descents, and, year after year, made inroads into the country, marking their way with pillage, slaughter, and desolation. Though often repulsed, they always obtained their end,-of spoiling the country and carrying off the plunder. It was their method to avoid coming, if possible, to a general engagement; but, scattering themselves over the face of the country, they carried away, indiscriminately, as well the inhabitants themselves as all their moveable possessions. If the military force of the country was drawn out against them, the invaders either stood their ground, if strong enough to oppose; or retreated to their ships, if incapable of resistance. Thus, by making continual and repeated descents, every part of England was kept in constant alarm, every county fearful of giving assistance to the next, as its own safety was in danger. From this neral calamity the priests and monks were no way exempted; they were rather the chief objects on whom these Danish idolaters wreaked their resentment.

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In this state of fluctuating success affairs continued & for some time, the English often repelling, and as often being repulsed by, their fierce invaders; till at length the Danes resolved upon making a settlement in the country, and, landing on the isle of Thanet, sta- A.D. tioned themselves there. In this place they kept 852. their ground, notwithstanding a bloody victory gained over them by Ethelwolf. Thence they soon after removed to the isle of Sheppey, which they considered as more convenient for their tumultuary depredations.

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In the mean time Ethelwolf, the wretched monarch Ethelwolf's of the country, instead of exerting his strength to repel ullu nach these invaders, was more solicitous to obey the dictates of monkish superstition. In order to manifest his devotion to the pope, he sent his son Alfred to Rome, to receive confirmation from his holiness; and, not satis

Theilung des

fied with this testimony of his zeal, undertook a pilgrimage thither in person. He passed a twelvemonth in that city, and gained no small applause for his devotion, which he testified by his great liberality to the church. In his return home he married Judith, daughter to the emperor Charles the Bald; but, on his landing in his own dominions, he was surprised to find his title to the crown disputed.

His second son, Ethelbald, upon the death of his elLand der brother, perceiving the miserable state to which the Wahr.Tofu kingdom was reduced by the king's ill-timed superstitions, formed a conspiracy to expel him from the throne. The people seemed equally divided between the claims of the father and son; so that a bloody civil war seemed likely to complete the picture of the calamities of the times. A division of the kingdom at length terminated the dispute; the king was content with the eastern part of the monarchy, while his son was appointed to govern the western, which was the most powerful, and the least exposed to danger.

gehrt für When the two princes had come to this agreement, Die Just a council was summoned of the states of the kingdom; Grist= lichtrit (and, besides the ratification of this grant, a tithe of all

the produce of the land was settled upon the clergy.

A. D. Ethelwolf lived only two years after this agree857. ment; leaving, by will, the kingdom shared between his two eldest sons, Ethelbald and Ethelbert: the west being consigned to the former, the east to the latter. The reign of Ethelbald was of no long continuance; however, in so short a space, he crowded a number of vices sufficient to render his name odious to posterity. He married Judith, his step-mother, and was not without great difficulty prevailed upon to divorce her. The reign of his brother was of longer duration; and, as we are told, was in every respect more

1

meritorious. Nevertheless, the kingdom was still infested by the Danes, who committed great outrages.

This prince was succeeded by his brother A.D. there wil Ethelred, a brave king, but whose valour was in- 866. nie sufficient to repress the Danish incursions. In these exploits he was always assisted by his younger brother Alfred, afterwards surnamed the Great, who sacrificed all private resentment to the public good, having been deprived by the king of a large patrimony. It was during this prince's reign that the Danes, penetrating into Mercia, took up their winter-quarters at Nottingham; whence they were not dislodged without difficulty. Their next station was at Reading, whence they infested the country with their excursions. The king, attended by his brother, marched at the head of the West Saxons against them: there, after many reciprocations of success, the king died of a wound which he received in battle, and left to Alfred the inheritance of a kingdom that was now reduced to the brink of ruin.

Nothing could be more deplorable than the A. D. Alfred der state of the country when Alfred came to the 871. gr. throne. The Danes had already subdued Northumberland and East Anglia, and had penetrated into the very heart of Wessex. The Mercians were united against him; the dependence upon the other provinces of the empire was but precarious; the lands lay uncultivated, through fears of continual incursions; and all the churches and monasteries were burned to the ground. In this situation of affairs nothing appeared but objects of terror, and every hope was lost in despair. The wisdom and virtues of one man were found sufficient to bring back happiness, security, and order; and all the calamities of the times found redress from Alfred.

This prince seemed born not only to defend his bleed-Alfreds ing country, but even to adorn humanity. He had given Jugend.

very early instances of those great virtues which after-
wards signalised his reign; and was anointed by pope
Leo as future king, when he was sent by his father for
his education to Rome. On his return he became every
day more the object of his father's fond affections; and
that, perhaps, was the reason why his education was at
first neglected. He had attained the age of twelve be-
fore he was made acquainted with the lowest elements
of literature; but, hearing some Saxon poems read
which recounted the praise of heroes, his whole mind
was roused, not only to obtain a similitude of glory,
but also to be able to transmit that glory to posterity.
Encouraged by the queen his mother, and assisted by
a penetrating genius, he soon learned to read these
compositions, and proceeded from them to a knowledge
of Latin authors, who directed his taste, and rectified
his ambition.

Gefecht und
He was scarce come to the crown when he was obli-
Utfandlung ged to oppose the Danes, who had seized Wilton, and
Ja were exercising their usual ravages on the countries

around. He marched against them with the few troops he could assemble on a sudden, and a desperate battle was fought, to the disadvantage of the English. But it was not in the power of misfortune to abate the king's diligence, though it repressed his power to do good. He was in a little time enabled to hazard another engagement; so that the enemy, dreading his courage and activity, proposed terms of peace, which he did not think proper to refuse. They, by this treaty, agreed to relinquish the kingdom; but, instead of complying with their engagements, they only removed from one place to another, burning and destroying wherever they came. Alfred Alfred, thus opposed to an enemy whom no stationary sun force could resist, no treaty could bind, found himself kidel. unable to repel the efforts of those ravagers, who from

all quarters invaded him. New swarms of the enemy arrived every year upon the coast, and fresh invasions were still projected. It was in vain that Alfred pursued them, straitened their quarters, and compelled them to treaties they broke every league; and, continuing their attacks with unabated perseverance, at length totally dispirited his army, and induced his superstitious soldiers to believe themselves abandoned by Heaven, since it thus permitted the outrages of the fierce idolaters with impunity. Some of them therefore left their country, and retired into Wales, or fled to the continent. Others submitted to the conquerors, and purchased their lives by their freedom. In this universal defection, Alfred vainly attempted to remind them of the duty they owed to their country and their king; but, finding his remonstrances ineffectual, he gave way to the wretched necessity of the times. Accordingly, relinquishing the ensigns of his dignity, and dismissing his servants, he dressed himself in the habit of a peasant, and lived for some time in the house of a herdsman, who had been entrusted with the care of his cattle. In this manner, though abandoned by the world, and fearing an enemy in every quarter, still be resolved to continue in his country, to catch the slightest occasions for bringing it relief. In his solitary retreat, which was in the county of Somerset, at the confluence of the rivers Parret and Thone, he amused himself with music, and supported his humble lot with the hopes of better fortune. It is said, that one day being commanded by the herdsman's wife, who was ignorant of his quality, to take care of some cakes which were baking by the fire, he happened to let them burn, for which she severely upbraided him for neglect.

Previously to his retirement, Alfred had concerted Anfang measures for assembling a few trusty friends, whenever alfieds.

VOL. I.

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