (which they had not vsed to doo to anie
afore that time) that they would depart the countrie. Their armie by
sea sailing from Warham toward Excester, susteined great losse by
tempest, for there perished 120 ships at Swanewicke.
[Sidenote: The Danes went to Excester.]
Moreouer the armie of the Danes by land went to Excester in breach of
the truce, and king Alured followed them, but could not ouertake them
till they came to Excester, and there he approched them in such wise,
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._]
that they were glad to deliuer pledges for performance of such
couenants as were accorded betwixt him and them. And so then they
departed out of the countrie, and drew into Mercia. But shortlie
after, when they had the whole gouernment of the land, from Thames
northward, they thought it not good to suffer king Alured to continue
in rest with the residue of the countries beyond Thames. And therefore
the thrée foresaid rulers of Danes, Godrun, Esketell, and Ammond,
[Sidenote: 877.]
inuading the countrie of Westsaxons came to Chipnam, distant 17 miles
from Bristow, & there pitched their tents.
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
King Alured aduertised hereof, hasted thither, and lodging with his
armie néere to the enimies, prouoked them to battell. The Danes
perceiuing that either they must fight for their liues, or die with
shame, boldlie came foorth, and gaue battell. The Englishmen rashlie
incountered with them, and though they were ouermatched in number, yet
with such violence they gaue the onset, that the enimies at the first
were abashed at their hardie assaults. But when as it was perceiued
that their slender ranks were not able to resist the thicke leghers of
the enimies, they began to shrinke & looke backe one vpon an other,
and so of force were constrained to retire: and therewithal did cast
themselues into a ring, which though it séemed to be the best way that
could be deuised for their safetie, yet by the great force and number
of their enimies on each side assailing them, they were so thronged
togither on heaps, that they had no roome to stir their weapons. Which
disaduantage notwithstanding, they slue a great number of the Danes,
[Sidenote: Hubba slaine.]
and amongest other, Hubba the brother of Agner, with manie other of
the Danish capteins. At length the Englishmen hauing valiantlie
foughten a long time with the enimies, which had compassed them about,
at last brake out and got them to their campe. To be briefe, this
[Sidenote: The victorie doubtful.]
battell was foughten with so equall fortune, that no man knew to
whether part the victorie ought to be ascribed. But after they were
once seuered, they tooke care to cure their hurt men, and to burie the
dead bodies, namelie the Danes interred the bodie of their capteine
Hubba with great funerall pompe and solemnitie: which doone, they held
[Sidenote: Abington.]
out their iournie till they came to Abington, whither the English
armie shortlie after came also, and incamped fast by the enimies.
In this meane while, the rumor was spread abroad that king Alured had
béene discomfited by the Danes, bicause that in the last battell he
withdrew to his campe. This turned greatlie to his aduantage: for
thereby a great number of Englishmen hasted to come to his succour.
[Sidenote: The Danes and Englishmen fight néer to Abington.]
On the morrow after his comming to Abington, he brought his armie
readie to fight into the field: neither were the enimies slacke, on
their parts to receiue the battell, and so the two armies ioined and
fought verie sore on both sides: so that it séemed the Englishmen men
had not to doo with those Danes, which had béene diuerse times before
discomfited and put to flight, but rather with some new people fresh
and lustie. But neither the one part nor the other was minded to giue
ouer: in so much that the horssemen alighting on foot, and putting
their horsses from them, entered the battell amongst the footmen, and
thus they continued with equall aduantage till night came on, which
parted the affraie, being one of the sorest foughten fields that had
[Sidenote: Vncerteine victorie.]
[Sidenote: Thus farre _Polydor._]
beene heard of in those daies. To whether partie a man might iustlie
attribute the victorie, it was vtterlie vncerteine, with so like losse
& gaine the matter was tried & ended betwixt them. With the semblable
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
chance of danger and glorie seuen times that yéere did the English and
Danes incounter in battell, as writers haue recorded. At length, when
[Sidenote: A peace agreed vpon.]
their powers on both parts were sore diminished, they agréed vpon a
peace, with these conditions, that the Danes should not attempt anie
further warre against the Englishmen, nor bring into this land anie
new supplie of souldiers out of Denmarke. But this peace by those
peacemakers was violated and broken, in so much as they ment nothing
lesse than to fall from the conceiued hope which they had of bearing
rule in this land, and of inriching themselues with the goods,
possessions, rents and reuenues of the inhabitants. The same yéere the
[Sidenote: The Danes sojourned at London.]
Danes soiorned in the winter season at London, according as they had
doone often times before.
* * * * *
_Rollo a noble man of Denmarke with a fresh power entreth England, and
beginneth to waste it, king Alured giueth him batell, Rollo saileth
ouer into France; who first inhabited Normandie, and whereof it tooke
that name; the Danes breake the peace which was made betwixt them and
Alured, he is driuen to his shifts by their inuasions into his
kingdome, a vision appeereth to him and his mother; king Alured
disguising himselfe like a minstrell entereth the Danish campe,
marketh their behauiour unsuspected, assalteth them on the sudden with
a fresh power, and killeth manie of them at aduantage; the Deuonshire
men giue the Danes battell vnder the conduct of Haldens brother, and
are discomfited; Alured fighteth with them at Edanton, they giue him
hostages, Gurthrun their king is baptised and named Adelstan, a league
concluded betwixt both the kings, the bounds of Alureds kingdome._