[Sidenote: ALURED OR ALFRED. 871. as _Mat. West._ & _Sim. Dunelmen._
doo note it. _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. _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
[Sidenote: The Danes obteine the victorie.]
made king, he 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
[Sidenote: The Danes wintered at London. 874.]
Westsaxons. And the Danes that had lien at Reading, remoued from
thence vnto London, where 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
[Sidenote: Repton.]
Torkseie. In the yeare 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, &
[Sidenote: Burthred king of Mercia.]
Ammond, so that their power was 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 into Northumberland, and lay in the winter, season néere to
[Sidenote: The Danes went into Northumberland.]
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 the Danish armie with the thrée foresaid kings or leaders
[Sidenote: The Danes at Cambridge. 876.]
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 againe, and they sware to him (which they had not vsed to doo
[Sidenote: The Danes tooke an oth. _Hen. Hunt._]
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, that they were glad to deliuer pledges for performance of
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._]
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,
inuading the countrie of Westsaxons came to Chipnam, distant 17 miles
from Bristow, & there pitched their tents.
[Sidenote: 877.]
[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
[Sidenote: Hubba slaine.]
disaduantage notwithstanding, they slue a great number of the
Danes, 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
[Sidenote: The victorie doubtful.]
them about, at last brake out and got them to their campe. To be
briefe, this 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
[Sidenote: Abington.]
doone, they held 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
[Sidenote: Vncerteine victorie Thus farre _Polydor_.]
fields that had 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 chance of danger and glorie seuen times that yéere
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
did the English and Danes incounter in battell, as writers haue
[Sidenote: A peace agreed vpon.]
recorded. At length, when 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
[Sidenote: The Danes sojourned at London.]
inhabitants. The same yéere the 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._