was his

Youth committed unto the Care of Helmefan, Bishop of Winchester, and by him unto learned Swithun, the Monk. He took fuch a liking unto the quiet and folitary Life (enjoyed only by religious Men, all other Eftates being molefted to withstand the intruding Danes) that he took upon him the Monkish Vow and Profeffion, and was made Deacon; and fhortly after, upon the Death of Helmeftan, he was elected, if not confecrated alfo Bishop of Winchefter. But the Death of his Father immediately following, by the Intreaty of the Nobles, and Confraint of the Clergy, he was made King, and abfolved of his Vows by Gregory the ivth. His Bishoprick he bestow'd on Swithun. This King, in great Devotion, paffed to Rome, where be rebuilt the School built by King Offa (lately fired) bearing the Name of Thomas the Holy, confirmed the Grant of Peter-Pence, and for his kind Entertainment in the Pope's Court, he covenanted to pay ioo Marks to St. Peter's Church, another to St. Paul's Light, and a third to his Holiness. In his Return through France, he married fair Judith, the Daughter of Charles the Bald, then Emperor, in Honour of whom he ever placed her in his Englife Court in a Chair of State, with all other majestical Complements of a Queen, contrary to the Law of the Weft Saxons, formerly made for Etbelberga's Offence, who by Accident had poisoned her own Husband with the Poison fhe had prepared for one of his Minions. Which Refpect of his to his Queen fo difpleased his Nobles, that they rofe in Arms against him; but by Mediation of Friends, the Difference was composed on thefe Terms, viz. That the Land fhould be divided betwixt himself and his Son Ethelbald,

allot. 865

who ted. He died at Stanbridge in A. D. 857, and was firft buried where he deceased, but afterwards his Body was removed to the Cathedral of Winchefter. He had Iffue Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred, Elfred, and one Daughter nam'd Ethelwith. It is faid of this King, That by the Advice of his Nobles he gave for ever, to God and the Church, both the Tithe of all Goods, and the Tenth Part of all the Lands of England, free of all fecular Service, Taxations, or Impofitions whatfoever.

4. D.Thelbald, or Ethelwald, 837. married Judith, his Mother-in-Law. Some fay that he married his own Mother, who was King Ethelwolph's Concubine. But when he had reigned about two Years and a half, he died in A. D. 860. His Body was firft buried at Sherbourn in Dorfetfhire (where at that Time was the Cathedral Church and Epifcopal See) but afterwards was removed to Salisbury.

4. D.

helbert was difquieted Lambert 860. by the Danes all the Time and Etheof his Reign. First, they fpoiled all lard, A. B. before them to Winchester, alfo fack- of Cantering and spoiling that City; howbeit bury. in their Return, the Berkshire Men, under the Command of Ofryck, Earl of Hampton, met with them, recovered the Prey, and flew many of them. The fame Year alfo the Danes with the Normans entred Thanet; but these the Kentish Men repulfed, and made a great Slaughter of them. Ethelbert died in A. D. 866, and was buried at Sherbourn.

mand of thofe ftrong and cruel Captains, Inguar and Hubba, who burnt down the City of York, and therein confumed with Fire all thofe that had filed thither for Security: Who entred Mercia, won the City of Nottingham, and therein wintered: Who with Fire and Sword laid all wafte where they came, and fpared neither Sex nor Age, Religious or Secular. Therefore to avoid their Barbarities, the Nuns of Coldingham deformed themfelves, by cutting off their upper Lips and Nofes. King Ethelred, in one Year's Time, fought ro less than nine fet Battles with thefe Danes; and at that Battle fought at Effendon, not far from Reading, he obtained a great Victory over them. But in a Fight at Bafing the King receiv'd his mortal Wound, whereof he died at Wittington in A. D. 872. He was buried at Winbourn in Dorfetfire, with this Infcription:

In hoc loco quiefcit corpus Sancti Ethelredi Regis Weft-Saxonum, Martyris. A. D. 872, 23 die April. per manus duorum paganorum occu

buit.

Mercians to compound with them, banishing Burtbred their King, pla cing another in his Stead of their own chufing. Their King Halden gained Northumberland, which he beftowed amongst his Followers In A. D. 876, Rollo, a Nobleman of Denmark, came over with a great Army of frefh Forces, making a miferable Spoil where he came; but Alfred forced him out of the Land. Howbeit the Danes, who had already feated themselves in England, brought the King many times to fuch Extremities, that he was forced to hide himself out of Sight, and with fuch fmall Companies as he had, to live by Fishing, Fowling, and Hunting, having no more of his great Monarchy left him but Wilts, Somer fet, and Hampshire, nor them neither free from the Incurfions of the Danes. The folitary Place of his chief Refidency was an Ifland in Somerfetfbire, commonly called Edelingfey, where in poor Disguise he was entertained in a Cowherd's Cottage. This Cowherd, who fuccoured King Alfred, was named Dunwolfus, whom the King after fet to Learning, and made Bifhop of Winchefter. Yet in thefe his Diftreffes he would fometimes difguife himself in the Habit of a common Minstrel, repairing to the Danes Camp, and by his excellent Skill in Mufick and Songs would gain the Opportunity of obferving as well what their Defignments were, as their Security, which he wifely improv'd: For feeing his Time, he gathered what fmall Forces he could, and on the fudden furprized his careless Enemies in their Camp, making a great Slaughter of them, to the great Terror of others of them in other Parts of the Nation, who accounted the King dead long before. Shortly after this, the Devonbire Men join ed Battle with King Hubba, whom

they

Celnoth and Ethelrad, A. B. of Cant.

they flew with a great Number of his Danes, near unto a Caftle then called Kingwith. The Body of Hubba was there buried in the Field, and therefore called Hubbleflone. In that Fight the English took the Danes much efteemed Banner, called Reafan, wherein a Raven pourtrayed was wrought in Needle work by the three Sifters of Hubba. And now the English Fortune feemed fo advanced, that the Danes sent to the King for Peace, which was condefcended unto, and Gormon, or Gurthran, their King, was baptized; Alfred being his Godfather, and giving him the Name of Athelftone, and withal bettowing on him, in free Gift, Gormoncefler, or Godmonchefier, near Huntingdon, with the adjoining Territories. Thirty of the chiefeft Danish Nobility were likewife baptized, upon whom King Alfred bestowed many rich Gifts. And that the Limits of the English might be free from Danish Incurfons, thus the Confines of King Alfred's Kingdom were laid out. His Dominions were to ftretch from the River Thamefis, and from thence to the Water of Lea, even unto the - Head of the fame Water, and fo forth ftraight unto Bedford; and, latly, going along by the River Oufe, to end at Watling freet. But notwithstanding this Agreement, the Danes were till unquiet, with whom one Haftings, a Nobleman of Norway, joined, bringing a confiderable Force to their Affiftance. And in the Year of Grace 901, this excellent King died much bewailed of his Subjects, whofe Body =was first buried at Winchefter, next removed into the Church of the new Monaftery; and laftly, his Body, Monument, Church, and Monafte=ry, were all removed without the

North Gate of the City, fince called Hide. He was born at Wanading, now Wantage in Berks, where anciently was a Manor House of the Kings of England.

London, that had been deftroyed and burnt by the Danes about A. D. 839, King Alfred repaired and made habitable again in A. D. 886. At Edeling fey he built a Monastery; at Winchefter another; at Shaftsbury a Nunnery, where he made his Daughter Ethelgeda Abbefs. The Day and Night, confifting of 24 Hours, did this virtuous Prince defign equally (when State-Business would permit fuch an Order) to three fpecial Ufes; and them he ob ferved by the burning of a Taper fet in his Oratory. Eight Hours he spent in Contemplation, Reading, and Prayers; other eight Hours for his Repofe and Health; and the other eight in the Affairs of State. His Kingdom he likewife divided into Shires, Hundreds, and Tithings, for the better Administration of Juftice, and fuppreffing of Thieves ; whereby he effected fo great Secu rity to his Subjects, that honeft Men might travel without Injury ; and that Bracelets of Gold being hanged in the Highways, none durit be fo bold as to take them away. He ordered all his Subjects poffeffing two Hides of Land, to bring up their Sons in Learning till Fif teen Years of Age at leaft; faying, That he reputed a Man free-born, and yet illiterate, no better than a Beaft, a brainless Body, and a very Sot. Nor would he admit any into Office in his Court, unless learned. His Cenfus or Tribute he divided into fix Parts; the firft Part of which he gave to the Poor; the fecond to the Foundation of Churches; the third to Scholars at Oxford; the fourth to the Lights of the Church; the fifth to his Military