Cornwall; and being joined by the Britons there, they advanced towards the borders of Devonshire, where they were totally routed by Egbert, in a pitched battle, at Hengsdownhill, near Kellington. By this victory, he fecured the kingdom from invasion for fome time; but his death feemed to put a period to the fuccefs of his countrymen, and to invite the enemy to renew their devastations with impunity.

He was fucceeded by Ethelwolf, his fon, who had neither the vigour nor the abilities of his father. This prince had been educated in a cloister, and had actually taken orders during the life of his elder brother; but, upon his death, he received a difpenfation to quit the monkish habit, and to marry. He was fcarcely settled on his throne, when a fleet of Danish ravagers, confifting of thirty-three fail, landed at Southamp ton; but were repulfed, though not without great flaughter on both fides. However, no defeat could reprefs the obftinacy, nor no difficulties daunt the courage of these fierce invaders, who still perfevered in their descents, and, year after year, made inroads into the country, marking their way with pillage, flaughter, and defolation. Though often repulfed, they alobtained their end, of fpoiling the counF 2

ways

try,

1

try, and carrying the plunder away. It was
their method to avoid coming, if poffible, to
a general engagement; but fcattering them-
felves over the face of the country, they car-
ried
away, indifcriminately, as well the inhabi-
tants themselves, as all their moveable posses-
fions. If the military force of the country
was drawn out against them, the invaders
either stood their ground, if ftrong enough to
oppofe; or retreated to their fhips, if incap-
able of resistance. Thus, by making con-
tinual and repeated defcents, every part of
England was kept in conftant alarm, every
county fearful of giving affistance to the next,
as its own fafety was in danger. From this
general calamity, the priests and monks were
no way exempted; they were rather the chief
objects on whom these Danish idolaters wreak-
ed their refentment.

In this ftate of fluctuating fuccefs, affairs continued for fome time, the English often repelling, and as often being repulfed by their fierce invaders; till, at length, the Danes refolved upon making a fettlement in the counA. D. 852. try, and landing on the ifle of Thanet, ftationed

themselves there. In this place they kept their ground, notwithstanding a bloody victory gained over them by Ethelwolf. From thence,

they

1

they foon after removed to the ifle of Sheppey, which they confidered as more convenient for their tumultuary depredations.

In the mean time, Ethelwolf, the wretched monarch of the country, inftead of exerting his strength to repel these invaders, was more folicitous to obey the dictates of monkish fuperftition. In order to manifest his devotion to the pope, he sent his fon Alfred to Rome, to receive confirmation from his holiness; and, not fatisfied with this teftimony of his zeal, undertook a pilgrimage thither in perfon. He paffed a twelvemonth in that city, and gained no small applaufe for his devotion, which he teftified 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 furprifed to find his title to the crown difputed.

His fecond fon, Ethelbald, upon the death of his elder brother, perceiving the miferable ftate to which the kingdom was reduced, by the king's ill-timed fuperftitions, formed a confpiracy to expel him from the throne. The people feemed equally divided between the claims of the father and fon, fo that a bloody civil war seemed likely to complete the picture of the calamities of the times. A divifion of the

kingdom at length terminated the difpute; the king was content with the eastern part of the monarchy, while his fon was appointed to govern the western, which was the most powerful, and the most exposed to danger.

Having come to this agreement, a council was fummoned of the ftates of the kingdom; and, befides the ratification of this grant, a tythe of all the produce of the land was fettled upon the clergy.

Ethelwolf lived only two years after this agreement; leaving, by will, the kingdom fhared between his two eldest fons, Ethelbald and Ethelbert; the weft being configned to the former, the east to the latter. The reign of Ethelbald was of no long continuance; however, in fo fhort a space, he crowded a number of vices fufficient to render his name odious to pofterity. He married Judith, his own mother-inlaw, 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 refpect more meritorious. Nevertheless, the kingdom was ftill infested by the Danes, who committed great outrages.

This prince was fucceeded by his brother Ethelred, a brave prince, but whofe valour was infufficient to reprefs the Danish incurfions.

In

thefe

thefe exploits, he was always affifted by his younger brother, Alfred, afterwards furnamed the Great, who facrificed all private refentment 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; from whence, they were not diflodged without difficulty. Their next ftation was at Reading, from whence they infefted the country with their excurfions. The king, attended by his brother Alfred, marched at the head of the West Saxons against them; there, after many reciprocations of fuccefs, the king died of a wound. which he received in battle, and left to his brother Alfred, the inheritance of a kingdom that was now reduced to the brink of ruin.

Nothing could be more deplorable than the ftate of the country when Alfred came to the throne. The Danes had already fubdued Northumberland and Eaft Anglia, and had penetrated into the very heart of Weffex. 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 incurfions; and all the churches and monafteries were burned to the