a A. THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT OF Mr Norton s lmon Of ftustoru Alfred the Great BY JACOB ABBOTT WITH ENGRAVINUS NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1902 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, by HARPER & BKOTHERS, in the Clark's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. Copyright, 1877, by JACOB ABBOTT. PREFACE. IT is the object of this series of histories to present a clear, distinct, and connected narra- tive of the lives of those great personages who have in various ages of the world made them- selves celebrated as leaders among mankind, and, by the part they have taken in the public affairs of great nations, have exerted the widest influence on the history of the human race. The end which the author has had in view is twofold : first, to communicate such informa- tion in respect to the subjects of his narratives as is important for the general reader to posesss ; and, secondly, to draw such moral lessons from the events described and the characters deline- ated as they may legitimately teach to the peo- ple of the present age. Though written in a direct and simple style, they are intended for, and addressed to, minds possessed of some con- 2217507 P B E F A E. siderable degree of maturity, for such minds only can fully appreciate the character and ac- tion which exhibits itself, as nearly all that is described in these volumes does, in close com- bination with the^onduct and policy of govern- ments, and the great events of international history. CONTENTS. Chptr Ptg I. THE BRITONS 13 II. THE ANGLO-SAXONS 34 III. THE DANES 57 iv. ALFRED'S EARLY YEARS 76 V. THE STATE OF ENGLAND 94 vi. ALFRED'S ACCESSION TO THE THRONE 115 VII. REVERSES 131 VIII. THE SECLUSION 154 IX. REASSEMBLING OF THE ARMY 172 X. THE VICTORY OVER THE DANES 190 XI. THE REIGN 209 XII. THE CLOSE OF LIFE 227 ENGRAVINGS. Pag* WALL or* SKVKRUS 31 SAXON M1UTARVT CHIEF 41 THE SKA KINGS 65 LOTHBROC AND HIS FALCON 103 ANCIENT CORONATION CHAIR 133 THE FIRST BRITISH FLEET 148 ALFRED WATCHING THE CAKES 161 PORTRAIT OF ALFRED 208 HAST'NGS BESIKGED IN THE CHURCH-- - 229 ALFRED THE GREAT, CHAPTER L T H K BRITONS. Alfred the founder of the British monarchy. \ LFRED THE GREAT figures in history *-*- as the founder, in some sense, of the Brit- ish monarchy. Of that long succession of sov- ereigns who have held the scepter of that mon- archy, and whose government has exerted so vast an influence on the condition and welfare of mankind, he was not, indeed, actually the first. There were several lines of insignificant princes before him, who governed such portions of the kingdom as they individually possessed, more like semi-savage chieftains than English kings. Alfred followed these by the principle of hereditary right, and spent his life in laying broad and deep the foundations on which the enormous superstructure of the British empire has since been reared. If the tales respecting his character and deeds which have come down 14 ALFRED THE GREAT. [B.C. 800 Hereditary fuccewioa. The fabulous age of history to us are at all worthy of belief, he was an hon- est, conscientious, disinterested, and far-seeing statesman. If the system of hereditary suc- cession would always furnish such sovereigns for mankind, the principle of loyalty would have held its place much longer in tne world than it is now likely to do, and great nations, now re- publican, would have been saved a vast deal of trouble and toil expended in the election of theii rulers. Although the period of King Alfred's reign geems a very remote one as we look back to- ward it from the present day, it was still eight hundred years after the Christian era that he ascended his throne. Tolerable authentic his- tory of the British realm mounts up through these eight hundred years to the time of Julius Caesar. Beyond this the ground is covered by a series of romantic and fabulous tales, pretend- ing to be history, which extend back eight hundred years further to the days of Solomon ; o that a much longer portion of the story of khat extraordinary island comes before than since the days of Alfred. In respect, however to all that pertains to the interest and import anoe of the narrative, the exploits and the ai tangements of Alfred are the beginning. B.C. 800.] THE BRITONS. 15 Tradition. The Trojan war. Adventures of jEneua The histories, in fact, of all nations, ancient and modern, run back always into misty regiona of romance and fable. Before arts and letters arrived at such a state of progress as that pub lie events could be recorded in writing, tradi- tion was the only means of handing down the memory of events from generation to genera- tion ; and tradition, among semi-savages, chang- es every thing it touches into romantic and marvelous fiction. The stories connected with the earliest dis- covery and settlement of Great Britain afford very good illustrations of the nature of these fabulous tales. The following may serve as a specimen : At the close of the r l . 9 ; in war,* ^Eneas re- tired with a company of Trojans, who escaped from the city with him, and, after a great vari- ety of adventures, which Virgil has related, he landed and settled in Italy. Here, in process of time, he had a grandson named Silvius, whr, had a son named Brutus, Brutus being thua neas's great-grandson. One day, while Brutus was hunting in tht forests, he accidentally killed his father with For some account of the circumstances connected witi this war see our history of Alexander, chapter ri. 16 ALFRED THE GREAT. [B.C. 800 Wandering* of Brnttu Singular treaty of peace an arrow. His father was at that time King of Alba a region of Italy near the spot on which Rome was subsequently built and the accident brought Brutus under suoh suspicions, and exposed him to such dangers, that he fled from the country. After various wanderings he at last reached Greece, where he collected a number of Trojan followers, whom he found Coaming about the country, and formed them into an army. With this half-savage force he attacked a king of the country named Pandra- sus. Brutus was successful in the war, and Pandrasus was taken prisoner. This compel- led Pandrasus to sue for peace, and peace waa concluded on the following very extraordinary terms: Pandrasus was to give Brutus his daughter Imogena for a wife, and a fleet of ships as her dowry. Brutus, on the other hand, was to take his wife and all his followers on board of his fleet, and sail away and seek a home in som other quarter of the globe. This plan of a mon- arch's purchasing his own ransom and peace for his realm from a band of roaming robbers, by offering the leader of them his daughter for a wife, however strange to our ideas, was very characteristic of the times. Imogena must B.C. 800.] THE BRITONS. 17 Brutus lands on deserted bland. Response of the oraclft have found it a hard alternative to choose be- tween such a husband and such a father. Brutus, with his fleet and his bride, betoob themselves to sea, and within a short time Landed on a deserted island, where they found the ruins of a city. Here there was an ancient temple of Diana, and an image of the goddess, which image was endued with the power of ut- tering oracular responses to those who consult- ed it with proper ceremonies and forms. Bru- tus consulted this oracle on the question in what land he should find a place of final settle- ment. His address to it was in ancient verse, which some chronicler has turned into English rhyme as follows : Goddess of shide* and huntress, who at will Walk'st on the rolling sphere, and through the deep On thy third reign, the earth., look now and tell What land, what seat of rest thou bidd'st me seek T" To which the oracle returned the fo lowing answer: " Far to the west, in the ocean wide, Beyond the realm of Gaul a land there lie* Sea-girt it lies where giants dwelt of old. Now void, it fits thy people ; thither bend Thy course ; there shalt thon find a lasting home.' It is scarcely necessary to say that this meant Britain. Brutus, following the directions which 242 ALFRED THE GREAT. [B.C. 800 Brute. p*o** tSs Pillars of Hercules. He land* in Britain the oracle had given him, set sail from the isl- and, and proceeded to the westward through the Mediterranean Sea. He arrived at the Pillars of Hercules. This was the name by which the Rock of Gibraltar and the corresponding prom- ontory on the opposite coast, across the straits, were called in those days ; these cliffs having been built, according to ancient tales, by Her- cules, as monuments set up to mark the ex treme limits of his western wanderings. Bru- tus passed through the strait, and then, turning northward, coasted along the shores of Spain. At length, after enduring great privations and suffering, and encountering the extreme dangers to which their frail barks were neces- sarily exposed from the surges which roll in perpetually from the broad Atlantic Ocean upon the coast of Spain and into the Bay of Biscay they arrived safely on the shores of Britain. They landed and explored the interior. They found the island robed in the richest drapery of fruitfulness and verdure, but it was unoccupied by any thing human. There were wild beasts roaming in the forests, and the remains of a race of giants in dens and caves monsters as diverse from humanity as the wolves. Brutus and his followers attacked all these occupants B.C.800.J THE BRITONS. 19 Giants and wild beasts. Situation and extent of Great Britain. of the land. They drove the wild beasts into the mountains of Scotland and Wales, and kill- ed the giants. The chief of them, whose name was Gogmagog. was hurled by one of Brutus's followers from the summit of one of the chalky cliffs which bound the island into the sea. The island of Great Britain is in the latitude of Labrador, which on our side of the continent is the synonym for almost perpetual ice and snow ; still these wandering Trojans found it i region of inexhaustible verdure, fruitfulness, and beauty ; and as to its extent, though often, in modern times, called a little island, they found its green fields and luxuriant forests ex- tending very far and wide over the sea. A length of nearly six hundred miles would seem almost to merit the name of continent, and the dimensions of this detached outpost of the hab- itable surface of the earth would never have been deemed inconsiderable, had it not been that the people, by the greatness of their ex- ploits, of which the whole world has been the theater, have made the physical dimensions of their territory appear so small and insignificant in comparison. To Brutus and his companions the land appeared a world. It was nearly four hundred miles in breadth at the place where 20 ALFRED THE GREAT. [B.C. 800 Fertility and beauty of the Island Successors of Brubu they landed, and, wandering northward, thej found it extending, in almost undirninished beauty and fruitfulness, further than they had the disposition to explore it. They might havfl gone northward until the twilight scarcely dis. appeared in the summer nights, and have found the same verdure and beauty continuing to the md. There were broad and undulating plains in the southern regions of the island, and in the northern, green mountains and romantic glens ; but all, plains, valleys, and mountains, were fer- tile and beautiful, and teeming with abundant sustenance for flocks, for herds, and for man. Brutus accordingly established himself upon the island with all his followers, and founded a Kingdom there, over which he reigned as the founder of a dynasty. Endless tales are told of the lives, and exploits, and quarrels of his suc- cessors down to the time of Caesar. Conflict- ing claimants arose continually to dispute with each other for the possession of power ; wars were made by one tribe upon another ; cities, as they were called though probably, in fact, they were only rude collections of hovels were built, fortresses were founded, and rivers were named from princes or princesses drowned ID them, *Ji accidental journeys, or by the violence B.C. 800.] THE BRITONS. 21 rle and legends. The itory of King Leax. of rival claimants to their thrones. The pre- tended records contain a vast number of le- gends, of very little interest or value, as the rpaier will readily admit when we tell him that Ihe famous story of King Lear is the most en- tertaining one hi the whole collection. It is this : There was a king in the line named Lear. He founded the city now called Leicester. He had three daughters, whose names were Gonil- la, Regana, and Cordiella. Cordiella was her father's favorite child. He was, however, jeal- ous of the affections of them all, and one day he called them to bun, and asked them for some assurance of their love. The two eldest re- eoonded by making the most extravagant prot- estations. They loved their father a thousand times better than their own souls. They could not express, they said, the ardor and strength of their attachment, and called Heaven and earth to witness that these protestations were incere. Cordiella, all this time, stood meekly and si- lently by, and when her father asked her how it was with her, she replied, "Father, my love toward you is as my duty bids. What can a father ask, or a daughter promise more ? They who pretend beyond this only flatter." 22 ALFRED THE GREAT. [B C. 800. Honest troth and empty professions. Ingratitude of Lear's daughter* The king, who was old and childish, wai much pleased with the manifestation of love of- fered by Gonilla and Regana, and thought that the honest Cordiella was heartless and cold He treated her with greater and greater neg- lect and finally decided to leave her without any portion whatever, while he divided his kingdom between the other two, having pre- viously married them to princes of high rank. Cordiella was, however, at last made choice of for a wife by a French prince, who, it seems, knew better than the old king how much more to be relied upon was unpretending and honest truth than empty and extravagant profession He married the portionless Cordiella, and took her with him to the Continent. The old king now having given up his king- dom to his eldest daughters, they managed, by artifice and maneuvering, to get every thing else away from him, so that he became wholly dependent upon them, and had to live witb them by turns. This was not all ; for, at the instigation of their husbands, they put so many indignities and affronts upon him, that his life at length became an intolerable burden, and finally he was compelled to leave the realm al- together, and in his destitution and distress he AD. 63.] THE BRITONS. 23 Julius Ctesar. Hi conquest of Great Britain. wont for refuge and protection to his rejected daughter Cordiella. She received her fathei with the greatest alacrity and affection. She raised an army to restore him to his rights, and went in person with him to England to assist him in recovering them. She was successful. The old king took possession of his throne again, and reigned in peace for the remainder of his days. The story is of itself nothing very re- markable, though Shakspeare has immortalized it by making it the subject of one of his trag- edies. Centuries passed away, and at length the great Julius Caesar, who was extending the Roman power in every direction, made his way across the Channel, and landed in England. The particulars of this invasion are described in our history of Julius Caesar. The Romans retained possession of the island, in a greater or less degree, for four hundred years. They did not, however, hold it in peace aU this time. They became continually involved in difficulties and contests with the native Brit- ons, who could ill brook the oppressions of such merciless masters as Roman generals always proved in the provinces which they pretended to govern. One of the most formidable rebell- 24 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D, 63 Queen Boadkea. Her penon and chaf actei ions that the Romans had to encounter during their disturbed and troubled sway in Britain was led on by a woman. Her name was Boa- dicea. Boadicea, like almost all other heroines, was coarse and repulsive in appearance. She was tall and masculine in form. The tones of her voice were harsh, and she had the counte- nance of a savage. Her hair was yellow. It might have been beautiful if it had been neatly arranged, and had shaded a face which possess- ed the gentle expression that belongs properly to woman. It would then have been called golden. As it was, hanging loosely below her waist and streaming in the wind, it made the wearer only look the more frightful. Still, Bo- adicea was not by any means indifferent to the appearance she made in the eyes of beholders. She evinced her desire to make a favorable im- pression upon others, in her own peculiar way, it is true, but in one which must have been ef- fective, considering what sort of beholders they were in whose eyes she figured. She wat dressed in a gaudy coat, wrought of various col- ors, with a sort of mantle buttoned over it. She wore a great gold chain about her neck, and held an ornamented spear in her hand. Thus equipped, she appeared at the head of an army A.D. 63.] THE BRITONS. 25 Death of Boadieea. Final labjngatton cf the Briton* of a hundred thousand men, and gathering them around her, she ascended a mound of earth and harangued them that is, as many as could stand within reach of her voice arousing them to sentiments of revenge against their hated op- pressors, and urging them to the highest pitch of determination and courage for the approach- ing struggle. Boadicea had reason to deem the Romans her implacable foes. They had robbed her of her treasures, deprived her of her king- dom, imprisoned her, scourged her, and inflict- ed the worst possible injuries upon her daugh- ters. These things had driven the wretched mother to a perfect phrensy of hate, and arous- ed her to this desperate struggle for redress and revenge. But all was in vain. In encounter- ing the spears of Roman soldiery, she was en- countering the very hardest and sharpest steel that a cruel world could furnish. Her army was conquered, and she killed herself by taking poison in her despair. By struggles such as these the contest be- tween the Romans and the Britons was carried on for many generations ; the Romans conquer ing at every trial, until, at length, the Britons learned to submit without further resistance to their sway. In fact, there gradually came upon 26 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.200 The Picte and Scots. Their depredation* the stage, during the progress of these centu- ries, a new power, acting as an enemy to both the Picts and Scots ; hordes of lawless baroa rians, who inhabited the mountains and mo* rasses of Scotland and Ireland. These terrible savages made continual irruptions into the southern country for plunder, burning and de- stroying, as they retired, whatever they could not carry away. They lived in impregnable and almost inaccessible fastnesses, among dark glens and precipitous mountains, and upon gloomy islands surrounded by iron-bound coasts and stormy seas. The Roman legions made repeated attempts to hunt them out of these re- treats, but with very little success. At length a line of fortified posts was established across the island, near where the boundary line now lies between England and Scotland ; and by guarding this line, the Roman generals who had charge of Britain attempted to protect the inhabitants of the southern country, who had learned at length to submit peaceably to theii way. One of the most memorable events which oc- curred during the time that the Romans held possession of tne island of Britain was the visit of one of the emperors to this northern extrem- A.D.206.] THE BRITONS 27 VUit of the Emperor Severus. Hl dissolute ion*. ity of his dominions. The name of this em- peror was Severus. He was powerful and pros- perous at home, but his life was embittered by one great calamity, the dissolute character and the perpetual quarrels of his sons. To remove them from Rome, where they disgraced both themselves and their father by their vicious lives, and the ferocious rivalry and hatred they bore to each other, Severus planned an excur- sion to Britain, taking them with him, in the hope of turning their minds into new channels of thought, and awakening in them some new and nobler ambition. At the time when Severus undertook thi* expedition, he was advanced in age and very infirm. He suffered much from the gout, so that he was unable to travel by any ordinary conveyance, and was borne, accordingly, almost all the way upon a litter. He crossed the Chan- nel with his army, and, leaving one of his sons in command in the south part of the island, he advanced with the other, at the head of an enor- mous force, determined to push boldly forward into the heart of Scotland, and to bring the war with the Picts and Soots to an effectual end. He met, however, with very partial success, His soldiers became ei tangled in bogs and mo- 25 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.206 Ba*e conduct of Baseianus. His interview with hi* father rasses ; they fell into ambuscades ; they suffer- ed every degree of privation and hardship for want of water and of food, and were continuallj antrapped by their enemies in situations where they had to fight in small numbers and at a great disadvantage. Then, too, the aged and feeble general was kept in a continual fever of anxiety and trouble by Bassianus, the son whom he had brought with him to the north. The dissoluteness and violence of his character were not changed by the change of scene. He form- ed plots and conspiracies against his father's authority ; he raised mutinies in the army ; he headed riots ; and he was finally detected in a plan for actually assassinating his father. Se- verus, when he discovered this last enormity of wickedness, sent for his son to come to his im- perial tent. He laid a naked sword before him, and then, after bitterly reproaching him with his undutiful and ungrateful conduct, he said, " If you wish to kill me, do it now. Here I tand, old, infirm, and helpless. You are young and strong, and can do it easily. I am ready Strike the blow." Of course Bassianus shrunk from his father's reproaches, and went away without commit- ting the crime to which he was thus reproach- A..D.206.J THE BRITONS. 29 Pear* w'th the Plcto and Soot*. The Wall of S0r*nu fully invited ; but his character remained un- changed; and this constant trouble, added to ail the other difficulties which Severus encoun- tered, prevented his accomplishing his object of thoroughly conquering his northern foes. He made a sort of peace with them, and retiring south to the line of fortified posts which had been previously established, he determined to make it a fixed and certain boundary by build- ing upon it a permanent wall. He put the whole force of his army upon the work, and in one or two years, as is said, he completed the structure. It is known in history as the Wall of Severus ; and so solid, substantial, and per- manent was the work, that the traces of it have not entirely disappeared to the present day. The wall extended across the island, from the mouth of the Tyne, on the German Ocean, to the Solway Frith nearly seventy miles. It was twelve feet high, and eight feet wide. It was faced with substantial masonry on both tides, the intermediate space being likewise fill- ed in with stone. When it crossed bays or mo- rasses, piles were driven to serve as a founda- tion. Of course, such a wall as this, by itself, would be no defense. It was to be garrisoned by soldiers, being intended, in fact, only as a 40 ALFRED THE OR* AT. (A.D.200 tdoni. Castle*. Twreto. Ditch. Military road means to enable a smaller number of troops than would otherwise be necessary to guard thn line. For these soldiers there were built groat fortresses at intervals along the wall, wherever * situation was found favorable for such struct- ures. These were called stations. The sta- tions were occupied by garrisons of troops, and small towns of artificers and laborers soon sprung up around them. Between the stations, at smaller intervals, were other smaller fortress- es called castles, intended as places of defense, and rallying points in case of an attack, but not for garrisons of any considerable number of men. Then, between the castles, at smaller intervals still, were turrets, used as watch-tow- ers and posts for sentinels. Thus the whole Jine of the wall was every where defended by armed men. The whole number thus employ- ed in, the defense of this extraordinary rampart was said to be ten thousand. There was a broad, deep, and continuous ditch on the north- ern side of the wall, to make the impediment still greater for the enemy, and a spacious and weli-constructed military road on the southern side, on which troops, stores, wagons, and bag- gage of every kind could be readily transported along the line, from one end to the other. A..D. 435.J THE BRITONS. 33 Decline of the Roman empire. Distress of the Krtton*. The wall was a good defense as long as Ro- man soldiers remained to guard it. But in pro- cess of time about two centuries after Seve- rus's day the Roman empire itself began to decline, even in the very seat and center of its power ; and then, to preserve their own capital from destruction, the government were obliged V> call their distant armies home. The wall was left to the Britons ; but they could not de- fend it. The Picts and Scots, finding out the change, renewed their assaults. They battered down the castles ; they made breaches here and there in the wall ; they built vessels, and, pass- ing round by sea across the mouth of the Sd way Frith and of the River Tyne, they renew- ed their old incursions for plunder and destruc- tion. The Britons, in extreme distress, sent again and again to recall the Romans to their aid, and they did, in fact, receive from them some occasional and temporary succor. At length, however, all hope of help from this quarter failed, and the Britons, finding their condition desperate, were compelled to resort to ft desperate remedy, the nature of which wiL be explained in the next chapter. 243 34 ALFRED THE IJTRE^T. [A.D. 449 Constitutional and connate differences among men. CHAPTER II. THE ANGLO-SAXONS AN"Y one who will look around upon the families of his acquaintance will observe that family characteristics and resemblances prevail not only in respect to stature, form, ex- pression of countenance, and other outward and bodily tokens, but also in regard to the consti- tutional temperaments and capacities of the soul. Sometimes we find a group in which high intellectual powers and great energy of action prevail for many successive generations, and in all the branches into which the original stock divides ; in other cases, the hereditary tendency is to gentleness and harmlessness of character, with a full development of all the feelings and sensibilities of the soul. Others, again, exhibit congenital tendencies to great physical strength and hardihood, and to powe of muscular exertion and endurance. These differences, notwithstanding all the exceptions and irregularities connected with them, are ob- viously, where thev exist, deeply seated and AD. 449] THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 35 Characteristics of nation*. Fire great race* permanent. Tiny depend very slightly upon any mere external causes. They have, on the contrary, their foundation in some hidden prin- ciples connected with the origin of life, and with the mode of its transmission from parent to offspring, which the researches of philoso- phers have never yet been able to explore. These same constitutional and congenital pe- culiarities which we see developing themselves all around us in families, mark, on a greater scale, the characteristics of the different nations of the earth, and in a degree much higher still, the several great and distinct races into which the whole human family seems to be divided. Physiologists consider that there are five of these great races, whose characteristics, mental as well as bodily, are distinctly, strongly, and permanently marked. These characteristics descend by hereditary succession from father to bon, and though education and outward influ- ences may modify them, they can not essen- tially change them. Compare, for examp'e, the Indian and the African races, each of which hf * occupied for a thousand years a continent of its own, where they have been exposed to the same variety of climates, and as far as possible to the same general outward influences. 36 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.449 Differences of race*. The Caucasian* entirely diverse from 3ach other they are, not only in form, color, and other physical marks, but in all the tendencies and characteristics of the soul ! One can no more be changed into the other, than a wolf, by being tamed and do- mesticated, can be made a dog, or a dog, by being driven into the forests, be transformed into a tiger. The difference is still greater be- tween either of these races and the Caucasian race. This race might probably be called the European race, were it not that some Asiatic and some African nations have sprung from it, as the Persians, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Carthaginians, and, in modern times, the "Turks. All the nations of this race, whether European or African, have been distinguished by the same physical marks in the conformation of the head and the color of the skin, and still more by those traits of character the intellect, the energy, the spirit of determination and pride which, far from owing their existence to out- ward circumstances, have always, in all ages, made all outward circumstances bend to thru Tnat there have been some great and noble spec- imens of humanity among the African rae, foi example, no one can deny ; but that there is a marked, and fixed, and permanent constitution- A.D. 449.1 THE An GLO-SAXONS. 37 Civilization of the Caucasians. Their permanency al difference between them and the Caucasian race seems evident from this fact, that for two thousand years each has held its own continent, undisturbed, in a great degree, by the rest of mankind; and while, during all this time, no nation of the one race has risen, so far as is known, above the very lowest stage of civiliza- tion, there have been more than fifty entirely distinct and independent civilizations origina- ted and fully developed in the other. For three thousand years the Caucasian race have con- tinued, under all circumstances, and in every variety of situation, to exhibit the same trait* and the same indomitable prowess. No calami ties, however great no desolating wars, no de- structive pestilence, no wasting famine, no night of darkness, however universal and gloomy has ever been ab.e to keep them long in degra- dation or barbarism. There is not now a bar- barous people to be found in the whole race, and there has not been one for a thousand years. Nearly all the great exploits, and achieve- ments too, which have signalized the history of the world, have been performed by this branch of the human family. They have givon celeb- rity to every age in which they have lived, and to every country that they have ever possessed. 38 ALFKED THE GREAT. [A.D. 449 Achievement* of the Caucasians. Ancient and modern Caucasian! by some great deed, or discovery, or achieve- ment, which their intellectual energies have ac- complished. As Egyptians, they built the Pyr amids, and reared enormous monoliths, which remain as perfect now as they were when first completed, thirty centuries ago. As Phoeni- cians, they constructed ships, perfected naviga- tion, and explored, without compass or chart, every known sea. As Greeks, they modeled architectural embellishments, and cut sculpt- ures in marble, and wrote poems and history / which have been ever since the admiration of the world. As Romans, they carried a com- plete and perfect military organization over fifty nations and a hundred millions of people, with one supreme mistress over all, the ruins of whose splendid palaces and monuments have not yet passed away. Thus has this race gone on, always distinguishing itself, by energy, ac- tivity, and intellectual power, wherever it has dwelt, whatever language it has spoken, and in whatever period of the world it has lived. It has invented printing, and filled every country that it occupies with permanent records of the past, accessible to all. It has explored the heavens, and reduced to precise and exact cal* oulations all the complicated motions there. It A.D.449.] THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 39 Bubordinato difference*. How accounted for has ransacked the earth, systematized, arrang- ed, and classified the vast melange of plants, nd animals, and mineral products to be found apon its surface. It makes steam and falling abater do more than half the work necessary for feeding and clothing the human race ; and the howling winds of the ocean, the very emblems of resistless destruction and terror, it steadily employs in interchanging the products of the world, and bearing the means of comfort and plenty to every clime. The Caucasian race has thus, in all ages, and in all the varieties of condition in which the different branches of it have been placed, evinced the same great characteristics, mark- ing the existence of some innate and constant constitutional superiority ; and yet, in the dif- ferent branches, subordinate differences appear, which are to be accounted for, perhaps, partly by difference of circumstances, and partly, per- haps, by similar constitutional diversities di versities by which one branch is distinguished 'rom other branches, as the whole race is frorr the ether races with which we have compared their.. Among these branches, we, Anglo-Sax ons ourselves, claim for the Anglo-Saxons th uperiority over ill the otners 40 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 449 The Anglo- Saxons. Their early qualities The Anglo-Saxons commenced their careei as pirates and robbers, and as pirates and rob- bers of the most desperate and dangerous de- scription. In fact, the character which the An- glo-Saxons have obtained in modern times for energy and enterprise, and for desperate daring in their conflicts with foes, is no recent fame The progenitors of the present race were cele- brated every where, and every where feared and dreaded, not only in the days of Alfred, but several centuries before. All the historians of those days that speak of them at all, describe them as universaDy distinguished above their neighbors for their energy and vehemence of character, their mental and physical superior- ity, and for the wild and daring expeditions to which their spirit of enterprise and activity were continually impelling them. They built ves- sels, in which they boldly put forth on the wa- ters of the German Ocean or of the Baltic Sea on excursions for conquest or plunder. Like their present posterity on the British isles and on the shores of the Atlantic, they cared not, in these voyages, whether it was summer or win ter, calm or storm. In fact, they sailed often in tempests and storms by choice, so as to aome apon their enemies the more unexpectedly v/ S\ON MILITARY CHIKF D.449.] THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 43 Cor rage and enterprise of the Anglo-Saxons. Their nautical exploit*. They would build small vessels, or rather boats, of osiers, covering them with skins, and in fleets of these frail floats they would sally forth among the howling winds and foaming surges of the German Ocean. On these expeditions, they all embarked as in a common cause, and felt a common interest. The leaders shared in all the toils and exposures of the men, and the men took part in the counsels and plans of the leaders. Their intelligence and activity, and their resistless courage and ardor, combined with their cool and calculating sagacity, made them successful in every attempt. If they fought, they conquered ; if they pursMed their enemies, they were sure to overtake them ; if they retreated, they were sure to makt their escape. They were clothed in a loose and flow- ing dress, and wore their hair long and hang- ing about their shoulders ' and they had the art, as their descendants have now, of contriv- ing and fabricating arms of such superior con- struction and workmanship, as to give them, on this account alone, a great advantage ovei all ootemporary nations. There were two other points in which there was a remarkable simi- larity between this parent stock in its rude, ear- ..V form, and the extended social progeny which 44 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 449 Conjugal fidelity. Pride and love of power. represents it at the present day. One was the extreme strictness* of their ideas of conjugal fidelity, and the st^rn ana rigid severity with which ail violations of femalb virtue were judg- ed. The woman who violated her marriage vows was compelled to aang herself. Her body wus then burned in public, and the accomplice 3f her crime was executed over the ashes. The other point of resemblance net ween the ancient Anglo-Saxon? and their modern descendants was their indomitable pride. They could never endure any thing like submission. Though sometimes .overpowered, they were uever con- quered. Though taken prisoners and carrie> captive, the indomitable soirit which animated them could never oe rezJ'v subdued. The Ro- mans used sometime t, to compel their prisoners to fight as gladiators, to make spectacles for the amusement of the people of the city. On one occasion, thirty Anglo - Saxons, who had been taken captive and were reserved for this (ate, strangled themselves rather than submit to this indignity. The whole nation manifest- ed on all occasions a very unbending and un- submissive will, encountering every possible danger and braving every conceivable ill rath- er than succumb or submit to any power ex- A.D.44y.| THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 45 Lending of the Anglo-Saxons. Commencement of English history cept such as they had themselves created fat their own ends ; and their descendants, whetfc er in England or America, evince much the ame spirit still. It was the landing of a few boat-loads of theso determined and ferocious barbarians on a small island near the mouth of the Thames, which constitutes the great event of the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in England, which is so celebrat- ed in English history as the epoch which marks the real and true beginning of British great- ness and power. It is true that the history of England goes back beyond this period to nar- rate, as we have done, the events connected with the contests of the Romans and the abo- riginal Britons, and the incursions and maraud- ings of the Picts and Scots ; but all these abo- rigines passed gradually after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons off the stage. The old stock was wholly displaced. The present mon- archy has sprung entirely from its Anglo-Saxon o'iginnl ; so that all which precedes the arrival of this new race is introductory and preliminary, like the history, in this country, of the native American tribes before the coming of the Eki- glish Pilgrims. As, therefore, the landing of the Pilgrims on the Plymc uth Rock marks the 46 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.411* The three ships. Number of adventurers true commencement of the history of the Amer- ican Republic, so * of the Anglo-Saxon ad- venturers on the island of Thanet represents and marks the origin of the British monarchy. The event therefore, stands as a great and conspicuous landmark, though now dim and distant in the remote antiquity in which it oc- curred. And yet the event, though so wide-reaching and grand in its bearings and relations, and in the vast consequences which have flowed and which still continue to flow from it, was appa- rently a minute and unimportant circumstance at the time when it occurred. There were only three vessels at the first arrival. Of their size and character the accounts vary. Some of these accounts say they contained three hund- red men ; others seem to state that the number which arrived at the first landing was three thousand. This, however, would seem impos- sible, as no three vessels built in those days could convey so large a number. We must suppose, therefore, that that number is meant to include those who came at several of the ear lier expeditions, and which were grouped by the historian together, or else that several other vessels or transports accompanied the three, A..D.449.] THE ANGLO- A XONS. 4? Vessels of the Anglo-Saxon*. Hengist and Hon* which history has specially commemorated aa the first arriving. In fact, very little can now be known in re- pect to the form and capacity of the vessels in which these half-barbarous navigators roamed, in those days, over the British seas. Their name, indeed, has come down to us, and tha* is nearly all. They were called cyules; though the name is sometimes spelled, in the ancient chronicles, ceols, and in other ways. They were obviously vessels of considerable capacity and were of such construction and such strength as to stand the roughest marine exposures They were accustomed to brave fearlessly ev- ery commotion and to encounter every danger raised either by winter tempests or summer gales in the restless waters of the German Ocean. The names of the commanders who headed the expedition which first landed have been pre- served, and they have acquired, as might have been expected, a very wide celebrity. They were Hengist and Horsa. Hengist and Horsa were brothers. The place where they landed was the island of Thanet. Thanet is a tract of land at the nouth of the Thames, on the southern side ; a 48 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 449 Fhe place of landing. The island of Thanet sort of promontory extending into the sea, and forming the cape at the south side of the estu- ary made by the mouth of the river. The ex- treme point of land is called the North Fore- land which, as it is the point that thousands of vessels, coming out of the Thames, have to round in proceeding southward on voyages to France, to the Mediterranean, to the Indies, and to America, is very familiarly known to navigators throughout the world. The island of Thanet, of which this North Foi eland is the extreme point, ought scarcely to be called an island, since it forms, in fact, a portion of the main land, being separated from it only by a narrow creek or stream, which in former ages indeed, was wide and navigable, but is now nearly choked up and obliterated by the sands and the sediment, which, after being brought down by the Thames, are driven into the creek by the surges of the sea. In the time of Hengist and Horsa the creek ras so considerable that its mouth furnished a sufficient harbor for their vessels. They landed at a town called Ebbs-fleet, which is now, how ever, at some distance inland. There is some uncertainty in respect to the motive which led Hengist and Horsa to make A.D 449.] THE ANGLO-SAXCK*. 49 Objects of Hengigt and Horsa. Vortigera. their first descent upon the English coast. Whether they came on one of their customary piratical expeditions, or were driven on the coast accidentally by stress of weather, or were invited to come by the British king, can not now be accurately ascertained. Such parties of Anglo-Saxons had undoubtedly often landed before under somewhat similar circumstances and then, after brief incursions into the interio- had re-embarked on board their ships and sailed away. In this case, however, there was a cer- tain peculiar nd extraordinary state of things in the political condition of the country in which they had landed, which resulted in first protract- ing their stay, and finally in establishing them so fixedly and permanently in the land, that they and their followers and descendants soon became the entire masters of it. and have re- mained in possession to the present day. These circumstances were as follows : The name of the king of Britain at this peri- od was Vortigern. At the time when the An- glo-Saxons arrived, he and his government were nearly overwhelmed with the pressure of diffi- culty and danger arising from the incursions of the Picts and Scots ; and Vortigern, instead of being aroused to redoubled vigilance and energy 244 50 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.449 Character of Vortigern. He seeks the aaiiBtancn of the Anglo-Saxon* by the imminence of the danger, as Alfred aft- erward was in similar circumstances, sank down, as weak minds always do, in despair, and gave himself up to dissipation and vice- end aavoring, like depraved seamen on a wreck, tc drown his mental distress in animal sensa- tions of pleasure. Such men are ready to seek relief or rescue from their danger from any quarter and at any price. Vortigern, instead of looking upon the Anglo-Saxon intruders as new enemies, conceived the idea of appealing to them for succor. He offered to convey to them a large tract of territory in the part of the island where they had landed, on condition of their aiding him in his contests with his other foes. Hengist and Horsa acceded to this proposal. They marched their followers into battle, and defeated Vortigern's enemies. They sent across the sea to their native land, and invited new ad- venturers to join them. Vortigern was greatly pleased with the success of his expedient. The Picts and Scots were driven back to their fast- nesses in the remote mountains of the north, and the Britons once more possessed their land in peace, by means of the protection and the aid which their new confederates afforded them AD. 449.] THE ANGLO-SAXONS 51 Increase of the Anglo-Saxon*. Story of Rowena. In the mean time the Anglo-Saxons were establishing and strengthening themselves ver^ rapidly in the part of the island which Vorti gern had assigned them which was, as the reader will understand from what has already been said in respect to the place of their land- ing, the southeastern part a region which now constitutes the county of Kent. In addition, too, to the natural increase of their power from the increase of their numbers and their military force, Hengist contrived, if the story is true, to swell his own personal influence by means of a matrimonial alliance which he had the adroit- ness to effect. He had a daughter named Row- ena. She was very beautiful and accomplish- ed. Hengist sent for her to come to England When she had arrived he made a sumptuous entertainment for King Vortigern, inviting alo to it, of course, many other distinguished guests. In the midst of the feast, when the king was in the state of high excitement pro- duced on such temperaments by wino and con vivial pleasure, Rowena came in to offer him more wine. Vortigern was powerfully struck, as Hengist had anticipated, with her grace and beauty. Learning that she was Hengist'a daughter, he demanded her hand. Hengist at 52 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 449 Power of Hengist and Horsa. Long contest* first declined, but, after sufficiently stimulating the monarch's eagerness by his pretended oppo- sition, he yielded, and the king became the gen- eral's son-in-law. This is the story which some of the old chroniclers tell. Modern historians are divided in resp^t to believing it. Some think it is fact, others fable. At all events, the power of Hengist and Kor- ea gradually increased, as years passed on, until the Britons began to be alarmed at their grow- ing strength and multiplying numbers, and to fear lest these new friends should prove, in the end, more formidable than the terrible enemies whom they had come to expel. Contentions and then open quarrels began to occur, and at length both parties prepared for war. The con- test which soon ensued was a terrible struggle, or rather series of struggles, which continued for two centuries, during which the Anglo-Sax- ons were continually gaining ground and the Britons losing ; the mental and physica. supe- riority of the Anglo-Saxon race giving tiem, with very few exceptions, every where and al- waya the victory. There were, occasionally, intervals of peace, and partial and temporary friendliness. They eiscuse Hengist of great treachery on one of A.D.530.] THK ANGLO-SAXONS. 53 Henglst accused of treachery. Exploits of King Arthur these occasions. He invited his son-in-law, King Vortigern, to a feast, with three hundred of his officers, and then fomenting a quarrel at the entertainment, the Britons were all killed in the affray by means of the superior Saxon force which had been provided for the emer- gency. Vortigern himself was taken prisoner, and held a captive until he ransomed himself by ceding three whole provinces to his captor. Hengist justified this demand by throwing the responsibility of the feud upon his guests ; and it is not, in fact, at all improbable that ther deserved their share of the condemnation. The famous King Arthur, whose Knights of the Round Table have been so celebrated ic ballads and tales, lived and flourished during these wars between the Saxons and the Britons. He was a king of the Britons, and performed wonderful exploits of strength and valor. He was of prodigious size and muscular pow^r, and of undaunted bravery. He slew giant?, de- stroyed the most ferocious wild beasts, gained very splendid victories in the battles that he fought, made long expeditions into foreign coun- tries, having once gone on a pilgrimage to Je- rusalem to obtain the Holy Cross. His wife was a beautiful lady, the daughter of a chieftain 54 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 530 Death of Arthur. His contest* with the Saxon* of Cornwall. Her name was Guenever.* On his return from one of his distant expeditions, he found that his nephew. Medrawd, had won ner affections while he was gone, and a combat ensued in consequence between him and Me drawd. The combat took place on the coast of Cornwall. Both parties fell. Arthur was mor tally wounded. They took him from the field into a boat, and carried him along the coast till they came to a river. They ascended the river till they came to the town of Glastonbury. They committed the still breathing body to the care of faithful friends there ; but the mortal blow had been given. The great hero died, and they buried his body in the Glastonbury church- yard, very deep beneath the surface of the ground, in order to place it as effectually as possible beyond the reach of Saxon rage and vengeance. Arthur had been a deadly and im- placable foe to the Saxons. He had fought twelve great pitched battles with them, in every one of which he had gained the victory In one of these battles he had slain, according to Uie traditional tale, four hundred and seventy men, in one day, with his own hand. Five hundred years after his death, King * Spelled sometimes Gwenlyfar and Ginevra A.D. 530.J THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 55 King Arthur's grave. DiBin torment of his body Henry the Second, having heard from an an. oient British bard that Arthur's body lay inter- red in the Abbey of Glastonbury, and that the spot was marked by some small pyramids erect- sd near it. and that the body would be found in a rude coffin made of a hollowed oak, ordered search to be made. The ballads and tales which had been then, for several centuries, cir- culating throughout England, narrating and praising King Arthur's exploits, had given him so wide a fame, that great interest was felt in the recovery and the identification of his re- mains. The searchers found the pyramids in the cemetery of the abbey. They dug between them, and came at length to a stone. Beneath this stone was a leaden cross, with the inscrip- tion in Latin, " HERE LIES BURIED THE BODY OP GREAT KING ARTHUR." Going down still below this, they came at length, at the depth of six- teen feet from the surface, to a great comn, made of the trunk of an oak tree, and within it was a hdman skeleton of unusual size. The skull was very large, and showed marks of ten wounds. Nine of them were closed by concre- tions of the bone, indicating that the wounds by which those contusions or fracture? had been made had been healed while life continued 56 A JUF RED THE GREAT. [A.D 530 Bonei of Arthur's wife. Historic doubt* The tenth fracture remained in a condition which showed that that had been the mortal Around. The bones of Arthur's wife were found near those of her husband. The hair was apparent- ly perfect when found, having all the freshness and beauty of life ; but a monk of the abbey, who was present at the disinterment, touched it and it crumbled to dust. Such are the tales which the old chronicles tell of the good King Arthur, the last and great- est representative of the power of the ancient British aborigines. It is a curious illustration of the uncertainty which attends all the early records of national history, that, notwithstand- ing all the above particularity respecting the jife and death of Arthur, it is a serious matter of dispute among the learned in modern times whether any such person ever lived. A.D. 450-850.] THE DANES. 57 Final fubjugation of the Briton*. The Saxon Heptarcfcf CHAPTER III. THE DANES. fllHE landing of Hengist and Horsa, the first -* of the Anglo-Saxons, took place in the year 449, according to the commonly received chro- nology. It was more than two hundred years after this before the Britons were entirely sub- dued, and the Saxon authority established throughout the island, unquestioned and su- preme. One or two centuries more passed away, and then the Anglo-Saxons had, in their turn, to resist a new horde of invaders, who came, as they themselves had done, across the German Ocean. These new invaders were the Danes. The Saxons were not united under one gen- eral government when they came finally to get settled in their civil polity. The English ter- ritory was divided, on the contrary, into seven or eight separate kingdoms. These kingdoms were ruled by as many separate dynasties, or lines of kings. They were connected with each other by friendly relations and alliances, mor 58 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 45O-850. Boldness and energy of the Saxons. Story of a Saxci princeM or less intimate, the whole system being known in history by the name of the Saxon Heptarchy The princes of these various dynasties show- ed in their dealings with one another, and in their relations with foreign powers, the same characteristics of boldness and energy as had always marked the action of the race.. Even the queens and princesses evinced, by their courage and decision, that Anglo-Saxon blood lost nothing of its inherent qualities by flowing in female veins. For example, a very extraordinary story is told of one of these Saxon princesses. A cer- tain king upon the Continent, whose dominions lay between the Rhine and the German Ocean, had proposed for her hand in behalf of his son, whose name was Radiger. The consent of the princess was given, and the contract closed. The king himself soon afterward died, but be- fore he died he changed his mind in respect to the marriage of his son. It seems that he had himself married a second wife, the daughter of a king of the Franks, a powerful continental people ; and as, in consequence of his own ap- proaching death, his son would come unexpect- edly into possession of the throne, and would need immediately all the support which a pow A.D. 450-850.] THE DANES. 59 Faithlessness of Radiger. Indignation of the princess erful alliance could give him, he recommended to him to give up the Saxon princess, and con- nect himself, instead, with the Franks, as he himself had done. The prince entered into these views; his father died, and he immedi- ately afterward married his father's youthful widow his own step-mother a union which, however monstrous it would be regarded in our day, seems not to have been considered any thing very extraordinary then. The Anglo-Saxon princess was very indig- nant at this violation of his plighted faith on the part of her suitor. She raised an army and equipped a fleet, and set sail with the force which she had thus assembled across the Ger- man Ocean, to call the faithless Radiger to ac- count. Her fleet entered the mouth of the Rhine, and her troops landed, herself at the head of them. She then divided her army into two portions, keeping one division as a guard for herself at her own encampment, which eb"* sstablished near the place of her landing, while she sent the other portion to seek and attack Radiger, who was, in the mean time, assem- bling his forces, in a state of great alarm at this sudden and unexpected danger. In due time this division returned, reporting 60 ALFRED THE GREAT. [AJX 450--550 Radiger a prisoner. He marries the princes* that they had met and encountered Radiger, and had entirely defeated him. They came back triumphing in their victory, considering evidently, that the faithless lover had been well punished for his offense. The princess, how- ever, instead of sharing in their satisfaction, ordered them to make a new incursion into the interior, and not to return without bringing Radiger with them as their prisoner. They did so ; and after hunting the defeated and dis- tressed king from place to place, they succeed- ed, at last, in seizing him in a wood, and brought him in to the princess's encampment He began to plead for his life, and to make ex- cuses for the violation of his contract by urging the necessities of his situation and his father's dying commands. The princess said she was ready to forgive him if he would now dismiss her rival and fulfill his obligations to her. Rad- iger yielded to this demand ; he repudiated his Frank wife, and married the Anglo-Saxon lady in her stead. Though the Anglo-Saxon race continued thus to evince in all their transactions the same ex- traordinary spirit and energy, and met gener ally with the same success that had character- ized them at the beginning, they seemed a* A.D. 450-850.] THE DANES. 61 The Danes. Their habits and character length to find their equals in the Danes. These Danes, however, though generally designated by that appellation in history, were not exclu- sively the natives of Denmark. They came from all the shores of the Northern and Baltic Seas. In fact, they inhabited the sea rathei than the land. They were a race of bold and tierce naval adventurers, as the Anglo-Saxons themselves had been two centuries before. Most extraordinary accounts are given of their hardihood, and of their fierce and predatory habits. They haunted the bays along the coasts of Sweden and Norway, and the islands which tncumber the entrance to the Baltic Sea. They were banded together in great hordes, each rul- ed by a chieftain, who was called a sea king, because his dominions scarcely extended at all to the land. His possessions, his power, his subjects pertained all to the sea. It is true they built or bought their vessels on the shore, and they sought shelter among the islands and in the bays in tempests and storms ; but they prided themselves in never dwelling in houses. or sharing, in any way, the comforts or enjoy- ments of the land. They made excursions ev- ery where for conquest and plunder, and were proud of thair successful deeds of violence and 62 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.450-8oO Piratical habits of the Danes. Younger song of noble* wrong. It was honorable to enter into theii service. Chieftains and nobles who dwelt upon the land sent their sons to acquire greatness, and wealth, and fame by joining these piratical gangs, just as high-minded military or naval officers, in modern times, would enter into the service of an honorable government abroad. Besides the great leaders of the most power ful of these bands, there was an infinite num- ber of petty chieftains, who commanded single ships or small detached squadrons. These were generally the younger sons of sovereigns or chieftains who lived upon the land, the elder brothers remaining at home to inherit the throne or the paternal inheritance. It was dis- creditable then, as it is now in Europe, for anv branches of families of the higher class to en- gage in any pursuit of honorable industry They could plunder and kill without dishonor, but they could not toil. To rob and murder was glory; to do good or to be useful in any way was disgrace. These younger sons went to sea at a very tjarly age too. They were sent often at twelve, that they might become early habituated to the exposures and dangers of their dreadful com- bats, and of the wintery storms, and inured te A.P. 450-850.] THE DANES. 63 Piratical excursions. Booty and ipoil the athletic exertions which the sea rigorously exacts of all who venture within her dominion. When they returned they were received with consideration and honor, or with neglect and disgrace, according as they were more or less laden with booty and spoil. In the summer months the land kings themselves would organ- ize and equip naval armaments for similar ex- peditions. They would cruise along the coasts of the sea, t^ land where they found an un- guarded point, and sack a town or burn a cas- tle, seize treasures, capture men and make them slaves, kidnap women, and sometimes destroy helpless children with their spears in a mannei too barbarous and horrid to be described. On returning to their homes, they would perhaps find their own castles burned and their own dwellings roofless, from the visit of some sim ilar horde. ' Thus the seas of western Europe were cov- ered in those days, aa they are now, with fleets of shipping ; though, instead of being engaged, is now, in the quiet and peaceful pursuits of commerce, freighted with merchandise, manned with harmless seamen, and welcome wherevei they come, they were then loaded only with ammunition and arms, and crowded with fierc* 64 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 450-850 IHgnar Lodbrog. Harald Defeat of Ragnar fcnd reckless robbers, the objects of universa detestation and terror. One of the first of these sea kings whc ao quired sufficient individual distinction to be personally remembered in history has given a ort of immortality, by his exploits, to the very rude name of Ragnar Lodbrog, and his charac- ter was as rude as his name. Ragnar's father was a prince of Norway. He married, however, a Danish princess, and thus Ragnar acquired a sort of hereditary right to a Danish kingdom the territory including various islands and promontories at the en- trance of the Baltic Sea. There was, however, a competitor for this power, named Harald. The Franks made common cause with Harald, Ragnar was defeated and driven away from the land. Though defeated, however, he was not subdued. He organized a naval force, and made himself a sea king. His operations on the stormy element of the seas were conducted with so much decision and energy, and at th same time with so much system and plan, thut his power rapidly extended. He brought the other sea kings under his control, and establish- ed quite a maritime empire. HJ made more more distant excursions, and at last, in or- 245 AX 430-850.J THE DANES. 67 Ragnar invades Prance. Incursion* into Spain. der to avenge himself upon the Franks for their interposition in behalf of his enemy at home, no passed through the Straits of Dover, anci thence down the English Channel to the mouth af the Seine. He ascended this river to Rouen, and there landed, spreading throughout the country the utmost terror and dismay. From Rouen he marched to Paris, finding no force able to resist him on his way, or to defend the capital. His troops destroyed the monastery of St. Germain's, near the city, and then the King of the Franks, finding himself at their mercy, bought them off by paying a large sum of money. With this money and the other booty which they had acquired, Ragnar and his horde now returned to their ships at Rouen, and sailed away again toward their usual haunts among the bays and islands of the Baltic Sea. This exploit, of course, gave Ragnar Lod- brog's barbarous name a very wide celebrity. It tended, too, greatly to increase and establish his power. He afterward made similar incur- sions into Spain, and finally grew bold enough to biive the Anglo-Saxons themselves on the green island of Britain, as the Anglo-Saxons had themselves braved the aboriginal inhabit- ants two or three centuries before. But Rag* fiH ALFRKD THE GRKAT. [ A. D. 450-800 Ragnar'* descent upon England. He loses his ship* nar seems to have found the Anglo-Saxon swords and spears which he advanced to en- counter on landing in England much more for* midable than those which were raised against him on the southern side of the Channel. He was destroyed in the contest. The circum- stances were as follows ; In making his preparations for a descent opon the English coast, he prepared for a very determined contest, knowing well the characte* of the foes with whom he would have now to deal. He built two enormous ships, much larger than those of the ordinary size, and arm- ed and equipped them in the most perfect man- ner. He filled them with selected men, and sailing down along the coast of Scotland, he watched for a place and an opportunity to land Winds and storms are almost always raging among the dark and gloomy mountains and isl ands of Scotland. Ragnar's ships were caught u one of these galev and driven on shore. The ships were lost, bn the men escaped to the land. Ragnar, notniuv daunted, organized anc marshaled them as an army, and marched inte the interior to attack any force which might appear against them. His course led him to Northumbria, the most northerly Saxon king* A.D.850.] THE DANES. 6i* Eapiar defeated by the Saxooa. ills eroat dmth. don'.. Here he soon encountered a very large nd superior force, under the command of Ella, uhe king; but, with the reckless desperation which so strongly marked his character, he ad- vanced to attack them. Three times, it is said, he pierced the enemy's lines, cutting his way entirely through them with his little column. He was, however, at length overpowered. His men were cut to pieces, and he was himself taken prisoner. We regret to have to add that our cruel ancestors put their captive to death in * very barbarous manner. They filled a den with poisonous snakes, and then drove the wretched Ragnar into it. The horrid reptiles Rilled him with their stings. It was Ella, the king of Northumbria, who ordered and directed this punishment. The expedition of Ragnar thus ended with- out leading to any permanent results in Anglo- Saxon history. It is, however, memorable as the first of a series of invasions from the Danes or Northmen, as they are sometimes called, since they came from all the coasts of the Bal- tic and German. Seas which, in the end, gave the Anglo-Saxons infinite trouble. At one time, in fact, the conquests of the Danes threatened to root out and destroy the Anglo-Saxon powe 70 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 351, Danger of the Saxon*. Other Invasions from the island altogether. They would prob- ably have actually effected this, had the nation not been saved by the prudence, the courage, the sagacity, and the consummate skill of the subject of this history, as will fully appear to the reader in the course of future chapters. Ragnar was not the only one of these North, men who made attempts to land in England and to plunder the Anglo-Saxons, even in his own day. Although there were no very regu- lar historical records kept in those early times, still a great number of legends, and ballads, and ancient chronicles have come down to us, narrating the various transactions which occur- red, and it appears by these that the sea kings generally were beginning, at this time, to har- ass the English coasts, as well as all the other shores to which they could gain access. Some of these invasions would seem to have been of a very formidable character. At first these excursions were made in tha summer season only, and, after collecting thoil plunder, the marauders would return in the au- tumn to their own shores, and winter in the ,bays and among the islands there. At length, nowever, they grew more bold. A large band of them landed, in the autumn of 851, on the A.D.85L] THE DANES. 71 Plunder of London and other placet. Defeat of the Dane* island of Thanet where the Saxons themselves had landed four centuries before, and began very coolly to establish their winter quarters on English ground. They succeeded in maintain- ing their stay during the winter, and in the spring were prepared for bolder undertakings still. They formed a grand confederation, and col- lected a fleet of three hundred and fifty ships, galleys, and boats, and advanced boldly up the Thames. They plundered London, and then marched south to Canterbury, which they plun- dered too. They went thence into one of the Anglo. Saxon kingdoms called Mercia, the in- habitants of the country not being able to op- pose any effectual obstacle to their marauding march. Finally, a great Anglo-Saxon force was organized and brought out to meet them. The battle was fought in a forest of oaks, and the Danes were defeated. The victory, how- ever, afforded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms only a temporary relief. New hordes were contin- ually arriving and landing, growing more and more bold if they met with success, and but lit* tie daunted or discouraged by temporary fail, ares. The most formidable of all these expedition! 72 ALFRED THE GREAT [A.D. 851 Tbe ona and relative of Ragnar. Their plans and preparation*. was one organized and commanded by the sona and relatives of Ragnar, whom, it will be rec- ollected, the Saxons had cruelly killed by pois* jnous serpents in a dungeon or den. The rel- atives of the unhappy chieftain thus barbar- ously executed were animated in their enter- prise by the double stimulus of love of plunder and a ferocious thirst for revenge. A consider- able time was spent in collecting a large fleet, and in combining, for this purpose, as many chieftains as could be induced to share in the enterprise. The story of their fellow-country- man expiring under the stings of adders and scorpions, while his tormentors were exulting around him over the cruel agonies which their ingenuity had devised, aroused them to a phren- sy of hatred and revenge. They proceeded, however, very deliberately in their plans. They did nothing hastily. They allowed ample time for th assembling and organizing of the con- federation. When all was ready, they found that there were eight kings and twenty earls ji the alliance, generally the relatives and com- rades of Ragnar. The two most prominent of these commanders were Guthrum and Hubba Hubba was one of Ragnar's sons. At length, toward the close of the summer, the formidable A.D.851.J THE DANES 73 Hie Danes winter in England. Alarm of the Saxons. expedition set sail. They approached the En- glish coast, and landed without meeting with any resistance. The Saxons seemed appalled and paralyzed at the greatness of the danger. Tlie several kingdoms of the Heptarchy, though they had been imperfectly united, some yeara before, under Egbert, were still more or less distinct, and each hoped that the one first in- vaded would be the only one which would suf- fer ; and as these kingdoms were rivals, and often hostile to each other, no general league was formed against what soon proved to be the common enemy. The Danes, accordingly, qui- etly encamped, and made calm and deliberate arrangements for spending the winter in their new quarters, as if they were at home. During all this time, notwithstanding the coolness and deliberation with which these avengers of their murdered countryman acted, the fires of their resentment and revenge were slowly but steadily burning, and as soon as the spring opened, they put themselves in battle array, and marched into the dominions of Ella. Ella did all that it was possible to do to meet and oppose them, but the spirit of retaliation and rage which his cruelties had evoked wai too strong to be resisted. His country was rav 74 ALFRED THE GRE&T. [A..D. 867 Horrible death of Ella. Raraget of the Dane* aged, his army was defeated, he was taken prisoner, and the dying terrors and agonies of Ragnar among the serpents were expiated by tenfold worse tortures which they inflicted upon Ella's mutilated body, by a process too horrible to be described. After thus successfully accomplishing the great object of their expedition, it was to have been hoped that they would leave the island and return to their Danish homes. But they evinced no disposition to do this. On the con- trary, they commenced a course of ravage and conquest in all parts of England, which con- tinued for several years. The parts of the coun- try which attempted to oppose them they de- stroyed by fire and sword. They seized cities, garrisoned and occupied them, and settled in them as if to make them their permanent homes. One kingdom after another was sub- dued. The kingdom of Wessex seemed alone to remain, and that was the subject of contest Ethelred was the king. The Danes advanced into his dominions to attack him. In the bat- tle that ensued, Ethelred was killed. The suc- cessor to his throne was his brother Alfred, the subject of this history, who thus found himself suddenly and unexpectedly called upon to a* A.D.867.] THE DANES. 76 Alfred. His sudden elevation to pi sume the responsibilities and powers of supreme command, in as dark and trying a crisis of na- tional calamity and danger as can well be con ceived. The manner in which Alfred acted in the emergency, rescuing his country from her perils, and laying the foundations, as he did, of all the greatness and glory which has since ac- crued to her, has caused his memory to be held in the highest estimation among all nations, and has immortalized his name. 76 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 850-855 Alfred 8 early life. Influence* under which hi character WM formed CHAPTER IV ALFRED'S EARLY YEARS. BEFORE commencing the narrative of Al- fred's administration of the public affaire of his realm, it is necessary to go back a little, in order to give some account of the more pri- vate occurrences of his early life. Alfred, like Washington, was distinguished for a very ex- traordinary combination of qualities which ex- hibited itself in his character, viz., the combina- tion of great military energy and skill on the one hand, with a very high degree, on the other, of moral and religious principle, and conscien- tious devotion to the obligations of duty. This combination, so rarely found in the distinguish- ed personages which have figured among man- kind, is, in a great measure, explained and ac- counted for, in Alfred's case, by the peculiar circumstances of his early history. It was his brother Ethelred, as has already oeen stated, whom Alfred immediately sue- oeeded His father's name was Ethelwolf; and it seems highly probable that the peculiar turn which Alfred's mind seemed to take in after AD. 850-855.] EARLY YEARS. 77 Alfred's father. Ethelwolf. Monasteries years, was the consequence, in some considera- ble degree, of this parent's situation and char- acter. Ethelwolf was a younger son, and was brought up in a monastery at Winchester. The monasteries of those days were the seats ooth of learning and piety, that is, of such learning and piety as then prevailed. The ideas of re- ligious faith and duty which were entertained a thousand years ago were certainly very differ- ent from those which are received now; still, there was then, mingled with much supersti- tion, a great deal of honest and conscientious devotion to the principles of Christian duty, and of sincere and earnest desire to live for the hon- or of God and religion, and for the highest and best welfare of mankind. Monastic establish- ments existed every where, defended by the sa- credness which invested them from the storms of violence and war which swept over every thing which the cross did not protect. To these the thoughtful, the serious, and the intellectual retired, leaving the restless, the rude, and ihe turbulent to distract and terrify the earth with their endless quarrels. Here they studied, thev wrote, they read ; they transcribed books, they kept records, they arranged exercises of devo- tion, they educated youth, and, in a word, pei 78 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.850-S55 Ethel wolf retires to a monastery. He is released from his vows formed, in the inclosed and secluded retreats in which they sought shelter, those intellectual functions of civil life which now can all be per- formed in open exposure, but which in those days, if there had been no monastic retreats to shelter them, could not have been performed at all. For the learning and piety of the present age, whether Catholic or Protestant, to malign the monasteries of Anglo-Saxon times is for the oak to traduce the acorn from which it sprung. Ethelwolf was a younger son, and, conse- quently, did not expect to reign. He went to the monastery at Winchester, and took the vows. His father had no objection to this plan, satisfied with having his oldest son expect and prepare for the throne. As, however, he ad- vanced toward manhood, the thought of the probability that he might be called to the throne in the event of his brother's death led all par- ties to desire that he might be released from hia monastic vows. They applied, accordingly, to the pope for a dispensation. The dispensation was granted, and Ethelwolf became a genera] in the army. In the end his brother died, and he became king. He continued, however, during his reign, to manifest the peaceful, quiet, and serious char- A.D.853.1 EARLY YEARS 79 Ethelwolfi minister. Ethelwolf a reUgiotu habita aoter which had led him to enter the monas tery, and which had probably been strengthen- ed and confirmed by the influences and habit! to which he had been accustomed there. He had, however, a very able, energetic, and war- like minister, who managed his affairs with great ability and success for a long course of years. Ethelwolf, in the mean time, leaving public affairs to his minister, continued to de- vote himself to the pursuits to which his predi iections inclined him. He visited monasteries he cultivated learning ; he endowed the Church ; he made journeys to Rome. All this time, his kingdom, which had before almost swallowed up the other kingdoms of the Heptarchy, be- came more and more firmly established, until, at length, the Danes came in, as is described in the last chapter, and brought the whole land into the most extreme and imminent danger. The case did not, however, become absolutely desperate until after Ethelwolf 's death, as will be hereafter explained. Ethelwolf married a lady whose gentle, quiet* and serious character corresponded with hia own. Alfred was the youngest, and, as is often the case with the youngest, the favorite child He was kept near to his father and mother, ana 80 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 853 Alfred sent to Rome. Pomp of the Vrarney closely under their influence, until his mother died, which event, howuver, took place when he was quite young After this, Ethelwolf sent Alfred to Rome. Rome was still more the great center then than it is now of religion and learning. There were schools there, maintain ed by the various nations of Europe respect- ively, for thvi education of the sons of the no- bility. Alfred, however, did not go for this pur- pose. It was only to make the journey, to see the city, to be introduced to the pope, and to be presented, by means of the fame of the ex- pedition, to the notice of Europe, as the future sovereign of England; for it was Ethelwolf 's intention, at this time, to pass over his older sons, and make this Benjamin his successor on the throne. The journey was made with great pomp and parade. A large train of nobles and ecclesias- tics accompanied the young prince, and a splen- did reception was given to him in the various towns in France which he passed through on his way. He was but five years old ; but hi? position and his prospects made him, tliough so young, a personage of great distinction. After spending a short time at Rome, he returned again to England. A.D. 533.J EARLY YEARS. 81 Kthelwolf goe to Rome. Arrangements for the Journey Two years after this, Ethelwolf, Alfred's fa- ther, determined to go to Rome himself. Hia wife had died, his older sons had grown up, and his own natural aversion to the cares and toils of government seems to have been increas- ed by the alarms and dangers produced by the incursions of the Danes, and by his own ad- vancing years. Having accordingly arranged the affairs of the kingdom by placing his oldest sons in command, he took the youngest, Alfred, who was now seven years old, with him, and, crossing the Channel, landed on the Continent, on his way to Rome. All the arrangements for this journey were conducted on a scale of great magnificence and splendor. It is true that it was a rude and semi-barbarous age, and very little progress had been made in respect to the peaceful and indus- trial arts of life ; but, in respect to the arts con- nected with war, to every thing that related to the march of armies, the pomp and parade of royal progresses, the caparison of horses, the armor and military dresses of men, and the pa- rade and pageantry of military spectacles, a very considerable degree of advancement had been attained. King Ethelwolf availed himself of all the re- 246 82 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 858 Etbelwoirs retinue. Presents to the pope sources that he could command to give eclat to his journey. He had a namerous train of at- tendants and followers, and he carried with him a number of rich and valuable presents for the pope. He was received with great distinc- tion by King Charles of France, through whos dominions he had to pass on his way to Italy Charles had a daughter, Judith, a young girl, with whom Ethelwolf, though now himself quite advanced in life, fell deeply in love. Ethelwolf, after a short stay in France, went on to Rome. His arrival and his visit here at- tracted great attention. As King of England, he was a personage of very considerable conse- quence, and then he came with a large retinue, and in magnificent state. His religious predi- lections, too, inspired him with a very strong interest in the ecclesiastical authorities and in- stitutions of Rome, and awakened, reciprocally, in these authorities, a strong interest in him He made costly presents to the pope, some of which were peculiarly splendid. One was a crown of pure gold, which weighed, it is said, four pounds. Another was a sword, richly mounted in gold. There were also several uten- sils anJ vessels of Saxon form and construction, ome of gold and others of silver gilt, and also A.D.853.J EARLY YEARS. 8;J Distribution of money. Ethelwolf** resource! considerable number of dresses, all very riohiy adorned. King Ethel wolf also made a distri- bution in money to all tne inhabitants of Rome ; gold to the nobles and to the clergy, and silver to the people. How far his munificence on this occasion may have been exaggerated by the Saxon chroniclers, who, of course, like other early historians, were fond of magnifying all the exploits, and swelling, in every way, the fame of the heroes of their stories, we can not now know. There is no doubt, however, that all the circumstances of Ethelwolf 's visit to the great capital were such as to attract universal attention to the event, and to make the little Alfred, on whose account the journey was in a great measure performed, an object of very gen- eral interest and attention. In fact, there is every reason to believe ihat the Saxon nations had, at that time, made such progress in wealth, population, and power as to afford to such a prince as Ethelwolf the means of making a great display, if he chose to do so, on such an occasion as that of a royal progresa through France and a visit to the great city of Rome. The Saxons had been in possession of England, at this time, many hundred years ; and though, during all this period, they had been 84 ALFRED THE GREAT [A.D.854. Roma. Its schools of learning involved in various wars, both with one anothei and with the neighboring nations, they had been all the time steadily increasing in wealth, and making constant improvements in all the arts and refinements of life. Ethelwolf reigned, therefore, over a people of considerable wealth and power, and he moved across the Continent on his way to Rome, and figured while there, as a personage of no ordinary distinction. Rome was at this time, as we have said, the great center of education, as well as of religious and ecclesiastical influence. In fact, education and religion went hand in hand in those days, there being scarcely any instruction in books excepting for the purposes of the Church. Sep- arate schools had been established at Rome by the leading nations of Europe, where theii youth could be taught, each at an institution in which his own language was spoken. Eth- elwolf remained a year at Rome, to give Alfred the benefit of the advantages which the city afforded. The boy was of a reflective and thoughtful turn of mind, and applied himself diligently to the performance of his duties. Hi* mind was rapidly expanded, his powers were developed, and stores of such knowledge as was adapted to the circumstances and wants of the AJX855.] EARLY YEABS. 86 The Saxon seminary burned. Rebuilt bj Ethtiwotf times were laid up. The religious and intek lectual influences thus brought to bear upo* the young Alfred's mind produced strong and decided effects in the formation of his character effects which were very strikingly visible in liis subsequent career. Ethel wolf found, when he arrived at Rome, that the Saxon seminary had been burned the preceding year. It had been founded by a for- mer Saxon king. Ethel wolf rebuilt it, and placed the institution on a new and firmer foundation than before. He also obtained some edicts from the papal government to secure and confirm certain rights of his Saxon subjects re- siding in the city, which rights had, it seems, been in some degree infringed upon, and he thus saved his subjects from oppressions to which they had been exposed. In a word, Ethelwolf 'e visit not only afforded an imposing spectacle to those who witnessed the pageantry and the cer- emonies which marked it, but it was attended with permanent and substantial benefits to many classes, who became, in consequence f it, the objects of the pious monarch's benevolent regard. At length, when the year had expired, Eth- elwolf set out on his return He went back b6 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 855 Etfaelwolf tn Prance. He falU in lore with Judith. through France, as he oame, and during his stay in that country on the way home, an event occurred which was of no inconsiderable conse- quence to Alfred himself, and which changed or modified Ethel wolf's whole destiny. The event was that, having, as before stated, be- oome enamored with the young Princess Ju- dith, the daughter of the King of France, Eth- elwolf demanded her in marriage. We have no means of knowing how the proposal affected the princess herself; marriages in that rank and station in life were then, as they are now in fact, wholly determined and controlled by great political considerations, or by the personal predilections of powerful men, with very little regard for the opinions or desires of the party whose happiness was most to be affected by the result. At all events, whatever may have been Judith's opinion, the marriage was decided upon and consummated, and the venerable king re- turned to England with his youthful bride The historians of the day say, what would seem almost incredible, that she was but about twelve years QI*. Judith's Saxon name was Leotheta. She made an excellent mother to the young Alfred, though she innocently and indirectly caused her A.D.855.] EARLY YEARS. 87 Ethelwolf g death. Etbolba-'d husband much trouble in his realm. Alfred's older brothers were wild and turbulent men and one of them, Ethelbald, was disposed to retain a portion of the power with which he had been invested during his father's absence, in- stead of giving it up peaceably on his return. He organized a rebellion against his father, making the king's course of conduct in respect to his youthful bride the pretext. Ethelwolf was very fond of his young wife, and seemed disposed to elevate her to a position of great political consideration and honor. Ethelbald complained of this. The father, loving peace rather than war, compromised the question with him, and relinquished to him a part of his king- dom. Two years after this he died, leaving Ethelbald the entire possession of the throne. Ethelbald, as if to complete and consummate his unnatural conduct toward his father, per- suaded the beautiful Judith, his father's widow, to become his wife, in violation not only of all laws human and divine, but also of those uni- versal instincts of propriety which no lapse of time and no changes of condition can eradicate from the human soul. This second union throws some light on the question of Judith's action. Since she was willing to marry her **8 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.857 Alfred's character. Judith's Interest In him husband's son to preserve the position of a queen, we may well suppose that she did not object to uniting herself to the father in ordei to attain it. Perhaps, however, we ought to consider that no responsibility whatever, in transactions of this character, should attach to 4uch a mere child. During all this time Alfred was passing from his eighth to his twelfth year. He was a verv intelligent and observing boy, and had acquired much knowledge of the world and a great deal f general information in the journeys which he had taken with his father, both about England and also on the Continent, in France and Italy. Judith had taken a great interest in his prog- ress. She talked with him, she encouraged his inquiries, she explained to him what he did not understand, and endeavored in every way to develop and strengthen his mental powers. Al- fred was a favorite, and, as such, was always very much indulged ; but there was a certain conscientiousness and gentleness of spirit which marked his character even in these early yearaj and seemed to defend him from the injurious Influences which indulgence and extreme atten- tion and care often produce. Alfred was con- siderate, quiet, and reflective ; he improved the A.D.857.] EARLY YEARS. 89 Alfred's (bndneM for Anglo-Saxon poetry. It* ehar*ctr privileges which he enjoyed, and did not abuse the kindness and the favors which every one by vhom he was known lavished upon him. Alfred was very fond of the Anglo-Saxon po- r4ry which abounded in those days. The poems were legends, ballads, and tales, which describ- ed the exploits of heroes, and the adventures of pilgrims and wanderers of all kinds. These poems were to Alfred what Homer's poems were to Alexander. He loved to listen to them, to hear them recited, and to commit them to memory. In committing them to memory, he was obliged to depend upon hearing the poems repeated by others, for he himself could not read. And yet he was now twelve years old. It may surprise the reader, perhaps, to be thus told, after all that has been said of the attention paid to Alfred's education, and of the progress which he had made, that he could not even read. But reading, far from being then considered, as it is now, an essential attainment for all, and sue which we are sure of finding possessed by all who have received any instruction whatever, was regarded in those days a sort of technical art, learned only by those who were tc make some professional use of the acquisition Monks 90 ALFRED THE GEE AT. [A.D. 857 Alfred i jiablJity to read. The Anglo-Saxon manuscript and clerks could always read, but generals, gen- tlemen, and kings very seldom. And as they could not read, neither could they write. They made a rude cross at the end of the writings which they wished to authenticate instead of signing their names a mode which remains to the present day, though it has descended to the very lowest and humblest classes of society. In fact, even the upper classes of society could not generally learn to read in those days, for there were no books. Every thing recorded was in manuscripts, the characters being writ- ten with great labor and care, usually on parch- ment, the captions and leading lettars being often splendidly illuminated and adorned by gilded minic. cures of heads, or figures, or land- scapes, which enveloped or surrounded them Judith had such a manuscript 'if some Saxon poems. She had learned the language while in France. One ('v Alfred was looking at the book, and admiring the character in whicn it vras written, particularly the ornamented let- ters at the headings. Some of his brothers were Ln the room, they, of course, being much older than he Judith said that either of them might have the book who would first learn to read it. The older brothers paid little attention to tni* A.D. 859.J EARLY YEARS 91 proposal, but Alfred's interest was strongly iwakened. He immediately sought and found me one to teach him, and before long he read the volume to Judith, and claimed it as his iwn. She rejoiced at his success, and fulfilled her promise with the greatest pleasure. Alfred soon acquired, by his Anglo-Saxon studies, a great taste for books, and had next a strong desire to study the Latin language. The scholars of the various nations of Europe form- ed at that time, as, in fact, they vL now, one community, linked together by many ties. They wrote and spoke the Latin language, that being the only language which could be understood by them all. In fact, the works which were most highly valued then by the educated men of all nations, were the poems and the histories, and other writings produced by the classic au- thors of the Roman commonwealth. There were also many works on theology, on ecclesi- astical polity, and on law, of great authority and in high repute, all written in the Latin tongue, Copies of these works were made by the monn-s, in their retreats in abbeys and mon- asteries, and learned men spent their lives in perusing them. To explore this field was not properly a duty incumbent upon a young prince 92 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 860 Alfred's skill in hunting. Ethelbald puts away his wife destined to take a seat upon a throne, but Al- fred felt a great desire to undertake the work. He did not do it, however, for the reason, as he afterward stated, that there was no one at court it the time who was qualified to teach him. Alfred, though he had thus the thoughtful and reflective habits of a student, was also act- ive, and graceful, and strong in his bodily de- velopment. He excelled in all the athletic rec- reations of the time, and was especially famous for his skill, and courage, and power as a hunt- er. He gave every indication, in a word, at this early age, of possessing that uncommon combination of mental and personal qualities which fits those who possess it to secure and maintain a great ascendency among mankind. The unnatural union which had been formed on the death of Ethel wolf between his youthful widow and her aged husband's son did not long continue. The people of England were very much shocked at such a marriage, and a great prelate, the Bishop of Winchester, remonstrated against it with such sternness and authority, that Ethelbald not only soon put his wife away, but submitted to a severe penance which the bishop imposed upon him hi retribution for his sin Judith, thus forsaken, soon afterward sold A.D.860.] EARLY YEARS. 93 Judith return! to her native land. She marries third time the lands and estates which her two husbands nad severally granted her, and, taking a final leave of Alfred, whom she tenderly loved, she returned to her native land. Not long after this, she was married a third time, to a conti- nental prince, whose dominions lay between the Baltic and the Rhine, and from this period she disappears entirely from the stage of Al- fred's history 94 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 860 The Duet. Their hostility to Chrirtiaclty CHAPTER V. STATE OF ENGLAND. HAVING thus brought down the narrative of Alfred's early life as far and as fully as the records that remain enable us to do so, we resume the general history of the national af- fairs by returning to the subject of the depreda- tions and conquests of the Danes, and the cir- cumstances connected with Alfred's accession to the throne. To give the reader some definite and clear ideas of the nature of this warfare, it will be well to describe in detail some few of the inci- dents and scenes which ancient historians have recorded. The following was one case which occurred : The Danes, it must be premised, were par- ticularly hostile to the monasteries and religious establishments of the Anglo-Saxons. In the first place, they were themselves pagans, and they hated Christianity. In the second place, they knew that these places of sacred seclusion were often the depositories selected for the cus- tody or concealment of treasure; and, besida A.D. 860.] STATE or ENGLAND 95 PI nuderings of the Dane*. Their cruelties to monks and DTUU the treasures which kings and potentates often placed in them for safety, these establishments possessed utensils of gold and silver for the serv- ice ol the chapels, and a great variety of valu- able gifts, such as pious saints or penitent sin ners were continually bequeathing to them The Danes were, consequently, never better pleased than when sacking an abbey or a mon- astery. In such exploits they gratified their terrible animal propensities, both of hatred and love, by the cruelties which they perpetrated personally upon the monks and the nuns, and at the same time enriched their coffers with the most valuable spoils. A dreadful tale is told of one company of nuns, who, in the consterna- tion and terror which they endured at the ap- proach of a band of Danes, mutilated their faces in a manner too horrid to be described, as the only means left to them for protection against the brutality of their foes. They followed, in adopting this measure, the advice and the ex- ample of the lady superior. It was effectual. There was a certain abbey, called Crowlandj which was in those days one of the most cele- brated in the island. It was situated near the southern border of Lincolnshire, which lies on the eastern side of England. There is a great 9t> ALFRED THE GREAT. [A..D. Abbey of Crowland. Its ruins still shallow bay, called The Wash, on this eastern shore, and it is surrounded by a broad tract of low and marshy land, which is drained by long oanals. and traversed by roads built upon em- bankments. Dikes skirt the margins of the streams, and wind-mills are engaged in perpet- ual toil to raise the water from the fields into the channels by which it is conveyed away. Crowland is at the confluence of two rivers, which flow sluggishly through this flat but beautiful and verdant region. The remains of the old abbey still stand, built on piles driven into the marshy ground, and they form at the present time a very interesting mass of ruins The year before Alfred acceded to the throne, the abbey was in all its glory ; and on one oc- casion it furnished two hundred men, who went out under the command of one of the monks, named Friar Joly, to join the English armies and fight the Danes. The English army was too small notwith- standing this desperate effort to strengthen it They stood, however, all day in a compact band, protecting themselves with their shields from the arrows of the foot soldiers of the enemy, and with thoir pikes from the onset of the cavalry At nijjht the Danes retired, as if giving up the A.D. 860.] STATE OF ENOLAND. 97 A terrible battle. Scene of consternation contest ; but as soon as the Saxons, now released from their positions of confinement and re- straint, had separated a little, and began to fee. somewhat more secure, their implacable foes *e- turned again and attacked them in separate masses, and with more fury than before. The Saxons endeavored in vain either to defend themselves or escape. As fast as their comrades were kiDed, the survivors stood upon the heaps of the slain, to gain what little advantage they could from so slight an elevation. Nearly all at length were killed. A few escaped into a neigh- boring wood, where they lay concealed during the day following, and then, when the darkness of the succeeding night came to enable them to conceal their journey, they made their way to the abbey, to make known to the anxious in- mates of it the destruction of the army, and to warn them of the imminence of the impending danger to which they were now exposed. A dreadful scene of consternation and terror ensued. The affrighted messengers told their tale, breathless and wayworn, at the door of the chapel, where the monks were engaged at their devotions. The aisles were filled with ex- clamations of alarm and despairing .amenta* tions. The abbot, whose name was Theodore, 247 98 ALFRED THE (JKKAT. JA.D. 8t)G Proceeding* at the monastery. Fart ol the treasure lent away. immediately began to take measures suited to *hr emergency. He resolved to retain at the monastery only some aged monks and a few Children, whose utter defenseiessness, he thought, would disarm the ferocity and vengeance of the Danes. The rest, only about thirty, however, in number nearly all the brethren having gone out under the Friar Joly into the great battle were put on board a boat to be sent down the rivei It seems at first view a strange idea to send away the vigorous and strong, and keep the infirm and helpless at the scene of danger ; but the monks knew very well that all resist- ance was vain, and that, consequently, their greatest safety would lie in the absence of all appearance of the possibility of resistance. The treasures were sent away, too, with all the men. They hastily collected all the valu- ables together, the relics, the jewels, and all of the gold and silver plate which could be easily removed, and placed them in a boat packing them as securely as their haste and trepidation allowed. The boats glided down the river till they came to a lonely spot, where an anchorite or sort of hermit lived in solitude. The men and the treasures were to be intrusted to hia aharge. H; concealed the men in the thioketa A..D. 860.J STATE OF ENGLAND. 9b The remaining trnhflure concealed. Abbot Theodora and the acvkf. and othei hiding-places in the woods, and bur- ied the treasures. In the mean time, as soon as the boats and the party of monks which accompanied them had left the abbey, the Abbot Theodore and the old monks that remained with him urged on tne work of concealing that part of the treas- ures which had not been taken away. All of the plate which could not be easily transported, and a certain very rich and costly table employ- ed for the service of the altar, and many sacred and expensive garments used by the highei priests in their ceremonies, had been left behind^ as they could not be easily removed. Thest the abbot and the monks concealed in the most secure places that they could find, and then, clothing themselves In their priestly robes, they assembled in the chapel, and resumed their ex- iTcises of devotion. To be found in so sacred a place and engaged in so holy an avocation would have been a great protection from any Chris- tian soldiery ; but the monks entirely miscon- aeivod the nature of the impulses by which hu- man nature is governed, in supposing that it would have any restraining influence upon the oagan Danes. The first thing the ferocious marauders did, on breaking into the sacred pre- 100 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 860 Slaughter of the abbot and monks. The boy Turgu oincts of the chapel, was to out down the ven- erable abbot at the altar, in his sacerdotal robes, and then to push forward the work of slaying every other inmate of the abbey, feeble and helpless as they were. Only one was saved. This one was a boy, about ten years old. His name was Turgar. He was a handsome boy, and one of the Danish chieftains waa struck with his countenance and air, in the midst of the slaughter, and took pity on him. The chieftain's name was Count Sidroo. Si- droo drew Turgar out of the immediate scene of danger, and gave him a Danish garment, di- recting him, at the same time, to throw aside his own, and then to follow him wherever he went, and keep close to his side, as if he were a Dane. The boy, relieved from his terrors by this hope of protection, obeyed implicitly. He followed Sidroo every where, and his life was saved. The Danes, after killing all the others, ransacked and plundered the monastery, broke jpen the tombs in their search for concealed treasures, and, after taking all that they could discover, they set the edifices on fire wherever they could find wood- work that would burn, and went away, leaving the bodies slowly burning in the grand and terrible funeral pile /LD. 860.] STATE OP ENGLAND. 101 The Dane* plunder another abbey. Escape of Tnrgar From Crowland the marauders proceeded, taking Turgar with them, to another large and wealthy abbey in the neighborhood, which they plundered and destroyed, as -they had the abbey at Crowland. Sidroc made Turgar his own at- tendant, keeping him always near him. When the expedition had completed their second con- quest, they packed the valuables which they had obtained from both abbeys in wagons, and moved toward the south. It happened that some of these wagons were under Count Si- droc's charge, and were in the rear of the line of march. In passing a ford, the wheels of one of these rear wagons sank in the muddy bottom, and the horses, in attempting to draw the wagon out, became entangled and restive. While Sidroc's whole attention was engrossed by this difficulty, Turgar contrived to steal away un- observed. He hid himself in a neighboring wood, and, with a degree of sagacity and dis- cretion remarkable in a boy of his years, he con- trived to find his way back to the smoking ruio* <*f his home at the Abbey of Crowland. The monks who had gone away to seek con- cealment at the cell of the anchorite had re- turned, and were at work among the smoking rums, saving what they could from the firo, and 102 ALFRED THE QREAT. | A. I). 860 Story of King Edmund. The Dane Lothbroc gathering together the blackened remains of their brethren for interment. They chose one of the monks that had escaped to succeed the abbot who had beer r ordered, repaired, so far as they could, theii- ruined edifices, and mourn- fully resumed their functions as a religious com- munity. Many of the tales which the ancient chroni- clers tell of those times are romantic and incredi- ble ; they may have arisen, perhaps, in the first instance, in exaggerations of incidents and events whio, really occurred, and were then handed down from generation to generation by oral tradition, till they found historians to record them. The story of the martyrdom of King Edmund is of this character. Edmund was a sort of king over one of the nations of Anglo- Saxons called East Angles, who, as their name imports, occupied a part of the eastern portion of the island. Their particular hostility to Ed- mund was awakened, according to the story, in the following manner There was a certain bold and adventurous Dane named Lothbroc, who one day took hia falcon on his arm and went out alone in a boat on the Baltic Sea, or in the straits connecting it with the German Ocean, intending to go to A..D. 860.] STATE OF ENGLAND 105 Fhe falcon. Lothhroc driven acroM the German Ocean a certain island and hunt. The falcon is a species of hawk which they were accustomed tr. train in those days, to attack and bring down jirds from the air, and falconry was, as might have been expected, a very picturesque and ex- citing species of hunting. The game which Lothbroo was going to seek consisted of the wild fowl which frequents sometimes, in vast num- bers, the cliffs and shores of the islands in those seas. Before he reached his hunting ground, however, he was overtaken by a storm, and his boat was driven by it out to sea. Accustomed to all sorts of adventures and dangers by sea and by land, and skilled in every operation re- quired in all possible emergencies, Lothbroc contrived to keep his boat before the wind, and to bail out the water as fast as it came in, until at length, after being driven entirely across the German Ocean, he was thrown upon the En- glish shore, where, with his hawk still upon :ia arm, he safely landed. He knew that he was in the country of the most deadly foes of his nation and race, and ac- cordingly sought to conceal rather than to make known his arrival. He was, however, found, after a few days, wandering up and down in a solitary wood, and was conducted, together with his hawk, to Kins Edmund 106 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 860 Lothbroc taken Into Edmund's service. He is murdered by Beorn Edmund was so much pleased with his ail and bearing, and so astonished at the remarkable manner in which he had been brought to the English shore, that he gave him his life; and soon discovering bis great knowledge and skill as a huntsman, ho received him into his own service, and treated him with great distinction and honor. In addition to his hawk, Lothbroo had a greyhound, so that he could hunt with the king in the fields as well as through the air The greyhound was very strongly attached to his master. The king's chief huntsman at this time was Beorn, and Beorn soon became very envious and jealous of Lothbroc, on account of his superior power and &^ill, and of the honorable distinction which they procured for him. One day, when they two were hunting alone in the woods with their dogs, Beorn killed his rivai, and hid his body in a thicket. Beorn went home, his own dogs following him, while the greyhound re mained to watch mournfully over the oody o' his master. They asked Beorn what was be oome of Lothbroc, and he replied that he had gone off into the wood the day before, and he .lid uot know what had become of him. In the mean time, the greyhound remained A.D. 860.] STATE OF ENGLAND. 107 Lothbroc'i greyhound. Beorn's punishment faithfuUy watching at the side of the body of his master until hunger compelled him to leava his post in search of food. He went home, aud, as soon as his wants were supplied, he returned immediately to the wood again. This he did several days; and at length his singular con- duct attracting attention, he was followed by some of the king's household, and the body of his murdered master was found. The guilt of the murder was with little diffi- culty brought home to Beorn ; and, as an appro- priate punishment for his cruelty to an unfor- tunate and hornless stranger, the king con. demned him to be put on boa*~*l the same boat in which the ill-fated Lothbroc had made his perilous voyage, and pushed out to sea. The winds and storms emering, it seems, into the plan, and influenced by the same prin- ciples of poetical justice as had governed the king drove the boat, with its terrified mariner, back again across to the nouth of the Baltic, as they had brought Lothbroc to England. The beat was thrown upon the beach, en Lothbroo'a family domain. Now Lothbroo had been, in his own country, a man of high rank and influence. He was of royal descent, and nad many friends. He had 108 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 860 Lothbroc'i eons. Beorn't treachery two sons, men of enterprise and energy ; and it so happened that the landing of Beorn took place so near to them, that the tidings soon came to their ears that their father's boat, in the hands of a Saxon stranger, had arrived on -he coast. They immediately sought out the stranger, and demanded what had become of their father. Beorn, in order to hide his own guilt, fabricated a tale of Lothbroc's having been killed by Edmund, the king of the East Angles. The sons of the murdered Lothbroc were incensed at this news. They aroused theii countrymen by calling upon them every where to aid them in revenging their father's death A large naval force was accordingly collected, and a formidable descent made upon the English coast. Now Edmund, according to the story, was a humane and gentle-minded man, much more interested in deeds of benevolence and of piety than in warlike undertakings and exploits, and he was very far from being well prepared tr- meet this formidable foe. In fact, he sought refuge in a retired residence called Heglesdune. The Danes, having taken some Saxons captive in a city which they had sacked and destroyed, compelled them to make known the place of A.D. 860.] STATE OF EM^LAND. 10S Edmund captured by the Danes. HI* martyrdom the king's retreat. Hinquar, the captain of the Danes, sent him a summons to come and sur- render both himself and all the treasures of his kingdom. Edmund refused. Hinquar then jud siege to the palace, and surrounded it ; and, finally, his soldiers, breaking in, put Edmund's attendants to death, and brought Edmund him self, bound, into Hinquar's presence. Hinquar decided that the unfortunate captive should die. He was, accordingly, first taken to a tree and scourged. Theii he was shot at with arrows, until, as the account states, his body was so full of the arrows that remained in the flesh that there seemed to be no room for more During all this time Edmund continued to call upon the name of Christ, as if finding spiritual refuge and strength in the Redeemer in this his hour of extremity ; and although these ejacula- tions afforded, doubtless, great support and com- fort to him, they only served to irritate to a per- fect phrensy of exasperation his implacable p* gan foes. They continued to shoot arrows intc him until he was dead, and then they cut off his head and went away, carrying the dissever- ed head with them. Their object was to pre- vent his friends from having the satisfaction of interring it with the body. They carried it t 110 ALFRED THB GREAT. [AD.868 Ed'jjund'a friends coma from their hiding places His head found. what they supposed a sufficient distance, and then threw it off into a wood by the way-side, where they supposed it could not easily be found. As soon, however, as the Danes had left the place, the affrighted friends and followers of Ed- mund came out, by degrees, from their retreats and hiding places. They readily found the dead body of their sovereign, as it lay, of course, where the cruel deed of his murder had been performed. They sought with mournful and anxious steps, here and there, all around, for the head, until at length, when they came into the wood where it was lying, they heard, as the historian who records these events gravely tes- tifies, a voice issuing from it, calling them, and directing their steps by the sound. They fol- lowed the voice, and, having recovered the head by means of this miraculous guidance, they buried it with the body.* " A great many other tales are told of the miraculous phe- nomena exhibited by the body of St. Edmund, which well illustrate the superstitious credulity of those times. One writ r says seriously that, when the head was found, a wolf had >t, holding it carefully in his paws, with all the gentleness and care that the most faithful dog would manifest in guarding trust committed to him by his master. This wolf followed the funeral procession to the tomb where the body was de- A.D.870.] STATE :>F ENGLAND. Ill Credulity of mankind. Commingling of piety and lupentition. It seems surprising to us that reasonable men should so readily believe such tales as these; but there are, in all ages of the world, certain habits of belief, in conformity to which the whole community go together. We all believe whatever is in harmony with, or analogous to, the general type of faith prevailing in our own generation. Nobody could be persuaded now that a dead head could speak, or a wolf change his nature to protect it ; but thousands will credit a fortune-teller, or believe that a mesmer- ized patient can have a mental perception of scenes and occurrences a thousand miles away. There was a great deal of superstition in the days when Alfred was called to the throne, and there was also, with it, a great deal of genuine honest piety. The piety and the superstition, too, were inextricably intermingled and com- bined together. They were all Catholics then, yielding an implicit obedience to the Church of Rome, making regular contributions in money tc sustain the papal authority, and looking to Rome as the great and central point of Christian influence and power, and the object of supreme posited, and then disappeared. The head joined itself to the body again where it had been severed, leaving only a purpla line to mark the place of separation. 112 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 870 Peter-pence. Veneration of the Catholic Churefc veneration. We have already seen that the Saxons had established a seminary at Rome, which King Ethelwclf, Alfred's father, rebuilt and re-endowed. One of the former Anglo. Saxon kings, too, had given a grant of one penny from every house in the kingdom to the successors of St. Peter at Rome, which tax, though nominally small, produced a very con- siderable sum in the aggregate, exceeding for many years the royal revenues of the kings of England. It continued to be paid down to the time of Henry VIII., when the reformation swept away that, and all the other national ob- ligations of England to the Catholic Church together. In the age of Alfred, however, there were no* only these public acts of acknowledgment rec- ognizing the papal supremacy, but there was a strong tide of personal and private feeling of veneration and attachment to the mother Church, of which it is hard for us, in the pres- ent divided state of Christendom, to conceive. The religious thoughts and affections of every pious heart throughout the realm centered in Rome. Rome, too, was the scene of many miracles, by which the imaginations of the superstitious and of the truly devcut were ex- A.D. 870.] STATE OF ENGLAND. 113 Koaelm. He te murdered by or del of hla slater cited, which impressed them with an idea of power in which they felt a sort of confiding sense of protection. This power was contin- ually interposing, now in one way and now in another, to protect virtue, to punish crime, and to testify to the impious and to the devout, to each in an appropriate way, that their respective deeds were the objects, according to their char acter, of the displeasure or of the approbation of Heaven. On one occ&*ion, the following incident is said to have occurred. The narration of it will illustrate the ideas of the time. A child of about seven years old, named Kenelm, suc- ceeded to the throne in the Anglo-Saxon line. Being too young to act for himself, he was put under the charge of a sister, who was to act as regent until the boy became of age. The sister, ambitious of making the power thus delegated to her entirely her own, decided on destroying her brother. She commissioned a hired mur- derer to perpetrate the deed. The murderer took the child into a wood, killed him, and hid his body in a thicket, in a certain cow-pasture at a place called Clent. The sister then as. surued the scepter in her own name, and sup- pressed all inquiries in respect to the fate of hei 248 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 870 f he dove and the writing. The body found brother ; and his murder might have remained forever undiscovered, had it not been miracu- lously revealed at Rome. A white dove flew into a church there one lay, and let fall upon the altar of St. Peter ft paper, on which was written, in Anglo-Saxon characters, In (Blent ffioto-ftatrt, Bendme fefnij beam*, lletj untorr ff&orne, bend tereatort. For a time nobody could read the writing. At length an Anglo-Saxon saw it, and trans- lated it into Latin, so that the pope and al' others could understand it. The pope then sent a letter to the authorities in England, who made search and found the body. But we must end these digressions, which we have indulged thus far in order to give the reader some distinct conception of the ideas and habits of the times, and proceed, in the next chapter, to relate the events immediately con- nected with Alfred's accession to the throne. A.D. 871.] ALFRED'S ACCESSION. 115 The Dime* at Reading. Situation at Reading CHAPTER VI. A T the battle in which Alfred's brother, -* Ethelred, whom Alfred succeeded on the throne, was killed, as is briefly mentioned at the close of chapter fourth, Alfred himself, then a brave and energetic young man, fought by his side. The party of Danes whom they were con- tending against in this fatal fight was the same one that came out in the expedition organized by the sons of Lothbroc, and whose exploits in destroying monasteries and convents were de- scribed in the last chapter. Soon after the events there narrated, this formidable body of marauders moved westward, toward that part of the kingdom where the dominions more par- ticularly pertaining to the family of .Alfred lay. There was in those days a certain stronghold or castle on the River Thames, about forty miles west from London, which was not far from the confines of Ethelred's dominions. The large and populous town of Reading now stands upon the spot. It is at the confluence of the Rirei 116 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. fbe Danish eactle. Ethelred marches agminit the Danet Thames with the Kennet, a small branch of the Thames, which here flows into it from the south The spot, having the waters of the rivers for a defense upon two sides of it, was easily fortified. A castle had been built there, and, as usual in such cases, a town had sprung up about the walls. The Danes advanced to this stronghold and took possession of it, and they made it for some time their head-quarters. It was at once the center from which they carried on their enter- prises in all directions about the island, and the refuge to which they could always retreat when defeated and pursued. In the possession of such a fastness, they, of course, became more formi- dable than ever. King Ethelred determined to dislodge them. He raised, accordingly, as large a force as his kingdom would furnish, and, taking his brother Alfred as his second in command, he advanced toward Reading in a very resolute and determin xl manner. He first encountered a large body of the Danes ^ho were out on a marauding excursion. This party consisted only of a small detachment, the main body of the army of the Danes having been left at Reading to strengthen and complete the fortifications. They were digging a trench from A.D.871.J ALFRED'S ACCESSIOH. 117 Fho Dane* fortify their cartle. They are defeated river to river, so as completely to insulate the castle, and make it entirely inaccessible on ei- ther side except by boats or a bridge. With the earth thrown out of the trench they were mak- ing an embankment on the Inner side, so that on enemy, after crossing the ditch, would have a steep ascent to climb, defended too, as of course it would be in such an emergency, by long lines of desperate men upon the top, hurl- big at the assailants showers of javelins and ar- rows. While, therefore, a considerable portion of the Danes were at work within and around theii castle, to make it as nearly as possible impreg- nable as a place of defense, the detachment above referred to had gone forth for plunder, under the command of some of the bolder and more adventurous spirits in the horde. This party Ethelred overtook. A furious battle was fought. The Danes were defeated, and driven off the ground. They fled toward Reading. Ethelred and Alfred pursued them. The vari- ous parties of Danes that were outside of the fortifications, employed in completing the out- works, or encamped in the neighborhood, were surprised and slaughtered ; or, at least, vast numbers of them were killed, and the rest re- 118 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.JD. 871. Defeat of the Saxon* Preparations for another battle. treated within the works all maddened at thoir defeat, and burning with desire for revenge. The Saxons were not strong enough to dis possess them of their fastness. On the contra* ry, in a few days, the Danes, having matured their plans, made a desperate sally against the Saxons, and, after a very determined and ob- stinate conflict, they gained the victory, and drove the Saxons off the ground. Some of the leading Saxon chieftains were killed, and the whole country was thrown into great alarm at the danger which was impending, that the Danes would soon gain the complete and un- disputed possession of the whole land. The Saxons, however, were not yet prepared to give up the struggle. They rallied their forces, gathered new recruits, reorganized theii ranks, and made preparations for another strug- gle. The Danes, too, feeling fresh strength and energy in consequence of their successes, formed themselves in battle array, and, leaving their strong-hold, they marched out into thfl open country in pursuit of their foe. The two armies gradually approached each other and prepared for battle. Every thing portended a terrible conflict, which was to be, in fact, the great final struggle. A.D.87L] ALFRED'S ACCESSION. iEscesdune. The night before the battle The place where the armies met was called in those times JBscesdune, which means Ash- dc wn It was. in fact, a hill-side covered with ash trees. The name has become shortened %nd softened in the course of the ten centuries which have intervened since this celebrated bat- tle, into Aston ; if, indeed, as is generally sup- posed, the Aston of the present day is the local- ity of the ancient battle. The armies came into the vicinity of each other toward the close of the day. They were both eager for the contest, or, at least, they pre- tended to be so, but they waited until the morn- ing. The Danes divided their forces into two bodies. Two kings commanded one division, and certain chieftains, called earls, directed the other. King Ethelred undertook to meet this order of battle by a corresponding distribution of his own troops, and he gave, accordingly, to Alfred the command of one division, while he himself was to lead the other. All things being thus arranged, the hum and bustle of the two great encampments subsided at last, at a late hour, as the men sought repose under their rude tents, in preparation for the fatigues and expo- sures of the coming day. Some slept ; others watched restlessly, and talked together, sleep- 120 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 871 Alfred musters his men. Ethelred'i religious serrioM less under the influence of that strange excite- ment, half exhilaration and half fear, which pre- vails in a camp on the eve of a battle. The camp fires burned brightly all the night, and the sentinels kept vigilant watch, expecting ev- ery moment some sudden alarm. The night passed quietly away. Ethelred and Alfred both arose early. Alfred went out to arouse and muster the men in his division of the encampment, and to prepare for battle. Ethelred, on the other hand, sent for his priest, and, assembling the officers in immediate at- tendance upon him, commenced divine service in his tent the service of the mass, according to the forms and usages which, even in tha L ^ early day, were prescribed by the Catholic Church. Alfred was thus bent on immediate and energetic action, while Ethelred thought that the hour for putting forth the exertion of human strength did not come until time had been allowed for completing, in the most delib- erate and solemn manner, the work of implor- ing the protection of Heaven. Ethelred seems by his conduct on this occa- sion to have inherited from his father, even more than Alfred, the spirit of religious devo- tion at least so far as the strict and faith fu' A..JD. 871.] ALFRED'S ACCESSION. 121 Reason for divine se: vice. The war a religious one observance of religious forms was concerned There was, it is true, a particular reason in this case why the forms of divine service should be faithfully observed, and that is, that the war was considered in a great measure a religious war. The Danes were pagans. The Saxons were Christians. In making their attacks upon the dominions of Ethelred, the ruthless invaders were animated by a special hatred of the name of Christ, and they evinced a special hostility toward every edifice, or institution, or observ- ance which bore the Christian name. The Saxons, therefore, in resisting them, felt that they were not only fighting for their own pos- sessions and for their own lives, but that they were defending the kingdom of God, and that he, looking down from his throne in the heavens, regarded them as the champions of his cause; and, consequently, that he would either protect them in the struggle, or, if they fell, that he would receive them to mansions of special glory and happiness in heaven, as martyrs who had shed their blood in his service and for his glory. Taking this view of the subject, Ethelred, instead of going out to battle at the early dawn, collected his officers into his tent, and formed them into a religious congregation. Alfred, on 122 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 871. Alfred's impetuosity. Hit great ability the other hand, full of impetuosity and ardor, was arousing his men, animating them by his words of encouragement and by the influence of his example, and making, as energetically as possible, all the preparations necessary for the approaching conflict. In fact, Alfred, though his brother was king, and he himself only a lieutenant general under him, had been accustomed to take the lead ir all the military operations of the army, on ac- count of the superior energy, resolution, and tact which he evinced, even in this early period of his life. His brothers, though they retained the scepter, as it fell successively into their hands, relied mainly on his wisdom and cour- age in all their efforts to defend it, and Ethelred may have been somewhat more at his ease, in listening to the priest's prayers in his tent, from knowing that the arrangements for marshaling and directing a large part of the force were in such good hands. The two encampments of Alfred and EtheK red seem to have been at some little distance from each other. Alfred was impatient at Eth- elred's delay. He asked the reason for it. They told him that Ethelred was attending mass, and that he had said he should on no ac- A.D. 871.] ALFRED'S ACCESSION 123 Battle of .Etcesduae. Flight of the Danes count leave his tent until the servio" was con- cluded. Alfred, in the mean time, took pos- session of a gentle elevation of land, which now would give him an advantage in the conflict. A single thorn-tree, growing there alone, marked ihe spot. The Danes advanced to attack him, expecting that, as he was not sustained by Eth- elred's division of the army, he would be easily overpowered and driven from his post. Alfred himself felt an extreme and feverish anxiety at Ethelred's delay. He fought, how- ever, with the greatest determination and brav- ery. The thorn-tree continued to be the center of the conflict for a long time, and, as the morn- ing advanced, it became more and more doubt- ful how it would end. At last, Ethelred, having finished his devotional services, came forth from his camp at the head of his division, and ad- vanced vigorously to his faltering brother's aid. This soon decided the contest. The Danes were overpowered and put to flight. They fled at first in all directions, wherever each separate band saw the readiest prospect of escape from the immediate vengeance of their pursuers. They soon, however, all began with one accord to seek the roads which would conduct them tc their stronghold at Reading. They were madly 124 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 871 Remit* of the battle. Alfred and Ethelred pursued, and massacred as they fled, by Alfred's and Ethelred's army. Vast numbers fell. The remnant secured their retreat, shut themselves ap within their walls, and began to devote their eager and earnest attention to the work of re- pairing and making good their defenses. This victory changed for the time being the whole face of affairs, and led, in various ways, to very important consequences, the most im- portant of which was, as we shall presently see, that it was the means indirectly of bringing Alfred soon to the throne. As to the cause of the victory, or, rather, the manner in which it was accomplished, the writers of the times give very different accounts, according as their re- spective characters incline them to commend, in man, a feeling of quiet trust and confidence in God when placed in circumstances of difficulty or danger, or a vigorous and resolute exertion uf his own powers. Alfred looked for deliver- ance to the determined assaults and heavy blows which he could bring to bear upon his pagan enemies with weapons of steel around the thorn- tree in the field. Ethelred trusted to his hope of obtaining, by his prayers in his tent, the ef- fectual protection of Heaven ; and they who have written the story differ, as they who read it will A.D. 871.] ALFRED'S ACCESSION. 125 rke old chronics*. "Hie locality of the battia on the question to whose instrumentality the victory is to be ascribed. One says that Alfred gained it by his sword. Another, that Alfred exerted his strength and his valor in vain, and was saved from defeat and destruction only by the intervention of Ethelred, bringing with him the blessing of Heaven. In fact, the various narratives of these ancient events, which are found at the present day in the old chronicles that record them, differ always very essentially, not only in respect to matters of opinion, and to the point of view in which they are to be regarded, but also in respect to questions of fact. Even the place where this battle was fought, notwithstanding what we have said about the derivation of Aston from ^Escesdune, is not absolutely certain. There is in the same vicinity another town, called Ash- bury, which claims the honor. One reason for supposing that this last is the true locality is that there are the ruins of an ancient monu- ment here, which, tradition says, was a monu- ment built to commemorate the death of a Dan* ish chieftain slain here by Alfred. Theie is also in the neighborhood another very singular monument, called The White Horse, which also nas the reputation of having been fashioned to 126 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 871, The White Hone. Death of Ethelrsi commemorate Alfred's victories. The White Horse is a rude representation of a horse, formed by cutting away the turf from the steep slope of a hill, so as to expose a portion of the white surface of the chalky rock below of such a form that the figure is called a horse, though they who see it seem to think it might as well have been called a dog. The name, however, of The White Horse has come down with it from an- cient times, and the hill on which it is cut is known as The White Horse Hill. Some ingeni one antiquarians think they find evidence that this gigantic profile was made to commemorate the victory obtained by Alfred and Ethelred over the Danes at the ancient ^Escesdune. However this may be, and whatever view we may take of the comparative influence of Al- fred's energetic action and Ethelred's religious faith in the defeat of the Danes at this great battle, it is certain that the results of it were very momentous to all concerned. Ethelred received a wound, either in this battle or in some of the smaller contests and collision* which followed it, under the effects of which he pined and lingered for some months, and then died. Alfred, by his decision and courage on the day of th battle, and by the ardor and res- A.D. 871.J ALFRED'S ACCESSION. 12? Alfred's popularity. He is selected to succeed Ethelred olution with which he pressed all the subse- quent operations during the period of Ethel- red's decline, made himself still more conspicu- ous in the eyes of his countrymen than he had ever been before. In looking forward to Ethel- red's approaching death, the people, according- ly, began to turn their eyes to Alfred as his successor. There were children of some of his older brothers living at that time, and they, ac- cording to all received principles of hereditary right, would naturally succeed to the throne ; but the nation seems to have thought that the crisis was too serious, and the dangers which threatened their country were too imminent, to justify putting any child upon the throne. The accession of one of those children would have been the signal for a terrible and protracted struggle among powerful relatives and friends for the regency during the minority of the youthful sovereign, and this, while the Danes remained in their strong-hold at Reading, in daily expectation of new re-enforcements from beyond the sea, would have plunged the conn* try in hopeless ruin. They turned their eyes toward Alfred, therefore, as the sovereign to whom they were to bow so goon as Etholred should cease to breathe. !28 A.LFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.871 The Danes strengthen themselves. Their racceMM In the mean time, the Danes, far from being subdued by the adverse turn of fortune which had befallen them, strengthened themselves in their fortress, made desperate sallies from theii tntrenchments, attacked their foes on every pos- sible occasion, and kept the country in contin- ual alarm. They at length so far recruited their strength, and intimidated and discouraged their foes, whose king and nominal leader, Eth- elred, was now less able than ever to resist them, as to take the field again. They fought more pitched battles ; and, though the Saxon chroniclers who narrate these events are very reluctant to admit that the Saxons were really vanquished in these struggles, they allow that the Danes kept the ground which they success- ively took post upon, and the discouraged and disheartened inhabitants of the country were forced to retire. In the mean time, too, new parties of Danes were continually arriving on the coast, and spreading themselves in marauding and plun- dering excursions over the country. The Dan<* at Reading were re-enforced by thes^ oands, which made the conflict between them and Eth- eired's forces more unequal still Alirea did his utmost to resist the tide of ill fortune, with the limited and doubtful authority which he 129 )eath of Ethelred. Hia burial at Wlmborn* helil ; but all was in vain. Etheired, worn down, probably, with the anxiety and depres- sion which the situation of his kingdom brought npon him, lingered for a time, and then died, End Alfred was by general consent called to the throne. This was in the year 871. It was a matter of moment to find a safe and secure place of deposit for the body of Ethelred, who, as a Christian slain in contending with ^gans, was to be considered a martyr. His memory was honored as that of one who had sacrificed his life in defense of the Christian faith. They knew very well that even his life- less remains would not be safe from the venge- ance of his foes unless they were placed effect- ually beyond the reach of these desperate ma- rauders. There was, far to the south, in Dor- setshire, on the southern coast of England, a monastery, at Wimborne, a very sacred SfX>t. worthy to be selected as a place of royal sepul ture. The spot has continued sacred to tra present day ; and it has now uoon the site, as is supposed, of the ancient monastery, a grand cathedral church or minster, full of monuments af former days, and impressing all beholders with its solemn architectural grandeur. Here they conveyed the body of Ethelred and inter 24 9 130 ALFRED THE (JTREAT. [AD. 871 The inscription. Doubt* In regard to Ethelred'i dealt red it. It was a place of sacred seclusion, where there reigned a solemn stillness and awe, which no Christian hostility would ever have dared to disturb. The sacrilegious paganism of the Danes, however, would have respected it but little, if they had ever found access to it ; out they did not. The body of Ethelred remained undisturbed; and, many centuries afterward, some travelers who visited the spot recorded the fact that there was a monument there with this inscription : "IN HOC LOCO QUIESCTT CORPUS ETHELREDI REGIS WEST SAXONUM, MARTYRIS. QUI ANNO DOM INI DCCCLXXI., XXIII. APRILIS, PER MANUS DANO RUM PAGANORUM, OCCUBUIT."* Such is the commonly received opinion of the death of Ethelred. And yet some of the crit- ical historians of modern times, who find cause to doubt or disbelieve a very large portion of what is stated in ancient records, attempt to prove that Ethelred was not killed by the Danes at all, but that he died of the plague, which terrible disease was at that time prevailing in that part of England. At all events, he di(id| and Alfred, his brother, was called to reign in his stead. " Here rests the body of Ethelred, king of West Saxony the Martyr, who died by the hands of the pagan Dane*, ^ in the year of o>ir T,n>v4 871 " A.P. 871.J REVERSES Alfred's reluctance to receire the crown. ffij nephew CHAPTEB VII. REVERSES. fl^HE historians say that Alfred was very un- -*- willing to assume the crown when the death of Ethelred presented it to him. If it had been an object of ambition or desire, there would probably have been a rival claimant, whose right would perhaps have proved supe- rior to his own, since it appears that one or \iore of the brothers who reigned before him left a son, whose claim to the inheritance, if the inheritance had been worth claiming, would have been stronger than that of their uncle The son of the oldest son takes precedence al ways of the brother, for hereditary rights, like water, never move laterally so long as they can oontinue to descend. The nobles, however, and chieftains, and all the leading powers of the kingdom of Wessex, whish was the particular kingdom which de- scended from Alfred's ancestors, united to urge Alfred to take the throne. His father had, b> deed, designated him as the successor of hia 135? ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 871 Etfaelred's funeral. Coronation of Alfred at Winchetter brothers by his will, though how far a monarch may properly control by his will the disposal of his realm, is a matter of groat uncertainty Alfred yielded at length to these solicitations, and determined on assuming the sovereign power. He first went to Wimborne to attend to the funeral solemnities which were to be ob- served at his royal brother's burial. He then went to Winchester, which, as well as Wim- borne, is in the south of England, to be crowned and anointed king. Winchester was, even in those early days, a great ecclesiastical center. It was for some time the capital of the West Saxon realm. It was a very sacred place, and the crown was there placed upon Alfred's head, with the most imposing and solemn ceremonies. It is a curious and remarkable fact, that the spots which were consecrated in those early days by the religious establishments of the times, have preserved in almost every case their sacred- ness to the present day. Winchester is now famed all over England for its great Cathedral church, and the vast religious establishment which has its seat there the annual revenues and expenditures of which far exceed those of many of the states of this Union. The income of the bishop alone was for many years double COBON&TION CHAIB. A..D. 871.] REVERSES. 135 rbe Bishop of Winchester. Alfred takes the field against the Dane* that of the salary of the President of the United States, The Bishop of Winchester is widely celebrated, therefore, all over England, for his wealth his ecclesiastical power, the architec- tural grandeur of the Cathedral church, and the wealth and importance of the college of eccle- siastics over which he presides. It was in Winchester that Alfred was crown- ed. As soon as the ceremony was performed, he took the field, collected his forces, and went to meet the Danes again. He found the coun- try in a most deplorable condition. The Danes Bad extended and strengthened their positions. They had got possession of many of the towns, and, not content with plundering castles and abbeys, they had seized lands, and were be- ginning to settle upon them, as if they intended to make Alfred's new kingdom their permanent abode. The forces of the Saxons, on the other hand, were scattered and discouraged. There seemed no hope left to them of making head igainst their pestiferous invaders. If they were lefeated, their cruel conquerors showed no mod* oration and no mercy in their victory ; and if they conquered, it was only to suppress for a moment one horde, with a certainty of being attacked immediately by another, more recently 136 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 871 Battle at Wilton. Defeat of Alfred arrived, and more determined and relentless than those before them. Alfred succeeded, however, by means of the Influence of his personal character, and by the very active and efficient exertions that he made ; in concentrating what forces remained, and in preparing for a renewal of the contest. The first great battle that was fought was at Wilt- on. This was within a month of his accession to the throne. The battle was very obstinately fought ; at the first onset Alfred's troops carried all before them, and there was every prospect that he would win the day. In the end, how- ever, the tide of victory turned in favor of the Danes, and Alfred and his troops were driven from the field. There was an immense loss on both sides. In fact, both armies were, for the time, pretty effectually disabled, and each seems to have shrunk from a renewal of the contest Instead, therefore, of fighting again, the two commanders entered into negotiations. Hubba was the name of the Danish chieftain. In the end, he made a treaty with Alfred, by which he agreed to retire from Alfred's dominions, and leave him in peace, provided that Alfred would not interfere with him in his wars in any othei part of Eng.and. Alfred's kingdom was Wes- A.D.87&| REVERSES. 137 Treaty with the Dane*. They much tat Merci* sex Besides "Wessex, there was Essex, Meroia, and Northumberland. Hubba and his Danes, finding that Alfred was likely to prove too formi- dable an antagonist for them easily to subdue, thought it would be most prudent to give up one kingdom out of the four, on condition of not having Alfred to contend against in their depre- dations upon the other three. They according- ly made the treaty, and the Danes withdrew. They evacuated their posts and strong-holds in Wessex, and went down the Thames to Lon- don, which was in Mercia, and there commenced a new course of conquest and plunder, where they had no such powerful foe to oppose them. Buthred was the king of Mercia. He could not resist Hubba and his Danes alone, and he could not now have Alfred's assistance. Alfred was censured very much at the time, and has been condemned often since, for having thus made a separate peace for himself and his own immediate dominions, and abandoned his nat> nral allies and friends, the people of the othei Saxon kingdoms. To make a peace with sav- age and relentless pagans, on the express con- dition of leaving his fellow-Christian neighbors at their mercy, has been considered ungenerous, *t least, if it was not unjust. On the othei 138 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.874 Buthred'i misfortunes. He buys off the Dane* hand, those who vindicate his conduct maintain that it was his duty to secure the peace and wei/are of his own realm, leaving other sover- eigns to take care of theirs ; and that he wr aid have done very wrong to sacrifice the property and lives of his own immediate subjects to a mere point of honor, when it was utterly out of his power to protect them and his neighbors too. However this may be, Buthred, finding that he could not have Alfred's aid, and that hb could not protect his kingdom by any force which he could himself bring into the field, tried negotiations too, and he succeeded in buying off the Danes with money. He paid them a large sum, on condition of their leaving his do- minions finally and forever, and not coming to molest him any more. Such a measure as this is always a very desperate and hopeless one. Buying off robbers, or beggars, or false accus- ers, or oppressors of any kind, is only to encour- age them to come again, after a brief interval, under some frivolous pretext, with fresh de- r.ands or new oppressions, that they may be Dought off again with higher pay. At least Buthred found it so in this case. Hubba went northward for a time, into the kingdom of Nor- thumberland, and, after various conquests and A.D.874.1 REVERSES. 139 Buthred'f unhappy end. Ceolwnlf plunderings there, he came back again into Mereia, on the plea that there was a scarcity of provisions in the northern kingdom, and he was obliged to come back. Buthred bought him off again with a larger sum of money. Hubba scarcely left the kingdom this time, but spent the money with his army, in carousings and excesses, and then went to robbing and plundering as before. Buthred, at last, reduced to despair, and seeing no hope of escape from the terrible pest with which his kingdom was infested, abandoned the country and escaped to Rome. They received him as an exiled mon- arch, in the Saxon school, where he soon after died a prey to grief and despair. The Danes overturned what remained of Buthred's government. They destroyed a fa- mous mausoleum, the ancient burial place of the Mercian kings. This devastation of the abodes of th a *^ead was a sort of recreation a savage amusement, to vary the more serious and dangerous excitements attending their contests with the living. They found an officer of Buthred's government named Ceolwulf, who,, though a Saxon, was willing, through his love of place and power, to accept of the office of king in subordination to the Danes, and hold 140 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 874. Halfden arrive! la Engiand. Alfred'* cast> at Wareham. it at their disposal, paying an annual tribute to them. Ceolwulf was execrated by his coun- trymen, who considered him a traitor. He, is his turn, oppressed and tyrannized over them. In the mean time, a new leader, with a fresh horde of Danes, had landed in England. His name was Halfden. Halfden came with a con- siderable fleet of ships, and, after landing his men, and performing various exploits and en* countering various adventures in other parts of England, he began to turn his thoughts toward Alfred's dominions. Alfred did not pay par- ticular attention to Halfden's movements at first, as he supposed that his treaty with Hubba had bound the whole nation of the Danes not to encroach upon his realm, whatever they might do in respect to the other Saxon king- doms. Alfred had a famous castle at Ware- ham, on the southern coast of the island. It was situated on a bay which lies in what is now Dorsetshire. This castle was the strongest place in his dominions. It was garrisoned and guarded, but not with any special vigilance, ag no one expected an attack upon it. Halfden brought his fleet to the southern shore of the island, and, organizing an expedition there, he put to sea, and before any one suspected his de- A.D S74.J REVERSES. 143 Wareham Castle taken by Halfden ConteBti nd trace* sign, he entered the bay, surprised and attacked Wareham Castle, and took it. Alfred and the people of his realm were not only astonished and ilarmed at the loss of the castle, but they were iilled with indignation at the treachery of the Danes in violating their treaty by attacking it. Halfden said, however, that he was an inde- pendent chieftain, acting in his own name, and was not bound at all by any obligations entered into by Hubba ! There followed after this a series of contests and truces, during which treacherous wars al- ternated with still more treacherous and illu- sive periods of peace, neither party, on the whole, gaining any decided victory. The Danes, at one time, after agreeing upon a ces- sation of hostilities, suddenly fell upon a large squadron of Alfred's horse, who, relying on the truce, were moving across the country too much off their guard. The Danes dismounted and :f i gated displeasure of Heaven. Among the Danish chieftains with whom Al- fred had thus continually to contend in this ea r ly par', of his reign, there was one very fa- mous hero, whose name was Rollo. He in- vaded England with a wild horde which attend- ed him for a short time, but he soon retired and went to France, where he afterward greatly distinguished himself by his prowess and his exploits. The Saxon historians say that he re- treated from England because Alfred gave him such a reception that he saw that it would be impossible for him to maintain his footing there. His account of it was, that, one day, when he was perplexed with doubt and uncertainty about his plans, he fell asleep and dreamed that he saw a swarm of bees flying southward. This was an omen, as he regarded it, indicating the course which he ought to pursue. He accord- ingly embarked his men on board his shipa again, and crossed the Channel, and sought successfully in Normandy, a province of France the kingdom and the home which, either on ao- A.D. 675.] REVERSES. 15i The Danes generally successful. Alfred's dbtreM count of Alfred or of the bees, he was not to en- joy in England. The cases, however, in which the Danish chieftains were either entirely conquered of finally expelled from the kingdom were very few. As years passed on, Alfred found his army diminishing, and the strength of his kingdom wasting away. His resources were exhausted, his friends had disappeared, his towns and cas- tles were taken, and, at last, about eight years after his coronation at Winchester as monarch of the most powerful of the Saxon kingdoms, he found himself reduced to the very last ex- treme of destitution and distress. 154 ALFRED THE GREAT. [AD.878 ilfred 1 1 penererance. Another arrlral of Dane* CHAPTER VIII. THE SECLUSION. OTWITHSTANDING the tide of disas- ter and calamity which seemed to be grad- a j overwhelming Alfred's kingdom, he was not reduced to absolute despair, but continued for a long time the almost hopeless struggle. There is a certain desperation to which men are often aroused in the last extremity, which surpasses courage, and is even sometimes a very effectual substitute for strength ; and Alfred might, perhaps, have succeeded, after all, in sav- mg his affairs from utter ruin, had not a new circumstance intervened, which seemed at once to extinguish all remaining hope and to seal his doom. This circumstance was the arrival of a new band of Danes, who were, it seems, more nu- merous, more ferocious, and more insatiable than any who had come before them. The other kingdoms of the Saxons had been already pretty effectually plundered. Alfred's kingdom of Wessex was now, therefore, the most invit- ing field, and, after various excursions of co> A.D. 878.] THE SECLUSION. 155 Alfred's array disorganized He la left alone. quest and plunder in other parts of the island, they came like an inundation over Alfred's frontiers, and all hope of resisting them seems to have been immediately abandoned. The Saxon armies were broken up. Alfred had lost, it appears, all influence and control over both leaders and men. The chieftains and nobles fled. Some left the country altogether ; others hid themselves in the best retreats and fastness- PS that they could find. Alfred himself was obliged to follow the general example. A few attendants, either more faithful than the rest v else more distrustful of their own resources .nd inclined, accordingly, to seek their own per- ional safety by adhering closely to their sover- jign, followed him. These, however, one after another, gradually forsook him, and, finally, the fallen and deserted monarch was left alone. In fact, it was a relief to him at last to be ieft alone ; for they who remained around him became in the end a burden instead of afford- ing him protection. They were too few to fight, and too many to be easily concealed. Alfred withdrew himself from them, thinking that, un- der the circumstances in which he was now placed, he was justified in seeking his own per- sonal safety alone. He had a wife, whom he 156 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 Alfred'* wife. He retires to Athelney married when he was about twenty years old ; but she was not with him now, though she aft- erward joined him. She was in some other place oi retreat. She could, in fact, be much more easily concealed than her husband ; for the Danes, though they would undoubtedly have valued her very highly as a captive, would not search for her with the eager and persever- ing vigilance with which it was to be expected they would hunt for their most formidable, but now discomfited and fugitive foe. Alfred, therefore, after disentangling himself from all but one or two trustworthy and faith- ful friends, wandered on toward the west, through forests, and solitudes, and wilds, to get as far away as possible from the enemies who were upon his track. He arrived at last on the remote western frontiers of his kingdom, at a place whose name has been immortalized ^y its having been for some time the place of hia retreat. It was called Athelney.* Athelney was, however, scarcely deserving of a name, for it was nothing but a small spot of dry land in the midst of a morass, which, as grans would * The name i spelled variously, Ethelney, ^Ethelney Cthelingay, &c. It wat in Somersetshire, between tirf riv n Thone and Parrot. A.D. 878.] THE SECLUSION. 157 The cow-herd. He gives Alfred an asylum. grow upon it in the openings among the trees, a simple cow-herd had taken possession of, and built his hut there. The solid land which the cow-herd called his farm was only about two acres in extent. All around it was a black morass, of great extent, wooded w.th alders, among which green sedges grew, and sluggish streams meandered, and mossy tracts of verdure spread treacherously over deep bogs and sloughs. In the driest sea- son of the summer the gvats and the sheep pen- etrated into these recesses, but, excepting in the devious and tortuous path by which the cow-herd found his way to his island, it was almost impassable for man. Alfred, however, attracted now by the imped- iments and obstacles which would have repel- led a wanderer under any other circumstances, went on with the greater alacrity the more in- tricate and entangled the thickets of the morass were found, since these difficulties promised to impede or deter pursuit. He found his way in to the cow-herd's hut He asked for shelter. People who live in solitudes are always hospi- table. The cow-herd took the wayworn fugi- tive in, and gave him food and shelter. Alfred remained his gueet for a considerable time 158 ALFRED THE GREAT. [AD. 878 Alfred's account of himself. The story of Alfred's seclusion The story is, that after a few days the ocw- herd asked him who he was, and how he came to be wandering about in that distressed and destitute condition. Alfred told him that he was one of the king's thanes. A thane was a sort of chieftain in the Saxon state. He ac- counted for his condition by saying that Alfred's army nad been beaten by the Danes, and that he, with the other generals, had been forced to fly. He begged the cow-herd to conceal him, and to keep the secret of his character until times should change, so that he could take the field again. The story of Alfred's seclusion on the island, as it might almost be called, of Ethelney, is told very differently by the different narrators cf it. Some of these narrations are inconsistent and contradictory. They all combine, however, though they differ in respect to many other inci- dents and details, in relating the far-famed story of Alfred's leaving the cakes to burn. It seems that, though the cow-herd himself was allowed to regard Alfred as a man of rank in disguise- though even he did not know that it was the king his wife was not admitted, even in this partial way, into the secret. She was made to consider the stranger as some common strolling A.D.878.J THE SECLUSION. 159 Alfred's occupations at Ethelney. His gloomy thoughts countryman, and the better to sustain this idea, he was taken into the cow-herd's service, and employed in various ways, from time to time, in labors about the house and farm. Alfred's thoughts, however, were little interested in these occupations. His mind dwelt incessant- ly upon his misfortunes and the calamities which had befallen his kingdom. He was har- assed by continual suspense and anxiety, not being able to gain any clear or certain intelli- gence about the condition and movements of either his friends or foes. He was revolving continually vague and half-formed plans for re- Burning the command of his army and attempt- ing to regain his kingdom, and wearying him- self with fruitless attempts to devise means to accomplish these ends. Whenever he engaged voluntarily in any occupation, it would always be something in harmony with these trains of thought and these plans. He would repair and put in order implements of hunting, or any thing else which might be deemed to have some lelation to war. He would make bows and ar- rows in the chimney corner lost, all the time, in melancholy reveries, or in wild and visionary ohemes of future exploits. One evening, while he was thus at work, the 1(50 ALFRED THE CTRFAT. |A.D. 87k rhe story of the cakes. Its deep 'Jitereil cow-herd's wife left, for a few moments, some cakes under his charge, which she was baking upon the great stone hearth, in preparation foi their common supper. Alfred, as might have been expected, let the cakes burn. The wom- an, when she came back and found them smok- ing, was very angry. She told him that he could eat the cakes fast enough when they were baked, though it seemed he was too lazy and good for nothing to do the least thing in helping to bake them. What wide-spread and lasting effects result sometimes from the most trifling and inadequate causes ! The singularity of such an adventure befalling a monarch in dis- guise, and the terse antithesis of the reproaches with which the woman rebuked him, invest th'Js incident with an interest which carries it evary where spontaneously among mankind. Millions, within the last thousand years, have heard the name of Alfred, who have known no more of him than this story ; and millions more, who never would have heard of him but for this story, have been led by it to study the whole history of his life ; so that the unconscious cow- herd's wife, in scolding the disguised monarch for forgetting her cakes, was perhaps doing 2-411 A.b.878.; THE SECLUSION. 163 Variou* accounts of the tory of the cake*. more than he ever did himself for the wide ex- tension of his future fame.* * As this incident has been so famous, it may amuso tn reader to peruse the different accounts which are given of it in the most ancient records which new remain. They were written in Latin and in Saxon, and, of course, as given here, they are translations. The discrepancies which the reader will observe in the details illustrate well the uncertainty which pertains to all historical accounts that go back to so early an age. " He led an unquiet life there, at his cow-herd's. It hap- pened that, on a certain day, the rustic wife of the man pre- pared to bake her bread. The king, sitting then near the nearth, was making ready his bow and arrows, and other war- like implements, when the ill-tempered woman beheld the loaves burning at the fire. She ran hastily and removed them, scolding at the king, and exclaiming, ' You man ! you will not turn the bread you see burning, but you will be very glad to eat it when it is done !' This unlucky woman little thought she was addressing the King Alfred." In a certain Saxon history the story is told thus : ' He took shelter in a swain's house, and also him and his evil wife diligently served. It happened that, on one day, the swain's wife heated her oven, and the king sat by it warm- ing himself by the fire. She knew not then that he was th king. Then the evil woman was excited, and spoke to the king with an angry mind. ' Turn thou these loaves, that they burn not, for I see daily that thou art a great eater !' He DOU obeyed this evil woman because she would scold. Ha .hon the good king, with great anxiety and sighing, called to his Lord, imploring his pity." The following account is from a Latin life of St. Neot, which *U1 exists in manuscript, and is of great ant quit- 164 ALFRED THB GREAT. [A.D. 878 Various accounts of the story of the cake*. Alfred was, for a time, extremely depressed and disheartened by the sense of his misfortunes " Alfred, a fugitive, and exiled from his people, came bj chance and entered the house of a poor herdsman, and there remained some days concealed, poor and unknown. " It happened that, on the Sabbath day, the herdsman, as usual, led his cattle to their accustomed pastures, and the king remained alone in the cottage with the man's wife. She, as necessity required, placed a few loaves, which some call londat, on a pan, with fire underneath, to be baked for her husband's repast and her own, on his return. " While she was necessarily busied, like peasants, on other offices, she went anxious to the fire, and found the bread burning on the other side. She immediately assailed the king with reproaches. ' Why, man ! do you sit thinking there, and are too proud to turn the bread ? Whatever be your family, with your manners and sloth, what trust can be put in you hereafter? If you were even a nobleman, you will be glad .o eat the bread which you neglect to attend to.' The king, though stung by her upbraidings, yet heard her with patience and mildness, and, roused by her scolding, took care to bake her bread thereafter as she wished." There is one remaining account, which is as follows : " It happened that the herdsman one day, as usual, led htt swine to their accustomed pasture, and the king remained at home alone with the wife. She placed her bread under the ashes of the fire to bake, and was employed in other business vhen she saw the loaves burning, and said to the king in hei .age, ' You will not turn the bread you see burning, tbougk yon will be very glad to eat it when done !' The king, wiffc a submitting countenance, though vexed at her upbraiding* not only turned the bread, but gave them to the woman well baked and unbroken." It is obvious, from the character of these several accounts A.D. 878.] THE SECLUSION. 165 Effect of Alfred's seclusion on his heart and character. and calamities ; but the monkish writers whc Ascribed his character and his life say that the influence of his sufferings was extremely saiu- v ary in softening his disposition and improving his character. He had been proud, and haughty, and domineering before. He became humble, docile, and considerate now. Faults of charac- ter that are superficial, resulting from the force of circumstances and peculiarities of tempta- tion, rather than from innate depravity of heart, are easily and readily burned off in the fire of affliction, while the same severe ordeal seem? only to indurate the more hopelessly those pro. pensities which lie deeply seated in an inherent and radical perversity. that each writer, taking the substantial fact as the ground- work of his story, has added such details and chosen such expressions for the housewife's reproaches as suited his own individual fancy. We find, unfortunately for the truth and trustworthiness of history, that this is almost always the case, when independent and original accounts of past transactions, whether great or small, are compared. The gravest histo- rians, as well as the lightest story tellers, frame their narra- tions for effect, and the tendency in all ages to shape and fashion the narrative with a view to the particular effect de- signed by the individual narrator to be produced has been found entirely irresistible. It is necessary to compare, with great diligence and careful scrutiny, a great many different ac- counts, in order to learn how little there is to be exactly and confidently believed. 166 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 Alfred's patience and fortitude. He makes himself knows. Alfred, though restless and wretched in his apparently hopeless seclusion, bore his priva- tions with a great degree of patience and forti- tude, planning, all the time, the best means of reorganizing his scattered forces, and of rescu- ing his country from the ruin into which it had fallen. Some of his former friends, roaming as he himself had done, as fugitives about the country, happened at length to come into the neighborhood of his retreat. He heard of them, and cautiously made himself known. They were rejoiced to find their old commander once more, and, as there was no force of the Danes in that neighborhood at the time, they lingered, timidly and fearlessly at first, in the vicinity, until, at length, growing more bold as they found themselves unmolested in their retreat, they began to make it their gathering place and head-quarters. Alfred threw off his dis guise, and assumed his true character. Tidings of his having been thus discovered spread con- fidentially among the most tried and faithful of hk Saxon followers, who had themselves been seeking safety in other places of refuge. They began, at first cautiously and by stealth, bat afterward more openly, to repair to the spot Alfred's family, too, from which he had uovt A.D. 878.] THE SECLUSION. 1K7 Scarcity of provision*. Services of the herd nn sa been for many months entirely separated, con- trived to rejoin him. The herdsman, who provec. to be a man of intelligence and character su- perior to his station, entered heartily into all these movements. He kept the secret faith- fully. He did all in his power to provide foi the wants and to promote the comfort of hi* warlike guests, and, by his fidelity and devo- tion, laid Alfred under obligations of gratitude to him, which the king, when he was afterward restored to the throne, did not forget to repay. Notwithstanding, however, all the efforts which the herdsman made to obtain supplies, the company now assembled at Ethelney were sometimes reduced to great straits. There were not only the wants of Alfred and his immediate family and attendants to be provided for, but many persons were continually coming and going, arriving often at unexpected times, and acting, as roving and disorganized bodies of sol- diers are very apt to do at such times, in a very inconsiderate manner. The herdsman's farm produced very little food, and the inaccessible- ness of its situation made it difficult to bring in supplies from without. In fact, it was neces- sary, in one part of the approach to it, to use a boat, so that the place is generally called, in his 168 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 87b Fishing excursions. The story of the beggar. tory, an island, though it was insulated mainly by swamps and morasses rather than by nav- igable waters. There were, however, sluggish streams all around it, where Alfred's men, when their stores were exhausted, went to fish, under the herdsman's guidance, returning sometimes with a moderate fare, and sometimes with none. The monks who describe this portion of Al- fred's life have recorded an incident as having occurred on the occasion of one of these fishing excursions, which, however, is certainly, in part, a fabrication, and may be wholly so. It was in die winter. The waters about the grounds were frozen up. The provisions in the house were nearly exhausted, there being scarcely any thing remaining. The men went away with their fishing apparatus, and with their bows and ar- rows, in hopes of procuring some fish or fowl to replenish their stores. Alfred was left alone, with only a single lady of his family, who is called in the account " Mother," though it could not have been Alfred's own mother, as she had been dead many years. Alfred was sitting in the hut reading. A beggar, who had by some means or other found his way in over the frozen morasses, came to the door, and asked for food. Alfred, looking up from his book, asked the A.D. 878.] THE SECLUSION. 16tf Alfred's charity. Hla dream. mother, whoever she was, to go and see what there was to give him. She went to make ex- amination, and presently returned, saying that there was nothing to give him. There was only a single loaf of bread remaining, and that would not be half enough for their own wants that very night when the hunting party should return, if they should come back unsuccessful from their expedition. Alfred hesitated a mo- ment, and then ordered half the loaf to be given to the beggar. He said, in justification of the act, that his trust was now in God, and that the power which once, with five loaves and two small fishes, fed abundantly three thousand men, could easily make half a loaf suffice for them. The loaf was accordingly divided, the beggar was supplied, and, delighted with this unex- pected relief, he went away. Alfred turned his attention again to his reading. After a tune the book dropped from his hand. He had fall- en asleep. He dreamed that a certain saint appeared to him, and made a revelation to him from heaven. God, he said, had heard his pyers, was satisfied with his penitence, and pitied his sorrows ; and that his act of charity in relieving the poor beggar, even at the risk of 170 ALFRED THE GREAT. [AJD. S78 Return of the hunting party. Revival of Alfred's hope* leaving himself and his friends in utter destitu- tion, was extremely acceptable in the sight of Heaven. The faith and trust which he thus manifested were about to be rewarded. The time for a change had come. He was to be restored to his kingdom, and raised to a new and higher state of prosperity and power than before. As a token that this prediction was true, and would be all fulfilled, the hunting party would return that night with an ample and abundant supply. Alfred awoke from his sleep with his mind filled with new hopes and anticipations. The hunting party returned loaded with supplies, and in a state of the greatest exhilaration at their success. They had fish and game enough to have supplied a little army. The incident of relieving the beggar, the dream, and their unwonted success confirming it, inspired them all with confidence and hope. They began to form plans for commencing offensive operations They would build fortifications to strengthen their position on the island. They would col- lect a force They would make sallies to at- tack the smaller parties of the Danes. They would send agents and emissaries about the kingdom to arouse, and encourage, and assenv A.D.878.] THE SECLUSION, 171 Plans of Alfred and his friends to recover the kingdom. ble such Saxon forces as were yet to be found. In a word, they would commence a series of measures for recovering the country from the possession of its pestilent enemy, and for restor- ing the rightful sovereign to the throne. The development of these projects and plans, and the measures for carrying them into effect, were very much hastened by an event which sudden- ly occurred in the neighborhood of Ethelney, the account of which, however, must be post- poned to the next chapter. 172 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.878 Supposed situation of Ethelney. The Jewel ol gold CHAPTER IX. REASSEMBLING OF THE ARMY. 1T1THELNEY, though its precise locality - ^ can not now be certainly ascertained, was in the southwestern part of England, in Som- ersetshire, which county lies jon the southern shore of the Bristol Channel. There is a region of marshes in* that vicinity, which tradition as- signs as the place of Alfred's retreat ; and there was, about the middle of this century, a farm- house there, which bore the name of Ethelney, though this name may have been given to it in modern times by those who imagined it to be the ancient locality. A jewel of gold, engraved as an amulet to be worn about the neck, and inscribed with the Saxon words which mean " Alfred had me made," was found in the vicin- ity, and is still carefully preserved in a museum In England. Some curious antiquarians pro teas to find the very hillock, rising out of the lew grounds around, where the herdsman that entertained Alfred so long lived ; but this, of erurse is all uncertain. The peculiarities of A.D. 878.] A.RMV REASSEMBLED. 173 Changes produced by time. Mi jd fortifies Ethelney. the spot derived their character from the mo- rasses and the woods, and the courses of the sluggish streams in the neighborhood, and these are elements of landscape scenery which ten centuries of time and of cultivation would en- tirely change. Whatever may have been the precise situa- tion of the spot, instead of being, as at first, a mere hiding-place and retreat, it became, before many months, as was intimated in the last chapter, a military camp, secluded and conceal ed, it is true, but still possessing, in a consid- erable degree, the characteristics of a fastness and place of de'fense. Alfred's company erect- ed something which might be called a wall. They built a bridge across the water where the nerdsman's boat had been accustomed to ply. They raised two towers to watch and guard the bridge. All these defenses were indeed of a very rude and simple construction ; still, they answered the purpose intended. They afforded a real protection ; and, more than all, they pro- duced a certain moral effect upon the minds ?f those whom they shielded, by enabling them to consider themselves as no longer lurking fugi dives, dependent for safety on simple conceal- ment, but as a garrison, weak, it is true, but 174 ALFRED THE UREAT. [A.D. 878 Hubba in Wales. Castle Kenwitb. still gathering strength, and advancing gradu- ally toward a condition which would enable them to make positive aggressions upon the enemy. The circumstance which occurred to hasten the development of Alfred's plans, and which was briefly alluded to at the close of the last chapter, was the following : It seems that quite a large party of Danes, under the command of a leader named Hubba, had been making a tour of conquest and plunder in Wales, which coun- try was on the other side of the Bristol Chan- nel, directly north of Ethelney,, where Alfred was beginning to concentrate a force. He would be immediately exposed to an attack from this quarter as soon as it should be known that he was at Ethelney, as the distance across the Channel was not great, and the Danes were provided with shipping. Ethelney was in the county called Somerset- shire. To the southwest of Somersetshire, a little below it, on the shores of the Bristol Chan- nel, was a castle, called Castle Kenwith, in Devonshire. The Duke of Devonshire, who held this castle, encouraged by Alfred's prepa- rations for action, had assembled a considerable force her**, to be ready to co-oporate with Al- A.D. 878.] ARMY REASSEMBLED 173 Jubba crosses the Channel He besieges Odun. fred in the active measures which he was about to adopt. Things being in this state, Hubba brought down his forces to the northern shores of the Channel, collected together all the boats and shipping that he could command, crossed the Channel, and landed on the Devonshire shore. Odun, the duke, not being strong enough to resist, fled, and shut himself up, with all his men, in the castle. Hubba advanced to the cas- tle walls, and, sitting down before them, began to consider what to do. Hubba was the last surviving son of Ragner Lodbrog, whose deeds and adventures were re- lated in a former chapter. He was, like all other chieftains among the Danes, a man of great determination and energy, and he had made himself very celebrated all over the land by his exploits and conquests. His particular horde of marauders, too, was specially celebrated among all the others, on account of a mysteri- ous and magical banner which they bore. The name of this banner was the Reafan, that is, the Raven. There was the figure of a raven woven or embroidered on the banner. Hubba'a three sisters had wcven it for their brothers, when they went forth across the German Ocean to avenge their father's death. It possessed, a 176' ALFREI THE GREAT. [A.D. b>78 rhe mb^ical banner. How regarded by the Saxons and Dines both the Danes and Saxons believed, supernak ural and magical powers. The raven on thf banner could foresee the result of any battle into which it was borne. It remained lifeless and at rest whenever the result was to be adverse ; and, on the other hand, it fluttered its wings with a mysterious and magical vitality when they who bore it were destined to victory. The Danes consequently looked up to this banner with a feeling of profound veneration and awe, and the Saxons feared and dreaded its mysteri- ous power. The explanation of this pretended miracle is easy. The imagination of superst tious men, in such a state of society as that of these half-savage Danes, is capable of much greater triumphs over the reason and the senses than is implied in making them believe that the wings of a bird are either in motion or at rest, whichever it fancies, when the banner on which the image is embroidered is advancing to the field and fluttering in the breeze. The Castle of Kenwith was situated on a rocky promontory, and was defended by a Sax<-r wall. Hubba saw tnat it would be difficult to carry it by a direct assault. On the other hand it was not well supplied with water or provis- ions, and the numerous multitude which hac! A.D. 878.] ARMY REASSEMBLED. 177 Hubba's plan of operations. Preparations of Odnn crowded into it. would, as Hubba thought, be speedily compelled to surrender by thirst and famine, if he were simply to wait a short time, till their scanty stock cf food was consumed. Perhaps the raven did not flutter her wings when Hubba approached the castle, but by her apparent lifelessness portended calamity if an attack were to be made. At all events, Hubba decided not to attack the castle, but to invest it closely on all sides, with his army on the land and with his vessels on the side of the sea, and thus reduce it by famine. He accordinglj stationed his troops and his galleys at thei" posts and established himself in his tent, quietly ti await the result. He did not have to wait so long as he antici- pated. Odun, finding that his danger was so imminent, nay, that his destruction was inevi- table if he remained in his castle, thus shut in, determined, in the desperation to which the emergency reduced him, to make a sally. Ac- cordingly, one night, as soon as it was dark, so that the indications of any movement within the castle might not be perceived by the sentinels and watcnmen in Hubba's lines, he began to marshal aud organize his army for a sudden and furious onset upon the camp of the Danes- 2412 178 ALFRED THE GREAT. |AD.87 Sally of the Saxons. Death of Hubba They waited, when all was ready, till the first break of day. To make the surprise most ef. feotual, it was necessary that it should tak< place in the night ; but then, on the other hand, the success, if they should be successful, would equire, in order to be followed up with ad- vantage, the light of day. Odun chose, there- fore, the earliest dawn as the time for his at- tempt, as this was the only period which would give him at first darkness for his surprise, and afterward light for his victory. The time was well chosen, the arrangements were all well made, and the result corresponded with the character of the preparations. The sally wa* triumphantly successful. The Danes, who were all, except their sen- tinels, sleeping quietly and secure, were sud denly aroused by the unearthly and terrific yell* with which the Saxons burst into the lines of their encampment. They flew to arms, but the shock of the onset produced a panic and confusion which soon made their cause hopeless. Odun and his immediate followers pressed di rectly forward into Hubba's tent, where they sm prised the commander, and massacred him on the spot. They seized, too, to their inex- pressible joy, the sac; ed banner, which was in A.D. 878.] ARMY REASSEMBLED. 179 Capture of the banner. Slaughter of the Dane* Hubba's tent, and bore it forth, rejoicing in it, not merely as a splendid trophy of their victory, bnt as a loss to their enemies which fixed and sealed their doom. The Danes fled before their enemies in ter- ror, and the consternation which they felt, when they learned that their banner had been cap- tured and their leader slain, was soon changed into absolute despair. The Saxons slew them without mercy, cutting down some as they were running before them in their headlong flight, and transfixing others with their spears and ar- rows as they lay upon the ground, trampled down by the crowds and the confusion. There was no place of refuge to which they could fly except to their ships. Those, therefore, that escaped the weapons of their pursuers, fled in the direction of the water, where the strong and the fortunate gained the boats and the galleys, while the exhausted and the wounded were drowned. The fleet sailed away from the coast, and the Saxons, on surveying the scene of the terrible contest, estimated that there were twelve hundred dead bodies lying in the field. This victory, and especially the capture o! the Raven, produced vast effects on the mind* both of the Saxons and of the Danes, animat- 180 ALFRED THE GREAT. [AD. 878 Alfred's prospects brighten. Alarm of the Dane* ing and encouraging the one, and depressing the other with superstitious as well as natural and proper fears. The influence of the battle was sufficient, in fact, wholly to change Al- fred's position and prospect. The news of the discovery of the place of his retreat, and of the measures which he was maturing for taking the field again to meet his enemies, spread throughout the country. The people were ev- ery where ready to take up arms and join him. There were large bodies of Danes in several parts of his dominions still, and they, alarmed somewhat at these indications of new efforts of resistance on the part of their enemies, began to concentrate their strength and prepare for %nother struggle. The main body of the Danes were encamped at a place called Edendune, in Wiltshire. There is a hill near, which the army made their main position, and the marks of their fortifications have been traced there, either in imagination or reality, in modern times. Alfred wished tc gain more precise and accurate information than he yet possessed of the numbers and si,n ation of his foes ; and, in order to do this. \a? etead of employing a spy, he conceived the w sign of going himself in disguise to explore Jia A.D 878.] ARMF REASSEMBLED. 181 Alfred resolves to explore the Danish camp. His disguise oamp of the Danes. The undertaking was full of danger, but yet not quite so desperate as at first it might seem. Alfred had had abundant opportunities during tha months of his seclusion to become familiar with the modes of speech and the manners of peasant life. He had also, in his early years, stored his memory with Sax- on poetry, as has already been stated. He was fond of music, too, and well skilled in it; so that he har 1 , every qualification for assuminsr the character of one of those raving harpers, who, in those days, followed armies, to sing songs and make amusement for the soldiers. He de- termined, consequently, to assume the disguis* of a harper, and to wander into the camp of the Danes, that he might make his own observa- tions on the nature and magnitude of the force with which he was about to contend. He accordingly clothed himself in the garb of the character which he was to assume, and, taking his harp upon his shoulder, wandersd away in the direction of the Northmen's camp. Such a strolling countryman, half musician, half beggar would enter without suspicion or hinderance into the camp, even though he be- longed to the nation of the enemy. Alfred waa readily admitted, and he wandered at will about 182 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878, Alfred in the Danish camp. He plays for the king. the lines, to play and sing to the soldiers wher- ever he found groups to listen intent, appar- ently, on nothing but his scanty pittance of pay, while he was really studying, with the utmost attention and care, the number, and disposition, and discipline of the troops, and all the arrange- ments of the army. He came very near dis- covering himself, however, by overacting his part. His music was so well executed and his ballads were so fine, that reports of the excel- lence of his performance reached the command- er's ears. He ordered the pretended harper to be sent into his tent, that he might hear him play and sing. Alfred went, and thus he had the opportunity of completing his observations in the tent, and in the presence of the Danish king- Alfred found that the Danish camp was in a very unguarded and careless condition. The name of the commander, or king, was Guth- rum.* Alfred, while playing in his presence, studied his character, and it is improbable that the very extraordinary course which he after- ward pursued in respect to Guthrum may have been caused, in a great degree, by the opportu- ' Spelled sometimes Qodron, Gutrum, Gythram, and m various other ways. A..D. 878.] ARMY REASSEMBLED. 183 Quthrura'g reception of Alfred. Hia attendant and companion nity he now enjoyed of domestic access to him and of obtaining a near and intimate view of his social and personal character. Guthrum treated the supposed harper with great kind- ness. He was much pleased both with his sing- ing and his songs, being attracted, too, proba- bly, in some degree, by a certain mysterious interest which the humble stranger must have inspired ; for Alfred possessed personal and in- tellectual traits of character which could not but have given to his conversation and his man- ners a certain charm, notwithstanding all his efforts to disguise or conceal them. However this may be, Guthrum gave Alfred a very friendly reception, and the hour of social intercourse and enjoyment which the general and the ballad-singer spent together was only a precursor of the more solid and honest friend- ship which afterward subsisted between them as allied sovereigns. Alfred had one person with him, whom h had brought from Ethelney a sort of attend- ant to help him carry his harp, and to be a companion for him on the way. He would have needed such a companion even if he had been only what he seemed ; but for a spy, going in disguise into the camp of such ferocious ene- 184 ALFRKD THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 Alfred returns to Etbclney. Hig plan* mies as the Danes, it would seem absolutely indispensable that he should have the support and sympathy of a friend. Alfred, after finishing his examination of the samp of Guthrum, and forming secretly, in hi* own mind, his plans for attacking it, moved leisurely away, taking his harp and his attend- ant with him, as if going on in search of some new place to practice his profession. As soon as he was out of the reach of observation, he made a circuit and returned in safety to Ethel- ney. The season was now spring, and every thing favored the commencement of his enter- prise. His first measure was to send out some trusty messengers into all the neighboring counties, to visit and confer with his friends at their va- rious castles and strong-holds. These messen- gers were to announce to such Saxon leaders as they should find that Alfred was still alive, and that he was preparing to take the field against the Danes again ; and were to invite them to assemble at a certain place appointed, in a for- est, with as many followers as they could bring, that the king might there complete the organ- ization of an army, and hold conarultatkn with them to mature their plans A.D. 878.] ARMV REASSEMBLED. 183 Belwood Forest Stone of Egbert The wood on the borders of whioh they were to meet was an extensive forest of willows, fi teen miles long and six broad It was known by the name of Selwood Forest. There was a oeiebrated place called the Stone of Egbert, where the meeting was to be held. Each chief- tain whom the messengers should visit was to be invited to come to the Stone of Egbert at the appointed day, with as many armed men, and yet in as secret and noiseless a manner as possible, so as thus, while concentrating all their forces in preparation for their intended at- tack, to avoid every thing which would tend to put Guthrum on his guard. The messengers found the Saxon chieftains ?ery ready to enter into Alfred's plans. They were rejoiced to hear, as some of them did now for the first time hear, that he was alive, and that the spirit and energy of his former charac- ter were about to be exhibited again. Every thing, in fact, conspired to favor the enterprise. The long and gloomy months of winter were past, and the opening spring brought with it, as usual, excitement and readiness for action. The tidings of Odun's victory over Hubba, and the capture of the sacred raven, whioh had every where, had awakened a genera) L86 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 The great meeting in Selwood Forest Rejoicing* enthusiasm, and a desire on the part of all the Saxon chieftains and soldiers to try theii strength once more with their ancient enemies. Accordingly, those to whom the secret was intrusted eagerly accepted the invitation, or, perhaps, as it should rather be expressed, obeyed the summons which Alfred sent them. They marshaled their forces without any delay, and repaired to the appointed place in Selwood For- est. Alfred was ready to meet them there. Two days were occupied with the arrivals of the different parties, and in the mutual con- gratulations and rejoicings. Growing more bold as their sense of strength increased with their increasing numbers, and with the ardor and enthusiasm which their mutual influence on each other inspired, they spent the intervals of their consultations in festivities and rejoic- ings, celebrating the occasion with games and martial music. The forest resounded with the blasts of horns, the sound of the trumpets, the clash of arms, and the shouts of joy and con- gratulation, which all the efforts of the more prudent and cautious could not repress. In the mean time, Guthrum remained in his encampment at Edendune. This seems to have been the principal concentration of the forces A.D. 878.] ARMY REASSEMBLED. 187 Gu thrum In his camp. Ilia sense of security of the Danes which were marshaled for military service ; and yet there were large numbers of the people, disbanded soldiers, or non-combat- ants, who had come over in the train of the ar- mies, that had taken possession of the lands which they had conquered, and had settled upon them for cultivation, as if to make them their permanent home. These intruders were scat- tered in larger or smaller bodies in various parts of the kingdom, the Saxon inhabitants being prevented from driving them away by the in- fluence and power of the armies, which still kept possession of the field, and preserved their military organization complete, ready for action at any time whenever any organized Saxon force should appear. Guthrum, as we have said, headed the larg est of these armies. He was aware of the in creasing excitement that was spreading among the Saxon population, and he even heard ru- mors of the movements which the bodies of Saxons made, in going under their several chief* tains to Selwood Forest. He expected that some important movement was about to occur, but he had no idea that preparations so extend- ed, and for so decisive a demonstration, were so far advanced. He remained, therefore, at 188 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 Alfred marches toward Guthrum'i camp. He encamps at .cglea, his camp at Edendune, gradually completing his arrangements for his summer campaign, but making no preparations for resisting any sud- den or violent attack. When all was ready, Alfred put himself at the head of the forces which had collected at the Egbert Stone, or, as it is quaintly spelled in some of the old accounts, Ecgbyrth-stan. There is a place called Brixstan in that vicinity now, which may possibly be the same name modified and abridged by the lapse of tima Alfred moved forward toward Guthrum's camp He went only a part of the way the first day intending to finish the march by getting into the immediate vicinity of the enemy on the morrow. He succeeded in accomplishing this object, and encamped the next night at a place called ^Ecglea,* on an eminence from which he could reconnoiter, from a great distance, the position of the arrr\y. That night, as he was sleeping in his tent, he had a remarkable dream. He dreamed that his relative, St. Neot, who has been already mentioned as the chaplain or priest who reprov- * Some think that this place is the modern Leigh ; others, that it was Highley ; either of which names might hare ben deduced from jEcglea A.D. 878.] ARMY REASSEMBLED. 189 Alfred's remarkable dream. Enthusiasm of the army. ed him so severely for his sins in the early part of his reign, appeared to him. The apparition bid him not fear the immense army of pagans whom he was going to encounter on the mor- row God, he said, had accepted his penitence, anc was now about to take him under his spe- cial protection. The calamities which had be- fallen him were sent in judgment to punish the pride and arrogance which he had manifested in the early part of his reign ; but his faults had been expiated by the sufferings he had en- dured, and by the penitence and the piety which they had been the means of awakening ji his heart ; and now he might go forward into ihe battle without fear, as God was about to give him the victory over all his enemies. The king related his dream the next morn- ing to his army. The enthusiasm and ardor which the chieftains and the men had felt be- fore were very much increased by this assur- ance of success. They broke up their encamp- ment, therefore, and commenced the march, which was to bring them, before many hours, into the presence of the enemy, with great alac- rity and eager expectations of success. L^O ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D 878 Alfred puts hie army in motion. Position of GB thrum CHAPTER X. THE VICTORY OVER THE DANES. ENCOURAGED by his dream, and anima ted by the number and the elation of hi* followers, Alfred led his army onward toward the part of the country where the camp of the enemy lay. He intended to surprise them ; and, although Guthrum had heard vague ru- mors that some great Saxon movement was in train, he viewed the sudden appearance of this large and well-organized army with amaze- ment. He had possession of the hill near Edendune, which has been already described. He had es- tablished his head-quarters here, and made his strongest fortifications on the summit of the eminence. The main body of his forces were, however, encamped upon the plain, over which they extended, in vast numbers, far and wide Alfred halted his men to change the order of march into the order of battle. Here he made an address to his men. As no time was t bo lost, he spoke but a few word*. He rerniniet A.D 878.] SAXON VICTORY. 191 The battle. Defeat of the Dn them that they were to contend, that day, to rescue themselves and their country from the intolerable oppression of a horde of pagan idol- aters ; that God was on their side, and had promised them the victory ; and he urged them to act like men, so as to deserve the success and happiness which was in store for them. The army then advanced to the attack, the Danes having been drawn out hastily, but with as much order as the suddenness of the call would allow, to meet them. When near enough for their arrows to take effect, the long line of Alfred's troops discharged their arrows. They then advanced to the attack with lances ; but soon these and all other weapons which kept the combatants at a distance were thrown aside, and it became a terrible conflict with swords, man to man. It was not long before the Danes began to yield. They were not sustained by the strong assurance of victory, nor by the desperate de- termination which animated the Saxons. The flight soon became general. They could not gain the fortification on the hill, for Alfred had forced his way in between the encampment on the plains and the approaches to the hill. The Danes, consequently, not being able to find ref 192 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 Flight of the Danes. Pursuit of the Saxons uge in either part of the position they had tak- en, fled altogether from the field, pursued by Alfred's victorious columns as fast as they could follow. Guthrum succeeded, by great and vigorous exertions, in rallying his men, or, at least, in so far collecting and concentrating the separate bodies of the fugitives as to change the flight into a retreat, having some semblance of mili- tary order. Vast numbers had been left dead upon the field. Others had been taken prison- era. Others still had become hopelessly dispers- ed, having fled from the field of battle in di- verse directions, and wandered so far, in their terror, that they had not been able to rejoin their leader in his retreat. Then, great num- bers of those who pressed on under Guthrum's command, exhausted by fatigue, or spent and fainting from their wounds, sank down by the way-side to die, while their comrades, intent only upon their own safety, pressed incessantly on. The retreating army was thus, in a short time, reduced to a small fraction of its original force This remaining body, with Guthrum at their head, continued their retreat until they reached a castle which promised them protec- tion. They poured in over the drawbridge* A..D.878.J SAXON VICTORY. 198 The Dane* shut themselves up in a castle. Elation of the Saxon* and through the gates of this fortress in extremo confusion ; and feeling suddenly, and for the moment, entirely relieved at their escape from the imminence of the immediate danger, they shut themselves in. The finding of such a retreat would *ave been great good fortune for these wretched fu- gitives if there had been any largo force in the country to come soon to their deliverance ; but, as they were without provisions and without Water, they soon be* v an to perceive that, unless they obtained some speedy help from without, they had only escaped the Saxon lances and swords to die a ten times more bitter death of thirst and famine ; and there was no force to relieve them. The army which had been thus defeated was the great central force of the Danes upon the island. The other detachments and independent bands which were scattered about the land were thunderstruck at the news of this terrible defeat. The Saxons, too, were every where aroused to the highest pitch of en- thusiasm at the reappearance of their king and the tidings of his victory. The whole country was in arms. Guthrum, however, shut up in his castle, and closely invested with Alfred's forces, had no means of knowing what wa 2413 194 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878 Hopeless condition of the Dane*. Surrender of Guthrum. passing without. His numbers were so small in comparison with those besieging him that it would have been madness for him to have at- tempted a sally ; and he would not surrender. He waited day after day, hoping against hope that some succor would come. His half-fam- ished sentinels gazed from the watch-towers of the castle all around, looking for some cloud of distant dust, or weapon glancing in the sun, which might denote the approach of friends coming to their rescue. This lasted fourteen days. At the end of that time, the number within this wretched prison who were raving in the delirium of famine and thirst, or dying in agony, became too great for Guthrum to per- sist any longer. He surrendered. Alfred was once more in possession of his kingdom. During the fourteen days that elapsed be- tween the victory on the field of battle and the final surrender of Guthrum, Alfred, feeling that the power was now in his hands, had had am- ple time to reflect on the course which he should pursue with his subjugated enemies ; and the result to which he came, and the measure which he adopted, evince, as much as any act of hii life, the greatness, and originality, and noble ness of his character. Here were two distinct A.D.878.J SAXON VICTORY. 195 Tho Saxons and Dane* equally aggressor*. Their relation* and independent races on the same island, that had been engaged for many years in a most fierce and sanguinary struggle, each gaining at times a temporary and partial victory, but nei- ther able entirely to subdue or exterminate the other. The Danes, it is true, might be consid- ered as the aggressors in this contest, and, as such, wholly in the wrong; but then, on the other hand, it was to be remembered that the ancestors of the Saxons had been guilty of pre- cisely the same aggressions upon the Britons, who held the island before them ; so that the Danes were, after all, only intruding upon in- truders. It was, besides, the general maxim of the age, that the territories of the world were prizes open for competition, and that the right to possess and to govern vested naturally and justly in those who could show themselves the strongest. Then, moreover, the Danes had been now for many years in Britain. Vast numbers had quietly settled on agricultural lands. They had become peaceful inhabitants. They- had established, in many cases, friendly relations with the Saxons. They had intermarried with them ; and the two races, instead of appearing, as at first, simply as two hostile armies of com- batants contending on the field, had been, foi 196 ALFRED TH: GREAT. [A.D. 878 impossibility of expelling the Danes. Wise policy. some years, acquiring the character of a mixed population, established and settled, though het- erogeneous, and, in some sense, antagonistic still To root out all these people, intruders though they were, and send them back again across the German Ocean, to regions where they no longer had friends or home, would have been a desperate in fact, an impossible under taking. Alfred saw all these things. He took, in fact, a general, and comprehensive, and impartial view of the whole subject, instead of regarding it, as most conquerors in his situation would' have done, in a partisan, that is, an exclusively Saxon point of view He saw how impossible it was to undo what had been done, and wisely determined to take things as they were, ana make the best of the present situation of affairs, leaving the past, and aiming only at accom- plishing the best that was now attainable for the future. It would be well if all men who are engaged in quarrels which they vainly en- deavor to settle by discussing and disputing about what is past and gone, and can now nev- er be recalled, would follow his example. In all such cases we should say, let the past be for- gotten, and, taking things as they now are, lev A.D. 878.] SAXON VICTORY. 197 Alfred'* generosity. Terms offered Guthrum as see what we can do to secure peace and hap- piness in future. The policy which Alfred determined to adopt was, not to attempt the utter extirpation of the Danes from England, but only to expel the arm- sd forces from his own dominions, allowing those peaceably disposed to remain in quiet pos- session of such lands in other parts of the isl- and as they already occupied. Instead, there- fore, of treating Guthrum with harshness and severity as a captive enemy, he told him that he was willing not only to give him his liberty, out to regard him, on certain conditions, as a friend and an ally, and allow him to reign as a *ing over that part of England which his coun- trymen possessed, and which was beyond Al- fred's own frontiers. These conditions were, that Guthrvn was to go away with all his forces and followers out of Alfred's kingdom, under solemn oaths never to return ; that he was to confine himself thenceforth to the south- eastern part of England, a territory from which the Saxon government had long disappeared , that he was to give hostages for the faithful ful- fillment of these stipulations, without, however receiving on his part any hostages from Alfred. There was ne other stipulation, more extraor- i98 ALFRED THE GREUAI [A.D. 878 Guthrum agrees to become a Christian. Sudden change in his affair* dinary than all the rest, viz., that Guthrurn should become a convert to Christianity, and publicly avow his adhesion to the Saxon faith by being baptized in the presence of the leaders of both armies, in the most open and solemn manner. In this proposed baptism, Alfred him- self would stand his godfather. This idea of winning over a pagan soldier to the Christian Church as the price of his ransom from famine and death in the castle to which his direst enemy had driven him this enemy himself, the instrument thus of so rude a mode of conversion, to be the sponsor of the new com- municant's religious profession was one in keeping, it is true, with the spirit of the times, but still it is one which, under the circumstan- ces of this case, only a mind of great original- ity and power would have conceived of or at- tempted to carry into effect. Guthrum might well be astonished at this unexpected turn in his affairs. A few days before, he saw himself on the brink of utter and absolute destruction Shut up with his famished soldiers in a gloomy castle, with the enemy, bitter and implacable, as he supposed, thundering at the gates, the only alternatives before him seemed to be to die of starvation and phrensy within the wall* A.D.878.] SAXON VICTORY. 19s The term* accepted. The Dane* liberated. which covered him, or by a cruel military exe- cution in the event of surrender. He surren- dered at last, as it would seem, only because the utmost that human cruelty can inflict is more tolerable than the horrid agonies of thirst and hunger. We can not but hope that Alfred was led, in some degree, by a generous principle of Chris- tian forgiveness in proposing the terms which he did to his fallen enemy, and also that Guthrum, in accepting them, was influenced, in part at least, by emotions of gratitude and by admiration of the high example of Christian virtue which Alfred thus exhibited. At any rate, he did ac- eept them. The army of the Danes were liber- ated from their confinement, and commenced their march to the eastward ; Guthrum him- self, attended by thirty of his chiefs and many other followers, became Alfred's guest for some weeks, until the most pressing measures for the organization of Alfred's government could be at- tended to, and the necessary preparations for the baptism could be made. At length, some weeks after the surrender, the parties all re- paired together, now firm friends and allies, to a place near Ethelney, where the ceremony of baptism was to be performed. 200 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D.378 frobable effects of Guthrum's baptism. The ceremonie* The admission of this pagan chieftain into the Christian Church did not probably mark any real change in his opinions on the question of paganism and Christianity, but it was not the less important in its consequences on that ac- oount. The moral effect of it upon the minds of his followers was of great value. It opened the way for their reception of the Christian faith, if any of them should be disposed to receive it. Then it changed wholly the feeling which prevailed among the Saxon soldiery, and also the Saxon chieftains, in respect to these ene- mies. A great deal of the bitterness of exas- peration with which they had regarded them arose from the fact that they were pagans, the haters and despisers of the rites and institutions of religion. Guthrum's approaching baptism was to change all this ; and Alfred, in leading him to the baptismal font, was achieving, in the estimation not only of all England, but of France and of Rome, a far greater and nobler victory than when he conquered his armies on the field of Edendune. The various ceremonies connected with the baptism were protracted through several days. They were commenced at a place called Aulre, near Ethelnev> where there was a religious es- A.D.b7S.j JAXON VICTORY Gathruin's new name. Public festivities. tablishment and priests to perform the necessary ites. The new convert was clothed in white garments the symbol of purity, then custom- trily worn by candidates for baptism and was covered with a mystic veil. They gave Guth- rum a new name a Christian, that is, a Saxon name. Converted pagans received always a new name, in those days, when baptized ; and our common phrase, the Christian name, has arisen from the circumstance. Guthrum's Christian name was Ethelstan. Alfred was his godfather. After the baptism the whole party proceeded to a town a few miles distant^ which Alfred had decided to make a royal res- idence, and there other ceremonies connected with the new convert's admission to the Church were performed, the whole ending with a series of great public festivities and rejoicings. A very full and formal treaty of peace and amity was now concluded between the two SOY- ereigns ; for Guthrum was styled in the treaty % king, and was to hold, in the dominions as- signed him to the eastward of Alfred's realm; an independent jurisdiction. He agreed, how- ever, by this treaty, to confine himself, from that time forward, to the limits thus assigned. If the reader wishes to see what part of England 202 ALFRED THE GREAT. [AD. 878 Treaty between Alfred and On thrum. Kingdom of the latter it was which Guthrum was thus to hold, he can easily identify it by finding upon the map the following counties, which now occupy the same territory, viz., Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge- shire, Essex, and part of Herefordshire. The population of all this region consisted already, in a great measure, of Danes. It was the part most easily accessible from the German Ocean, by means of the Thames and the Medway, and it had, accordingly, become the chief seat of the Northmen's power. Guthrum not only agreed to confine himself to the limits thus marked out, but also to con- sider himself henceforth as Alfred's friend and ally in the event of any new bands of adven- turers arriving on the coast, and to join Alfred in his endeavors to resist them. In hoping that he would fulfill this obligation, Alfred did not rely altogether on Guthrum's oaths or prom- ises, or even on the hostages that he held. He had made it for his interest to fulfill them. By giving him peaceable possession of this terri- tory, after having, by his victories, impressed him with a very high idea of his own great mil- itary resources and power, he had placed hi* conquered enemy under very strong induce- merits to be satisfied with what he now po A.D 878.] SAXON VICTOR v. 203 Quthrum faithful to his covenant Fundamental law* tattled. sessed, and to make common cause with Alfred in resisting the encroachments of any new ma- rauders. Guthrum was therefore honestly resolved on keeping his faith with his new ally ; and when ill these stipulations were made, and the treat- ies were signed, and the ceremonies of the bap- tism all performed, Alfred dismissed his guest, with many presents and high honors. There is some uncertainty whether Alfred did not, in addition to the other stipulations un- der which he bound Guthrum, reserve to him- self the superior sovereignty over Guthrum'a dominions, in such a manner that Guthrum, though complimented in the treaty with the title of king, was, after all, only a sort of vice roy, holding his throne under Alfred as his liege lord. One thing is certain, that Alfred took care, in his treaty with Guthrum, to settle alJ the fundamental laws of both kingdoms, mak- ing them the same for both, as if he foresaw the complete and entire union which was ulti mately to take place, and wished to facilitate the accomplishment of this end by having the political and social constitution of the two state* brought at once into harmony with each other. It proved, in the end, that Guthrum waa 204 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D 878 Gnthrum's services. Alfred organizes his government faithful to his obligations and promises. He settled himself quietly in the dominions which the treaty assigned to him, and made no more attempts to encroach upon Alfred's realm. Whenever other parties of Danes came upon the coast, as they sometimes did, they found no favor or countenance from him. They came, in some cases, expecting his co-operation ai?d aid ; but he always refused it, and by this dis- couragement, as well as by open resistance, he drove many bands away, turning the tide of invasion southward into France, and other re- gions on the Continent. Alfred, in the mear time, gave his whole time and attention to or- ganizing the various departments of his govern- ment, to planning and building towns, repair- ing and fortifying castles, opening roads, estab- lishing courts of justice, and arranging and set- ting in operation the complicated machinery necessary in the working of a well-conducted social state. The nature and operation of some of his plans will be described more fully in the next chapter. In concluding this chapter, we will add, that notwithstanding h's victory over Gu thrum, and Guthrum's subsequent good faith, Alfred never enjoyed an absolute peace, but during the whole A.D.878.] SAXON VICTORY. 205 Continued trouble from the Dane*. Alfred's character remainder of his reign was more or less molest, ed with parties of Northmen, who came, from time to time, to land on English shores, and who met sometimes with partial and temporary success in their depredations. The most se- rious of these attempts occurred near the close of Alfred's life, and will be hereafter described. The generosity and the nobleness of mind which Alfred manifested in his treatment of Guthrum made a great impression upon man- kind at the time, and have done a great deal tc elevate the character of our hero in every sub- sequent age. All admire such generosity in others, however slow they may be to practice it themselves. It seems a very easy virtue when we look upon an exhibition of it like this, where we feel no special resentments ourselves against the person thus nobly forgiven. We find it, tiowever, a very hard virtue to practice, when ft case occurs requiring the exercise of it to- ward a person who has done us an injury. Let those who think that in Alfred's situation they should have acted as he did, look around upon the circle of their acquaintance, and see whether it is easy for them to pursue a similar course toward their personal enemies those who hav 206 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 878. Alfred's klndnaM of heart. The child in the eagle's ne*t thwarted and circumvented them in their plans, or slandered them, or treated them with insult and injury. By observing how hard it is to change our own resentments to feelings of for- giveness and good will, we can the better ap- preciate Alfred's treatment of Gutfcrum. Alfred was famed during all his life for the kindness of his heart, and a thousand stories were told in his day of his interpositions to right tae wronged, to relieve the distressed, to com- fort the afflicted, and to befriend the unhappy. On one occasion, as it is said, when he was hunting in a wood, he heard the piteous cries of a child, which seemed to come from the air above his head. It was found, after much look- ing and listening, that the sounds proceeded from an eagle's nest upon the top of a lofty tree. On climbing to the nest, they found the child within, screaming with pain and terror. The eagle had carried it there in its talons for a prey. Alfred brought down the boy, and, after making ^uitless inquiries to find its father and mother, Adopted him for his own son, gave him a good education, and provided for him well in his fu- ture life. The story was all, very probably, a fabrication ; but the characters of men are some- times very strikingly indicated by the kind of stories that are invented concerning them. POKTRAIT OF AT.FRFT>. A D. 880-890.] ALFRED'S RBIG*. 209 A. fred'a humanity uid benevolence. HU lore of peae* CHAPTER XL CHARACTER OF ALFRED'S REIGN. T3ERHAPS the chief aspect in which King - Alfred's character has attracted the atten- tion of mankind, is in the spirit of humanity and benevolence which he manifested, and in the efforts which he made to cultivate the arts of peace, and to promote the intellectual and social welfare of his people, notwithstanding the warlike ha u: ts to which he was accustomed in his early ypars, and the warlike influences which surrounded him during all his life. Ev ery thing in the outward circumstances in which he was placed tended to make him a mere military hero. He saw, however, the su- perior greatness and glory of the work of laying the foundations of an extended and permanent power, by a--anging in the best possible man- ner the internal organization of the social state. He saw that intelligence, order, justice, and system, prevailing in and governing the institu- tions of a country, constitute the true element* of its greatness, and he acted accordingly 2414 210 ALFRED THE GREAT. [ A. D. 880-890 Character of the materials upon which Alfred operated. It ia true, he had good materials to work with. He had the Anglo-Saxon race to act upon at the time, a race capable of appreciating and entering into his plans; and he has had the same race to carry them on, for the ten centu- ries which have elapsed since he laid his foun- dations. As no other race of men but Anglo- Saxons could have produced an Alfred, so, prob ably, no other race could have carried out such plans as Alfred formed. It is a race which has always been distinguished, like Alfred their great prototype and model, for a certain cool and intrepid energy in war, combined with and surpassed by the industry, the ~t tm, the efl oiency, and the perseverance with which they pursue and perfect all the arts of peace. They systematize every thing. They arrange they organize. Every thing in their hands takes form, and advances to continual improvement Even while the rest of the world remain inert, they are active. When the arts and improve- ments of life are stationary among other na- tions, they are always advancing with them, It is a people that is always making new dis- coveries, pressing forward to new enterprises, framing new laws, constituting new combina- tions and developing new powers ; until now A.D. 880-890.] ALFREDS REIGN 211 The difficulties with which Alfred had to contend. after the lapse of a thousand years, the little island feeds and clothes, directly or indirectly, a very large portion of the human race, and di- rects, in a great measure, the politics of the world. Whether Alfred reasoned upon the capaci- ties of the people whom he ruled, and foresaw their future power, or whether he only followed the simple impulses of his own nature in the plans which he formed and the measures which he adopted, we can not know ; but we know that, in fact, he devoted his chief attention, dur- ing all the years of his reign, to perfecting in the highest degree the internal organization of his realm, considered as a great social commu- nity. His people were in a very rude, and, in fact, almost half-savage state when he com- menced his career. He had every thing to do, and yet he seems to have had Ho favorable op- portunities for doing any thing. In the first place, his time and attention were distracted, during his whole reign, by continued difficulties and contentions with various horde* of Danes, even after his peace with Guthrum These troubles, and the military preparations and movements to which they would naturally give rise, would seem to have been sufficient to 212 ALFRED THE (TREAT. [AJX 880-890 Alfred's Bufferings from disease His patience have occupied fully all the powers of his mind, and to have prevented him from doing any thing effectual for the internal improvement of his kingdom. Then, besides, there was another difficulty mth which Alfred had to contend, which one might have supposed would have paralyzed all his energies. He suffered all his life from some mysterious and painful internal disease, the na- ture of which, precisely, is not known, as the allusions to it, though very frequent through- out his life, are very general, and the physi clans of the day, who probably were not very skillful, could not determine what it was, or d with a fleet of their vessels, and an account is given by some of the ancient historians of a measure which Alfred resorted to to entrap them, which would seem to be scarcely credible. The account is, that he altered the course of the river by digging new channels for it, so as to leave the vessels all aground, when, of course, they became helpless, and fell an easy prey tc the attacks o their enemies. This is, at least, a very improbable statement, for a river like the Thames occupies always the lowest channel of the land through which it passes to the sea Besides, such a river, in order that it should be A..D. 896.] THE CLOSE OF LIFE. Story of the diversion of the Thames. The Danes loae ground possible for vessels to ascend it from the ocean, must have the surface of its water very near (he level of the surface of the ocean. There *n, tnerefore, be no place tc which such waters oould be drawn off, unless into a valley below the leveJ of the sea. All such valleys, when- ever they exist in the interior of a country, necessarily get filled with water from brooks and rains, and so become lakes or inland seas It is probable, therefore, that it was some other operation which Alfred performed to imprison the hostile vessels in the river, more possible hi its own nature than the drawing off of the wa- ers of the Thames from their ancient bed. Year after year passed on, and, though neithei the Saxons nor the Danes gained any very per- manent and decisive victories, the invaders were gradually losing ground, being driven from one intrenchment and one stronghold to another, until, at last, their only places of refuge were their ships, and the harbors along the margin of the sea. Alfred followed on and occupied the country as fast as the enemy was driven away ; and when, at last, they began to seek refuge in t.ieir ships, he advanced to the shore, and began to form plans for building ships, and manning and equipping a fleet, to pursue his reti'infr ^n- 238 ALFREJ THE GREAT. [A.D. 896 Alfred builds a fleet. It sails for the Isle of Wight emies upon their own element. In this under- taking, he proceeded in the same calm, deliber- ate, and effectual manner, as in all his preceding measures. He built his vessels with great care, He made them twice as long as those of the Danes, and planned them so as to make them more steady, more safe, and capable of carrying a crew of rowers so numerous as to be more active and swift than the vessels of the enemy. When these naval preparations were made, Alfred began to look out for an object of attack on which he could put their efficiency to the test. He soon heard of a fleet of the North- men's vessels on the coast of the Isle of Wight, and he sent a fleet of his own ships to attack them. He charged the commander of this fleet to be sparing of life, but to capture the ships and take the men, bringing as many as possible to him unharmed. There were nine of the English vessels, and when they reached the Isle of Wight they found six vessels of the Danes in a harbor there Three of these Danish vessels were afloat, and oame out boldly to attack Alfred's armament. The cither three were upon the shore, where they had been left by the tide, and were, of course, disabled and defenseless until the watei A.D. 896.] THE CLOSE OF LIFE. 239 MT8l battle. Discomfiture of the Saxon* should Tise and float them again. Under these circumstances, it would seem that the victory for Alfred's fleet would have been easy and sure ; and at first the result was, in fact, in Alfred's favor. Of the three ships that came out to meet him, two were captured, and one escaped, with only five men left on board of it alive. The Saxon ships, after thus disposing of the three living and moving enemies, pushed boldly into the harbor to attack those which were lying lifeless on the sands. They found, however, that, though successful in the encounter with the active and the powerful, they were destined to disaster and defeat in approaching the de- fenceless and weak. They got aground them- lelves in approaching the shoals on which the vessels of their enemies were lying. The tide receded and left three of the vessels on the sands, and kept the rest so separated and so embar- rassed by the difficulties and dangers of their situation as to expose the whole force to the most imminent danger. There was a fierce contest in boats and on the shore. Both parties suffered very severely ; and, finally, the Danes, getting first released, made their escape and put to sea. Notwithstanding this partial discomfiture, 240 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 897 Hastings expelled. Alfred devote* himself to peaceful avocation* Alfred soon succeeded in driving the ships of the Danes off his coast, and in thus completing the deliverance of his country. Hastings him- self went to France, where he spent the re- mainder of his days in some territories which he had previously conquered, enjoying, while he continued to live, and for many ages afterward, a very extended and very honorable fame. Such exploits as those which he had performed con- ferred, in those days, upon the hero who per- formed them, a very high distinction, the luster of which seems not to have been at all tarnished in the opinions of mankind by any ideas of the violence and wrong which the commission of such deeds involved. Alfred's dominions were now left once more in peace, and he himself resumed again hia former avocations. But a very short period of his life, however, now remained. Hastings was finally expelled from England about 897. In 900 or 901 Alfred died. The interval was spent in the same earnest and devoted efforts to promote the welfare and prosperity of his kingdom that his life had exhibited before the war He was engaged diligently and industri- ously in repairing injuries, redressing grievan- ces, an^ rectifying every thing that was wrong A..1). 900.] THE CLCSE OF LIFE. 241 idministration of justice. Alfred's children He exacted rigid impartiality in all the courts of justice ; he held public servants of every rank and station to a strict accountability ; and in all the colleges, and monasteries, and ecclesiastical establishments of every kind, he corrected all abuses, and enforced a rigid discipline, faithfnJy extirpating from every lurking place all sem- blance of immorality or vice. He did theso things, too, with so much kindness and consid- eration for all concerned, and was actuated in all he did so unquestionably by an honest and sincere desire to fulfill his duty to his people and to God, that nobody opposed him. The good considered him their champion, the indifferent readily caught a portion of his spirit and wished him success, while the wicked were silenced if they were not changed. Alfred's children had grown up to maturity, And seemed to inherit, in some degree, their father's character. He had a daughter, named ^Elhelfleda, who was married to a prince of Mercia, and who was famed all over England for the superiority of her mental powers, hei accomplishments, and her moral worth. The name of his oldest son was Edward ; he was to succeed Alfred on the throne, and it was a source now of great satisfaction to the king tr 2416 24J4 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D 900 Alfred'! last days. His parting adrlce to hU ion find this son emulating his virtues, and prepar- ing for an honorable and prosperous reign. Al- fred had warning, in the progress of his disease of the approach of his end. When he found that the time was near at hand, he called his son Edward to his side, and gave him these his farewell counsels, which express in few words the principles and motives by which his own life had been so fully governed. "Thou, my dear son, set thee now beside me, and I will deliver thee true instructions, I fejl that my hour is coming. My strength is gone; my countenance is wasted and pale. My days are almost ended. We must now part J go to another world, and thou art to be left alone in the possession of all that I have thus far held. I pray thee, my dear child, to be a father to thy people. Be the children's father and the widow's friend. Comfort the poor, pro- tect and shelter the weak, and, with all thy might, right that which is wrong. And, my son, govern thyself by law. Then stall the Lord love thee, and God himself shall be thy reward. Call thou upon him to advise thee in all thy need, and he shall help thee to compass all thy desires." A.D. 900.] THE CLOSE OF LIFE. X\: Alfred's death and burial Luting honor to hU memory Alfred was fifty-two years of age when he died. His death was universally lamented. The body was interred in the great cathedral at Winchester. The kingdom passed peace- fully and prosperously to his son, and the ar- rangements which Alfred had spent his life in framing and carrying into effect, soon began to work out their happy results. The construc- tions which he founded stand to the present day, strengthened and extended rather than impair ed by the hand of time ; and his memory, as their founder, will be honored as long as any remembrance of the past shall endure among the minds of men. 244 ALFRED THE GREAT [A.D. 1013 The dory of Godwii . Contentions between the Saxons and Dane* CHAPTER XIII. THE SEQUEL. FT! HE romantic story of Godwin forms th * sequel to the history of Alfred, leading us onward, as it does, toward the next great era in English history, that of William the Conqueror. Although, as we have seen in the last chap- ter, the immediate effects of Alfred's measures was to re-establish peace and order in his king- iom, and although the institutions which he founded have continued to expand and develop themselves down to the present day, still it must not be supposed that the power and prosperity of his kingdom and of the Saxon dynasty con- tinued wholly uninterrupted after his death. Contentions and struggles between the two great races of Saxons and Danes continued for some centuries to agitate the island. The particular details of these contentions have in these days, hi a great measure, lost their interest for a)l but professed historical scholars. It is only the his- tory of great leading events and the lives of really extraor linary men, in the annals of eaily A.D. 1013.] THE SEQUEL. 245 William the Conqueror. Godwin'* parentage ages, which can now attract the general atten- tion even of cultivated minds. The vast move- ments which have occurred and are occurring in the history of mankind in the present cen- tury, throw every thing except what is really striking and important in early history into the shade. The era which comes next in the order of time to that of Alfred in the course of English history, as worthy to arrest general attention, is, as we have already said, that of William the Conqueror. The life of this sovereign forms the subject of a separate volume of this series. He lived two centuries after Alfred's day ; and al- though, for the reasons above given, a full chron- ological narration of the contentions between the Saxon and Danish lines of kings which took place during this interval would be of little in- terest or value, some general knowledge of the state of the kingdom at this time is important, and may best be communicated in connection with the story of Godwin. Godwin was by birth a Saxon peasant, of Warwickshire. At the time when he arrived at manhood, and was tending his father's flocks and herds like other peasants' sons, the Saxons and the Danes were at war. It seems that one 246 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1013 Ethelred. HU marriage. Canute the Dane of Alfred's descendants, named Ethelred, dis- pleased his people by his misgovernment, and was obliged to retire from England. He went across the Channel, and married there the sister of a Norman chief named Richard. Her name was Emma. Ethelred hoped by this alliance to obtain Richard's assistance in enabling him to recover his kingdom. The Danish population, however, took advantage of his absence to put one of their own princes upon the throne. His name was Canute. He figures in English histo- ry, accordingly, among the other English kings, as Canute the Dane, that appellation being giv- en him to mark the distinction of his origin in respect to the kings who preceded and followed him, as they were generally of the Saxon line. It was this Canute of whom the famous story is told that, in order to rebuke his flatterers, who, in extolling his grandeur and power, had represented to him that even the elements were subservient to his will, he took his stand upon the sea-shore when the tide was coming in, with aifi flatterers by his side, and commanded the rising waves not to approach his royal feet. He Vept his sycophantic courtiers in this ridiculous position until the encroaching waters drove them away, and then dismissed them overwhelmed A.D. 1013.] THE SEQUEL. 24? War between Ethelred and Canute. Death of Ethelred with cc nfusion. The story is told in a thousand different ways, and with a great variety of dif- ferent embellishments, accoiding to the fancj of the several narrators ; all that there is now any positive evidence for believing, however, is, that probably some simple incident of the kind occurred, out of which the stories have grown. Canute did not hold his kingdom in peace. Ethelred sent his son across the Channel into England to negotiate with the Anglo-Saxon powers for his own restoration to the throne. An arrangement was accordingly made with them, and Ethelred returned, and a violent civil war immediately ensued between Ethelred and the Anglo-Saxons on the one hand, and Catate and the Danes on the other. At length Ethel- red fell, and his son Edmund, who was at the time of his death one of his generals, succeeded him. Emma and his two other sons had been left in Normandy. Edmund carried on the war against Canute with great energy. One of hia battles was fought in the county of Warwick, in the heart of England, where the peasant God- wir lived. In this battle the Danes were de- feated, and the discomfited generals fled in all directions from the field wherever they saw the "eadiest hope of concealment or safety. One of 248 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1013 Ulf in the wood. Ilia bewilderment them, named Ulf,* took a by-way, which led him in the direction of Godwin's father's farm Night came on, and he lost his way in a wood. Men, when flying under such circumstances from a field of battle, avoid always the public roads, and seek concealment in unfrequented paths, where they easily get bewildered and lost. Ulf wandered about all night in the forest, and when the morning came he found himself ex- hausted with fatigue, anxiety, and hunger, cer- tain to perish unless he could find some succor, and yet dreading the danger of being recognized RS a Danish fugitive if he were to be discovered by any of the Saxon inhabitants of the land. At length he heard the shouts of a peasant who was coming along a solitary pathway through the wood, driving a herd to their pasture. Ulf would gladly have avoided him if he could have gone on without succor or help. His plan was to find his way to the Severn, where some Dan- ish ships were lying, in hopes of a refuge on board of them. But he was exhausted with hunger and fatigue, and utterly bewildered and lost; so he was compelled to go forward, and take the risk of accosting the Saxon stranger. He accordingly went up to him, and asked * Pronounced Oolf A.D. 1013.J THE SEQUEL. 249 01 f rescued by Godwin. His offers to Godwin. him his name. Godwin told him his name, and the name of his father, who lived, he said, at a little distance in the wood. While he was an- gwering the question, he gazed very earnestly at the stranger, and then told him that he per- ceived that he was a Dane a fugitive, he sup- posed, from the battle. Ulf, thus finding that he could not be concealed, begged Godwin not to betray him. He acknowledged that he was a Dane, and that he had made his escape from the battle, and he wished, he said, to find his way to the Danish ships in the Severn. He begged Godwin to conduct him there. God- win replied by saying that it was unreasonable and absurd for a Dane to expect guidance and protection from a Saxon. Ulf offered Godwin all sorts of rewards if he would leave his herd and conduct him to a place of safety. Godwin said that the attempt, were he to make it, would endanger his own life without saving that of the fugitive. The coun- try, he said, was all in arms. The peasantry, gmboldened by the late victory obtained by the Saxon army, were every where rising ; and al- though it was not far to the Severn, yet to at- tempt to reach the river while the country wa? in such a state of excitement would be a des- 250 ALFREb THE GREAT. [A.D. 1013 The gold ring. Concealment in the herdsman's hut perate undertaking. They would almost cer- tainly be intercepted ; and, if intercepted, their exasperated captors would show no mercy, God- win said, either to him or to his guide. Among the other inducements which Ulf offered to Godwin was a valuable gold ring, which he took from his finger, and which, he said, should be his if he would consent to be his guide. Godwin took the ring into his hand, examined it with much apparent curiosity, and seemed to hesitate. At length he yielded ; though he seems to have been induced to yield, not by the value of the offered gift, but by com- passion for the urgency of the distress which the offer of it indicated, for he put the ring back into Ulf 's hand, saying that he would not take any thing from him, but he would try to save him. Instead, however, of undertaking the appar ently hopeless enterprise of conducting Ulf to the Severn, he took him to his father's cottage and concealed him there. During the day they formed plans for journeying together, not to the *hips in the Severn, but to the Danish camp. They were to set forth as soon as it was dark. When the evening came and all was ready, and they were about to commence their dangerous AJD. 1013.J THE SEQUEL. 251 Sodwin's latW'e charge to Ul Olf e fidelity. lourney, the old peasant, Godwin's father, with an anxious countenance and manner, gave Ulf this solemn charge : " This is my only son. In going forth to guide you under these circumstances, he puts his life at stake, trusting to your honor. He can not return to me again, as there will be no more safety for him among his own countrymen after having once been a guide for you. When, therefore, you reach the camp, present my son to your king, and ask him to receive him into his service. He can not come again to me." Ulf promised very earnestly to do all this and much more for his protector ; and then bidding the father farewell, and leaving him in his soli- tude, the two adventurers sallied forth into the dark forest and went their way. After various adventures, they reached the camp of the Danes in safety. Ulf faithfully fulfilled the promises that he had made. He introduced Godwin to the king, and the king was so much pleased with the story of his gen- eral's escape, and so impressed with the marks of capacity and talent which the young Saxon manifested, that he gave Godwin immediately a military command in his army. In fact, a voting man who could eave his home and hia 252 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A D. 1013 Godwin's rise to power. His daughter Edith father, and abandon the cause of his country- men forever under such circumstances, must have had something besides generosity toward a fugitive enemy to impel him. Godwin was soon found to possess a large portion of that pe- culiar spirit which constitutes a soldier. He was ambitious, stern, energetic, and always successful. He rose rapidly in influence and rank, and in the course of a few years, during which King Canute triumphed wholly over his Saxon enemies, and established his dominion over almost the whole realm, he was promoted to the rank of a king, and ruled, second only tc Canute himself, over the kingdom of Wessex one of the most important divisions of Canute'? empire. Here he lived and reigned in peace and prosperity for many years. He was married, and he had a daughter named Edith, who was as gentle and lovely as her father was terrible and stern. They said that Edith sprung from Godwin like a rose from its stem of thorns. A writer who lived in those days, and record ed the occurrences of the times, says that, when he was a boy, his father was employed in some way in Godwin's palace, and that in going to and from school he was often met by Edith, who was walking, attended by her maid. OD A.D. 1013.] THE SEQU-BL 253 Edith's gentleness and kindness. C onquesU of Canute. such occasions Edith would stop him, he said, and question him about his studies, his gram- mar, his logic, and his verses; and she would ^ften draw him into an argument on those sub- v^j points of disputation which attracted so much attention in those days. Then she would commend him for his attention and progress, and order her woman to make him a present of some money. In a word, Edith was so gen- tie and kind, and took so cordial an interest in whatever concerned the welfare and happiness of those around her, that she was universally beloved. She became in the end, as we shall see in due time, the English queen. In the mean time, while Godwin was govern- jig, as vicegerent, the province which Canute had assigned him, Canute himself extended his own dominion far and wide, reducing first all England under his sway, and then extending his conquests to the Continent. Edmund, the Saxon kmg, was dead. His brothers Edward and Alfred, the two remaining sons of Ethelred, were with their mother in Normandy. They, of course, represented the Saxon line. The Sax- en portion of Canute's kingdom would of course look to them as their future leaders. Under these circumstances, Canute conceived the ida 254 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1013 Canute marries Emma. Policy of this act of propitiating the Saxon portion of the popula- tion, and combining, so far as was possible, the claims of the two lines, by making the widow Emma his own wife. He made the proposal to her, and she accepted it, pleased with the idea of being once more a queen. She came to En- gland, and they were married. In process of time they had a son, who was named Hardi- canute, which means Canute the strong. Canute now felt that his kingdom was se- cure ; and he hoped, by making Hardicanute his heir, to perpetuate the dominion in his own fam- ily. It is true that he had older children, whom the Danes might look upon as more properly his heirs ; and Emma had also two older children, the sons of Ethelred, in Normandy. These tho Saxons would be likely to consider as the right- ful heirs to the throne. There was danger, there- fore, that at his death parties would again be formed, and the civil wars break out anew Canute and Emma therefore seem to have act- d wisely, and to have done all that the nature of the case admitted to prevent a renewal cf these dreadful struggles, by concentrating theii combined influence in favor of Hardicanute, who, though not absolutely the heir to either line, still combined, in some degree, the claims A..D.1031.] THE SEQUEL. 253 Canute's gorermnent Hii death of both of them. Canute also did all in his povr- er to propitiate his Anglo-Saxon subjects. He devoted himself to promoting the welfare of thd kingdom in every way. He built towns, he constructed roads, he repaired and endowed the churches. He became a very zealous Chris- tian, evincing the ardor of his piety, whether real or pretended, by all the forms and indica- tions common in those days. Finally, to crown all, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome. He set out on this journey with great pomp and pa- rade, and attended by a large retinue, and yet still strictly like a pilgrim. He walked, and carried a wallet on his back, and a long pilgrim's staff in his hand. This pilgrimage, at the time when it occurred, filled the world with its fame. At length King Canute died, and then, un- fortunately, it proved that all his seemingly wise precautions against the recurrence of civil wars were taken in vain. It happened that Hardicanute, whom he had intended should suc- ceed him, was in Denmark at the time of his father's death. Godwin, however, proclaimed him king, and attempted to establish his author- ity, and to make Emma a sort of regent, to govern in his name until he could be brought Dome. The Danish chieftains, on the other 256* ALFKEU THE GREAT. [A.D. 1031 Harold's accession. The panic. hand, elected and proclaimed one of Canute's older sons, whose name was Harold ;* and they succeeded in carrying a large part of the conn try in his favor. Godwin then summoned Em ma to join him in the west with such forces as she could command, and both parties prepared for war. Then ensued one of those scenes of terror and suffering which war, and sometimes the mere lear of war, brings often in its train. It was expected that the first outbreak of hostilities would be in the interior of England, near the banks of the Thames, and the inhabitants of the whole region were seized with apprehen- sions and fears, which spread rapidly, increased by the influence of sympathy, and excited more and more every day by a thousand groundless rumors, until the whole region was thrown into a state of uncontrollable panic and confusion. The inhabitants abandoned their dwellings, and fled in dismay into the eastern part of the isl- and, to seek refuge among the fens and marshes of Lincolnshire, and of the other counties around, Here, as has been already stated in a previous chapter when describing the Abbey of Croyland, were a great many monasteries, and convents, * Spelled sometimes Herald. A.D 1037.] THE SEQUEL. The fugitives in the Lincolnshire fens. Alarm of thr and hermitages, and other religious establish- ments, filled with monks and nuns. The wretch- ed fugitives from the expected scene of we crowded into this region, besieging the doors ot the abbe}s and monasteries to beg for shelter or food, or protection. Some built huts among the willow woods which grew in the fens ; oth- ors encamped at the road-sides, or under the monastery walls, wherever they could find the semblance of shelter. They presented , of course, a piteous spectacle men infirm with sickness or age, or exhausted with anxiety and fatigue ; children harassed and way-worn ; and helpless mothers, with still more helpless babes at their oreasts. The monks, instead of being moved to compassion by the sight of these unhappy sufferers, were only alarmed on their own ac- count at such an inundation of misery. They feared that they should be overwhelmed them- selves. Those whose establishments were large and strong, barred their doors against the sup- pliants, and the hermits, who lived alone in de- tached and separate solitudes, abandoned their osier huts, and fled themselves to seek some place more safe from such intrusions. And yet, after all, the whole scene was only * false alarm. Men acting in a panic are al< 2417 258 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1037. The country rettled. Submission of Godwin and Elut* most always running into the ills which they think they shun. The war did not break out on the banks of the Thames at all. Hardicanute, deterred, perhaps, by the extent of the sup- port which the claims of Harold were receiving, did not venture to come to England, and Emma and Godwin, and those who would have taken their side, having no royal head to lead them, gave up their opposition, and acquiesced in Harold's reign. The fugitives in the marshes and fens returned to their homes ; the country became tranquil ; Godwin held his province as a sort of lieutenant general of Harold's king- dom, and Emma herself joined his court in London, where she lived with him ostensibly on very friendly terms. Still, her mind was ill at ease. Harold, though the son of her husband, was not her own son, and the ambitious spirit which led her to marry for her second husband her first hus- band's rival and enemy, that she might be a sec- ond time a queen, naturally made her desire that one of her own offspring, either on the Danish or the Saxon side, should inherit the kingdom ; for the reader must not forget that Emma, besides being the mother of Hardica- nute by her second husband Canute, the Danish A.D. 1037.] THE SEQUEL. 259 Emma' a family. Her plans. sovereign, was also the mother of Edward and Alfred by her first husband Ethelred, of the Anglo-Saxon line, and that these two sons were in Normandy now. The family connection will be more apparent to the eye by the following scheme : Ethelred the Saxon. Emma. Canute the Dane. Edward. Hardicannta. Alfred. Harold was the son of Canute by a former marriage. Emma, of course, felt no maternal interest in him, and though compelled by cir- cumstances to acquiesce for a time in his pos- session of the kingdom, her thoughts were con- tinually with her own sons ; and since the at- tempt to bring Hardicanute to the throne had failed, she began to turn her attention toward her Norman children. After scheming for a time, she wrote letters to them, proposing that they should come to England. She represented to them that the Anglo-Saxon portion of the people were ill at ease under Harold's dominion, and would glad- l) embrace any opportunity of having a Saxon King. She had no doubt, she said, that if one of them were to appear in England and claim the throne, the people would rise in mass to 260 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1037. Alfred's expedition. Godwin goe* to meet him, support him, and he would easily get possession of the realm. She invited them, therefore, to icpair secretly to England, to confer with hei on the subject; charging them, however, to bring very few, if any, Norman attendants with them, as the English people were inclined te be very jealous of the influence of foreigners. The brothers were very much elated at re- ceiving these tidings ; so much so that in their zeal they were disposed to push the enterprise much faster than their mother had intended Instead of going, themselves, quietly and se- cretly to confer with her in London, they organ- ized an armed expedition of Norman soldiers The youngest, Alfred, with an enthusiasm char- acteristic of his years, took the lead in these measures. He undertook to conduct the expe- dition. The eldest consented to his making the attempt. He landed at Dover, and began his march through the southern part of the country. Godwin went forth to meet him. Whether he would join his standard or meet him as a foe, no one could tell. Emma consid- ered that Godwin was on her side, though even she had not recommended an armed invasion of the country It is very probable that Godwin himself wa A D 1037.] THE SEQUEL. 261 Godwin's designs. His address to the Saxon chiefs, uncertain, at first, what course to pursue, and that he intended to have espoused Prince Alfred'! cause if he had found that it presented any rea- sonable prospect of success. Or he may have felt bound to serve Harold faithfully, now that he had once given in his adhesion to him. Of course, he kept his thoughts and plans to him- self, leaving the world to see only his deeds. But if he had ever entertained any design of espousing Alfred's cause, he abandoned it be- fore the time arrived for action. As he advanc- ed into the southern part of the island, he call- ed together the leading Saxon chiefs to hold a council, and he made an address to them when they were convened, which had a powerful in- fluence on their minds in preventing their de- ciding in favor of Alfred. However much they might desire a monarch of their own line, this, he said, was not the proper occasion for effect- ing their end. Alfred was, it was true, an An- glo-Saxon by descent, but he was a Norman by birth and education. All his friends and sup- porters were Normans. He had come now into the realm of England with a retinue cf Nor- man followers, who would, if he were success- fill, monopolize the honors and offices which he would have to bestow. He advised the Anglo- 262 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D 103, Defeat of Alfred. Execution of hit companion*. Saxon chieftains, therefore, to remain inactive, to take no part in the contest, but to wait foi some other opportunity to re-establish the Sax- on line of kings. The Anglo-Saxon chieftains seem to have considered this good advice. At any rate, they made no movement to sustain young Alfred's cause. Alfred had advanced to the town of Guilford. Here he was surrounded by a force which Harold had sent against him. Ther was no hope or possibility of resistance. It fact, his enemies seem to have arrived at a tira when he did not expect an attack, for they en- tered the gates by a sudden onset, when At fred's followers were scattered about the town> at the various houses to which they had been distributed. They made no attempt to defend themselves, but were taken prisoners one by one, wherever they were found. They were bound with cords, and carried away like ordi- nary criminals. Of Alfred's ten principal Norman companions, nine were beheaded. For some reason or other the life of one was spared. Alfred himself was charged with having violated the peace of his country, and was condemned to lose his eyes. The torture of this operation, and the inflanv A.D 1037.] THE SEQUEL. 263 Alfred's cruel fate. Banishment of Emma. mation which followed, destroyed the unhappy prince's life. Neither Emma nor Godwin did any thing to save him. It was wise policy, no doubt, in Emma to disavow all connection with her son's unfortunate attempt, now that it had failed ; and ambitious queens have to follow the dictates of policy instead of obeying such impulses as maternal love. She was, however, secretly indignant at the cruel fate which her son had endured, and she considered Godwin as having betrayed him. After this dreadful disappointment, Emma was not likely to make any farther attempts to place either of her sons upon the throne ; but Harold seems to have distrusted her, for he ban- ished her from the realm. She had still her Saxon son in Normandy, Alfred's brother Ed- ward, and her Danish son in Denmark. She went to Flanders, and there sent to Hardica- nute, urging him by the most earnest impor- tunities to come to England and assert hia claims to the crown. He was doubly bound to do it now, she said, as the blood of his murder- ed brother called for retribution, and he could have no honorable rest or peace until he had avenged it. There was no occasion, however, for Hardi- 264 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 10401 AcceMion of Hardicanute. His indignities to Harold's remain* Canute to attempt force for the recovery of hia kingdom, for not many months after these transactions Harold died, and then the country seemed generally to acquiesce in Hardicanute's accession. The Anglo-Saxons, discouraged per- haps by the discomfiture of their cause in the person of Alfred, made no attempt to rise. Hardicanuto came accordingly and assumed the throne. But, though he had not courage and energy enough to encounter his rival Harold during his lifetime, he made what amends he could by offering base indignities to his body after he was laid in the grave. His first public act after his accession was to have the body disinterred, and, after cutting off the head, he threw the mangled remains into the Thames. The Danish fishermen in the river found them, and buried them again in a private sepulcher in London, with such concealed marks of respect and honor as it was in their power to bestow. Hardicanute also instituted legal proceedings to inquire into the death of Alfred. He charged he Saxons with having betrayed him, especial- ly those who were rich enough to pay the fines . by which, in those days, it was very customary for criminals to atone for their crimes. Godwin himself was brought before the tribunal, and A.D. 1040.] THE SEQUEL. Oodwin'e trial. His costly presents to Hardicanotft charged with being accessory to Alfred's death. Godwin positively asserted his innocence, and brought witnesses to prove that he was entire- ly free from all participation in the affair. He took also a much more effectual method to se- cure an acquittal, by making to King Hardica- nute some most magnificent presents. One of these was a small ship, profusely enriched and ornamented with gold. It contained eighty sol- diers, armed in the Danish style, with weapons of the most highly -finished and costly construc- tion. They each carried a Danish axe on the left shoulder, and a javelin in the right hand, both richly gilt, and they had each of them a bracelet on his arm, containing six ounces of solid gold. Such at least is the story. The presents might be considered in the light either of a bribe to corrupt justice, or in that of a fine to satisfy it. In fact, the line, in those days, between bribes to purchase acquittal and fines atoning for the offense seems not to have been very accurately drawn. Hardicanute, when fairly established on his throne, governed his realm like a tyrant. He op- pressed the Saxons especially without any mer- oy. The effect of his cruelties, and those of the Danes who acted under him. was, however, not 266 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1041 Hardicanate'i tyranny. HU death. Final expulsion of the Dane* to humble and subdue the Saxon spirit, but to awaken and arouse it. Plots and conspiracies began to be formed against him, and against the whole Danish party. Godwin himself oe- gan to meditate some decisive measures, when, suddenly, Hardicanute died. Godwin immedi- ately took the field at the head of all his forces, and organized a general movement throughout the kingdom for calling Edward, Alfred's broth- er, to the throne. This insurrection was tri- umphantly successful. The Danish forces that undertook to resist it were driven to the north- ward. The leaders were slain or put to flight. A remnant of them escaped to the sea-shore, where they embarked on board such vessels as they could find, and left England forever ; and this was the final termination of the political authority of the Danes over the realm of En- gland the consummation and end of Alfred's military labors and schemes, coming surely at last, though deferred for two centuries after his decease. What follows belongs rather to the history of William the Conqueror than to that of Al- fred, for Godwin invited Edward, Emma's Norman son, to come and assume the crown ; and his coming, together with that of tho man? A.D. 1041.J THE SEQUEL. 267 Edward invited to the throne. His coronation Norman attendants that accompanied or follow- ed him, led, in the end, te the Norman invasion and conquest. Godwin might probably have made himself king if he had chosen to do so. His authority over the whole island was para- mount and supreme. But, either from a natu- ral sense of justice toward the rightful heir, or from a dread of the danger which always at- tends the usurping of the royal name by one who is not of royal descent, he made no attempt to take the crown. He convened a great as- sembly of all the estates of the realm, and there it was solemnly decided that Edward should be invited to come to England and ascend the throne. A national messenger was dispatched to Normandy to announce the invitation. It was stipulated in this invitation that Ed- ward should bring very few Normans with him. He came, accordingly, in the first instance, al- most unattended. He was received with great joy, and crowned king with splendid ceremo- nies and great show, in the ancient cathedra] at Winchester. He felt under great obliga- tions to Godwin, to whose instrumentality he was wholly indebted for this sudden and moat brilliant change in his fortunes ; and partly im- pelled by this feeling of giatitude, and partly ALFRED THE GRBAT. [A.D. 1041 Uward marries Edith. Godwin's difficulties. allured by Edith's extraordinary charms, he pro- posed to make Edith his wife. Godwin made no objection. In fact, his enemies say that ne made a positive stipulation for this match be- fore allowing the measures for Edward's eleva- tion to the throne to proceed too far. However this may be, Godwin found himself, after Ed ward's accession, raised to the highest pitch of honor and power. From being a young herds- man's son, driving the cows to pasture in a wood, he had become the prime minister, as it were, of the whole realm, his four sons being great commanding generals in the army, and his daughter the queen. The current of life did not flow smoothly with him, after all. We can not here describe the various difficulties in which he became involved with the king on account of the Normans, who were continually coming over from the Conti- nent to join Edward's court, and whose coming and growing influence strongly awakened the jealousy of th^ English people. Some narra- tion of these event." wiii more properly precede the history of William the Conqueror. We ac- cordingly close this story of Godwin here by giving the circumstances of his death, as related by the historians of the time. The readers of A.D 1041.] THE SEQUEL. 26* Story of Godwin's death. HI* protestations of mnocenc this narrative will, of course, exercise severally their own discretion in determining how fai they will believe the story to be true. The story is, that one day he was seated at Edward's table, at some sort of entertainment, when one of his attendants, who was bringing in a goblet of wine, tripped one of his feet, but contrived to save himself by dexterously bringing up the other in such a manner as to cause some amusement to the guests ; Godwin said, refer- ring to the man's feet, that one brother saved the other. " Yes," said the king, " brothers have need of brothers' aid. Would to God that mine were still alive." In saying this he di- rected a meaning glance toward Godwin, which seemed to insinuate, as, in fact, the. king had sometimes done before, that Godwin had had some agency in young Alfred's death. Godwin was displeased. He reproached the king with the unreasonableness of ais surmises, and sol- emnly declared that he was wholly innocent of all participation in that crime. He imprecated the curse of God upon his head if this declara. tion was not true, wishing that the next mouth- ful of bread that he should eat might choke him if he had contributed in any way, directly or indirectly, to Alfred's unhappy end. So saying. 270 ALFRED THE GREAT. [A.D. 1041 Godwin'* death. Hi* son* he put the bread into his mouth, and in the aot of swallowing it he was seized with a paroxysm of coughing and suffocation. The attendants hastened to his relief, the guests rose in terror and confusion. Godwin was borne away by two of his sons, and laid on his bed in convul- sions. He survived the immediate injury, but after lingering five days he died. Edward continued to reign in prosperity long after this event, and he employed the sons of Godwin as long as he lived in the most honor- able stations of public service. 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