[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
[Sidenote: Basreeg and Halden.]
and power came into the countrie of the Westsaxons vnder two
leaders or kings of the Danes, Basréeg and Halden. They lodged at
Reding with their maine armie, and within thrée daies after the
[Sidenote: Edelwulfe, erle of Barkshire fought at Englefield with the
Danes.]
earle of 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
(whom as was thought in the morning he had serued) the Danes finallie
[Sidenote: The Danes discomfited.]
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,
[Sidenote: A battell at Merton.]
where the Danes had 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 got the victorie, in which battell Edmund
[Sidenote: He was bishop of Shireborne as _Matt. West._ saith.]
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._ 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
[Sidenote: Agnerus and Hubba.]
found but a conuenient place where to pitch their campe, they
chose to 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
[Sidenote: Winborne abbeie.]
departed this life, in the sixt yeare of his reigne, and was buried
at Winborne abbey. In the daies of this Ethelred, the foresaid Danish
[Sidenote: Agnerus. _Fabian_. 870.]
capteins, Hungar, otherwise called Agnerus, and Hubba returning
from the north parts into the countrie of the Eastangles, came
[Sidenote: Edmund K. of the Eastangles.]
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 the field, and fled to the castell of
[Sidenote: Framingham castell.]
Framingham, where being enuironed with a siege by his enimies, he
yéelded himselfe vnto them. And because he would not renounce the
[Sidenote: King Edmund shot to death.]
christian faith, they bound him 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
[Sidenote: Eglesdon.]
friends tooke the bodie with the head, and 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
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._ Eastangles without a gouernour.]
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 tyrannie it remained
without anie gouernor by the space of nine yeares, and then they
[Sidenote: Guthrun a Dane king of Eastangles.]
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
[Sidenote: _Caxton._]
manifestlie 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._