ALFRED 
 11HE GREAT 
 
ALFRED THE GREAT 
 
HEROES OF ALL TIME 
 
 FIRST VOLUMES 
 
 Alexander the Great. By Ada Russell, M.A. 
 (Vict.) 
 
 Augustus. By RenIs Francis, B.A. 
 
 Alfred the Great. By A. E. McKilliam, M.A. 
 
 Jeanne d'Arc. By E. M. Wilmot-Buxton, 
 F.R.Hist.S. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh. By Beatrice Marshall. 
 
 William the Silent. By A. M. Miall. 
 
 Other volumes in active preparation 
 
ALFRED HAS NEWS OF THE DANISH FLEET 
 
ALFRED 
 THE GREAT 
 
 BY 
 
 A. E. McKILLIAM M.A, 
 
 With Frontispiece in Color and Eight 
 Black-and-White Illustrations 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
Mi- 
 
 Copyright, 1914, by 
 Frederick A. Stokes Company 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 D 
 
 .AUG 24 1914 
 
 August, 1914 
 
 CI.A379217 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. The Boy Pilgrim 9 
 
 II. A Thousand Years Ago 15 
 
 III. King Ethelwulf's Pilgrimage 23 
 
 IV. Prince Ethelbald's Revolt 26 
 
 V. 'The Locusts of the Baltic' 33 
 
 VI. Prince Alfred's Marriage 40 
 
 VII. St Edmund King and Martyr: The Battle of Ash- 
 down 45 
 
 VIII. Long LrvE the King ! 54 
 
 IX. A Great Naval Victory 62 
 
 X. Alfred's Adventures in Athelney 70 
 
 XI. The Turn of the Tide 78 
 
 XII. King Alfred's Laws 86 
 
 XIII. The Danes Again 95 
 
 XIV. King Alfred's Friends 102 
 
 XV. Travellers' Tales Ill 
 
 XVI. King Alfred's Monasteries 120 
 
 XVII. King Alfred's Books 130 
 
 XVIII. How Alfred Spent his Time and Money .... 141 
 
 XIX. King Alfred's Children 148 
 
 XX. Alfred's Last War 156 
 
 XXI. The Defeat of the Danes 167 
 
 XXII. The Death of the King 176 
 
 XXIII. King Alfred's Millenary 184 
 
Illustrations 
 
 Alfred has News of the Danish Fleet Frontispiece \S 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Coming of the Norsemen 18 ^ 
 
 Alfred Kills his first Wild Boar 36 ^ 
 
 Alfred at Ashdown 51 ^ 
 
 Alfred Playing a Harp in the Danish Camp 74 ^ 
 
 Alfred Riding through the Ruins of London .... 98 V 
 
 It was Othere the Ancient Mariner 114 \^ 
 
 Alfred causes Candles to be lit in Churches .... 142 
 
 The King's Son at his old Nurse's Hut 150 * 
 
 Prince Edward Fought with Lion-like Courage . . . .160 
 Alfred with his Ships watching for the Danes near the 
 
 Devon Coast 168 
 
CHAPTER I: The Boy Pilgrim 
 
 ON a certain spring day, more than a thousand 
 years ago, a stately procession set out from 
 Winchester for the Sussex coast, on its way 
 to Rome. First came a company of stalwart soldiers 
 in glittering coats of mail, with spears in their hands 
 and swords at their sides. Behind them rode many 
 bishops and priests in gorgeous vestments, carrying 
 holy banners. They were followed by a numerous 
 body of royal attendants of all ranks, who surrounded 
 a richly caparisoned horse, on the back of which was 
 strapped a large open basket or pannier, draped with 
 purple cloth. In this was seated a small blue-eyed, 
 fair-haired boy, the chief in this great procession. 
 On palfreys near him rode his nurse and other 
 female attendants. Behind them came a troop of 
 brown-robed monks, who had charge of the money 
 required for the expenses of the journey. Last 
 of all followed another brilliant company of 
 nobles, soldiers, and attendants with mules and 
 horses laden with provisions and fodder for the 
 beasts. 
 
 The little prince, Alfred, who, at the age of five, 
 thus set out on his first great adventure, was the 
 fifth and youngest son of Ethel wulf, King of the West 
 Saxons, and of his wife Osburgha, daughter of his 
 cup-bearer Oslac, of the old kingly blood of the Jutes 
 of Wight. Alfred was born in 849 at a royal villa 
 near the old village of Wantage in Berkshire, where 
 
 9 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 at that time thick forests of oak and beech covered 
 the hills and downs. 
 
 From boyhood Alfred was remarkable for his 
 quick intelligence, and was more beautiful and grace- 
 ful than his elder brothers. His generous and manly 
 nature made him the pride of his parents and of the 
 people of Wessex. Thus it came about that when 
 only five years old he was chosen by King Ethel- 
 wulf in preference to his elder brothers for special 
 honour. 
 
 It had long been the desire of the pious King 
 Ethelwulf to make a pilgrimage to Rome, as was the 
 custom of many kings and rulers of those times. 
 He earnestly desired to offer his prayers at the 
 shrines of the Holy Apostles, St Peter and St Paul, 
 but the troubled state of his kingdom prevented 
 him from setting out. So he determined to send 
 ambassadors in advance to the Pope. With the 
 royal embassy the King sent his youngest son 
 Alfred, in order that the boy might receive the 
 Pope's blessing. 
 
 Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, to whose special 
 care Alfred was committed on this journey, was 
 no other than the famous saint, who gave his 
 name to St Swithin's Day — July 15. The story 
 is that after his death he was buried, as he had 
 requested, "where the feet of the passers-by 
 might tread and the rain of heaven fall." Pious 
 monks afterward tried to remove his body to 
 
 10 
 
The Boy Pilgrim 
 
 Winchester Cathedral, but rain fell continuously for 
 forty days. This they believed to be a sign of the 
 saint's displeasure, and they gave up the attempt to 
 move his bones. 
 
 This story gave rise to the well-known saying: — 
 
 "St Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain, 
 For forty days it will remain; 
 St Swithin's Day if thou be fair, 
 For forty days tfwill rain na y mair. " 
 
 It must have been with a sorrowful heart that 
 Osburgha parted from her youngest son. Sad to 
 say, Alfred was never to see his loving mother 
 again, for she died before he returned to England. 
 
 So on the appointed day the solemn embassy set 
 out on the southern road. From a port on the 
 Sussex coast they crossed the Channel, in one of the 
 long-oared galleys of those days, to the coast of 
 Flanders. Thence on horseback they passed through 
 sunny France, the territory of Charles the Bald, 
 grandson of the mighty Charlemagne. 
 
 Along the old Roman roads the journey was easy 
 and pleasant, but where the way lay through thick 
 forests or across deep rivers and foaming cataracts, 
 there were many dangers to be faced. Had the 
 company been smaller or unarmed they would have 
 been often in peril from the robbers, who in those 
 days made their home in the deep forests or in the 
 mountain caves. 
 
 II 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 But to Alfred, who was so young that he did not 
 understand those dangers or fear them, the journey 
 seemed full of wonderful adventures. Many months 
 were spent on the long and toilsome way. Some- 
 times the cavalcade would come to a great monastery 
 or to the castle of some powerful nobleman, and 
 there they would rest for a few days. 
 
 At last they reached the mighty chain of the Alps. 
 Alfred could never forget his first vision of the 
 great snow-capped peaks, gleaming radiant through 
 the mists of morning. 
 
 The travellers crossed the mountains by one of 
 the great passes. This was the hardest part of the 
 journey, for the way lay over fields of snow, jagged 
 rocks and dangerous ravines. Sometimes the only 
 road was a small path winding along the edge of a 
 precipice. But the Alps were safely crossed, and 
 after descending the pleasant southern slopes, gay 
 with flowers of all hues, the cavalcade entered 
 Italy. 
 
 Through the fertile plain of Lombardy they 
 journeyed, through Tuscany, the land of poetry and 
 romance. At the many towns and villages through 
 which they passed crowds of people would come out 
 to gaze with curiosity at the English pilgrims and 
 at the little fair-haired prince. But at last the long 
 journey was over, and the solemn procession entered 
 the gates of the Eternal City. 
 
 After resting for some days at one of the many 
 12 
 
The Boy Pilgrim 
 
 inns provided for pilgrims in Rome, Alfred was 
 taken by Bishop Swithin to see the Pope, Leo IV. 
 It was with much awe that Alfred and his guardian 
 approached the stately palace on the Vatican Hill, 
 for in those days the Pope was the most powerful 
 sovereign in the world, and had authority over kings 
 and princes in all lands. On being admitted to the 
 Pope's presence they found, instead of the haughty 
 prelate whom they had trembled to meet, a friendly, 
 white-haired old man, who received the boy prince 
 with much kindness. Pope Leo gave Alfred his 
 blessing, and anointed him with holy oil, as was his 
 custom when receiving princes who might one day 
 be kings. He then wrote to King Ethelwulf a letter, 
 which still exists, telling of the boy's safe arrival 
 in Rome. 
 
 Though, according to some accounts, Alfred soon 
 afterwards returned with Bishop Swithin to England, 
 it is more probable that he remained in Rome until 
 the arrival of his father more than a year later. It 
 is certain that during the year Ethelwulf spent in 
 Rome his youngest son was with him. 
 
 Many were the strange sights seen by Alfred during 
 his stay in the Eternal City. Processions of bishops 
 and priests gorgeously arrayed in many coloured 
 vestments; curious figures of white and black-cowled 
 monks and nuns, and ragged bare-footed friars hurry- 
 ing through the streets; streams of pilgrims from 
 all lands carrying with them sick folk, who hoped to 
 
 13 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 be healed at the shrine of the Apostle Peter. Troops 
 of armed men waving banners and beating drums 
 would also be seen entering or leaving the city, for in 
 those days the cruel Saracens had invaded fair Italy, 
 and Rome was in danger of attack. 
 
 14 
 
CHAPTER II: A Thousand 
 Years Ago 
 
 MANY affairs of the kingdom had to be 
 settled before King Ethelwulf could 
 follow his youngest son to Rome. 
 
 England was not then one kingdom. When the 
 Angles, Saxons and Jutes came from the shores of 
 northern Europe and settled in Britain they had 
 many kings or leaders, and each ruled a separate part 
 of the country. Hundreds of years passed before 
 the smaller kingdoms became united into one, and 
 during that time the different kings were continually 
 at war with each other. All the tribes who settled 
 in Britain came to be known by the common name of 
 "English." Because of their great love of freedom 
 they preferred to live not in walled towns, but in 
 small isolated villages, or in solitary farms built in 
 clearings in the forests. So when they took posses- 
 sion of a town they burned its fine Roman buildings, 
 and set up their own shabby mud or wattle dwellings 
 outside the ruined walls. 
 
 By Alfred's time, however, the dwellings of the 
 English had been much improved. Most of the 
 houses were built of wood, which could be obtained 
 in abundance from the great forests. But to us 
 their homes would have seemed very uncomfortable. 
 Their furniture was very simple. Only kings and 
 rich people had chairs with backs, and their wooden 
 
 i5 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 beds were hard and without springs Servants and 
 slaves slept on heaps of rushes or straw spread on the 
 floor. Fire-grates and chimneys were unknown, and 
 the fire was usually lit in the middle of a room. The 
 smoke had to find its way out as best it might 
 through the door, or through a hole in the roof, left 
 on purpose. Candles were used only by the well-to- 
 do, and the poor either went to bed at dusk or con- 
 tented themselves with the light afforded by their 
 blazing wood fires. Being quite ignorant of greater 
 luxury, the English of those days were very happy 
 with the few comforts they had. 
 
 Much of their time was spent in the open air, and 
 the boys and girls grew up strong and hardy, with 
 long flowing flaxen hair, and blue eyes. Their 
 ancestors on the plains round the Baltic Sea had 
 been farmers, hunters and fishermen, so the English 
 continued to follow these occupations for many 
 years. Long before the coming of the English, 
 Britain had been a famous grain-producing country, 
 and farming continued to be a great industry. Our 
 country could at that time produce more than suffi- 
 cient corn to feed its inhabitants. 
 
 Bee-keeping was also a very favourite occupation, 
 for sugar being unknown in those days, honey was 
 the only substance used to sweeten food. Many 
 people obtained a livelihood by keeping swine, for 
 herds of these animals could be fed very cheaply on 
 beech-nuts and acorns in the forests. So pork was 
 
 16 
 
A Thousand Years Ago 
 
 eaten more than any other kind of animal food. 
 Eels, which abounded in the streams and pools, were 
 also much used for food, especially in the monasteries 
 during Lent and other fasts. 
 
 Even before Alfred's time the English had begun 
 to engage in trade, and merchants from different 
 parts of Europe came to do business in London. 
 English ships went to the whale fishery in the North 
 Sea, and vessels from Iceland and the farthest north 
 of Scandinavia brought fruit and furs to the English 
 markets. 
 
 Though there were few manufactures, English 
 goldsmiths, silversmiths, and jewellers were already 
 famous, and many beautiful specimens of their work 
 may be seen in the British Museum. Spinning, 
 weaving, and dyeing were also carried on, and in 
 each household, rich or poor, all the cloth required 
 for family use was spun by the women. Even kings' 
 daughters learned to spin, and so common was the 
 occupation among women that the term 'spinster' 
 arose, and is still applied to unmarried women. The 
 girls of the family also learned to sew, embroider, 
 and cook, while the boys assisted their fathers in the 
 fields or accompanied them to the chase. 
 
 That part of England south of the Thames where 
 the West Saxons had settled was called Wessex, and 
 in 827 Egbert of Wessex, the grandfather of Alfred, 
 exercised power over all the other kings of England, 
 and was acknowledged as their overlord or Bretwalda. 
 
 i7 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 Peace and security now seemed in store for Eng- 
 land by the union of its kingdoms under one ruler. 
 Yet, when ten years later old King Egbert lay dying, 
 he was troubled by dark forebodings as to the future 
 of his country. Ethelwulf, his only son and succes- 
 sor, had from youth preferred the company of priests 
 to that of warriors, and was better fitted to enter a 
 monastery than to rule a kingdom. Moreover, the 
 dying King knew that fresh enemies were even then 
 threatening England. 
 
 A famous race of sea-rovers, the Vikings, or "Men 
 of the Creeks," had attacked all the countries of 
 Western Europe, and were now hovering round our 
 shores. These heathen Norsemen or Danes were 
 cruel and heartless robbers. So much were they 
 dreaded that a litany of the time has the prayer, 
 "Deliver us, O Lord, from the fury of the Norsemen." 
 
 Their chief god was called Odin, whom they be- 
 lieved to be an old man with one eye; he had bartered 
 the other for the gift of wisdom. Many old Danish 
 legends tell of his skill in poetry and magic. He was 
 said to receive in a wonderful palace called Valhalla, 
 "the Hall of the Chosen Slain," the souls of those 
 slain in battle. There they led a life of fighting and 
 feasting such as they had desired on earth. Their 
 belief in Valhalla made them intrepid warriors, fear- 
 less of death on the battle-field. 
 
 The ships of the pirates were long, open boats, 
 some of which held as many as a hundred men. In 
 
 18 
 
THE COMING OF THE NORSEMEN 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 these vessels, which were well fitted for speed, they 
 were masters of the sea, and every river and inlet be- 
 came a highway for their advance into the heart of 
 the country. Arriving when least expected, they 
 would land in some undefended part of the coast and 
 ravage the country. Men were tortured and mur- 
 dered; women were driven into slavery; and it is 
 said that the savage robbers would sometimes toss 
 babes from pike to pike in grim sport. Then, before 
 it was possible to muster a force to oppose them, the 
 pirates would make a dash for the sea and sail 
 away with their plunder. Even when the English 
 did succeed in overtaking them, it was little that 
 men straight from the plough could do against a 
 body of trained warriors. 
 
 The monasteries were the special prey of the 
 Danes, not only because the gentle monks could not 
 defend themselves, but because many people had 
 given their wealth to the Church, so treasures such 
 as gold and silver chalices, and books with jewelled 
 bindings, were to be found there. Knowing this the 
 Danes burned the monasteries, seized the treasures, 
 and either slew the monks or drove them away 
 homeless. 
 
 After the death of old King Egbert, Ethelwulf 
 roused himself to take the field against the Danes, 
 and fought them in many battles, yet during his 
 reign their ravages increased. Thus it was that 
 some of Prince Alfred's earliest memories were of 
 
 20 
 
A Thousand Years Ago 
 
 anxious faces, days of panic, and hurried departures 
 of his father and elder brothers whenever news came 
 of the arrival of Danes on the coast. Often as he 
 listened to the tales told by his mother and nurse of 
 the greed and cruelty of the Danes, he would long 
 for the time when he should be old enough to ride 
 forth with the army to fight the savage robbers, and 
 drive them from his country. 
 
 Osburgha, the mother of Alfred, was a princess 
 noble of heart as she was noble of birth. She it was 
 who first told the boy wonderful tales of the heroes 
 of past days and of their battles with men and 
 monsters. From her he learned his lessons of valour, 
 truth, and justice, without which no prince can be 
 truly heroic. 
 
 Asser, a Welsh monk from the monastery of St 
 David's, who lived at Alfred's court after he became 
 King, wrote a life of his royal master, in which he tells 
 the following story of Osburgha: One day she called 
 her sons to her, and showed them a Saxon book of 
 poetry. 
 
 "The one among you who can first say by heart 
 the poems in this book shall have it," she said. 
 
 Delighted with the beautiful coloured lettering in 
 the book, Alfred, the youngest boy, exclaimed; "Oh 
 mother, wilt thou really give it to the one who first is 
 able to repeat it to thee?" 
 
 Osburgha smiled joyfully and said: 
 
 "Yes, to him will I give it." Alfred took the book 
 
 21 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 to one of his teachers, and in due time brought it 
 back to his mother and recited its contents. This 
 book given by his mother remained among Alfred's 
 most cherished possessions until the end of his life. 
 Whether this story be true or not, it was probably 
 Osburgha who taught her youngest son to love 
 books and poetry. 
 
 22 
 
CHAPTER III: King 
 Ethelwulf s Pilgrimage 
 
 WITH the help of his eldest son Athelstan, 
 Ethelwulf at length so far defeated the 
 Danes, that for a season they troubled 
 not the coasts of Wessex. 
 
 It was not until the spring of 855 that the King, 
 who had been escorted through France by a guard 
 provided by Charles the Bald, arrived in Rome. 
 The little prince was probably taken by his attend- 
 ants a day's journey to meet the King, and entered 
 Rome with him. Great must have been the joy of 
 Ethelwulf to find his favourite son safe and well, 
 after so long a separation. 
 
 Ethelwulf found Rome in mourning, for Pope 
 Leo IV was dead. The brave old warrior Pope had 
 done much to defend the city from the Saracens, 
 causing a fortified wall to be built round the church 
 of St Peter and the Vatican Hill. This part of 
 Rome is still called the Leonine city in his honour. 
 To the poor he had ever been a generous friend, 
 and the people of Rome wept for him. 
 
 Ethelwulf was received by the new Pope Benedict 
 III. The costly gifts brought by the English King 
 made him a welcome visitor at the Vatican palace. 
 For the Pope he had brought a golden cross four 
 pounds in weight, gold cups, and embroidered vest- 
 ments. 
 
 23 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 A year was spent by King Ethelwulf in Rome, and 
 during that time he bestowed many generous gifts on 
 the Church and on the poor of the city. There had 
 been in Rome for many years a school where Saxon 
 priests might be educated, but it had been destroyed 
 by fire. Ethelwulf caused it to be rebuilt at his own 
 expense, and also promised to pay a yearly sum to 
 supply oil for the lamps of St Peter's Church at 
 Eastertide. 
 
 As Ethelwulf visited the many beautiful churches 
 and holy shrines of the Eternal City he longed to 
 remain there for the rest of his life, safe from the 
 dangers that threatened his unhappy kingdom of 
 Wessex. 
 
 Before this time two West Saxon kings, Caed walla 
 and Ina, had left their troubled kingdoms and retired 
 to monasteries in Rome. The story of Caedwalla is 
 thus beautifully and simply told by the monkJBede, 
 in his history of the English Church: — 
 
 "Caedwalla, King of the West Saxons, quitted 
 his throne for the sake of our Lord and His heavenly 
 kingdom, and set out for Rome, being desirous to 
 obtain the peculiar honour of being baptized in the 
 Church of the Blessed Apostle. There he was baptized 
 on Easter Day, 689, by Pope Sergius I, and being still 
 in his white garments he fell sick, and departed this 
 life to dwell for ever with the blessed in heaven." 
 
 But Ethelwulf chose the braver part when duty 
 called him to return to his kingdom, and he at last 
 
 24 
 
King Ethelwulf s Pilgrimage 
 
 set out on the homeward way with Alfred and his 
 attendants. Once they crossed the Alps and jour- 
 neyed through France to the court of Charles the 
 Bald, which was then at Verberie on the Oise, near 
 Compeigne. 
 
 There Ethelwulf remained for three months. 
 Though he was now more than sixty years old, he 
 decided to marry Judith, the eldest daughter of 
 Charles. Poor Judith, who was only fourteen, was 
 better fitted to be a playmate to Alfred than to be 
 his step-mother. What could have induced the 
 King to marry so young a wife is not known. Prob- 
 ably he believed that the marriage would secure for 
 him the help of Charles the Bald against the Danes. 
 For the powerful King of the Franks would not be 
 likely to suffer the humiliation of a kingdom over 
 which his daughter reigned as Queen. 
 
 The wedding took place on October 1, 856, the 
 ceremony being performed by Hincmar of Rheims, 
 the most powerful churchman outside Rome. After 
 the wedding the girl-wife was placed on a throne by 
 the side of her grey-bearded husband, and crowned 
 as Queen. 
 
 Soon after this Ethelwulf and his retinue set out 
 for England, where in the meantime events im- 
 portant to the fortunes of the old King and his young 
 bride were taking place. 
 
 25 
 
CHAPTER IV: Prince 
 Ethelbald^ s Revolt 
 
 DURING Ethelwulf 's long absence the people 
 of Wessex, led by his son Ethelbald, 
 had risen in revolt against his authority. 
 His eldest son Athelstan, who had formerly ruled 
 Kent but had retired to a monastery, was now dead, 
 and Ethelbald his second son was heir to the throne. 
 It is probable that soon after the King's departure 
 on his pilgrimage, the bishops and nobles of Wessex 
 had appointed Ethelbald regent for the whole 
 kingdom. 
 
 Now Ethelbald was a more warlike prince than 
 his father, and much better fitted to protect the 
 kingdom against the Danes. Many of the people 
 of Wessex declared that they desired nothing better 
 than to have him for their King, without waiting for 
 the death of the pious Ethelwulf. This pleased 
 Ethelbald very much, for he was a bold and head- 
 strong youth, who cared more for power and flattery 
 than for anything in the world. 
 
 Among those who supported Ethelbald were 
 Alstan, Bishop of Sherborne, and Eanwulf, Alder- 
 man of Somerset. Alstan had been the trusted 
 friend and companion of old King Egbert, and was a 
 better soldier than a bishop. On several occasions 
 he had taken the field at the head of a body of troops 
 and fought with great bravery against the Danes. 
 
 26 
 
Prince EthelbalcPs Revolt 
 
 He honestly believed that Ethelbald was better 
 fitted to rule Wessex than his unwarlike father. 
 
 The conspirators met secretly in Selwood forest 
 on the borders of Devonshire and Somerset, and 
 took an oath to support Ethelbald against his father 
 when the latter returned to England. Some time 
 after this meeting, news of Ethel wulf's marriage with 
 Judith and of her coronation as Queen reached Wes- 
 sex. These tidings served to rouse the people of Wes- 
 sex against their King as nothing else could have done. 
 About forty years before this time the West Saxons 
 had taken a solemn oath that no woman should ever 
 again receive the title of Queen of Wessex. The last 
 to bear this title was Eadburga, daughter of the 
 great King Offa of Mercia, and wife of Brihtric, who 
 had preceded Egbert as King of Wessex. 
 
 Though Eadburga was very beautiful, she was 
 heartless and cruel. Strange tales are told of her 
 pride and insolence. It is said that whenever a 
 noble of the court offended her, she asked her hus- 
 band to put him to death. If Brihtric refused, she 
 then gave the offender a cup of poison to drink. 
 Now Brihtric had a dear friend called Worr, of whom 
 Eadburga was jealous, and one day she made a 
 poisoned cup for him. But Brihtric drank of the 
 same cup as his friend, not knowing it was poisoned, 
 so they died together. 
 
 Then all the people of Wessex rose in revolt against 
 Queen Eadburga, and drove her from the land. She 
 
 27 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 fled across the seas and sought the protection of the 
 great Emperor Charlemagne, who received her kindly, 
 and made her abbess of a convent. But the quiet 
 life among the gentle nuns could not change her 
 nature. Soon her wicked deeds became so scandalous 
 that Charlemagne was forced to dismiss her. She 
 left the nunnery followed by one faithful slave, and 
 wandered a beggar through the land. Many years 
 later, travellers to the Italian city of Pavia told how 
 they there saw Eadburga, a ragged,beggar woman,old 
 and shrivelled, crying for bread in the streets. 
 
 The West Saxons never forgave the crimes of that 
 wretched woman. Thenceforth the very name of 
 queen was hateful to them. When they heard that 
 Ethelwulf, not content with the folly of marrying 
 a child-wife, had dared to place Judith on the throne 
 by his side, and cause her to be proclaimed Queen, 
 their indignation knew no bounds. The revolt 
 which had before been secret now became open, and 
 many of those who had stood aloof from Ethelbald, 
 holding his conduct to be undutiful, now went over 
 to his side. They declared that Ethelwulf well 
 deserved to lose his kingdom, for he had shown con- 
 tempt for the customs and feelings of his people. 
 
 Meantime Ethelwulf, Judith, and Alfred, with a 
 long train of nobles, priests, and men-at-arms, were 
 on their way to England. Their retinue was even 
 larger and more magnificent than when they had set 
 out, for Charles the Bald had sent a brilliant escort 
 
 28 
 
Prince Ethelbaffls Revolt 
 
 of Frankish nobles to accompany his daughter 
 Judith to England. 
 
 Alfred and Judith were in the highest spirits for, 
 children as they were, no cares for the future as yet 
 troubled them. To Judith, her first voyage across 
 the Channel was full of new wonder and delight. 
 She gazed with bright eyes on the white cliffs of 
 Kent, and on the shores of that unknown country, 
 now to be her home, toward which their vessel sped. 
 
 But as King Ethelwulf approached his native land 
 he became silent and thoughtful. Though he had 
 not yet heard of the rebellion against his authority, 
 he knew that difficulties were in store for him before 
 the West Saxons would consent to recognize Judith 
 as Queen. He knew, too, that in the event of their 
 refusing to do so, trouble would arise with Charles 
 the Bald, who undoubtedly expected his daughter 
 to be Queen of Wessex, and who would avenge any 
 insult offered to her dignity. The thought of the 
 responsibilities of kingship also weighed heavily on 
 the King, and once more he wished that he had 
 decided to renounce all, and remain in Rome for the 
 rest of his life. 
 
 On the shores a large company had assembled to 
 meet the royal travellers, for the people of Kent 
 were still loyal to the old King. When Ethelwulf, 
 with Judith and Alfred, stepped from the boat they 
 were greeted with shouts of welcome. Banners 
 waved, music played, and drums beat, until the 
 
 29 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 King, encouraged by the outburst of loyalty, hoped 
 against hope that all might yet be well. But 
 Bishop Swithin of Winchester, who had come to 
 meet them with a few of the nobles of Wessex, greeted 
 the King gravely, and on perceiving Judith said: 
 
 "A fitting welcome to the fair princess from the 
 land of the Franks, wife of the King. " 
 
 Ethelwulf frowned with displeasure on hearing 
 these words, for at once he perceived that Swithin 
 had refrained from greeting Judith as Queen. The 
 shouts of welcome continued, however, as the King 
 rode westward with his companions. But as they 
 approached the borders of Wessex, stern faces might 
 be seen here and there in the crowd, and some gazed 
 angrily on Ethelwulf and the young princess, mutter- 
 ing that they need not go far to find a king who 
 would keep the law better than did this one. 
 
 It was not long before the King discovered the 
 state of affairs in his kingdom. Though more than 
 half the people declared their readiness to support 
 him against Ethelbald, the others had become com- 
 pletely estranged from him, and had gone over to the 
 side of the rebels. A few days after the King's 
 return a meeting was held between the friends of the 
 King and those who favoured Ethelbald. After 
 much discussion the nobles decided that the people 
 of Wessex had just cause for dissatisfaction, and that 
 the power of Ethelbald was likely to increase as time 
 went on, while that of the old King must diminish. 
 
 30 
 
Prince Ethelbald^s Revolt 
 
 Two bishops, of whom Alstan was one, were sent 
 to Ethelwulf to inform him that his people were 
 fully determined to uphold the laws of the kingdom 
 at all costs, and that only by much bloodshed would 
 he be able to remain King of the West Saxons. 
 Many of the King's faithful subjects were eager to 
 fight for him, and vowed that they would not rest 
 until they had driven the undutiful Ethelbald from 
 the country. The King replied with deep sadness 
 that in spite of the wrong done him he could not 
 take up arms against his own son. With heathen 
 enemies hovering round their shores a terrible civil 
 war must be avoided, at whatever sacrifice. 
 
 Ethelwulf declared his willingness to divide the 
 kingdom into two parts. The kingdom of Wessex, 
 by far the most valuable, was to be given to Ethel- 
 bald, the eastern portion, consisting of Kent, Surrey, 
 and Sussex, which formerly had been ruled by the 
 eldest sons of the Kings of Wessex, was to remain in 
 the hands of Ethelwulf. This arrangement suited 
 both sides, for in Kent, queens were still admissible, 
 and it was better that Judith should reign as Queen 
 of Kent than accept an inferior position in Wessex. 
 
 So Ethelwulf, with Alfred and the princess, retired 
 to Kent, and ruled that kingdom till his death. It 
 is probable that his last years were rendered happier 
 by this division than they would otherwise have 
 been, for he retained all the dignity of a king and 
 few of the responsibilities. He was free to spend 
 
 3i 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 much of his time in the churches offering up prayers 
 for himself and those dear to him. He also occupied 
 himself in planning generous gifts to churches and 
 monasteries, in acts of charity to the poor, and in 
 entertaining pilgrims. 
 
 The old King lived only about two years after his 
 return from Rome. His son's treachery had been a 
 severe blow from which he never fully recovered. 
 He died on January 13, 858, and was buried at 
 Winchester. 
 
 32 
 
CHAPTER V: 'The Locusts 
 of the Baltic* 
 
 TO prevent strife after his death, King Ethel- 
 wulf had left a will, decreeing that the 
 kingdoms of Wessex and Kent should 
 remain divided. Ethelbald was to continue ruling 
 over Wessex, while Ethelbert, the next son, was to 
 be king of Kent. If Ethelbald died childless, the 
 third son, Ethelred, was to succeed him as king of 
 Wessex, and after him, Alfred. By his will, Ethel wulf 
 also provided "that one poor man out of every ten 
 in the country, either native or foreigner, should be 
 supplied with meat, drink and clothing by his suc- 
 cessors, until the day of judgment, supposing, how- 
 ever, that the land should still be inhabited by men 
 and cattle, and should not become deserted." 
 
 Ethelbald had gained much fame as a warrior even 
 before his father's death, for he was a bold and fearless 
 leader of his people. But he had been, as we have 
 seen, a bad son, and after he became king lived a 
 godless and evil life. He soon excited much anger 
 among his subjects by marrying his stepmother, 
 Judith. Those who had deserted his father to go over 
 to Ethelbald's side now turned against the son, and 
 all the bishops of Wessex denounced his marriage as 
 scandalous. Good Bishop Swithin hastened to the 
 presence of Ethelbald, and implored him to annul his 
 marriage with Judith; but this the headstrong King 
 
 33 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 refused to do, declaring that he cared nothing for the 
 anger of his subjects. Fear of the Danes meanwhile 
 prevented the West Saxons from driving Ethelbald 
 from the throne, for his strong rule gave them peace 
 from their cruel foes. His reign, however, was 
 destined to be short. His death occurred in 860, 
 only two and a half years after that of his father, 
 Ethelwulf. He was buried in the Cathedral of 
 Sherbrone, in Dorset. 
 
 Though by Ethelwulf 's will, Ethelred should have 
 succeeded to Wessex, the Witan, or Assembly of chief 
 men, which then supplied the place of our Parlia- 
 ment, decided that the union of Wessex and Kent 
 under Ethelbert would ensure greater strength 
 against the Danes. Ethelred seems to have been 
 quite willing to surrender his claims, so Ethelbert 
 was made ruler of both kingdoms. 
 
 The new king, like his father, was peacefully in- 
 clined, and during his reign of five years avoided 
 taking the field in person against the Danes. Nor 
 did he attempt to stop their ravages, which con- 
 sequently were renewed. 
 
 On a certain foggy night a few months after Ethel- 
 bert came to the throne, a fleet of Danes arrived off 
 the coast of Hampshire. Under cover of the darkness 
 their galleys crept swiftly up the river Itchen, and 
 anchored in a deserted haven. The raiders then 
 disembarked, and made for the beautiful old city of 
 Winchester, which was at that time the capital of 
 
 34 
 
The Locusts of the Baltic 
 
 Wessex, and the favourite place of residence of the 
 West Saxon kings. 
 
 The citizens were taken completely by surprise, 
 and attempted little resistance. Houses were 
 plundered, torn down, and burnt. Young and old, 
 women and little children were slain without mercy, 
 in their homes or in the open streets; even horses 
 and dogs were cruelly butchered and left to die in 
 agony. The cathedral was sacked, every priest 
 massacred, and the treasures piled up in a great heap 
 ready to carry off. Then loading themselves with 
 their booty, the robbers set out for their boats, 
 uttering loud shouts of defiance. 
 
 Meantime, however, news of their arrival had 
 spread abroad. Troops hastily mustered, and led by 
 the brave aldermen of Hampshire and Berkshire, 
 hastened to intercept the plunder-laden Danes before 
 they could reach their boats. A fight took place, 
 in which the robbers were completely beaten by 
 the English archers and swordsmen. As Dane 
 after Dane fell dead a panic seized the survivors 
 and they fled in confusion, leaving their plunder 
 behind them. The English pursued them along 
 the coast. Only a few Danes escaped, for their 
 boats had been discovered and most of them 
 destroyed. 
 
 Bishop Swithin was deeply grieved when he heard 
 of the destruction of Winchester, his beautiful 
 cathedral city. It is said that he never recovered 
 
 35 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 from the shock which the news gave him, and he died 
 shortly afterward. 
 
 Alfred was now a boy of eleven. Though he was 
 not yet old enough to join his brothers in fighting the 
 Danes, he excelled in hunting and in all manly sports, 
 and could wield the battle-axe better than any youth 
 of his age in Wessex. The vast forests which then 
 covered a great part of England were the home of 
 many wild animals, including deer, wolves, badgers 
 and wild boars; thus the chase in which Alfred de- 
 lighted was a more dangerous pastime than it is 
 in England at the present day. 
 
 While Alfred had all a boy's love of adventure, he 
 was also fond of study and eager to acquire learning. 
 But after the death of St S within there were few 
 learned priests in England, and the young prince had 
 much difficulty in finding teachers. He, however, 
 studied whenever he could find an opportunity, and 
 carried about with him a Book of Hours in which 
 were written the services of the Church. He had an 
 excellent memory, and learned many prayers and 
 psalms by heart. 
 
 In 866 Ethelbert died, after a peaceful, mild, and 
 honourable reign. He was succeeded by his younger 
 and more warlike brother, Ethelred. Soon after 
 Ethelred became king, the English were alarmed by 
 the news that a huge fleet of Vikings was preparing 
 to invade England. 
 
 The pirates declared that one of their princes, 
 
 36- 
 
1^ 
 
 LFRED KILLS HIS FIRST WILD BOAR"— Page 36 
 
The Locusts of the Baltic 
 
 Ragnor Lodbrog, had been shipwrecked on the coast 
 of Northumbria, the most northerly kingdom of 
 England, and had been cruelly put to death by Ella, 
 king of that region. Ragnor, they said, had been left 
 to die in a pit known as the Serpent Prison, which 
 was full of snakes and other reptiles. But he scorned 
 fear and pain, and while dying no cry escaped his lips. 
 Instead, he sang a death-chant, in which he recited 
 his many gallant deeds, and declared that he joyfully 
 claimed a place among the heroes of Valhalla. 
 
 "We fought with swords," he sang. "We 
 journeyed from the distant Gothland, up the Vistula, 
 across Europe to the Northumbrian land, to the Isles 
 of the North, to the Irish plains. In the Scottish 
 gulfs I gained large spoils for the wolves. We fought 
 with swords. This fills me still with joy, because I 
 know the banquet is preparing by the Father of the 
 gods. Soon in the Halls of Odin we shall drink mead 
 out of the skulls of our foes. A brave man shrinks 
 not at death, and I shall utter no repining words as I 
 approach the Palace of the gods. The Fates are 
 come for me, sent by Odin from the habitation of 
 the gods. There shall I quaff full goblets of wine. 
 The hours of my life are numbered; I die laughing." 
 
 The story of Ragnor 's death is probably quite 
 untrue, but it served as an excuse for a great invasion 
 of England, the Danes declaring that they would 
 avenge the slaying of the hero, whose deeds had been 
 their pride. So Vikings from the bays of Norway, 
 
 37 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 Sweden, Denmark, Jutland, and Russia, assembled 
 in their galleys to share in the revenge. The huge 
 fleet was commanded by eight kings and twenty 
 earls, the relatives of Ragnor Lodbrog. 
 
 In the autumn of 867 they sailed for England, 
 and landed on the shores of East Anglia, the kingdom 
 which now forms the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. 
 The terrified inhabitants made no attempt to oppose 
 them, but immediately offered to make a truce with 
 the raiders. On condition that they received a large 
 sum of money and provisions for the winter, the 
 invaders promised to do the East Anglians no harm. 
 It was also agreed that the Danes should be pro- 
 vided with English horses for their march north- 
 ward in the spring. So the great army wintered in 
 East Anglia. 
 
 As soon as the weather became milder the Danes 
 set out northward, and took possession of the city 
 of York. At first the Northumbrians did little to 
 defend their kingdom, where a civil war had raged 
 for some years between King Ella and Prince Osbert, 
 who was the rightful heir to the throne. But when 
 the news spread that a heathen army had crossed 
 the Humber and was spreading desolation on every 
 side, the Northumbrian nobles begged Ella and Os- 
 bert to forget their quarrels and unite for the defence 
 of the kingdom. Inspired by terror of the invaders 
 they consented after some delay to do so. 
 
 Meantime the Danes continued their ravages, 
 
 38 
 
The Locusts of the Baltic 
 
 plundering and burning many churches and monas- 
 teries throughout Northumbria. In early spring, the 
 Northumbrians, led by the two kings and eight earls, 
 ventured to make an attempt to retake York. The 
 Danes, on hearing of their approach, hastily retired 
 within the city walls, from behind which they 
 prepared to defend themselves. But a large number 
 of the English, following close on their heels, suc- 
 ceeded in entering the city, and began to destroy the 
 walls, which were badly built and very frail. 
 
 The Danes, finding their only fortress in consider- 
 able danger, then decided to force a way for them- 
 selves through the ranks of the besiegers. On March 
 21, 868, they suddenly sallied forth, and the English, 
 taken completely unawares, gave way before them. 
 A battle was fought in which the Danes gained a 
 great victory. Among the slain were the two rival 
 kings and many of the Northumbrian nobles. 
 
 The whole of Northumbria was now in the power of 
 the Northmen, for the inhabitants of that region 
 had completely lost heart. The Danes set up a 
 king of their own over the lands north of the Tyne. 
 The southern portion of the kingdom they kept in 
 their own hands, making it a rallying ground for the 
 conquest of the South. 
 
 Many Danish settlements were founded in North- 
 umbria about this time, and descendants of the 
 Northmen are still living in and around the city of 
 York. 
 
 39 
 
CHAPTER VI: Prince 
 
 Alfred* s Marriage 
 
 WHILE the Danes thus ravaged the lands 
 north of the Humber, Wessex was left in 
 peace. In 868, Alfred, who was then 
 nineteen, was betrothed to Elswitha, the daughter of 
 Ethelred, a powerful alderman, the ruler of a part 
 of Lincolnshire. 
 
 Ethelred was the chief of a tribe called the Gaini, 
 a name which Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, still 
 preserves. He bore the honourable surname of 
 Mucel, or the Great, because he was 'great of body 
 and old in wisdom.' On her mother's side Elswitha 
 was connected with the royal family of Mercia, the 
 middle kingdom of England. 
 
 In Alfred's time the marriage ceremony consisted 
 of two parts, the betrothal and the giving away. 
 The suitor had first to discuss with the bride's parents 
 what he would pay them, if allowed to wed their 
 daughter. In addition to the sum paid to the bride's 
 father, it was the custom for the bridegroom to make 
 a present to the bride herself, which, in the case of 
 queens, often consisted of a residence and consider- 
 able estates. When all these matters had been 
 settled, and the agreement signed before witnesses, 
 the giving-away ceremony might take place, though 
 months, and in some cases years, elapsed between 
 this and the betrothal. 
 
 40 
 
Prince Alfred } s Marriage 
 
 Alfred's marriage was celebrated in Mercia, prob- 
 ably at the house of the bride. At the giving-away 
 ceremony a bishop was present to bless the union. 
 He solemnly united the bridal pair, warning them 
 that they were now to share each other's lot, in weal 
 and woe, in peace and war. Most faithfully did 
 Alfred and Elswitha keep to their vows throughout 
 the thirty years of their married life. The prince 
 had chosen wisely, for Elswitha proved a noble and 
 devoted wife. The sufferings which she and Alfred 
 underwent together in later years, through the pres- 
 sure of the Danish invasions, only served to bind 
 them more closely to each other. 
 
 Innumerable guests attended the wedding cere- 
 monies. The festivities lasted for four days, and 
 there was great rejoicing throughout Mercia and 
 Wessex. Banquets were given at which there was 
 much feasting, and enormous quantities of mead were 
 drunk. Many entertainments were provided for 
 the guests. Famous poets were invited to give 
 recitations accompanied by music, for which they 
 received liberal rewards. At that time the chief 
 musical instrument was the harp, on which nearly 
 every one except slaves could perform. It was the 
 custom for travelling minstrels to wander from feast 
 to feast relating to the rhythm of their harps the great 
 deeds of our English forefathers. No doubt some of 
 these old bards were present at Alfred's wedding. 
 Flutes, pipes and fiddles were known in those days, 
 
 4i 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 so we may be sure that there was no lack of music to 
 enliven the entertainments. 
 
 In the midst of the wedding festivities the bride- 
 groom was suddenly taken ill, and fell on the 
 floor moaning with pain. The guests, in great 
 alarm, crowded around him. Some whispered that 
 it was an evil omen, others declared that he 
 had been poisoned or struck down by some evil 
 spirit. 
 
 His physicians were unable to discover the nature 
 of his malady, but it was generally supposed to be the 
 unexpected return of a painful disease from which he 
 had suffered in his boyhood. Though Alfred soon 
 recovered, he was subject to these sudden attacks of 
 illness throughout the remainder of his life. Often 
 he suffered so much pain from them that he despaired 
 of living. 
 
 The following strange story is told by Asser concern- 
 ing Alfred's malady. "From boyhood the prince had 
 been the victim of a painful disease. One day when 
 he was hunting in Cornwall he turned aside to pray 
 in a little chapel in the midst of a forest. While there, 
 he earnestly entreated God of His mercy to heal him 
 of the disease, which threatened to unfit him for his 
 duties as a ruler. At the same time he declared his 
 willingness to suffer from some other malady which 
 would not prevent him from labouring for the welfare 
 of his people. His prayer was heard, for the disease 
 departed from him, and, in its stead, he was afflicted 
 
 42 
 
Prince Alfreds Marriage 
 
 with the malady which first attacked him at his 
 wedding." 
 
 Though we cannot tell how far this story is true, 
 it is probable that Alfred saw in his malady an afflic- 
 tion sent from heaven to arm him against temptation. 
 In spite of his bodily weakness his strong will enabled 
 him to work all his life with untiring zeal for the good 
 of others. 
 
 Soon after Alfred's wedding, news reached Wessex 
 that the Danes had left Northumbria and were now 
 invading Mercia. There were strong reasons why 
 this news should cause deep anxiety to King Ethelred 
 and his brother. Their only sister Els witha had been 
 married at the age of fifteen to Burhred, King of 
 Mercia. The marriage had been celebrated at 
 Chippenham with much pomp, and had caused great 
 joy to the people of Wessex, for the two kingdoms 
 thus became united by the closest ties. 
 
 The Danes had no sooner appeared in Mercia than 
 Burhred sent to implore the help of his brothers-in- 
 law. Immediately on receiving the message Ethelred 
 mustered an army, and, with his brother Alfred, 
 marched to Burhred's assistance. The opportunity 
 to fight the Danes which Alfred had so long and 
 ardently desired seemed to have come to him at last. 
 We can imagine how eagerly he set out with the army 
 on the march northward. 
 
 But a disappointment was in store for him. They 
 found the Danes in a fortified camp at Nottingham. 
 
 43 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 The men of Wessex, joined by the Mercians, en- 
 camped in the neighbourhood, ready to do battle as 
 soon as their enemies should advance into the open. 
 But many days passed and the Danes remained 
 behind their strong entrenchments. Meantime, 
 the hired army of the Mercians melted away, and 
 Burhred weakly decided to make peace with the 
 Danes by offering them a large sum of money. 
 
 The cruel robbers took the money, and promised 
 to leave Mercia in peace, but there was little hope 
 that they would keep their word. Ethelred and 
 Alfred then disbanded their army, and returned 
 home with sinking hearts. Now they knew that 
 their own kingdom of Wessex must ere long become 
 the prey of the invaders. 
 
 44 
 
CHAPTER VII; 
 
 St Edmund King and Martyr; 
 The Battle of Ashdown 
 
 AFTER their conquest of Northumbria and 
 Mercia the Danes marched through the 
 country, plundering and burning all the 
 great abbeys and churches. Among other famous 
 monasteries, those of Croyland, Peterborough, Ely 
 and Huntingdon, were levelled to the ground, and 
 the monks and nuns murdered. 
 
 At Coldingham, beyond Berwick, there was a great 
 abbey of nuns. The poor sisters wept bitterly when 
 they heard of the approach of the Danes. They 
 feared that when their Abbey had been destroyed 
 they would be carried off and forced to marry the 
 cruel robbers. This they dreaded more than death, 
 for they had dedicated their lives to God. So St 
 Ebba, the holy Abbess, told the nuns to cut off their 
 noses and upper lips. When the barbarians arrived 
 and saw the frightful faces of the nuns they no longer 
 desired them for wives, but, before plundering the 
 abbey, they slew all the unhappy nuns with the 
 sword. 
 
 Outside Peterborough Cathedral there stood for 
 many centuries a monument called 'The Monk's 
 Stone. 5 It was placed over a pit in which were 
 buried eighty monks of the monastery, all slain by 
 the Danes in 870. 
 
 45 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 Though the Danes had promised to leave East 
 Anglia in peace, they did not keep their word. That 
 kingdom was then ruled by Edmund, a noble Chris- 
 tian king who had inherited the crown when he was 
 only fifteen years old. He was now thirty, and 
 during the fifteen years of his reign had laboured 
 for the welfare and happiness of his people. To the 
 poor he gave generously, and all who went to him in 
 trouble were received and helped. At Hunstanton, 
 in Norfolk, then a small village, he caused a royal 
 tower to be built, and there he often retired to en- 
 joy solitude and to study. 
 
 But though King Edmund was generous and brave 
 he was no warrior, and did not encourage his people 
 to fight the Danes. Moreover, as the kingdom of 
 East Anglia was nearly surrounded by water, having 
 the sea on the north and east, and great stretches of 
 marshland on the west, Edmund believed that it 
 was secure from the invaders, or, at the worst, could 
 be defended easily. 
 
 So when, in the spring of 870, a fleet landed 20,000 
 Danes on the coast of East Anglia, the inhabitants 
 were quite unprepared to meet them in battle. King 
 Edmund succeeded, however, in mustering a small 
 body of troops, with which he advanced to Thetford, 
 in Norfolk, and there they fought bravely against 
 the savage invaders. But his small force was soon 
 cut down, and he was obliged to retreat. The King 
 determined to sacrifice no more lives in a hopeless 
 
 46 
 
St Edmund King and Martyr 
 
 struggle, so he disbanded his army. He then retired 
 to his castle of Framlingham, in Suffolk. 
 
 The Danes sent messengers to King Edmund 
 offering him his life and liberty if he would renounce 
 Christ, worship the heathen god Odin, and govern 
 under Danish supervision. To this message Ed- 
 mund replied: "Go, tell your commander that I 
 am neither terrified by his threats nor deceived 
 by his promises. Destroy my frail body if you will; 
 never will I submit to a pagan creed! It is more 
 honourable to defend our liberties with our lives 
 than to buy mercy with tears!" 
 
 The Danish leaders were furious on receiving this 
 answer, and marched to seize the King. Edmund 
 fled to a place called Hoxone, on the river Waveney, 
 where he concealed himself all day under a bridge. 
 In the evening the glitter of his golden spurs caused 
 him to be discovered by a newly married couple, 
 who were returning home by moonlight, and who 
 betrayed him to the Danes. It is said that in the 
 midst of his sufferings he poured forth a dreadful 
 curse upon every couple who should afterwards cross 
 the bridge on their way to or from their wedding. 
 So long did the memory of this story linger, that, 
 rather than go over the bridge, the newly married 
 preferred to proceed by a more winding and tedious 
 way. 
 
 Edmund was bound with chains and brought be- 
 fore the Danish chiefs. His life was again offered 
 
 47 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 to him on the same terms as before, but he indig- 
 nantly refused to save himself at the cost of deny- 
 ing his faith. He was then beaten with cudgels and 
 bound to a tree. The infidels amused themselves 
 by using him as a mark at which to shoot, until his 
 body was covered with arrows, but they cruelly re- 
 frained from inflicting a mortal wound. When they 
 had tortured him until they were tired, they cut off 
 his head and threw it into a thicket. 
 
 Forty days later his head was found between the 
 paws of a wolf. It was said that a pillar of light 
 miraculously guided the seekers to the spot where 
 it lay. It was buried with his body at the place 
 now called Bury St Edmund's. That ancient town 
 still bears on its coat of arms the King's head 
 between the paws of a wolf. 
 
 More than a hundred and fifty years later, Cnut, 
 a brave and noble Danish king, who then ruled 
 England, founded a Benedictine Abbey at Bury 
 St Edmund's in honour of the martyr King. 
 
 Humbert, Bishop of the East Angles, who had 
 crowned St Edmund and who was his faithful friend, 
 was also murdered by the Danes about the same 
 time that the King was slain. 
 
 The Vikings, having subdued all England with the 
 exception of Wessex, now determined to attack that 
 brave little kingdom. From the shores of East 
 Anglia they embarked in their galleys, and sailed 
 up the river Thames to the town of Reading, which 
 
 48 
 
The Battle of Ashdown 
 
 they seized. In the angle between the Thames and 
 its tributary, the Kennet, where they were protected 
 by water on three sides, they fixed their camp. From 
 this place they sent out detachments of soldiers to 
 ravage and plunder the neighbouring districts. 
 
 In spite of the disasters which they had suffered 
 in former years from the cruel invaders, the spirit 
 of the men of Wessex was not broken. At the 
 call of King Ethelred they mustered loyally to his 
 standard. 
 
 A large force under Ethelwulf, the alderman of 
 Berkshire, met the Danes at Englefield, a few miles 
 from Windsor. A furious battle raged, but the 
 Danes were at last completely defeated and one of 
 their kings slain. This victory gave great en- 
 couragement to the English. 
 
 Meantime Ethelred and Alfred advanced at the 
 head of a large army, and soon after the victory at 
 Englefield ventured to storm Reading. But the 
 Danes, suddenly 'bursting out of the gates like 
 wolves,' drove the English in headlong flight before 
 them, and pursued the fugitives along the river banks 
 nearly to Windsor. On the way the brave alderman, 
 Ethelwulf of Berkshire, was slain. 
 
 After this the Danes left Reading and made a 
 raid along the Thames valley. It was now their 
 intention to subdue the whole kingdom and to plant 
 Danish settlements there. At a place called Ash- 
 down, supposed to be the White Horse Hill in Berk- 
 
 49 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 shire, was fought one of the greatest battles in the 
 history of the Danish invasions. 
 
 Ethelred and Alfred had rallied their beaten troops, 
 and determined to make a desperate effort to save 
 the kingdom. The Danes were first on the field, 
 and chose the best position, on a height in the ridge 
 of Berkshire Downs, while the army of Ethelred and 
 Alfred lay at some distance below them. 
 
 The Danes divided their army into two parts. 
 The larger portion was commanded by their two 
 kings, Bagsec and Half den, and the smaller by the 
 earls. Ethelred and Alfred also divided their forces. 
 It was decided that King Ethelred and his men 
 should attack the two pagan kings, while Alfred and 
 his troops fought the division commanded by the 
 earls. 
 
 King Ethelred was at early mass in his tent when 
 a message was brought to him that the Danes were 
 advancing to the attack. "I will serve God first and 
 man afterwards," he said, and he ordered the service 
 to continue until the last word had been said. 
 
 Alfred, who was already in his place at the head of 
 his division, waited long for his brother, but still he 
 came not. Meantime the Danes were moving down 
 the hill-side, and it was certain that if the English 
 remained where they were they would soon be driven 
 down by the onslaught of the enemy. 
 
 So Alfred took the command himself, and at the 
 head of his troops pushed uphill 'like a fierce wild 
 
 5o 
 
ALFRED AT ASHDOWN 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 boar.' Near a stunted thorn bush, which for long 
 afterward marked the place of their collision, the 
 hostile armies met, with a great crash of spears and 
 shields. Above the Danish host floated the famous 
 banner of the Raven, which was said to have been 
 woven by three princesses in a single day. The 
 Sacred Bird was said to flutter its wings when victory 
 was certain, but hung motionless and drooping when 
 defeat was threatened. 
 
 A long and desperate conflict followed, but at 
 length Alfred with his men broke the Danish lines 
 and the enemy gave way and fled. King Bagsec, 
 five earls, and over a thousand Danes were slain. 
 King Ethelred only arrived in time to join in the pur- 
 suit, which was continued until the following day. 
 Thus the glory of the victory was Alfred's alone. 
 The English pursued the retreating Danes to Read- 
 ing and slew all who lagged behind on the way. 
 
 In memory of this great victory the men of Berk- 
 shire have ever since preserved on the northern 
 slope the figure- of a White Horse cut deep in the 
 chalk, out of the crisp turf of the downs. At inter- 
 vals the White Horse is cleansed of weeds and rub- 
 bish, and may be seen from a great distance gleam- 
 ing in the bright sunlight. 
 
 Though this victory had checked the power of the 
 Danes they were by no means crushed. During the 
 next few months they were strengthened by fresh 
 arrivals from the shores of the Baltic, and soon gained 
 
 52 
 
The Battle of Ashdown 
 
 new victories at Basing, in Hampshire, and at 
 Merton, in Surrey. 
 
 At the latter place King Ethelred was mortally 
 wounded and died at Eastertide of the same year, 
 871. His death was followed by the election of his 
 brother Alfred to the throne of Wessex. 
 
 53 
 
CHAPTER VIII: Long 
 Live the King! 
 
 ALFRED at the age of twenty-two came to 
 the throne of his ancestors in a dark hour. 
 The supremacy of Wessex, won by his 
 grandfather, Egbert, over the rest of England, 
 had vanished, and the greater part of the country 
 was in the power of the Danes. Alfred would 
 gladly have refused the crown, but he knew 
 that no other leader of royal blood was avail- 
 able to take his place. Though Ethelred had left 
 two little sons, their tender age caused the 
 Witan to put aside their claims, for in those days 
 it was the chief duty of a king to lead his troops 
 to battle. 
 
 So Alfred buried Ethelred, the last of his brothers, 
 in Wimborne Cathedral, in Dorset, and then, sad at 
 heart, hurried northward to prepare once more to 
 meet the enemy. It was no time for idle weeping 
 nor even for coronation festivities, much as the 
 people of Wessex rejoiced at the accession of their 
 favourite prince. 
 
 The first weeks of Alfred's reign were spent by him 
 in efforts to raise and train fresh troops, for many of 
 his finest soldiers and bravest leaders had been slain. 
 The whole fighting force of the kingdom, known as 
 the 'fyrd,' was now organized by Alfred on a better 
 system. In order that there might be less difficulty 
 
 54 
 
Long Live the King! 
 
 in raising troops at short notice, he ordered that 
 half the men should always be ready to fight while 
 the other half remained at home. 
 
 A month after his brother's death, King Alfred 
 and his troops met the enemy on a hill near Wilton, 
 in Wiltshire. After a long and fierce fight the Danes 
 unexpectedly turned and fled. But their flight was 
 only a pretence to deceive the King's men, and, 
 suddenly turning on their pursuers, they killed a 
 large number of them. 
 
 This year (871) had been a terrible one for 
 Wessex. South of the Thames nine great battles, 
 and skirmishes without number, had been fought 
 against the Danes. The beautiful country once so 
 prosperous was now ruined and desolate. No corn 
 had been sown, neither had the burnt houses been 
 rebuilt, and there was poverty and distress on every 
 hand. 
 
 Thus does an ancient writer describe the incur- 
 sions of the fierce invaders: "If the Danes were 
 sometimes defeated, victory was of no avail, in- 
 asmuch as a descent was made in some other 
 quarter by a large fleet and a more numerous force. 
 It was wonderful how, when the English kings 
 were hastening to encounter them in the eastern 
 districts, before they could fall in with the enemy's 
 band a hurried messenger would arrive and 
 say: 'Sire king, whither are you marching? The 
 heathen have disembarked from a countless fleet on 
 
 55 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 the southern coast and is ravaging the towns and 
 villages, carrying fire and slaughter into every 
 quarter.' 
 
 "The same day another messenger would come 
 running and say : ' Sire king, whither are you retreat- 
 ing? A terrible army has landed in the west of 
 England, and if you do not quickly turn your face 
 toward them, they will think you are fleeing and 
 follow in your rear with fire and sword/ 
 
 "Again the same day, or the morrow, another 
 messenger would arrive, saying, 'What place, O 
 noble chief, are you making for ? The Danes have 
 made a descent in the north; already they have 
 burnt your mansions, even now they are sweeping 
 away your goods; they are tossing your young 
 children on the points of their spears; your wives 
 they have carried off for slaves.' 
 
 "Bewildered by such various tidings of bitter woe 
 both kings and people lost their vigour both of mind 
 and body, and were utterly cast down, so that even 
 when they defeated the enemy victory was not 
 attended with its wonted triumphs and supplied no 
 confidence of safety for the future." 
 
 At length Alfred decided that, for the sake of his 
 unhappy people, he must make peace for a time with 
 the Danes. He offered them a large sum of money 
 on condition that they would leave Wessex. As the 
 invaders had suffered heavy losses themselves they 
 agreed to accept the money which the King could so 
 
 56 
 
Long Live the King! 
 
 ill afford to give them, and departed northward. So 
 for the next four years Wessex was free from their 
 invasions. 
 
 The Danish army crossed the Thames and entered 
 London, which was then the capital of Mercia. As 
 Alfred had made peace with the invaders he was 
 too honourable to break his word, and therefore 
 could not go to the help of his brother-in-law. 
 King Burhred, who had lost all hope and courage, 
 did not attempt to oppose his fierce enemies, but 
 at once offered them all the money he had if they 
 would leave his kingdom. The Danes took the 
 money and departed to Northumbria, but it was 
 not long before they returned and demanded more. 
 The unfortunate King Burhred was now helpless, 
 for he had no more money to give them and his 
 soldiers refused to muster at his call. So he decided 
 to give up the struggle. 
 
 One dark night, Burhred, disguised as a poor 
 pilgrim, stole from his castle and made his way to the 
 coast. There he found a ship on which he embarked 
 for Flanders, and thence journeyed on foot to Rome, 
 desiring only to end his days in some peaceful 
 monastery far from the trouble and strife which 
 vexed his unhappy kingdom. 
 
 Ill and weary from the toils of the long journey, 
 Burhred at last reached Rome, but he arrived only 
 to die. He was buried in the Church of St Mary, 
 which was attached to the Saxon College. " There," 
 
 57 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 says and old chronicle, "he awaits the coming of 
 the Lord and the final resurrection of the just." 
 His wife, Elswitha, found refuge with her brother, 
 King Alfred, in Wessex. Some years later she, 
 too, set out on a pilgrimage to Rome to visit the 
 tomb of her husband, but she died on the way, 
 at Pavia. 
 
 The Danes placed on the throne of Mercia a king 
 of their own choice named Ccelwulf, a weak and 
 foolish man, who had been one of Burhred's thanes. 
 Ccelwulf was allowed to rule only on condition that 
 he obeyed the Danes in all things. To raise tribute 
 for the robbers he cruelly oppressed his people. At 
 length, when the Danes had wrung all the money 
 they could out of the people of Mercia, they drove 
 Ccelwulf from the throne, and left him to die in 
 poverty. 
 
 The four years during which Wessex enjoyed peace 
 were spent by King Alfred in building a navy. He 
 saw that as long as the Saxons possessed no fleet 
 they could have little chance of success against a 
 nation of sea-rovers. So he commanded boats and 
 long-galleys to be built at every seaport in his 
 kingdom, and exerted himself to find trained crews 
 for them. To teach his men seamanship he even 
 engaged the services of some of the pirates, who did 
 not care for whom they worked so long as they were 
 well paid. 
 
 It took a long time to build enough galleys to 
 
 58 
 
Long Live the King! 
 
 fight the huge Danish fleet, and at first Alfred's navy 
 must have been very small and modest. In the 
 year 875, however, Alfred ventured to attack seven 
 small Danish ships in the Channel. One of these he 
 captured, and his galleys chased the other a long 
 way out to sea. 
 
 In the following year (876) the Danes divided their 
 great army into two parts. One part went north to 
 harry the countries beyond the Tyne, while the other 
 marched to the coast and embarked for the south on 
 board the fleet. 
 
 One day news was brought to King Alfred that a 
 huge force of Danes had suddenly landed in Dorset, 
 and seized Wareham. There they took up their 
 position in the angle between the rivers Frome and 
 Trent, in one of their usual water-girt camps. Alfred 
 lost no time in marching against them, at the head 
 of the whole levy of Wessex. He surrounded their 
 camp on every side, blockading them so closely that 
 none could get out to seek provisions. Very soon 
 there was no food in the Danish camp, and the 
 robbers became so hungry that their leaders were 
 forced to ask for terms of peace. 
 
 King Alfred knew that the Danes were not to be 
 trusted, and that there was little hope of their keep- 
 ing any promises they might make. However, he 
 invited the leaders to a solemn meeting, at which he 
 and his chiefs chose as hostages some of the most 
 distinguished men in the Danish army. It was 
 
 59 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 agreed that these men should remain with Alfred, 
 and that their lives should be forfeited if the Danes 
 did not keep their promises. 
 
 The King then told the Danish leaders that he 
 would allow their army to pass only on condition 
 that they promised to leave Wessex, and to trouble 
 his kingdom no more. To this they readily agreed. 
 Alfred then ordered a casket containing the relics 
 of Christian saints to be brought to him. On this 
 he and his chiefs laid their hands, and solemnly 
 swore that they would allow the Danes to depart 
 in peace. 
 
 The King knew, however, that the pagans cared 
 little for oaths sworn on the relics of Christian saints, 
 and he determined to make them swear according to 
 their own heathen customs. So he placed on a table 
 a sacred bracelet smeared with the blood of animals 
 sacrificed to their gods, and commanded the Danes 
 to lay their hands on it while they swore to leave his 
 kingdom in peace for ever. He knew that this was 
 a form of oath which the Northmen usually held 
 as binding. When this ceremony had been duly 
 performed and they had called on the God of the 
 Christians and on the gods of the pagans to witness 
 their oaths, the meeting broke up. 
 
 But the Danes were too dishonourable and shame- 
 less to care even for the solemn oaths they had 
 sworn. On that same night, no sooner was the King 
 off his guard than all the invaders who had horses 
 
 60 
 
Long Live the King! 
 
 made asudden sally, and slipped past the English 
 lines. Riding day and night without stopping 
 they entered and took possession of the old city 
 of Exeter, where they established themselves for 
 the winter. 
 
 61 
 
CHAPTER IX: A Great 
 Naval Victory 
 
 IN the middle of the night on which the Danes 
 broke their oath and set off for Exeter, King 
 Alfred was roused from sleep by his indignant 
 thanes, who loudly denounced the treachery of the 
 robbers. What was to be done? The chief s crowded 
 around the King and declared that they could fight 
 no more. The best and bravest had been slain in 
 battle, their homes were ruined, their lands desolated. 
 It were better to give up the struggle and let the 
 enemy work their will on the unhappy kingdom. 
 
 The King sat listening in silence. Not once did he 
 interrupt, as leader after leader stepped forward 
 and told the tale of his sufferings and wrongs. It 
 was all true, and the King knew it. When the last 
 man had ceased speaking there was a prolonged 
 silence. Alfred still sat as if lost in thought. At 
 length an old thane touched him on the shoulder, 
 and whispered that they awaited his decision. 
 Would he give orders to disband the army? 
 
 The King started as if suddenly awakened from a 
 dream, and rose to his feet. His eyes, in which burned 
 a strange fire, travelled slowly over the faces of the 
 silent Saxon chiefs, scanning them closely. At last 
 he spoke. 
 
 "You wish to know my purpose," he said. "It 
 is this : as long as one man stands by me, as long as 
 
 62 
 
A Great Naval Victory 
 
 I possess a single galley, as long as life remains in me, 
 I shall continue to defend my country and to hope 
 for victory!" 
 
 As he concluded a youth sprang forward and knelt 
 at the King's feet. " And I, O King, will follow thee 
 to victory or to death," he said. A loud cheer broke 
 from the others, and fired by the young thane's 
 example, they, one by one, came forward and, kneel- 
 ing, tendered once more their allegiance to the hero- 
 hearted king. 
 
 On the morrow the whole Saxon army, led by 
 Alfred, set out in pursuit of the Danes, and had little 
 difficulty in tracing them to Exeter. The whole 
 country was now on the alert, and the trembling 
 villagers hastened to give all the information they 
 could about the route taken by the enemy. 
 
 On arriving before the walls of Exeter the King 
 ordered his troops to surround the city as they had 
 done at Wareham, and so prevent any of the Danes 
 escaping to seek provisions. For some weeks, how- 
 ever, the Northmen were able to obtain food by 
 plundering the city. They had good hopes too that 
 the division of their army which had remained at 
 Wareham would send a fleet to their relief. This 
 would have had little difficulty in reaching them, 
 since Exeter is built on the navigable river Exe, 
 and is not far from the sea. 
 
 Succour might be expected, too, from other quar- 
 ters, for all along the coasts the sea swarmed with the 
 
 63 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 galleys of bold pirates who watched only for an 
 opportunity to sail up the river Exe. 
 
 Alfred dispatched hurried messengers to the com- 
 manders of his navy, which, during the last two 
 years, had increased considerably in strength. The 
 King's orders were that his ships should be manned 
 immediately by all the most daring sailors who were 
 acquainted with the coast, and that the vessels 
 should cruise in the Channel to watch that no trans- 
 port ships laden with provisions or troops came to 
 the help of the Danes in Exeter. If they appeared, 
 they were to be driven back, and if the English com- 
 manders considered they had any chance of victory 
 they had permission to engage in a sea fight. 
 
 The King's orders were strictly carried out. Never 
 for one hour during the months that followed did 
 the commanders relax their vigilance in watching 
 the coast. At length, sure enough, in the spring of 
 877, the Danish garrison at Wareham embarked in 
 120 vessels, and sailed westward along the coast to 
 carry relief to their besieged countrymen in Exeter. 
 
 A thick fog overhung the coast, and the Danes 
 had not proceeded far before they were overtaken 
 by violent storms. For a whole month the pirate 
 fleet was tossed about within half a mile of the shore, 
 which they vainly attempted to regain. Many of 
 the vessels were disabled by the violence of the 
 tempest, and their broken rigging had to be thrown 
 overboard. 
 
 6 4 
 
A Great Naval Victory 
 
 At length, when they had been driven back to a 
 place near Peveril Point, on the coast of Dorset, where 
 dangerous reefs run out into the sea, the commanders 
 of the Saxon fleet determined to attack them. The 
 moment was well chosen, for the Viking fleet, shat- 
 tered by storms, was unable to defend itself. Many 
 of those on board were slain, and as the battle con- 
 tinued the Danish vessels were driven nearer and 
 nearer to the dreadful cliffs. On the rocks off Swan- 
 age they struck at last with a terrific crash; the 
 intrepid pirates went down with their ships, fighting 
 to the last. Fragments of wrecked vessels strewed 
 the seas for many miles. Thus the great Danish 
 fleet, with its army of many thousands on board, 
 was buried beneath the waves. 
 
 Meantime the Danes, besieged in Exeter, were 
 still depending for help on the squadron which they 
 expected would come to them from Wareham. Day 
 after day they watched the mouth of the Exe, their 
 anxiety increasing as the time passed, and their 
 stock of provisions decreased. Famine at length 
 forced the Danish leaders to sue for terms of peace. 
 Once more they made solemn vows, declaring that 
 if King Alfred would allow them to depart from 
 Exeter they would trouble Wessex no more. 
 
 The King consented, and in August 877 the Dan- 
 ish garrison, weak and exhausted from famine, passed 
 the Saxon lines on the way northward. So reduced 
 were the Danes in numbers and in strength that this 
 
 65 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 time they were forced to keep their word, and to 
 retreat from Wessex. One division of their army 
 set out for Mercia, while the other advanced to 
 Gloucester. At the latter place they were joined 
 by fresh swarms of Northmen who had landed in 
 Wales for the purpose of plundering the poor Celts 
 of that country. 
 
 King Alfred now believed that his kingdom of 
 Wessex was safe from invasion for at least some time 
 to come. So he ordered the Wessex fyrd to disband, 
 and the men returned to their homes. 
 
 Winter, cold and drear, settled over the country. 
 Roads became impassable from the snows and heavy 
 rains, and towns and villages were cut off from com- 
 munication with each other. But to the sea-robbers 
 whose chief highway was the ocean, this mattered 
 little. 
 
 Meantime the Danes, finding that they could get 
 little booty from the poor mountaineers in Wales, 
 determined to return south. The western portion 
 of Wessex had up to this time been spared, and there 
 many flourishing towns and villages remained to be 
 plundered. 
 
 This time they planned to invade Wessex from 
 two points at once, one army marching from the 
 north, while another embarked in twenty-two war- 
 galleys for the coast of Devonshire, where they 
 landed. So unexpectedly did they arrive that the 
 men of Wessex knew nothing of their approach, 
 
 66 
 
A Great Naval Victory 
 
 until the news spread abroad that the terrible 
 enemy was again in their midst. 
 
 From the coast of Devon the invaders marched to 
 a strong fortress known as Kynwith Castle, where 
 many of the King's followers under Odda, Count of 
 Devonshire, had taken refuge. As the walls of this 
 castle were very strong, the Danes determined not to 
 assault it, but to surround it on all sides. The cruel 
 robbers knew that there was no spring of water 
 within the castle gates, so that the garrison would 
 soon be forced by thrist to surrender. The pagan 
 host sat down to drink and feast, while the brave 
 Saxons within the castle, encouraged by Count 
 Odda determined to hold out as long as they could. 
 
 All night the sound of boisterous revelry continued 
 to reach the Saxons from the Danish camp. Towards 
 morning the uproar ceased, for the Danes, over- 
 come by their carousals, had fallen into heavy sleep. 
 A spy sent by Count Odda crept silently from the 
 gates to the enemy's camp, and on his return reported 
 that the guards were asleep at their posts, and that 
 no watch was kept. 
 
 Without delay the Saxons armed themselves, and, 
 issuing from the castle, bore down upon the sleeping 
 Danes. The pagans were taken completely by sur- 
 prise and 1200 of them slain. Only a few stragglers 
 in a wild flight reached their ships, which were drawn 
 up at no great distance. They left behind them not 
 only much booty, but also the famous standard of 
 
 67 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 the Raven, which fell into the hands of the West 
 Saxons. 
 
 This, however, was the last victory won by the 
 men of Wessex for many a day, and long before 
 news of it reached King Alfred nearly the whole 
 of his kingdom was again in the power of the 
 Danes. 
 
 On the banks of the river Avon, in Wiltshire, 
 stands the town of Chippenham, which in Saxon 
 times was a great centre of trade. There, too, was a 
 strong fortress where the King frequently resided. 
 The invading host, which had advanced from the 
 northwest, strengthened by many Danes who had 
 joined it from Mercia, suddenly advanced into 
 Wiltshire and seized the castle. Having established 
 themselves there under their leader, Guthrum, who 
 had been made Danish king of East Anglia, they sent 
 out raiding parties to different parts of the kingdom. 
 Once more homesteads were burned, churches and 
 monasteries destroyed, towns and villages sacked. 
 
 "The robbers," says an old chronicle, "spread like 
 locusts over the country, where none resisted them, 
 and took possession of it for themselves." 
 
 Meantime, King Alfred made efforts to raise the 
 fyrd, but the messengers sent by him throughout the 
 country were nearly all captured and murdered by 
 the enemy. The darkest hour for Wessex had come 
 at last. The people, depressed, spoiled and scattered, 
 could no longer defend themselves, and to the enemy 
 
 68 
 
A Great Naval Victory 
 
 the conquest seemed complete. Worst of all, Alfred 
 had disappeared, and a rumour, which chilled the 
 hearts of his people, spread throughout the country 
 that the King had fled from Wessex and was on his 
 way to Rome. 
 
 <5p 
 
CHAPTER X: Alfred's 
 Adventures in Athelney 
 
 THE rumour that Alfred had deserted his 
 kingdom in its hour of greatest danger was 
 entirely false. Nothing could have been 
 farther from his purpose, for he alone among his 
 people had not lost hope, nor did he ever cease to 
 form plans for fresh efforts against his enemies. 
 
 In the midst of the great marsh of Sedgemoor, in 
 Somersetshire, now intersected by drains and ditches, 
 is a small eminence covering about two acres of 
 ground, near the junction of the rivers Parret and 
 Tone. At that time the spot was frequently trans- 
 formed into an island, when an incoming tide swept 
 up the Bristol Channel, turning the peat bogs and 
 swamps into broad lagoons. The rising ground, 
 which was afterwards named Athelney, or Prince's 
 Island, was at such times very difficult to reach 
 except in a small boat, or even then only by those 
 well acquainted with the marshes. It was covered 
 by a great wood of alders, in which roamed stags, 
 goats, and other animals. 
 
 In this desolate spot, Alfred, with his wife and 
 family and a few faithful followers, had taken refuge. 
 There they erected some rude fortifications, and 
 built wooden huts in which they lived for several 
 months, enduring many hardships from the cold 
 and scarcity of food, as supplies were difficult to 
 
 70 
 
Alfreds Adventures in Athelney 
 
 obtain. The King's life was in constant danger, 
 for at this time it is believed that numbers of his 
 own subjects were offended with him for the stern 
 measures he had adopted to raise money and troops 
 against the enemy. Some of these would have 
 betrayed him willingly to the Danes, but the poor 
 peasants of Somerset, who knew this place of retreat, 
 refused to do so, even for the large sum of money 
 which they would thus have obtained from the 
 invaders. 
 
 It was the month of January when the royal 
 fugitives took refuge in the marshes, and they re- 
 mained there until May. Such valuables as they 
 had been able to save had been taken with them. 
 In the year 1693, more than 800 years after Alfred's 
 sojourn in Athelney, a wonderful jewel was found 
 there. It was discovered at Newton Park, in 
 Somersetshire, near the river Parret, somewhat to 
 the north of the spot where the island and fortress 
 of Athelney were formerly situated. 
 
 This jewel, which is now in the Ashmolean Museum 
 in Oxford, is believed to have formed part of the 
 royal sceptre, and was probably lost by Alfred in the 
 days of his homeless wanderings. It consists of an 
 oval-shaped polished crystal about two inches long, 
 and half an inch thick, covered with a mosaic enamel 
 of green and yellow, representing a sitting figure, 
 holding a lily in each hand. Some have supposed 
 that the figure represents Christ or one of the early 
 
 7i 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 English saints; others think that it is merely a 
 representation of the King himself. 
 
 The back of the crystal is covered with gold, 
 engraven with a flower. Round the oval-shaped 
 sides is a border of beaten gold, on which may be 
 read the remarkable words in early English: 
 
 ^tlittb met \\t\l $t\stj*vtmt. 
 
 (Alfred ordered me to be made) 
 
 The letters are all in capitals and of the same form 
 as those in manuscripts known to have been written 
 in Alfred's time. Where the gold border is joined, 
 it is finished by a beautifully worked dolphin's head 
 in gold, of which the empty eye-sockets must once 
 have contained precious stones, and from whose 
 open jaws a gold pin protrudes. The pin probably 
 served to fasten the jewel to a staff or sceptre. 
 
 Many wonderful stories are told of King Alfred's 
 adventures during his wanderings in Athelney. 
 Most of these tales were written down long after 
 the events related in them happened, and it is now 
 difficult to separate fact from legend. It seems 
 probable that some of the many adventures recorded 
 happened to Alfred not during his stay in Athelney, 
 but at other periods in his life. Many of the tales 
 are taken from the songs of the old bards, who used 
 to wander from feast to feast, relating the wonder- 
 ful deeds of Alfred and other great heroes. 
 
 One day when Alfred was out on a foraging ex- 
 
 72 
 
Alfred's Adventures in Athelney 
 
 pedition in the forest, he was overtaken by a storm, 
 and found shelter in a hut. This hut was the home 
 of a faithful cowherd, who had kept the secret of the 
 King's concealment even from his wife. During her 
 husband's absence the wife was employed in baking 
 cakes, and she gave Alfred permission to sit by the 
 fire. From the shabby appearance of the stranger 
 she took him for a poor serf or one of her husband's 
 mates, and she ordered him to mind the cakes while 
 she went to look after the cattle. 
 
 But as Alfred sat mending his bow and arrows and 
 meditating on the troubles of his country, the cakes 
 began to burn. When the cowherd's wife returned 
 she scolded him for not removing them from the fire. 
 
 "You will not trouble to look after the cakes, 
 though you will be quick enough to eat them," she 
 said. 
 
 Some writers state that the name of the loyal 
 cowherd was Denewulf. Alfred had first met him 
 while wandering in the forest, and on entering into 
 conversation with the man was struck by his re- 
 markable intelligence. The King afterward caused 
 him to be educated, and he rose to be Bishop of 
 Winchester. It is well known that a certain Denewulf 
 who had risen from a very humble position, became 
 Bishop of Winchester in 879. But as it seems unlikely 
 that he could have risen in so short a time, his first 
 meeting with the King most probably occurred be- 
 fore Alfred's sojourn in Athelney. 
 
 73 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 From what we know of Alfred we may be sure 
 that the hospitality he received from the poorest of 
 his subjects during the days of his wanderings was 
 not forgotten or left unrewarded when his kingly 
 rights were restored to him. 
 
 Once during these months, Alfred is said to have 
 left Athelney, and journeyed in disguise to Corn- 
 wall, to take counsel with the holy hermit, St Neot, 
 who dwelt in the solitude of a mountain cave. 
 St Neot, who is supposed to have been related to 
 Alfred, was a deformed dwarf, so small that he could 
 not reach the altar without standing on a stool. 
 Alfred is known to have visited this hermit on more 
 than one occasion, though it is uncertain that he 
 did so during his stay in Athelney. 
 
 The next story reads like a fairy tale, although 
 the events related in it are not altogether impossible. 
 One day, when King Alfred was hunting in the forest, 
 he heard the cry of an infant, which seemed to come 
 from a tree, so he dispatched some of his servants 
 to seek for the child. They climbed a great tree, 
 and on the top, in an eagle's nest, found a beautiful 
 male child clothed in purple, with gold bracelets on 
 his arms. They hastened to bring the infant to the 
 King, who caused him to be baptized and cared for. 
 The foundling was named Nestigus in memory of 
 the singular place of his discovery. It is said that on 
 reaching manhood he rose to great honour in the 
 land. 
 
 74 
 
"ALFRED PLAYING A HARP IN THE DANISH CAMP"— Page H 
 
Alfred's Adventures in Athelney 
 
 During his stay in Athelney, King Alfred was care- 
 fully planning a great campaign against the Danes 
 as soon as the time should be ripe for action. But 
 he was uncertain of the strength of the enemy, 
 and did not know what force it would be neces- 
 sary to muster before he could venture to meet 
 them. As he could trust no one but himself to 
 count his foes, he decided to visit their camp at 
 Chippenham. 
 
 The King, who was a skilful musician, disguised 
 himself as a harper and set out with one attendant. 
 Having made their way safely through Selwood 
 Forest to Wiltshire, they reached the Danish camp. 
 Guthrum, the Danish chief, little suspecting who the 
 minstrel was, invited him to remain for some days 
 in the camp, and to give entertainment by playing 
 and singing. The King did so, and was thus able 
 not only to learn the numbers of his enemies, but 
 also to obtain much valuable information concern- 
 ing their plans of attack. 
 
 Perhaps the most beautiful story among those 
 related of Alfred's stay in Athelney is that known 
 as the Legend of St Cuthbert. One cold winter's 
 day all Alfred's followers had gone out to fish, leav- 
 ing only himself, his wife, and one faithful servant. 
 While the King sat reading the Psalms of David, 
 endeavouring thus to find consolation in his trouble, 
 there came to the door of the hut a poor pilgrim who 
 begged for food. 
 
 75 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 "What food have we in the house?" asked the 
 King of his servant. 
 
 "My lord, we have but one loaf, and a little wine," 
 was the reply. 
 
 "Give half the loaf and half the wine to the 
 pilgrim," said the King. 
 
 The servant did as the King commanded, and the 
 pilgrim departed, giving grateful thanks. Soon 
 afterward the servant wondered exceedingly on see- 
 ing that the loaf was unbroken and the pitcher of 
 wine full to the brim. The King, too, marvelled how 
 the pilgrim had come and departed, for he had no 
 boat. 
 
 In the evening, the King's followers returned very 
 joyful, for they had taken so great a catch of fish that 
 their boats were full. That same night there 
 appeared to the King in a dream an old black- 
 haired man clothed in priest's garb and with a mitre 
 on his head. In his right hand he held a book of the 
 gospels adorned with gold and gems. 
 
 "I am Cuthbert, the soldier of Christ," he said. 
 "To you I came this day in the guise of a poor 
 pilgrim begging for alms. Be of good cheer, for your 
 charity is remembered before God, Who will soon 
 give you the victory over your enemies." 
 
 St Cuthbert then told the King that if he would 
 repair to a certain spot on the following day he 
 would find a band of faithful followers ready to fight 
 for him. 
 
 7 6 
 
Alfred's Adventures in Athelney 
 
 Next morning the King rose early, crossed over to 
 the mainland in a boat, and blew his horn three times 
 as St Cuthbert had directed. The sound inspired 
 his friends with courage and filled the hearts of his 
 enemies with terror. By noon, five hundred gallant 
 warriors gathered around him, and soon he led them 
 on to victory. 
 
 St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who died in 
 687, and to whom Durham Cathedral is dedicated, 
 had been honoured by Alfred as his particular saint. 
 
 77 
 
CHAPTERXI: The Turn 
 of the Tide 
 
 THE coming of spring in the marshes of 
 Athelney awoke new hope in the hearts 
 of Alfred and his faithful followers. During 
 the winter months the King had been laying his plans 
 carefully. Soon after Easter, which in that year fell 
 on March 23, he sent messages to the men of Wes- 
 sex: "Let every man, who is not worthless, come." 
 
 At first many people refused to believe that this 
 summons came from the King whom they had sup- 
 posed dead, or fled over the seas. Everywhere 
 throughout the country the Danish arms had con- 
 quered, and the peasants, too much dispirited to 
 make further resistance, were turning to Odin and 
 Thor, the gods of the pagans. During that dreary 
 winter the English had given up hope of happier 
 times, and it would be a hard task to rouse them 
 once more to fight for the deliverance of their coun- 
 try. To many, a renewal of the struggle seemed 
 but a forlorn hope. All this the King knew, yet 
 he never despaired. 
 
 The place appointed for the rendezvous was near 
 a huge rock known as Egbert's Stone (now Brixton), 
 lying in a secluded grove east of Selwood Forest, 
 which at that time formed the boundary between 
 Devonshire and Somerset. Alfred knew that this 
 
 78 
 
The Turn of the Tide 
 
 place could be reached easily by forest paths un- 
 known to the Northmen. 
 
 Early in the month of May 878, the King left 
 Athelney with the little band of those who had 
 remained loyal to him, and rode to the place of 
 meeting. With him rode Ethelnoth, alderman of 
 Somerset, who, with a small force, had joined the 
 King at Athelney. 
 
 On reaching the place of meeting, Alfred ordered 
 the Golden Dragon of Wessex to be unfurled above 
 his tent, and in the evening beacons were lighted on 
 the neighbouring hills. The King's courage did much 
 to sustain his weary followers, though a rumour had 
 reached them that few troops would rally to the 
 royal standard. Events were to prove, however, 
 that Alfred had not hoped in vain, for the certainty 
 that he was still alive was sufficient to fill the men of 
 Wessex with renewed courage. 
 
 During the days that followed, one after another 
 of the nobles of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire 
 arrived at Egbert's Stone with their men, and placed 
 themselves at the King's service. 
 
 When Alfred appeared among them to review 
 the assembled troops, he was greeted with loud 
 shouts of welcome. The sight of the hero-king whom 
 they had supposed dead awoke all the old enthusiasm 
 in the breasts of the soldiers. It seemed as though 
 they could never gaze on him long enough to satisfy 
 their eyes. Once more his matchless courage inspired 
 
 79 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 them to heroic deeds, and they were ready as of old 
 to follow him to death. When Alfred addressed to 
 them a few words of kindly encouragement, express- 
 ing his confidence in their loyalty, cheer after cheer 
 echoed through the forest. 
 
 Yet the army mustered was small compared with 
 that of the Danes, and Alfred knew that his only 
 chance of success was to take the enemy by surprise. 
 It was agreed that they should advance immediately 
 on the Danish camp, not by the high roads, which 
 were probably watched, but by less frequented ways 
 through the forests. 
 
 Their first day's march brought them to Iglea, now 
 Westbury, in Wilts, where they encamped for the 
 night. At daybreak on the following morning they 
 continued their way, a march of six miles bringing 
 them in sight of the Danish camp. The enemy lay 
 encamped on a hill at Ethandune, now Edington, in 
 Wilts. An attack from the conquered and dis- 
 pirited Saxons was the last thing they expected. 
 
 So when the Saxon army, led by the great King 
 himself, suddenly appeared round a bend on the hill- 
 side, the terrified Northmen could scarcely believe 
 their eyes. Arming themselves as hastily as pos- 
 sible, however, they prepared to meet their foes with 
 all their old daring. 
 
 King Alfred ordered his troops to advance in a 
 close mass holding their shields in front of them, and 
 they thus succeeded in keeping together in spite of 
 
 80 
 
The Turn of the Tide 
 
 the fierce onsets of the Northmen. The battle began 
 in the afternoon and lasted till sunset. The Saxons 
 fought as they had never fought before, spurred on 
 to deeds of valour by their royal leader 'whose look 
 shone like that of a shining angel in battle.' It was 
 a desperate encounter. Each side fought with the 
 knowledge that on the result of the battle depended 
 the whole future of England. But at last victory 
 was on the side of Wessex. The Danish lines broke, 
 and the Northmen fled in disorder. 
 
 The sun set that night on a Wessex victorious and 
 free. The danger that England would become a 
 pagan land was over for ever. Many Northmen were 
 taken prisoners, and many more were slain. The rest 
 fled from the battle-field. The men of Wessex 
 followed up their success by a swift pursuit. The 
 fugitives reached a fortress, which is believed to have 
 been on Bratton Hill, near Edington. Into this 
 stronghold they threw themselves, and were soon 
 surrounded by the victorious Saxons. For fourteen 
 days the siege continued. The Northmen had been 
 given no time to lay in provisions, and they were 
 without hope of help from without. Vanquished 
 by hunger, cold and misery, the Danes soon implored 
 Alfred to raise the siege. A message was sent to 
 the King from Guthrum the Danish leader, humbly 
 offering to agree to any terms which the King might 
 grant. 
 
 The great King, touched with pity for his enemies 
 
 81 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 in spite of the wrongs they had done him, consented 
 to relieve them. This time he knew that they had 
 been too badly beaten to break their oaths for a long 
 while to come. Alfred took as many hostages as he 
 pleased from the Danish army, though they did not 
 require any from him. To show still further that he 
 was sincere in his wish to make peace, Guthrum 
 declared that he wished to be baptized as a Christian. 
 Most probably his reason was that the god of the 
 Saxons had proved stronger than Odin, and he wished 
 to serve the more powerful God. But his request 
 also meant that he and his followers wished to 
 give up their wild life and to settle down in that 
 part of England, which was still theirs by right of 
 conquest. 
 
 King Alfred was filled with joy on hearing the news. 
 He at once withdrew his troops to the village of Aller 
 in Somerset, and allowed the Danes to issue from 
 their fortress to seek supplies. Seven weeks after 
 the battle of Edington, Guthrum, with thirty of the 
 Danish chiefs, arrived at Alfred's camp at Aller to 
 receive baptism. It must have been an impressive 
 sight when Guthrum and his thirty bearded warriors 
 knelt at the baptismal font. 
 
 In the church of St Andrew at Aller, there is still 
 shown a very ancient Saxon font, in which, accord- 
 ing to tradition, Guthrum and the thirty Danish 
 nobles were baptized by Ethelred, Archbishop of 
 Canterbury. King Alfred stood godfather to his old 
 
 82 
 
The Turn of the Tide 
 
 enemy Guthrum, who received the Christian name of 
 Athelstan. Following the custom of the time, bands 
 of white linen, called the chrismale cloths, were bound 
 round the heads of the newly baptized Danes, and 
 were worn for eight days. 
 
 After the ceremony, the Danes accompanied Alfred 
 to Wedmore in Somerset, where the King had a sum- 
 mer palace, and where he had ordered the Witan of 
 Wessex to assemble. There the Danes were most 
 honourably entertained by the King for twelve days. 
 On the eighth day, the ceremony of removing the linen 
 bands known as the 'chrism loosing' took place, and 
 was performed by Alderman Ethelnoth of Somerset. 
 The next step was the drawing up of an agreement 
 known as the Treaty of Wedmore between Alfred, the 
 West Saxon Witan, and all the people of Wessex on 
 the one hand, and Guthrum, his army, and all the 
 Danes who had settled in East Anglia on the other. 
 
 In making this treaty, Alfred set aside his own 
 ambition, and acted for the good of his people, who 
 had suffered much from the long wars. By con- 
 tinuing the struggle he might have made himself 
 King of all England, but he knew that peace would 
 be the greatest benefit he could bestow on the land. 
 
 In Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia, the 
 Danes had now been settled for many years, and the 
 noble-hearted King, instead of thirsting for revenge 
 for the wrongs they had done him, consented to allow 
 them to remain there. A frontier line was drawn 
 
 83 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 between the country ruled by the Danes and the 
 kingdom of Alfred. This line answered in the main 
 to Watling Street, the old Roman road which led 
 from London to St Albans, and continued in a north- 
 westerly direction to Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury. 
 
 It was agreed that the Danes should hold Nor- 
 thumbria, East Anglia, and the northern half of 
 Mercia, while Alfred ruled the southern half of Mercia, 
 Wessex, and Kent. The Danes living in these terri- 
 tories were to have equal rights of justice with the 
 English, and the penalty for injuring an Englishman 
 or a Dane was to be the same. 
 
 Soon after this treaty the Danes went to Cirencester 
 in Gloucestershire, where they were allowed to winter, 
 though the place was within Alfred's territory. Be- 
 fore their departure the generous King loaded them 
 with presents. Some accounts state that all the 
 Danes who refused to become Christians set out for 
 Gaul under the leadership of Hastings, a great sea- 
 king. 
 
 In the part of England where the Danes settled 
 many of the inhabitants at the present day are 
 descendants of the old Vikings, who were once such 
 fierce enemies of the English. Their part of the 
 country became known as the Danelagh because the 
 Danish law prevailed there. You may know where 
 they lived by looking on the map of England for the 
 names of places ending in 'by' which was the Danish 
 word for town. Thus Kirkby, Derby, Grimsby, etc., 
 
 84 
 
The Turn of the Tide 
 
 were Danish settlements, while the words 'ham,' 
 'thorp,' and 'ton' mark Saxon names. 
 
 Alfred was too prudent to seek to change the laws 
 of that part of Mercia which now fell under his rule. 
 He allowed the Mercians to have their own Witan, 
 as they had had in the time of King Burhred and 
 appointed as alderman, Ethelred, a nobleman of the 
 old kingly house of Mercia. To him Alfred gave in 
 marriage his eldest daughter Ethelfleda, who must 
 at that time have been scarcely ten years old. This 
 princess was much beloved by the people over whom 
 her husband ruled, and became known later as the 
 Lady of Mercia. 
 
 The peace between Alfred and the Danes, although 
 it was broken many times, became in the end a real 
 blessing to the whole country. By degrees the Danes 
 and English became bound together by the ties of 
 religion and trade. Many Danes married English 
 wives, and settled down peacefully in the country, 
 and the two races which had come originally from 
 the same stock gained much from each other. 
 
 85 
 
CHAPTER XII : King Alfred's 
 
 Laws 
 
 DURING the five years of peace that followed 
 the battle of Ethandune, King Alfred set 
 himself an even harder and nobler task 
 than the deliverance of Wessex from the Danes. He 
 determined not only to repair the ruin caused by the 
 invaders, and to reform the army and navy, but 
 also re-establish j ust law and government. Towards 
 this he laboured with unwearied patience, proving 
 himself a great statesman, the shepherd of his 
 people. Though the King was young in years — he 
 was now thirty — he was old in experience, and the 
 reforms made by him were to be solid and lasting. 
 
 Everywhere throughout the country, towns and 
 villages lay in blackened ruins. No sooner had Alfred 
 got rid of Guthrum and his army than he ordered 
 the restoration of all the forts and strong places 
 in Wessex. Well did he know that though the Danes 
 who had settled in England under Guthrum might 
 keep the peace for a time, there was constant danger 
 that fresh swarms of invaders might arrive from 
 Scandinavia. 
 
 In the very first winter after the peace of Wedmore 
 had been made, an army of pagans under the sea-king 
 Hastings wintered at Fulham, which was then a small 
 village on the Thames. They were joined by many 
 bold deserters from Guthrum's army , men who refused 
 
 86 
 
King Alfreds Laws 
 
 to lead a peaceful life. Fortunately, however, the 
 greater number of the Danes remained quietly at 
 Cirencester, and refused to join the unruly spirits. 
 So the Danes at Fulham, seeing little chance of 
 victory if they made another attack on Wessex, 
 especially as the King was taking active measures for 
 the defence of his kingdom, gave up the project and 
 sailed for Ghent in Flanders. 
 
 Alfred sent to different countries in Europe for 
 skilled masons and other workmen to instruct his 
 people in making fortifications. Many wooden 
 buildings were now replaced by stone ones, which 
 were much stronger to resist the attacks of enemies 
 than had been the old fortresses. 
 
 So the castles held by the King himself soon began 
 to rise steadily from their ruins, rebuilt with all the 
 newest improvements. But to persuade the nobles 
 to undertake the rebuilding of their strongholds was 
 no easy task. The Saxons, who were by nature 
 sluggish and indolent, refused to see the necessity 
 of setting to work, now that peace had been made 
 with the Danes. 
 
 At first Alfred reasoned with them patiently, re- 
 proving their slowness and indifference. Though 
 many were thus won over to his side, and induced to 
 begin the work, others refused to proceed with it at 
 all. When some years later another Danish invasion 
 actually took place, the nobles who had refused to 
 rebuild their castles bitterly regretted not having 
 
 87 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 followed Alfred's advice, and confessed that he had 
 been wiser than they. 
 
 On the whole, however, the work was well done, 
 as was proved in the next Danish war. Then the 
 enemy, instead of taking cities and castles at a rush 
 as formerly, was obliged to lay siege to them. So 
 well prepared were the Saxon garrisons by that time, 
 that long before they were in danger of being forced 
 to surrender, the King usually arrived with an army 
 and delivered them. 
 
 Alfred's next task was the reform of the army. 
 He drew up a list of the whole fighting force of his 
 kingdom, and divided the men into three divisions. 
 Of these, one division was constantly on duty day and 
 night for one month. After that the men returned 
 to their homes, and were replaced by the second 
 division. At the end of the second month the third 
 company relieved the second, who returned to their 
 homes, where they spent two months until their 
 time for service again came round. No military 
 service was required of any man beyond three months 
 in every year, so that in time of peace none of the 
 companies were on duty during the three winter 
 months. Of these on duty part were sent to guard 
 the fortresses, while the others usually remained 
 with the King as his body-guard, and were carefully 
 drilled and instructed in military art. Some writers 
 think that the King supported the company on duty 
 out of his own purse. 
 
 88 
 
King Alfred's Laws 
 
 Alfred also increased the number of thanes or 
 nobles, and decreed that all who possessed 400 acres 
 of land might be raised to the rank of nobles at the 
 royal pleasure. Merchants who had distinguished 
 themselves by making three voyages overseas at their 
 own cost might also be elevated to the rank of nobles. 
 King Alfred further laboured to improve the navy 
 of Wessex. He was determined that in case of 
 another Danish invasion, the Saxons should be fully 
 prepared to meet the enemy by sea, on which they 
 were even more skilful and successful than on land. 
 
 Alfred ordered new vessels to be built from a model 
 which he had designed himself. They were larger 
 and higher than those of the Danes, and had forty, 
 sixty, or sometimes even more oars. They were also 
 steadier and swifter than the older vessels. Up to 
 this time the King's fleet had been manned by sailors 
 from many different nations, Italians, Franks, 
 Greeks, and even Danes being engaged. Now, how- 
 ever, he caused Saxons to be trained as seamen. 
 They were not long in acquiring great skill in the 
 naval art, for their ancestors had been mighty sea- 
 men in ancient times. 
 
 In the year 882, some of the King's ships had an ex- 
 citing adventure in the Channel. For several weeks 
 four Danish pirate vessels had been hovering round 
 the English coast, watching for a chance to land. 
 The King hearing of this decided to swoop down on 
 them suddenly with a few of his vessels. The pirates 
 
 89 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 were taken completely by surprise, and made off as 
 fast as they could. Alfred gave chase, and succeeded 
 in capturing two of them. The commanders of the 
 other two surrendered after a desperate struggle. 
 
 During the Danish wars all law and order had dis- 
 appeared throughout the country. Thieves infested 
 the roads, and none might venture abroad with 
 safety after nightfall even in the towns and villages, 
 for the law was powerless to protect honest men 
 against robbery and murder. Even if the thieves 
 were caught, it was often impossible for those who 
 had been robbed to obtain justice, the judges being 
 bribed by the thieves to side with them against the 
 innocent. 
 
 Alfred was determined to put an end to this state 
 of lawlessness, and to restore order and justice in his 
 kingdom. He therefore made for his people a Code 
 of Laws, copies of which still exist. The King was too 
 wise to impose new laws on the Saxons. He only 
 revised and improved those which had been in use 
 in earlier times. He thus laid the foundation of our 
 great British constitution, the growth of which, ex- 
 tending over many centuries, has moved slowly on 
 until it is as strong as it is at this day. Alfred col- 
 lected together in his Code whatever seemed right 
 and good in the laws drawn up by the early kings, 
 especially from those made by Ina of Wessex, Offa of 
 Mercia, and Ethelbert, the first Christian King of 
 Kent. 
 
 90 
 
King Alfreds Laws 
 
 Many of these laws had been derived from Pagan 
 customs, but it was the King's aim to show all just 
 law to be founded on the law of God, as made known 
 to us in the Bible. His Code, therefore, begins with 
 the Ten Commandments and contains many passages 
 from the Bible. He also quotes Christ's own words: 
 "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, 
 do ye even so to them;" and declares his belief that 
 by this one command a man may test whether his 
 acts be right, and need require no other law-book. 
 The introduction to Alfred's Code closes with these 
 words : — "I, Alfred, King of the West Saxons, showed 
 these laws to all my Witan, and they all seemed good 
 to them to hold." 
 
 In its attempt to give equal rights of justice to 
 rich and poor, Alfred's Code showed a great advance 
 on the laws formerly in use. The King also deter- 
 mined that justice should be rightly administered. 
 Many unjust judges were dismissed by his orders 
 from office, and some were even put to death. 
 
 Alfred found that many old aldermen who presided 
 as judges over the shire courts were quite ignorant of 
 the law. To one judge who confessed his ignorance 
 the King said : "I am astonished at your great bold- 
 ness, that you, who by God's favour and mine have 
 been entrusted with the office and rank of a judge, 
 should have neglected entirely the studies and labours 
 of your calling. You must either resign your office, 
 or apply yourself diligently, as I require of you to 
 
 9i 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 obtain wisdom." Thus many nobles and officers of 
 high rank set themselves to be instructed like school- 
 boys, by men much younger than themselves, rather 
 than resign their positions. 
 
 Formerly fines had been imposed for nearly every 
 offence, but when people were too poor to pay them 
 there was no method of forcing them to do so. Al- 
 fred introduced the punishment of imprisonment for 
 certain offences, which answered much better, 
 though fines were still imposed when the accused 
 persons could pay them. 
 
 When one man killed another, the kinsman of 
 the murdered man was expected to seek out the 
 murderer and slay him. One way out of this was for 
 the murderer to pay weregeld, or the price of the 
 murdered man, to his next of kin. After this sum 
 was paid no further vengeance was taken on the 
 murderer. The King had the highest weregeld. His 
 life was valued at 120 pounds, equal to the value of 
 six thanes, or thirty-six coerls or peasants. 
 
 When a man was accused of crime he might free 
 himself by getting twelve men to swear to his 
 innocence. Failing this, he was put to trial by or- 
 deal, a curious ceremony, the observance of which 
 continued until the reign of John, four hundred 
 years after Alfred's time. 
 
 There were two kinds of ordeal. The fire ordeal 
 required the accused person to take in his hand a 
 red-hot iron of several pounds weight, or to walk 
 
 92 
 
King Alfreds Laws 
 
 barefoot and blindfold over red-hot ploughshares. 
 If he could show at the end of a certain number of 
 days that he had received no hurt, it was supposed 
 that God had borne witness to his innocence. 
 
 The water ordeal consisted in plunging the bare 
 arm into boiling water, or casting the accused person 
 into a river or pond. If he floated without swimming 
 he was declared guilty, as this showed the presence 
 of an evil spirit, but if he sank he was acquitted. 
 Trial by ordeal was conducted by the priests, who 
 were often bribed by the accused person in order 
 that he might come through it without injury. In 
 cases when criminals could afford to pay a large 
 sum, it is probable that neither the ploughshares nor 
 the water were as hot as they appeared to be. 
 
 The following curious passages are taken from a 
 list of penalties imposed by the King for certain 
 offences: 
 
 Tf a man burn or hew another's wood without leave 
 let him pay for each great tree five shillings, and 
 afterwards for each smaller tree as many as there 
 be five pence, and thirty shillings in all.' 
 
 Tf anyone steal so that his wife or children know 
 it not, let him pay forty shillings as penalty. But 
 if he steal with the knowledge of all his household, 
 let them go into slavery. A boy of ten may be privy 
 to a theft. He that steals on Sundays, Easter, or 
 on Holy Days, or during Lent, must pay a double 
 fine.' 
 
 93 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 'If a dog bite or tear a man, for the first misdeed 
 six shillings; for the second, twelve shillings; for 
 the third, thirty shillings. If the dog do more mis- 
 deeds the man must go on paying, or else put away 
 the dog.' 
 
 The result of Alfred's labours to enforce justice 
 was a great improvement in the character of his 
 people. So firmly did he put down robbery that 
 it was declared a traveller might lose his purse full 
 of gold and find it untouched at the end of a month 
 on the same spot; or that golden bracelets might 
 be hung at the cross-roads, with confidence that 
 no passer-by would dare to remove them. 
 
 94 
 
CHAPTER XIII: The Danes 
 Again 
 
 WHILE Alfred thus nobly laboured for the 
 good of his people by spreading new 
 order and light throughout his kingdom 
 the war clouds were again gathering. 
 
 During the years that England had enjoyed peace 
 the Danes had overrun France and Flanders, bringing 
 ruin and desolation to these countries. Hastings, the 
 mighty sea-king, sailed up the Loire with a great fleet, 
 and held the whole river in a state of blockade. 
 Paris was also besieged, and though the city was 
 not taken, the surrounding country was laid waste. 
 At length King Louis III of France made a treaty 
 of peace with Hastings, and the Danes consented to 
 leave the neighbourhood. Some of them sailed 
 to the mouth of the Rhine, near which they were 
 defeated in two great battles by the troops of the 
 Emperor Charles the Fat. The Danes then decided 
 to leave these plundered districts and to seek others 
 to which during their absence peace and prosperity 
 had been restored. 
 
 Their army was accordingly divided into two 
 parts, one of which proceeded to ravage the country 
 that is now Belgium, while the other, accompanied 
 by many horses, crossed the English Channel from 
 Boulogne, and landed in Kent in the summer of 
 884. They then prepared to besiege Rochester 
 
 95 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 Castle, which was at that time an important fortress 
 guarding the estuary of the river Medway. To 
 defend themselves during the siege they began to 
 build great fortifications, with huge mounds of earth 
 for ramparts. This work occupied some time, for it 
 was their intention, after taking the castle, to settle 
 down in that part of Kent. 
 
 Meantime, however, the Saxon garrison within 
 the castle defended themselves bravely, and suc- 
 ceeded in sending word to Alfred of the arrival of 
 the Northmen. The King lost no time in hastening 
 with all speed to Rochester at the head of an 
 army. 
 
 As their defences were still unfinished, the Danes 
 did not dare to make a stand against the English 
 army, but fled to their ships and sailed away as fast 
 as they could. Many unable to escape were taken 
 prisoners, and a large number of horses also fell into 
 the hands of the English. 
 
 The doors of the old Cathedral at Rochester, were 
 afterwards covered with the skins of slain Danes, 
 who had been robbers of churches, and are said to 
 have been flayed alive by the English. Hundreds 
 of years later, pieces of the Danes' skins still re- 
 mained on the Cathedral doors. 
 
 Up to this time the Danes who had settled in 
 East Anglia under Guthrum-Athelstan, had not 
 joined the invaders, though King Alfred soon had 
 reason to doubt their good faith. Of the Danes 
 
 06 
 
The Danes Again 
 
 given to Alfred as pledges of peace after the Treaty 
 of Wedmore, several had died, and others had escaped 
 to join their countrymen. So Alfred sent a message 
 to Guthrum requesting that more Danes should be 
 sent as hostages to take the place of those who had 
 died or had deserted. Guthrum replied that they 
 would be sent in due time, but many months passed, 
 and he still delayed to comply with the King's request. 
 This roused Alfred's suspicions, and he afterwards 
 heard that friendly messages had passed between 
 Guthrum and the leader of the Danish army, who 
 had besieged Rochester. 
 
 It was not long before news reached Alfred that a 
 number of the pirates who had fled from Rochester 
 had landed at Benfleet, in Essex, where they 
 had been joined by the Danes from East Anglia. 
 The King was not greatly surprised to learn that 
 Guthrum had broken faith with him. He knew 
 well that the change from a wandering to a 
 settled life, and, still more, the transformation of 
 the old sea-robber's nature, could not be effected 
 all at once. 
 
 So the whole navy of Wessex was ordered to 
 assemble off the coast of East Anglia, in order to 
 punish the King's faithless godson. Alfred sent a 
 message to the commanders, ordering them to show 
 no mercy to the traitors. At the mouth of the 
 Stour, between Suffolk and Essex, the English 
 encountered a fleet of sixteen Danish ships. A 
 
 97 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 desperate sea-fight ensued, in which the Northmen 
 were severely beaten, and many slain or drowned. 
 Their vessels, containing much treasure, fell into the 
 hands of the English. 
 
 The Wessex fleet, overjoyed by this great victory, 
 were preparing to sail home with the booty 
 when they were unexpectedly attacked by the 
 treacherous Vikings of East Anglia, with a force much 
 superior to their own. The Saxons fought long 
 and desperately, but, being already exhausted by 
 the former battle, they were defeated with great 
 loss. The captured treasure was all retaken by 
 the Danes. 
 
 Before long, however, another treaty of peace 
 was made between Alfred and Guthrum. By this 
 second treaty the boundaries of Alfred's kingdom 
 were enlarged. The King then laid siege to London, 
 which was still in the hands of the Danes. During 
 the siege Alfred vowed that if the city fell into his 
 hands he would send alms to Rome, and to the 
 Churches in India. Soon after he had made this vow, 
 which, as we shall hear later, he did not fail to keep, 
 the city surrendered to him. 
 
 This was a very important gain, for it added much 
 to the King's power, and made him more than ever 
 the real head of the whole English nation. All the 
 English, who were not in subjection to the Danes, 
 now submitted to him. 
 
 London had been an important trade centre even 
 
 98 
 
'ALFRED RIDING THROUGH THE RUINS OE 
 
 LONDON" 
 — Page 98 
 
The Danes Again 
 
 in Roman times. After the landing of the English 
 tribes in Britain its importance declined, for, as 
 we have seen, they had a distaste for living 
 in walled towns. By the seventh century, how- 
 ever, it had again become the chief port of the 
 south-east, and in 604 Ethelbert, King of Kent, 
 persuaded Augustine, the first Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, to consecrate a bishop named 
 Mellitus to the see of London. From that time 
 Christianity and trade combined to make the city 
 important. 
 
 Ethelbert built the Church of St Paul, and though 
 it has been rebuilt more than once, we know that 
 from his time to the present, a period of 1300 
 years, a great church, dedicated to the Apostle 
 Paul, has looked down on London from Ludgate 
 Hill. 
 
 In 851 London was taken by the Danes, who 
 made it a favourite landing and starting-place for 
 their expeditions. From that time until it was 
 retaken by Alfred its trade steadily declined. 
 Foreign merchants ceased to visit the famous 
 port, and the population dwindled away. The 
 wealthier inhabitants fled to foreign lands, while 
 the poorer departed to seek safety in the country. 
 
 When King Alfred rode through the streets of the 
 city soon after it had surrendered to him, he saw 
 on every hand ruined churches, roofless hoases, 
 narrow grass-grown streets, and lanes choked with 
 
 99 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 heaps of rubbish. Many dead bodies had been left 
 unburied in the houses or in the open streets, where 
 they had fallen fighting. 
 
 The scene of desolation was enough to strike dis- 
 may into the stoutest heart. Yet Alfred determined 
 that no time should be lost in setting to work to re- 
 store the city. Large gangs of workmen were em- 
 ployed to clear away the rubbish, and soon new 
 towers and houses began to rise from the ruins. The 
 walls and fortifications of London were also restored 
 on a grander scale than before. The King placed 
 in the city a garrison of soldiers, to whom he 
 granted lands for their support. The new city, 
 with its fortified walls and towers, thus became a 
 barrier to the passage of pirate ships up the 
 Thames. 
 
 Before many years had passed, merchants of all 
 nations flocked to the city. Two colonies of Danes 
 were permitted to settle there — one south of the 
 Thames in the district that is now South wark; the 
 other on the north bank of the river, where they had 
 a burial place, supposed to be near the site of the 
 church still dedicated to St Clement Danes, the 
 patron saint of seamen. 
 
 In 886 Alfred appointed as governor of London, 
 his son-in-law, Ethelred, Alderman of Mercia, the 
 husband of his daughter, Ethelfleda. 
 
 Thus King Alfred laid the foundations of the 
 wealth and prosperity of that great city which 
 
 ioo 
 
The Danes Again 
 
 was destined to become in our days the com- 
 mercial capital of the world. 
 
 In 890 Guthrum, the old sea-robber, died, and was 
 buried at Thetford, in Norfolk. But the Danes of 
 East Anglia made no movement to break the peace 
 which continued to reign in England. 
 
 IOI 
 
CHAPTER XIV: King Alfred's 
 Friends 
 
 KING ALFRED had many friends among the 
 poor as well as among the rich. Prince, 
 noble and peasant, rough mariner, studious 
 monk or cunning craftsman, all were the same to him 
 so long as they showed themselves to be men of 
 worth. Many poor but deserving men were enriched 
 by him, and placed in positions of trust. He was also 
 a generous friend to monks and priests, and to all 
 his household servants, for whose welfare he cared 
 as if they had been his own children. 
 
 One of the King's chief friends was the Welsh 
 monk, Asser, a man of great learning and earnest 
 piety. His fame as a scholar having reached Wes- 
 sex, Alfred sent messengers to Wales to invite him to 
 the court. Asser hastened to obey the summons, 
 and set out with an honourable escort provided by 
 the King. He found Alfred at the royal castle of 
 Dean, near Chichester, in Sussex, and there he re- 
 ceived a kindly and honourable welcome. 
 
 After talking with him for some time Alfred was so 
 pleased with his learning that he begged him to re- 
 main at the court for the rest of his life, offering, if he 
 would do so, to promote him to great honour in the 
 Church. Asser, however, loved his native country, 
 Wales, and the friends he had left there, and was un- 
 willing to agree to the King's proposal. 
 
 "I cannot promise what you ask," he said, "for 
 
 I02 
 
King Alfreds Friends 
 
 it seems to me that it would be ungrateful for the sake 
 of earthly honour to leave the place where I have 
 lived and worked from my youth, and the friends 
 from whom I have received so much kindness." 
 
 "Will you, then, spend six months of the year 
 in Wales, and the other six months at the West 
 Saxon court?" asked the King. 
 
 "I cannot make even this promise, O King," said 
 Asser, "without first consulting my friends." 
 
 After remaining for four days as the guest of the 
 King, Asser set out on his homeward way. But he 
 got no farther than Winchester, where he was 
 attacked with fever, and lay for many weeks 
 seriously ill. At first there seemed little hope that 
 he could recover, but at length he began slowly to 
 regain health. So weak did the fever leave him, that 
 it was more than a year before he was able to con- 
 tinue his journey. 
 
 Meantime King Alfred, who had heard nothing of 
 Asser's illness, wondered much why he did not return 
 as he had promised. At last the King sent a mes- 
 senger to Wales to make inquiries concerning the 
 scholar. The messenger learned from Asser' s friends 
 of his serious illness, and also found that they ap- 
 proved of the King's proposal that Asser should spend 
 six months of the year in Wessex. They knew that 
 through his influence with the King he would be the 
 better able to protect the churches and monasteries 
 in Wales. 
 
 103 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 As soon as Asser was able to travel, he joined the 
 King in Wessex, at a royal castle called Leoneford. 
 Before long he became the King's constant com- 
 panion and trusted counsellor. So unwilling was 
 Alfred to allow him to depart, and so much did he 
 value his services, that on this first occasion Asser 
 remained at the court for eight months. 
 
 At length, when Christmas was near, he begged the 
 King earnestly for leave to return to Wales. It was 
 not, however, until Christmas Eve that the King sent 
 for him, and gave him permission to depart. At 
 the same time he handed him a paper, and ordered 
 him to read the writing thereon. Asser did so, and 
 learned that the King had granted him for life the 
 monasteries of Amesbury, in Wiltshire, and Ban well, 
 in Somerset. To these the King afterwards added 
 a parish near Exeter. 
 
 In the later years of the King's reign Asser became 
 one of the most powerful churchmen in Wessex, and 
 after Alfred's death was made Bishop of Selborne. 
 He wrote a life of King Alfred, and it is from this 
 famous work that we get most of our knowledge 
 concerning the great King. 
 
 Another eminent scholar, who became an intimate 
 friend of King Alfred, was Plegmund, Archbishop of 
 Canterbury. He was by birth a Mercian, and had be- 
 come a monk at an early age. In 876 his monastery 
 was sacked and plundered by the Danes. Plegmund 
 narrowly escaped being assassinated, and took refuge 
 
 104 
 
King Alfreds Friends 
 
 in a part of Cheshire which was then an island, five 
 miles north-east from Chester. This island, after- 
 wards called from his name Plegmundham, now 
 forms the parish of Plemonstall, and is said to have 
 been given by King Ethelwulf to Christ Church, 
 Canterbury. There Plegmund lived as a hermit for 
 fourteen years. 
 
 Alfred, hearing of Plegmund's piety, summoned 
 him to the court, and a few months after his arrival 
 made him Archbishop of Canterbury. In those days 
 it was the custom for archbishops, after their election, 
 to go to Rome to be consecrated by the Pope; so 
 Plegmund set out on the long journey to the Eternal 
 City. On his arrival he found that a new Pope 
 named Formosus had just been elected. 
 
 By Formosus, Plegmund was duly consecrated in 
 the great Church of St Peter, and received from him 
 the pall, a white woollen scarf embroidered with 
 purple crosses, worn by archibshops. After his 
 consecration Plegmund returned to England, and 
 soon proved himself a good and worthy Archbishop. 
 Much of his time was spent with the King, and he 
 helped Alfred to translate from Latin into Anglo- 
 Saxon The Shepherd's Book, a collection of rules 
 for bishops written by Pope Gregory the Great. 
 
 About six years after Plegmund's consecration as 
 Archbishop, strange news reached England from 
 Rome. Pope Formosus had died in the previous 
 year. He was succeeded by Pope Stephen VI, who 
 
 105 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 had been his mortal enemy, and who declared that 
 Formosus had been no true Pope but a usurper. 
 Stephen therefore ordered the dead body of Pope 
 Formosus to be dug up, after it had lain in the grave 
 for nine months, in order that it might be solemnly 
 judged before a council of bishops. 
 
 The corpse, dressed in pontifical robes, was placed 
 on a throne, and a deacon was appointed to act as 
 counsel for the defence. In the presence of the 
 assembled bishops and nobles Stephen thus ad- 
 dressed the dead Pope. 
 
 " Why didst thou, tempted by ambition, dare to 
 usurp the Apostolic See?" 
 
 The deacon who was to have defended the dead 
 Pope was too terrified to make any reply. Pope 
 Stephen accordingly ordered the body to be stripped 
 of its sacred vestments. The three fingers of the 
 right hand, with which popes are wont to bestow 
 the blessing, were cut off, and the body was thrown 
 into the river Tiber. It was then decreed that all 
 who had been consecrated by Formosus were no true 
 bishops or archbishops, and must either be driven 
 from their sees or seek reconsecration from Pope 
 Stephen. 
 
 The news of the passing of this decree caused much 
 sorrow and consternation in England, not only to 
 King Alfred, but to all the people of Wessex. For it 
 meant that their faithful Plegmund might no longer 
 remain Archbishop of Canterbury. King Alfred 
 
 106 
 
King Alfreds Friends 
 
 called a meeting of the Witan, at which Plegmund 
 was present, and the matter was earnestly discussed. 
 At length it was decided that Plegmund must again 
 set out for Rome. But as Alfred could ill spare his 
 friend, it was decided to postpone his departure for 
 a time. 
 
 It was not until after King Alfred's death that 
 Plegmund again made the long journey to Rome, 
 This time he went with a sorrowful heart, for he 
 knew not how he might be received by the Pope, or 
 if he would ever again return to his people as their 
 Archbishop. 
 
 A few days after his arrival in Rome, Plegmund 
 was admitted to the presence of the new Pope. In 
 trembling tones he told how he had made the long 
 journey at the desire of the King and people of 
 Wessex, hoping that the Pope might consent to 
 reconsecrate him Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 The Pope listened courteously to Plegmund's 
 speech, and, struck by his noble and worthy bearing, 
 readily consented to reconsecrate him Archbishop. 
 
 On his return to England, Plegmund received a 
 warm welcome from King Edward, the son of Alfred, 
 and from the people of Wessex and Kent. A great 
 procession met him on his arrival, and accompanied 
 him to Canterbury. Plegmund brought with him 
 the relics of the famous Saint Blaise, which he had 
 bought in Italy for a large sum of money. The 
 Archbishop lived to a good old age, much beloved by 
 
 107 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 King and people. He died in 914 and was buried in 
 Canterbury Cathedral. 
 
 Werf erth, Bishop of Worcester, was another in the 
 band of scholars whom the great King gathered 
 around him. Soon after his consecration as bishop, 
 Werf erth had been driven from his see by the Danes, 
 and escaped to Gaul, where he lived for some years. 
 When peace had been restored in England, King 
 Alfred sent a message to Werferth inviting him to 
 return. The Bishop gladly accepted the King's 
 invitation, and soon after his arrival he was raised to 
 a position of importance in the royal household. 
 He laboured with the King to restore learning in 
 Wessex, and to reform the monasteries. Among 
 other works which Werferth translated at the King's 
 command from Latin to Anglo-Saxon was the 
 " Dialogues " of Pope Gregory the Great. Copies of 
 Werferth's translation still exist at Oxford and at 
 Cambridge. 
 
 An old Saxon priest named John was also invited 
 by Alfred to come from the Abbey of Corbey, in West- 
 phalia, to settle in Wessex. He had been one of 
 Alfred's teachers in boyhood, and the King knew him 
 to be a strict disciplinarian, but very honest and 
 trustworthy. John became the King's mass priest, 
 and later was chosen Abbot of the great monastery 
 built by Alfred at Athelney, of which we shall hear 
 later. 
 
 The fame of Grimbald, a priest of St. Omers, in 
 108 
 
King Alfreds Friends 
 
 France, having reached Alfred, he resolved to invite 
 him to Wessex. Grimbald was skilled in music, very 
 learned in the Holy Scriptures, and in all Church 
 doctrine and discipline. The King believed that he 
 would be specially fitted to help in restoring order 
 in the monasteries and churches. As Grimbald was 
 under the authority of the famous Fulk, Archbishop 
 of Rheims, Alfred sent an embassy of clergy and lay- 
 men with presents to Fulk, begging that the priest 
 might be sent to England. 
 
 The quaintly expressed letter sent by Fulk in reply 
 to Alfred still exists. The Archbishop appears to 
 have been much pleased by Alfred's request that a 
 learned priest should be sent from Rheims, and 
 declares that his see has always been famous for its 
 scholars. He praises Alfred's zeal for the Church, 
 and prays that God may multiply peace in the 
 King's realm, and that religion and learning, 
 which had fallen into decay during the Danish 
 wars, may be speedily restored. Fulk then thanks 
 Alfred for his gifts, which included a number of 
 valuable hounds. 
 
 "You have sent me," he writes, "some very 
 noble and faithful hounds, asking me in return to 
 send you spiritual hounds or priests, who, by their 
 watchfulness will drive away evil spirits from the 
 souls of men." 
 
 He then declares his willingness to send Grim- 
 bald, who will be to the King a spiritual watch-dog. 
 
 109 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 On his arrival in England, Grimbald was kindly 
 welcomed by King Alfred. After spending some 
 months with the King, he was appointed professor in 
 one of the new schools built by Alfred. Later, 
 Grimbald was made abbot of the new monastery 
 at Winchester, and his fame as a scholar spread 
 throughout Europe. 
 
 no 
 
CHAPTER XV: Travellers' 
 Tales 
 
 KING ALFRED delighted in listening to the 
 tales of mariners who came from far coun- 
 tries. At his court there lived for some 
 time two famous explorers named Wulfstan and 
 there. Both these men gave the King accounts 
 of their travels, which he carefully wrote down and 
 preserved. 
 
 Wulfstan was a Jutlander who had made a voyage 
 to the Baltic Sea, sailing from Schleswig, in Den- 
 mark, to Truso, in Prussia. In the course of his 
 expedition he became acquainted with Othere and 
 afterwards went with him to England. Wulfstan 
 told Alfred that he had gone from Schleswig to Truso 
 in seven days, visiting on the way Gothland and 
 many other wonderful islands. 
 
 He afterwards explored the mouth of the river 
 Vistula, near which lived a tribe of people called the 
 Esthonians. In these regions each town had a king 
 of its own. The kings and rich men drank mares' 
 milk, and the poor people and slaves drank mead, 
 which was made from wheat and honey. 
 
 The Esthonians burned their dead instead of 
 burying them. The bodies of very rich people often 
 remained unburnt for many months, because the 
 Esthonians knew how to preserve them from cor- 
 ruption by means of ice. They could make ice 
 
 in 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 even in summer, and all the wealthy people had ice 
 houses for this purpose. 
 
 During the time that a body lay unburnt, there 
 was much drinking and feasting, the money of the 
 dead man being used to pay for the festivities. At 
 length, on the day fixed for the burning, all the 
 money and treasure left in the house was divided 
 into five or six portions. These were placed at 
 different distances, the largest portion being about a 
 mile distant from the house, and the others in order 
 nearer, the smallest being nearest the house. Then 
 all the men who lived within iive or six miles of the 
 dwelling of the dead man assembled with their 
 swiftest horses. Starting from an appointed place, 
 they all rode as fast as they could toward the 
 treasure. He who had the swiftest horse got the 
 first and largest portion, and the rest in order, till 
 it was all taken. Because of this strange custom 
 swift horses were very dear among the Esthonians. 
 After the race for the treasure, the body of the dead 
 man was brought out and burnt with all his weapons 
 and clothes. 
 
 Othere, the other navigator, whose tales were also 
 written down by King Alfred, was a wealthy Norse 
 whale-fisher from Halgoland, in Norway. Of all 
 Norsemen he dwelt farthest to the north. The only 
 other inhabitants of the district surrounding his 
 home were the Finns, who came thither for fishing in 
 the summer and for hunting in the winter. Once he 
 
 112 
 
Travellers'* Tales 
 
 had explored the region farther north, but found that 
 it was barren and uninhabited. 
 
 To the north-east dwelt the Lapps, who often 
 made war on the Norsemen. They had small light 
 boats, which they carried overland into the meres 
 and seas. Othere said that inland, his country was 
 very mountainous, and all the land that could be 
 ploughed or pastured lay near the sea-shore. He 
 was the richest man in that part of Norway, for he 
 had much land and many reindeer. These animals 
 supplied all his wants, for they give milk like cows, 
 and can be trained to draw sledges. Their flesh is 
 used for food, and their skin for clothing. 
 
 Othere had three kinds of reindeer, tame, wild, and 
 decoy. The decoy reindeer, of which he had six, 
 were used for catching others. He allowed them to 
 roam freely in the forests. When they returned of 
 their own accord to the stables for food, wild rein- 
 deer often followed them, and were thus easily 
 captured. 
 
 Much of Othere's wealth consisted of tribute paid 
 by the Finns in skins of animals, birds' feathers, 
 whalebone, and ropes made of whales' hides and of 
 seals'. The Finns paid according to their rank; 
 the best born had to pay yearly fifteen martens' 
 skins, live reindeers', one bear and one otter, and 
 two ships' ropes each 120 feet long. 
 
 From childhood Othere had been accustomed 
 to brave the waves of the stormy North Sea and 
 
 113 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 was fearless of its dangers. He related to King 
 Alfred the story of a famous voyage he had made 
 from Halgoland round the North Cape into the 
 White Sea. On this voyage he was the first to 
 discover the route to Russia by the North Cape 
 of Norway. 
 
 Othere's purpose in sailing northward was to hunt 
 for walruses, which abound even to this day in the 
 White Sea around Archangel, and on the shores of 
 the country where dwelt a tribe called the Biarmians 
 (now the Permians). These people told Othere 
 many wonderful tales of their own and of neighbour- 
 ing lands, but he thought the stories too strange to 
 be true. 
 
 He caught many walruses, some fourteen feet 
 long, with huge ivory tusks. Othere had brought 
 some walrus tusks as a gift to King Alfred. On that 
 same voyage he caught many great whales, some 
 of which were 160 feet long. Othere declared to 
 King Alfred that he and the five men who were 
 with him had killed sixty large whales in two 
 days. 
 
 After his return from this voyage, Othere made 
 another exploring voyage to the Bay of Christiania, 
 now known as the Skager Rack. Thence he sailed 
 to Schleswig, visiting on the way many islands 
 around Denmark. 
 
 King Alfred listened to these tales with great 
 interest and pleasure. He afterwards copied them 
 
 114 
 
'IT WAS OTHERE THE ANCIENT MARINER'- Pane II] 
 
Travellers'* Tales 
 
 into a book, in which he had written an Anglo-Saxon 
 translation of a History of the World. This History 
 had been written in Latin in the fifth century by a 
 priest named Orosius. Copies of Alfred's book, 
 containing the narratives of Othere and Wulfstan 
 still exist (See Chapter XVI). 
 
 The following poem by Longfellow tells in stirring 
 verse the wonderful adventures of Othere: 
 
 TEE DISCOVERER OF TEE NORTE CAPE 
 
 (A leaf from King Alfred's "Orosius.") 
 
 Othere the old sea captain, 
 
 Who dwelt in Ealgoland, 
 
 To King Alfred the Lover of Truth 
 
 Brought a snow-white walrus tooth; 
 
 Which he held in his brown right hand. 
 
 Eis figure was tall and stately; 
 Like a boy's his eye appeared; 
 Eis hair was yellow as hay, 
 But threads of a silver-grey 
 Gleamed in his tawny beard. 
 
 Eearty and hale was Othere; 
 Eis cheek had the colour of oak; 
 With a kind of laugh in his speech 
 Like the sea-tide on a beach, 
 As unto the King he spoke. 
 
 "5 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 And Alfred, King of the Saxons, 
 Had a booh upon his knees, 
 And wrote down the wondrous tale 
 Of him who was first to sail 
 Into the Arctic Seas. 
 
 "So far I live to the northward 
 No man lives north of me. 
 To the east are wild mountain chains, 
 And beyond them meres and plains; 
 To the westward all is sea. 
 
 "So far I live to the northward 
 From the harbour of Shiringes-hale, 
 If you only sail by day, 
 With a fair wind all the way, 
 More than a month would you sail. 
 
 "I own six hundred reindeer, 
 With sheep and swine beside; 
 I have tribute from the Finns — 
 Whalebone and reindeer shins, 
 And ropes of walrus-hide. 
 
 "I ploughed the land with horses ', 
 But my heart was ill at ease, 
 For the old sea-faring men 
 Came to me now and then 
 With their sagas of the seas; — 
 116 
 
Travellers* Tales 
 
 "Of Iceland and of Greenland, 
 And the stormy Hebrides, 
 And the undiscovered deep; 
 Oh I could not eat or sleep 
 For thinking of these seas! 
 
 "To the northward stretched the desert 
 How far I fain would know; 
 So at last I sallied forth, 
 And three days sailed due north 
 As far as the whale-ships go. 
 
 "To the west of me was the ocean, 
 To the east the desolate shore: 
 But I did not slacken sail 
 For the walrus or the whale 
 Till after three days more. 
 
 "The days grew longer and longer, 
 Till they became as one; 
 And northward through the haze 
 I saw the sullen blaze 
 Of the red midnight sun. 
 
 "And then uprose before me 
 Upon the waters 9 edge; 
 The huge and haggard shape 
 Of that unknown North Cape, 
 Whose form is like a wedge. 
 117 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 "The sea was rough and stormy, 
 The tempest howled and wailed; 
 And the sea-fog like a ghost, 
 Haunted that dreary coast 
 But onward still I sailed, 
 
 "Four days I steered to eastward, 
 Four days without a night; 
 Round in a fiery ring 
 Went the great sun, king, 
 With red and lurid light." 
 
 Here Alfred, King of the Saxons 
 Ceased writing for a while, 
 And raised his eyes from his book 
 With a strange and puzzled look 
 And an incredulous smile. 
 
 But Othere the old sea-captain, 
 He neither paused nor stirred, 
 Till the king listened, and then 
 Once more took up his pen, 
 And wrote down every word. 
 
 "And now the land," said Othere, 
 "Bent southward suddenly; 
 
 And I followed the southward shore, 
 
 And ever southward bore 
 
 Into a nameless sea. 
 
 118 
 
Travellers* Tales 
 
 "And there we hunted the walrus, 
 The narwhale and the seal, 
 Ha! 9 twas a noble game, 
 And like the lightning's flame 
 Flew our harpoons of steel. 
 
 'There were six of us altogether. 
 Norsemen of Halgoland; 
 In two days and no more 
 We killed of them threescore 
 And dragged them to the strand J 9 
 
 Here Alfred the Truth Teller 
 Suddenly closed his book, 
 And lifted his blue eyes 
 With doubt and strange surmise 
 Depicted in their look. 
 
 And there the old sea-captain 
 Stared at him wild and weird, 
 Then smiled till his shining teeth 
 Gleamed white from underneath 
 His tawny, quivering beard. 
 
 And to the King of the Saxons, 
 In witness of the truth, 
 Raising his noble head, 
 He stretched his brown hand and said, 
 "Behold this walrus tooth" 
 119 
 
CHAPTER XVI: King Alfred's 
 Monasteries 
 
 THE destruction of the great English 
 monasteries by the Danes was a serious 
 loss to the whole country. At that time 
 the monasteries were not only the true homes of art, 
 science, and learning of all kinds, but were also places 
 of shelter for the sick and needy. To every large 
 monastery a school and hospital were attached, also 
 farm-lands and orchards. There the good monks 
 worked, leading prayerful and unselfish lives, 
 devoted to learning, to the teaching of the young, 
 and to the care of the sick. When the monks and 
 nuns were slain by the cruel sea-robbers, or driven 
 to seek refuge in other lands, learning declined 
 throughout the whole of England. Even at the 
 beginning of his reign King Alfred, whose great 
 desire it was that the English should be better 
 educated, was distressed to find so few scholars in 
 the country who could read Latin, the language in 
 which nearly all books were written at that time. 
 Alfred had therefore no sooner got rid of the 
 Danes, than he set himself to restore the old monas- 
 teries and to build new ones. The first monastery 
 which Alfred built was at Athelney in Somerset- 
 shire; on the very spot where in the dark days be- 
 fore Ethandune, he had sought refuge from the 
 Danes. 
 
 120 
 
King Alfred's Monasteries 
 
 The story of St Cuthbert's appearing in a dream 
 to the King at Athelney has already been told. It is 
 said that after this dream, the King vowed that if 
 his crown and kingdom were indeed restored to him 
 he would build a monastery on the spot which had 
 been endeared to him by so many wonderful 
 experiences. 
 
 Before the work could be begun, an army of work- 
 men was sent by the King to build a great bridge 
 across the marshes. At the end of the bridge was 
 erected a strong tower of beautiful workmanship 
 to guard the approach to the monastery. The 
 monastery itself with the outbuildings, when com- 
 pleted, covered the whole of the island, and was 
 built entirely of wood. A small wooden church of 
 curious form was attached to it. Four strong pillars 
 of wood were sunk deeply into the swampy ground. 
 Upon them were placed four arches of circular form, 
 upon which rested the church. The church and 
 monastery of Athelney were dedicated by King 
 Alfred to our Blessed Saviour, and to St Peter and 
 St Paul. 
 
 The King had at first much difficulty in persuad- 
 ing monks to live at Athelney, for the spot was damp, 
 gloomy, and unhealthy. During the long wars, too, 
 Englishmen had become so accustomed to the excite- 
 ment of military life that they had now little desire 
 to turn monks. So Alfred was obliged to send to 
 foreign countries for monks and scholars to people 
 
 121 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 his monastery. The greater number came from 
 France and from Germany. Many English boys 
 were also sent there by the King to be educated until 
 they were old enough to become monks. Among 
 them was a young Danish lad, the son of heathen 
 parents, who was one of the most promising scholars 
 in the school. 
 
 Alfred chose as Abbot of Athelney the old Saxon 
 priest John, of whom we have already heard. Poor 
 John had a hard time trying to keep order among 
 the unruly foreign monks, who were constantly 
 quarrelling with each other. In that distant island, 
 hemmed in by swamp and forest, there were no farm 
 lands for the monks to till, and no playgrounds for 
 the boys; so the Abbot was often puzzled to find 
 employment for those under him, though he realized 
 that plenty of work was the best remedy for their 
 jealousies and disputes. 
 
 John had lived for some years at the German 
 abbey of Corbey in Westphalia, and was therefore 
 inclined to favour the German monks. This roused 
 bitter anger among the Frenchmen. At length two 
 French monks, the one a priest and the other a 
 deacon, being greatly incensed against the Abbot, 
 plotted to bring about his death. They persuaded 
 two French servants, by promise of great rewards, 
 to carry out their wicked scheme. 
 
 It was the custom of the good Abbot John to spend 
 some hours each night at prayer alone in the church. 
 
 122 
 
King Alfreds Monasteries 
 
 The assassins therefore planned to conceal them- 
 selves in the church by night to wait the coming of 
 the Abbot, and to slay him as he knelt in prayer be- 
 fore the altar. They were then to drag his body 
 from the church, and throw it down before a house 
 where lived some people of evil repute, so that the 
 other monks might suppose their Abbot had been 
 slain while on a visit to that house. 
 
 On the night fixed for this dreadful deed the two 
 armed ruffians concealed themselves in the dimly 
 lit church. Soon after midnight the Abbot entered. 
 Supposing the church to be empty, as was usual at 
 that hour, he knelt reverently in prayer before the 
 altar, near which burned a solitary lamp. 
 
 Suddenly the silence was broken by a loud shout, 
 and the two armed assassins rushed on the Abbot 
 with drawn swords. Though John was taken com- 
 pletely by surprise he was a brave man, and in his 
 youth had been trained in the art of self-defence. 
 He sprang to his feet and grappled with the French- 
 men, shouting lustily. The monks, hearing his 
 cries, rushed into the church, but John was severely 
 wounded before they could come to his help, and the 
 ruffians escaped, leaving him half-dead. 
 
 The monks raised the old Abbot, and with many 
 tears and lamentations conveyed him in a fainting 
 condition to his cell. Meantime the two treacherous 
 Frenchmen, who had hired the assassins, made 
 more show of weeping than all the others. Abbot 
 
 123 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 John did not die, however. For many weeks he was 
 carefully tended by the monks who remained faithful 
 to him, and, thanks to their care, slowly recovered 
 strength. Some time afterwards the two French 
 monks were discovered to have been at the bottom 
 of the wicked design, and were thrown into prison. 
 While there they confessed their guilt, and were 
 both put to death. 
 
 The monastery of Athelney continued to exist for 
 four hundred years after the time of King Alfred, 
 although owing to its unhealthy situation it was 
 less successful than the other monasteries founded 
 by him. In the thirteenth century it was abandoned 
 by the monks, and gradually fell into ruins. No 
 trace of the building now remains in Athelney. 
 
 King Alfred also founded an abbey for nuns at 
 Shaftesbury in Dorsetshire. Long before the Ro- 
 mans came to our country there had been a Brit- 
 ish settlement at Shaftesbury, but the place had 
 gradually ceased to be inhabited. Alfred first built 
 a town there on the top of a hill, overlooking the 
 beautiful valley of Blackmore. In 888, the abbey 
 for nuns was built near the east gate of the city, and 
 so close to the southern edge of the cliff that after- 
 wards it had to be walled up from below to prevent 
 a landslip. 
 
 King Alfred had no difficulty in finding nuns to 
 fill the abbey, for many noble ladies soon expressed 
 a desire to enter it. There they spent peaceful lives, 
 
 124 
 
King Alfreds Monasteries 
 
 busy on their beautiful needlework, or in tending the 
 sick, and in prayer. 
 
 The first Abbess of Shaftesbury was Ethelgeda, 
 King Alfred's second daughter. She had become a 
 nun when very young, and was probably not more 
 than sixteen when she was chosen Abbess. The 
 King granted many lands for the support of 
 Shaftesbury Abbey and also one-eighth of the royal 
 revenues. 
 
 The famous abbey of New Minster at Winchester 
 was also founded by Alfred, but was unfinished at 
 the time of his death. It was built in the church- 
 yard to the north side of Winchester Cathedral. 
 The chapel of the abbey was so near the Cathedral 
 Church .that the chanting of the one choir could be 
 distinctly heard by the other. This led to a quarrel 
 between the Bishop of Winchester and the Abbot of 
 the monastery. After the death of Alfred, his son 
 and successor, King Edward the Elder, wished to 
 purchase more ground for the building of the abbey. 
 The Bishop of Winchester, who was still provoked 
 by his quarrel with the Abbot, insisted on the 
 King's paying one gold mark for every foot of land 
 which he required. 
 
 King Alfred chose his friend Grimbald to be first 
 Abbot of the New Minster, but Grimbald died in 
 903, the year in which the abbey was completed. 
 The abbey remained on its first site within the 
 Cathedral churchyard for two hundred years. It 
 
 125 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 was then removed to a place called Hyde outside the 
 city walls, whence it obtained the name of Hyde 
 Abbey, and was famous until the Reformation. 
 
 King Alfred was a generous benefactor to the 
 ancient abbeys of Glastonbury and Wilton, and to 
 the Cathedrals of Durham and Sherborne. The 
 history of the famous old abbey of Glastonbury in 
 Somerset is full of romance. At Glastonbury was 
 the first Christian church built in this country. 
 According to an ancient legend, Joseph of Arimathea, 
 with eleven companions, landed in Britain in the 
 year a.d. 63. They were well received by a British 
 king named Arviragus, and were allowed to settle 
 in a small island in Somerset surrounded by marshes 
 and known as Glassy Island, from the colour of the 
 stream which surrounded it. The place was after- 
 wards called Avalon probably from the Welsh word 
 'aval' or apple, in which fruit it abounded. 
 
 Here Joseph erected in honour of the Virgin Mary 
 the first Christian church in England, made of 
 wreathed twigs. A monastery was afterwards 
 founded there by Irish scholars. 
 
 Another old story tells how, about the year 542, 
 the famous British king, Arthur, being mortally 
 wounded in the battle of Camlam was carried to the 
 monastery at Glastonbury and there breathed his 
 last. He is said to have been buried in the monks' 
 cemetery. Five hundred and forty years later, 
 some monks while digging there found what they 
 
 126 
 
King Alfred } s Monasteries 
 
 believed to be his sepulchre. They conveyed his 
 relics into the church and there buried them. The 
 common tradition was that King Arthur had suffered 
 only a temporary death, and would come again to 
 resume his sceptre. 
 
 Alfred's good Queen, Elswitha, also founded a 
 house for nuns at Winchester, known as the Convent 
 of St Mary. Before the end of Alfred's reign the 
 English monasteries had again become famous as 
 places of learning, and many scholars from distant 
 lands came thither to seek instruction in the schools. 
 King Alfred also established a school for the young 
 nobles at his court, and frequently went there him- 
 self to superintend the instruction given. His own 
 children were educated there. It is probable that as 
 the court moved from place to place this school 
 moved with it. 
 
 The King made it a custom to send friendly 
 embassies every year to Rome bearing gifts to the 
 Pope. With them he also sent the money promised 
 by his father, Ethelwulf, for the Church of St Peter. 
 In 882, Pope Marinus I sent in return a valuable gift 
 to King Alfred. This was nothing less than a piece 
 of what was believed to be the true cross on which 
 Christ suffered. In the following year, Alfred sent 
 two nobles named Sighelm and Athelstane to Rome 
 to thank the Pope for this wonderful gift, and 
 also to request that the Saxon school in Rome, 
 which had been rebuilt by King Ethelwulf, should 
 
 127 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 be freed from taxation. This request the Pope 
 granted. 
 
 According to a quaint old story, about the year 
 891 three pilgrims set out in a boat, without any oars, 
 from Ireland, 'whence they had stolen because they 
 desired to be in a state of pilgrimage for the love of 
 God.' The boat in which they sailed was made of 
 two hides and a half, and they took with them food 
 for seven days. Trusting themselves to God's 
 guidance they let their boat drift westward, and on 
 the seventh day came to land in Cornwall. Leaving 
 their frail bark on the shore, they hastened to Alfred, 
 King of the West Saxons, who received them with 
 much kindness. When they had told him that they 
 desired to continue their pilgrimage to Rome and 
 Jerusalem he gave them letters to the rulers of the 
 countries through which they were to pass, com- 
 manding that none should harm or molest them on 
 the way. Only one of them lived to return home. 
 He is said to have brought a letter and present to 
 King Alfred from Abel, the patriarch of Jerusalem. 
 
 We have seen that during the siege of London 
 Alfred made a vow to send alms to the Church in 
 India if the city fell into his hands. There had 
 been Christian churches in India from a very early 
 date. According to an old legend, the apostle St 
 Thomas journeyed as far as Mylapur, now a suburb 
 of Madras, to preach the gospel, and there suffered 
 martyrdom. His shrine, which was rebuilt by the 
 
 123 
 
King Alfreds Monasteries 
 
 Portuguese in the sixteenth century, is still to be 
 seen there on the top of Mount St Thomas. 
 
 Alfred's ambassadors reached the distant land, 
 and were well received by the Christians of India. 
 Of their long and wonderful journey we unfortunately 
 know nothing, though this is the first record of 
 communication between England and the great 
 Indian Empire over which Britain now rules. The 
 ambassadors came back to Alfred after a long 
 absence, bringing with them precious stones and 
 spices in return for his alms. These gifts Alfred 
 distributed among his Cathedral churches, where 
 they were preserved for many years. 
 
 129 
 
CHAPTER XVII: King 
 Alfreds Books 
 
 ONE of King Alfred's greatest achievements 
 was that he left to his people at the end 
 of his reign, the precious legacy of the best 
 books which then existed, translated for the first 
 time into the English language. 
 
 The King knew that if his country was to be truly 
 great the people must make progress in knowledge 
 as well as in the art of war. But as all the learned 
 books of that time were written in Latin, he decided 
 that part of his work of reform should be to trans- 
 late some of the best and most useful into the 
 English tongue. 
 
 Asser tells how Alfred's first book came to be 
 written. One day after the King and Asser had 
 talked together for some time on various matters, 
 Asser read aloud to the King a passage from a certain 
 Latin book. The passage pleased Alfred so much 
 that he took from his bosom a book which he always 
 carried there, and asked Asser to copy the words 
 therein. He could not, however, find a single blank 
 page in the book, for it was already filled with the 
 daily lessons, psalms, and prayers which the King 
 had learned in his youth. Asser therefore proposed 
 to begin a new book, and to this the King agreed. 
 Very soon other quotations were added to the first, 
 and the new book grew, till it was as large as a 
 
King AlfrecPs Books 
 
 psalter. It was filled chiefly with passages from the 
 Scriptures, and from the Latin writings of the 
 Fathers of the Church. The King called it his 
 Handbook. It was begun in November 887, and in 
 the following year he translated it into English for 
 the use of his people. To those who could not read 
 Latin this was a great boon, and the King soon de- 
 cided to translate other books into English. Unfor- 
 tunately the Handbook was lost after Alfred's death, 
 and nothing is now known of its fate. 
 
 With the assistance of Plegmund, Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, King Alfred next undertook the trans- 
 lation of Pope Gregory's Shepherd's Book, or 
 Pastoral Care, of which mention was made in a 
 previous chapter. This book sets forth the duties 
 of Christian bishops, the importance of their office, 
 and the great danger of filling it unworthily. To 
 the Shepherd's Book the King wrote an important 
 preface addressed to his friend Bishop Werferth, 
 in which he gives an account of the different causes 
 of the falling away of learning in England at that 
 time. Alfred ordered copies of his translation to 
 be sent to all the bishops in his kingdom. The 
 copies sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury and 
 to the Bishops of Worcester and Sherborne are still 
 in existence. 
 
 The King desired that his people should have 
 some knowledge of how Christianity was first intro- 
 duced into England, and also of the history of their 
 
 131 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 own and other countries. So the next book which 
 he translated into English was Bede's Ecclesiastical 
 History of the English People, The Venerable 
 Bede, as he was called, who first wrote this book 
 in Latin, was a monk of the monastery of Wear- 
 mouth, near Jarrow, in Durham. Having been 
 left an orphan when very young, Bede had been 
 sent to the monastery at the age of seven. With 
 the exception of a few visits to friends in the 
 neighbourhood, he remained in the monastery all his 
 life, and died there, at the age of sixty-three, in the 
 year 735. 
 
 His wonderful writings were the result of hard 
 study. Bede loved to be always learning, teaching, 
 or writing. He studied the Scriptures with all his 
 might, and never failed to take part in the daily 
 services of the church. Bede's Ecclesiastical His- 
 tory begins with the landing of Julius Caesar in 
 Britain, and continues to the year 731. It is a 
 work of the greatest value, for from it we learn 
 how England became a Christian country. There 
 we read of the landing in England of the Roman 
 monk Augustine, who afterwards became first Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury; of his favourable reception 
 by King Ethelbert of Kent and Queen Bertha, 
 who was a Christian princess from Gaul; and of 
 the gradual spread of Christianity from Kent to 
 other parts of England. There, too, we read many 
 wonderful stories of the Early English saints, and of 
 
 132 
 
King Alfreds Books 
 
 how Csedmon, a poor cowherd at Whitby monastery, 
 became the first Anglo-Saxon poet. 
 
 Great must have been the delight of the English 
 people when, through the labours of their King, they 
 were first able to read these stories in their own 
 tongue. 
 
 King Alfred also caused all that was known of 
 the history of England up to his own time to be 
 copied from old records. It had been the custom 
 in monasteries to keep a register of the events of 
 each year, chiefly the deaths or dethronements of 
 bishops and kings. For Wessex and Kent this 
 was done at Winchester and Canterbury. The 
 Winchester record was most carefully kept. In the 
 reign of King Ethelwulf, a. cleric, who is supposed 
 to have been Bishop Swithin of Winchester, filled 
 in the Winchester annals with more details, inserting 
 all that was known from tradition, from the time 
 of the first landing of the English in Britain/ He 
 also made a table showing the supposed descent 
 of the West Saxon Kings from Adam and from the 
 god Odin or Woden. This part of the record, con- 
 tinued to the year 855, was found by Alfred when 
 he became King, and remained as it was until the 
 days of peace. About the year 891 Alfred deter- 
 mined to continue it as a history of England. 
 
 Thus the famous Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was 
 begun, and was continued after Alfred's death by 
 various writers for nearly three hundred years. 
 
 i33 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 From it we get most of our knowledge of our coun- 
 try's early history. Alfred caused the part from the 
 ascension of his brother Ethelbald to be carefully 
 filled in, and added a full account of the Danish 
 wars. Many fresh entries were also made from 
 different Latin writers, and the whole Chronicle was 
 translated into English. Six ancient copies of the 
 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are still in existence. Four 
 of these may be seen in the British Museum. 
 
 The translation into English of the History of 
 the World, by Orosius, was probably the most 
 difficult of all Alfred's literary labours. This book 
 had been written in Latin about the year 418 by 
 Orosius, a young Spanish priest. Many heathen 
 writers of that time had declared that the intro- 
 duction of Christianity had harmed the Roman 
 Empire more than it had benefited it. In reply to 
 this statement, St Augustine, the African Bishop 
 of Hippo, had written a book called The City of 
 God, in which he defended the Christian faith. 
 He then advised his friend Orosius to write a History 
 of the World. The book was an attempt to prove, 
 as Augustine himself had done, that the decay of the 
 Roman Empire and the wars of the world were not 
 due, as the heathen declared, to Christianity. 
 
 This work of Orosius was the only History of the 
 World existing in the Middle Ages, and though 
 poorly written, contains much useful information. 
 In translating the book, Alfred omitted much which 
 
 134 
 
King Alfreds Books 
 
 he thought would not be of interest to his readers. 
 He also inserted many new facts, including the 
 story of the voyages of Othere and Wulfstan, of 
 which an account has already been given, and a 
 description of the German countries from which the 
 English races first came. 
 
 Another very important book translated by King 
 Alfred was the Consolations of Philosophy, by 
 Bcethius. It was written about the year 523 by 
 Bcethius, a learned Roman consul, who had enjoyed 
 the favour of Theodoric, King of the Goths, then 
 Master of Italy and Rome. In 522, Bcethius was 
 accused of treason by Theodoric, and was thrown 
 into prison at Pavia. After being kept in a dungeon 
 for nearly a year, he was executed. 
 
 Like Bunyan, he employed the months of his 
 imprisonment in writing this book, in which he 
 supposes that he is visited in prison by Wisdom 
 or Philosophy, disguised as a woman. She consoles 
 him for the evil changes of fortune, and shows that 
 riches, power, pleasure, or glory do not bring their 
 possessors real happiness, but that the only lasting 
 happiness is in the soul. Virtue alone is of impor- 
 tance, for the good man is master of himself and of 
 his fate. 
 
 None knew better than King Alfred how true this 
 is, and the Consolations was one of his favourite 
 books. In translating it for the use of his people 
 he inserted many of his own thoughts, and this 
 
 135 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 makes his English version of the greatest interest. 
 From this work we learn something of the King's 
 inner life, and of his noble thoughts. In the second 
 part of the book Alfred explains at great length 
 his own ideas about government, and shows how 
 vain is power without wisdom. He ends this part 
 with the memorable words: — "This I can truly 
 say that as long as I have lived I have striven 
 to live worthily, and after my death to leave 
 to my descendants a memory of me in good 
 works." 
 
 The book contains many fine passages and several 
 stories of great interest. Among them is the follow- 
 ing old Greek legend: — 
 
 "Once upon a time there lived in the country 
 called Thracia, a harper named Orpheus. So skil- 
 fully could he harp that the wild beasts of the forest 
 were wont to come together at the sound of his music, 
 and though men or hounds came against them they 
 would not flee. And the woods swayed and the 
 rocks stirred in time to his melodies. 
 
 " The harper had a beautiful wife named Eurydice, 
 whom he loved very dearly. But it came to pass 
 that Eurydice died, and her soul was taken to the 
 Spirit-Land. Then the harper became so sad that 
 he could no longer live among other men. So he 
 withdrew to the solitude of the hills and woods, 
 where day and night he sat weeping and harping, 
 while the woods trembled, and the waters stood still, 
 
 136 
 
King Alfreds Books 
 
 and no hart shunned lion or hound for the magic of 
 his music, and for the sweetness of the sound. 
 
 "But the harper knew that nothing would ever 
 please him more in this world, and he resolved to 
 seek the gods of the Spirit-Land, if so be that he 
 might soothe them with his music, until they con- 
 sented to give him back his wife. 
 
 "He found the gate of the Spirit-Land guarded by 
 a great dog named Cerberus, with three heads, very 
 fierce and terrible. But when Orpheus played on 
 his harp the monster leapt upon him fawning, and 
 showed gladness with its tail. The warder of the 
 gate was a dreadful looking man named Charon, 
 who was exceedingly old. But when Charon heard 
 the rare music, he longed so greatly after it that he 
 promised to protect Orpheus in the Spirit-Land, and 
 to bring him safely from thence on his return. 
 
 "Then Orpheus went on farther, until he met 
 three dread goddesses called the Fates, who have 
 mercy on none, but visit all according to their works. 
 To them he played and begged for their favour, until 
 they wept with him. So he went farther, playing as 
 he went, and there ran to meet him all the dwellers 
 in the Spirit-Land. They ran to their King, and 
 begged him to allow Eurydice to return to earth 
 with her husband. And while Orpheus played, all 
 the torments of those who were tormented for 
 their sins in the abode of evil spirits ceased. Then 
 all the spirits cried: 
 
 i37 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 " 'Let us give this man his wife back, for he has 
 earned her with his harping!' 
 
 "So the King granted his request and gave back 
 Eurydice, but warned him that he must not look 
 back as he left the Spirit-Land, lest she should vanish 
 again from his sight. 
 
 "Then Orpheus and Eurydice went together 
 through the Spirit-Land, until they came to the 
 boundary of light and darkness. But as they reached 
 the light Orpheus looked back for very gladness, and 
 straightway the woman vanished out of his sight, 
 and was lost to him." 
 
 Other books exist besides those mentioned, which 
 are said to have been translated by King Alfred, but 
 it is doubtful if they were really his work. One 
 of these is a collection of Saxon proverbs, which 
 was most probably made about two hundred years 
 after his time. The proverbs are arranged in thirty- 
 one paragraphs or stanzas, each of which begins, 
 "Thus saith Alfred, England's Comfort," or "Eng- 
 land's Shepherd," or "England's Darling," etc. 
 
 The collection has the following short preface in 
 verse telling that the proverbs were spoken at a 
 meeting, probably of the Witan, held at Sifford, or 
 Seaford, in Oxfordshire: — 
 
 "At Sifford there sate many thanes, 
 Many bishops, many learned, 
 With earls and awful knights, 
 
 138 
 
King Alfreds Books 
 
 There was Earl Alfrich, very learned in the law; 
 There also was Alfred, England's herdsman, 
 
 England's darling; 
 He was King of England, he taught them, 
 
 All who could hear him, 
 How they should lead their lives. 
 
 Alfred was a King of England that was very strong. 
 He was both king and scholar, he loved well God's work; 
 He was wise and advised in his talk; 
 He was the wisest man that was in all England." 
 
 The book ends with the following words of advice 
 supposed to have been spoken by Alfred on his 
 deathbed to his son: — 
 
 "Thus quoth Alfred: 'My dear son sit thou now 
 beside me and I will deliver thee true instruction. 
 My son I feel that my hour is near, my face is pale, 
 my days are nearly run. We must soon part. I 
 shall to another world, and thou shalt be left alone 
 with all my wealth. I pray thee, for thou art my 
 dear child, strive to be a father and a lord to thy 
 people; be thou the children's father and the widow's 
 friend; comfort thou the poor and shelter the weak, 
 and with all thy might right that which is wrong. 
 And my son govern thyself by law; then shall the 
 Lord love thee and God above all things shall be thy 
 reward. Call thou upon Him to advise thee in all 
 thy need, and so shall He help thee the better to 
 compass that which thou wouldst.'" 
 
 139 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 King Alfred is said to have also written a book 
 on Hawking. The sport of catching wild birds by 
 hawks trained for the purpose was very popular in 
 those days, and was a favourite pastime of the King. 
 Unfortunately this book has been lost. 
 
 Many other Latin books were translated at the 
 King's desire by the scholars who gathered at his 
 court. 
 
 The English into which all Alfred's books were 
 translated differs very considerably from our lan- 
 guage of the present day. To distinguish it from 
 modern English, into which it changed very gradu- 
 ally, the English of that day is usually known as 
 Anglo-Saxon. At the time of his death King Alfred 
 was engaged in translating the Psalms of David. 
 To the end he studied hard. He belonged to that 
 world where effort and progress have no end. 
 
 140 
 
CHAPTERXVIII: How Alfred 
 
 spent his Time & Money 
 
 TO King Alfred, busy as he constantly was, 
 time was very precious, and in order to 
 get through his work he had to divide his 
 day carefully. Had he not done so, the great work 
 of his life during the years of peace would have been 
 left but half done. 
 
 The King made a vow that he would dedicate 
 eight hours out of every twenty-four to the service 
 of God. Another eight hours were devoted by him 
 to public business, and the remaining eight to rest 
 and recreation. In those days clocks and watches 
 were unknown, and time could only be measured by 
 the sun. Sundials were much used, but on cloudy 
 days, and of course during the night, these were use- 
 less. Often would the King fear lest while occupied 
 with public affairs he should allow to pass the hours 
 which he had promised to give to the service of God. 
 He reflected much on this matter until at last a 
 clever invention occurred to him. By means of re- 
 peated experiments he found that a candle contain- 
 ing twelve pennyweights of wax burned exactly four 
 hours. So he ordered his chaplains Athelstan and 
 Werewulf to procure enough wax to weigh seventy- 
 two pennyweights. With this he ordered six candles 
 to be made, all of equal size and weight, and divided 
 by lines into inches. These were lighted in succes- 
 
 141 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 sion, and burned for twenty-four hours. The King 
 afterwards ordered similar candles to be burned 
 constantly before the bones of the saints, which he 
 always took with him on his journeys. These bones 
 were believed to possess miraculous healing powers. 
 He also commanded his clergy to keep time-measur- 
 ing candles burning in the churches. By this means 
 the passing of each hour was marked, and was noti- 
 fied to the people by the ringing of bells. 
 
 It was soon found, however, that six candles did 
 not always last twenty-four hours. Alfred's clever 
 invention was often rendered useless by the boister- 
 ous winds which especially at certain seasons of the 
 year sometimes blew continuously, day and night 
 penetrating the open windows and doorways. 
 
 At that time glass was almost unknown in Eng- 
 land, though princes and wealthy aldermen some- 
 times possessed glass drinking-vessels, brought from 
 foreign countries, and considered very rare and valu- 
 able. But to employ glass to exclude wind and rain, 
 while admitting light into churches and houses had 
 not then occurred to the people of England. The 
 few windows made in buildings consisted of narrow 
 oblong holes open to the air. Through these and 
 through the badly fitting doors the wind easily 
 entered, and seriously interfered with the burning of 
 Alfred's candles. The lights were either blown out 
 or they burned down quicker than usual, making 
 the correct measurement of time impossible. 
 
 142 
 
•ALFRED CAUSES CANDLES TO BE LIT IN CHURCHES" 
 
 —Page m 
 
How Alfred spent his Timefe Money 
 
 When Alfred heard that the candles thus burned 
 out before the proper time, he tried to invent some 
 means of getting over the difficulty. Soon he thought 
 of an excellent plan. He caused beautiful lanterns 
 to be constructed of wood, and plates of ox-horn, 
 planed so thin that they were as transparent as glass. 
 In these lanterns, which had small holes at the top 
 and were closed by horn doors, the candles were 
 placed, and were thus sheltered from the wind while 
 they could be seen perfectly. By this contrivance 
 the six candles lighted in succession burned twenty- 
 four hours, and when these were finished others were 
 immediately lighted. 
 
 The eight hours consecrated by King Alfred to the 
 service of God were spent partly in private prayer in 
 the church, partly in attending the public services, 
 and partly in performing works of charity and mercy. 
 Every day he listened with reverence and attention 
 to the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and afterwards 
 discussed the meaning of difficult passages with the 
 learned men whom he had gathered around him. 
 He also took part with great delight in the singing 
 of psalms and hymns. His works of charity were 
 numerous, and he was ever ready to show sympathy 
 with the poor and afflicted. He thought little of 
 his own needs, but constantly of how he could serve 
 others. If the eight hours set apart for public 
 business proved too short for the work Alfred wished 
 to accomplish, he continued to labour during the 
 
 143 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 hours of rest, rather than take from those which he 
 had consecrated to the service of God. There can 
 be little doubt that the fatigue of his endless labour, 
 acting on a frame weakened by disease, shortened 
 his life. Yet these years of peace were happy for 
 him, though they were all too brief. 
 
 The King had a large revenue from his estates and 
 other sources. This he spent with the greatest care, 
 for he was a thorough man of business, careful in 
 detail, industrious and methodical. He considered 
 himself only a steward of great possessions, for which 
 he must one day give an account. 
 
 Much of the King's revenue was derived from 
 the crown lands, and from his private estates. His 
 royal castles at Dene and Leoneford have been 
 already mentioned. He also owned a castle at 
 Reading, and private estates in almost every shire 
 in Wessex, as well as in Mercia and Kent. The 
 royal properties were most numerous in Wilts, Hants, 
 and Somerset, in which shires Alfred owned as many 
 as twenty estates. Part of the produce of all these 
 lands was sold, and the money paid to the King. 
 
 Alfred's wise management of his estates brought 
 about a great increase in the revenues during his 
 reign, and considerably raised the value of the land. 
 His encouragement of agriculture and of such handi- 
 crafts as were then known brought new wealth to 
 the realm. 
 
 Other sources of royal income were the tolls, 
 144 
 
HowA If red spent his Timefe Money 
 
 customs and taxes paid to the King. Tolls were 
 paid by all who traded in the King's markets, and 
 the customs by foreign merchants who came to 
 the different ports of the kingdom. As Alfred en- 
 couraged trade with different lands the customs 
 gradually increased. 
 
 By the law of treasure-trove, anything of value 
 found in the kingdom, such as gold, silver or precious 
 stones, became the property of the King. He also 
 inherited the lands and goods of those who died 
 without heirs. 
 
 Large sums derived from fines, especially from the 
 weregeld, or fine for murder, were also paid to the 
 King. In those days Englishmen were much given 
 to brawling and fighting, and theft was very com- 
 mon. The heavy fines often imposed for these 
 offences brought in a considerable sum. 
 
 King Alfred determined to spend his yearly in- 
 come with the same conscientious care as he spent 
 his time. He divided his revenues into two parts, of 
 which one was devoted to the service of God, and the 
 other to the needs of his kingdom and royal house- 
 hold. The first portion was divided into four equal 
 parts, of which the first was bestowed in alms on the 
 poor, but with a degree of wisdom and discretion 
 very uncommon at that time, Alfred commanded 
 that in this matter the advice of Pope Gregory the 
 Great should be followed : " Give not much to whom 
 you should give little, nor little to whom much, nor 
 
 M5 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 something to whom nothing, nor nothing to whom 
 something." 
 
 The second part of the consecrated money was 
 given to the support of the abbeys built by Alfred 
 at Shaftesbury and Athelney. The third part was 
 spent by Alfred on the education of his people, in 
 supplying the clergy and laity with English books, 
 and in supporting the court schools for young nobles. 
 With the fourth portion various churches and 
 monasteries in Mercia and Wessex were assisted, 
 according as they had need; alms were sent to 
 churches in foreign lands, especially to Rome; and 
 yearly embassies were sent with gifts to the Pope. 
 
 The remaining half of Alfred's revenue was man- 
 aged with equal care. It was divided into three 
 parts, of which the first was spent for the mainte- 
 nance of the court and royal household. To the 
 arrangements of his court Alfred gave the most care- 
 ful attention. His personal followers were all spe- 
 cially appointed, and their duties assigned them by 
 himself. The great officers of the King's household, 
 who were later to play such an important part in 
 English politics, first appear during Alfred's reign. 
 The Horse-thane or Constable, the Cup-Thane or 
 Butler, and the Hoarder or Treasurer were nobles of 
 the highest rank. Records of the King's household 
 expenditure were carefully kept, and there is no 
 evidence that he ever spent money in useless luxury 
 either for himself or his family. 
 
 146 
 
How A If red spent his Timefe Money 
 
 With the second portion of the unconsecrated half 
 of Alfred's revenue the workmen, artisans and 
 designers whom he had invited to England were 
 liberally supported; part was also bestowed on the 
 learned foreigners who frequented the court, and 
 to whom Alfred always gave with the greatest 
 generosity, not waiting until their necessities forced 
 them to ask aid. 
 
 The expenses of the army and navy did not fall 
 heavily on the King, because in those days soldiers 
 and sailors were expected to serve without pay. 
 The King, however, was expected to find bread, meat 
 and beer for his troops, and part of the produce 
 of the cultivated land had to be devoted to this 
 purpose. 
 
 The remaining part of the King's revenue was 
 spent on his buildings, on the ships which he built at 
 his own expense, and on the beautiful illumination of 
 his beloved books. He also caused to be made all 
 kinds of beautiful ornaments, and employed many 
 goldsmiths at the court. 
 
 By his intense love for music, literature, and works 
 of art, the King influenced his people to care likewise 
 for these things, thus softening and refining their 
 manners by elevating and ennobling their thoughts. 
 
 147 
 
GHAPTERXIX: King Alfred's 
 Children 
 
 KING ALFRED had no settled home, for 
 even in time of peace he was constantly 
 moving from place to place attending to 
 the affairs of his kingdom. Whenever possible, his 
 wife Elswitha and her children accompanied him, 
 the court school moving with them. 
 
 The King had a large family of children, some of 
 whom died in early youth. His faithful wife, who 
 took no share in public affairs, devoted herself to 
 the careful training of her boys and girls. Thanks 
 to their parents' love and care for them, Alfred's 
 children all turned out well. Two boys and three 
 girls lived to grow up. The boys were Edward and 
 Ethelward, the girls Ethelfleda, Ethelgeda and 
 Elfrida. 
 
 It was during the first year of Alfred's reign, in 
 the midst of the Danish wars, that his eldest child, 
 Ethelfleda, was born. The little princess shared her 
 parents' wandering life, and was probably taken 
 with them into hiding at Athelney. Soon after the 
 Peace of Wedmore, Ethelfleda, although then 
 scarcely eight years old, was married to Ethelred, 
 the brave and powerful alderman of Mercia. In 
 later years this marriage proved to have been a wise 
 step on Alfred's part, for it united Mercia to him by 
 the closest of ties, although he never ruled there as 
 
 148 
 
King A If reefs Children 
 
 king. Ethelred remained a loyal ally of the crown 
 until the end of his life. As leader of the Mercian 
 troops he fought many battles against the Danes, 
 and won great glory for his brilliant victory over the 
 enemy during the last Danish war of Alfred's reign. 
 His wise rule greatly strengthened the Mercian 
 kingdom. He taught his people to hold their own 
 against the Welsh on the one side, and the East 
 Anglian Danes on the other. 
 
 The princess Ethelfleda was a great favourite 
 with the people of Mercia. When she grew to 
 womanhood she was allowed to enjoy equal power 
 with her husband. They had one little daughter, 
 Elfwyn, who was their great joy, and who was 
 brought up with her cousin, Athelstan and his sis- 
 ters, of whom we shall hear later. 
 
 Sad to relate, the brave Ethelred's health gradu- 
 ally failed when he was yet in the prime of life. Dur- 
 ing his long illness Ethelfleda took the lead in de- 
 fending Mercia against the Danes. She ordered 
 several new fortresses to be built in Mercia. Two of 
 these were on the old Roman road called Watling 
 Street, which led from London to Wroxeter, near 
 Shrewsbury; one was at Bridgenorth, in Shropshire, 
 and one near the middle course of the Severn. Gar- 
 risons of Mercian soldiers were sent to defend these 
 fortresses against the enemy. 
 
 To the great grief of his wife and little daughter, 
 the illness of Ethelred ended in his death in 912. 
 
 149 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 Ethelfleda continued to rule, and was given the title 
 of "Lady of the Mercians." For many years she 
 governed Mercia wisely and justly, following in the 
 footsteps of her great father. She made alliances 
 with the Irish and Welsh against the Danes, and 
 her armies defeated the Northmen in several battles. 
 More than once she led her own troops to victory. 
 Her brother Edward, who succeeded Alfred on the 
 throne of Wessex, owed much to her loyal help 
 against the Danes. Mercian troops were ever 
 ready to join the Wessex army in defending the 
 kingdom. 
 
 Ethelfleda died at her palace at Tamworth, in 
 Staffordshire, on June 12, 918, and was buried in the 
 Church of St Peter at Gloucester. Her daughter 
 Elfwyn had been sought in marriage by a Danish 
 chief, but her uncle, Edward, refused to consent to 
 such an alliance, fearing that all Mercia would thus 
 fall into the power of the Danes. So he carried her 
 off to the Wessex court. 
 
 King Alfred's eldest son, Edmund died in boy- 
 hood. Little is known of him except that he was a 
 gentle and amiable youth, too fragile and delicate to 
 survive the hardships of those rude times. 
 
 Alfred's second son, afterwards known as Edward 
 the Elder, was a tall, handsome youth, who delighted 
 in the chase and in all manly sports. By the time 
 he reached manhood he is said to have been a better 
 soldier than his father, though not so good a scholar. 
 
 150 
 
'THE KINGS SUN AT HIS OLD NURSE'S HUT"— Paye 153 
 
King A If reefs Children 
 
 At the age of twenty he distinguished himself by 
 his bravery in the Danish wars, as related in another 
 chapter. 
 
 The following story is told of Edward's marriage. 
 "One day the prince, while hunting in the forest, 
 found himself near a hut in which lived an old 
 woman who had been his nurse. On entering the 
 hut to visit his old friend, the prince was surprised 
 and delighted to find there a beautiful maiden whom 
 his nurse had adopted as her daughter. The maid- 
 en's name was Edgina, and she is said to have been 
 the orphan daughter of a woodcutter, who had met 
 his death in the forest. 
 
 " The prince had no sooner seen her, than, charmed 
 by her beauty, he fell deeply in love with her. 
 Strange to say, on the night before Edward's visit, 
 Edgina had had a dream, in which she saw the moon 
 shine from her body so brightly that it illumined 
 the whole land. 
 
 "Now the old nurse was somewhat of a witch, so, 
 when Edgina related this dream to her, she declared 
 it meant that a great future was in store for the girl. 
 Though the nurse knew that King Alfred would be 
 much displeased if his son wedded a maiden of 
 such humble birth, she did all she could to bring 
 about their marriage. After the day of Prince 
 Edward's first visit, the lovers met frequently in 
 the forest. 
 
 "At last the nurse arranged for a secret marriage 
 
 151 
 
"The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 to take place between them. Edward's parents 
 were deeply grieved when they heard that their son 
 had married without their consent. For a long time 
 they refused to recognize Edgina as Prince Edward's 
 wife, or to receive her at the court. 
 
 "After giving birth to a son and daughter poor 
 Edgina died. Her son, who was named Athelstan, 
 was then taken to his grandfather's court. He 
 was a child of singular beauty and charm, and he 
 soon completely won the heart of King Alfred. The 
 King was so much pleased by the boy's early promise 
 that he recognized him as his heir after Edward. 
 He caused him to be dressed in a scarlet cloak, 
 with jewelled belt, and a Saxon sword with gold 
 scabbard. 
 
 " The motherless boy was brought up by his aunt 
 Ethelfleda, with his cousin Elf wyn. He grew up a 
 wise and noble man, and lived to rule Wessex as one 
 of its best and greatest kings." 
 
 Edward was twice married after the death of 
 Edgina, and had twelve children, some of whom 
 became very famous. Four of his daughters mar- 
 ried powerful European princes, and his second and 
 third sons, Edmund and Eadred, succeeded Athel- 
 stan as kings of Wessex. Edward reigned as king 
 for twenty-three years, having inherited all the 
 power of his great father. He defended his kingdom 
 successfully against the Danes, and increased its 
 prosperity by his wise government. 
 
 152 
 
King Alfreds Children 
 
 King Alfred's fourth child was Ethelgeda, who 
 became noted for her learning and piety. She was 
 delicate from birth, and decided, when very young, 
 to enter a convent. As already related, she was 
 chosen Abbess of Shaftesbury when about sixteen 
 years of age, and held that position until her death, 
 the date of which is uncertain. The position held 
 by Ethelgeda at Shaftesbury induced King Alfred 
 to bestow many estates and much wealth on the 
 Abbey. 
 
 Alfred's youngest daughter Elfrida, or Elfthryth, 
 was brought up at the court with her brother 
 Edward. The children studied some of the English 
 books which their father had translated, and learned 
 many Psalms and English poems by heart. Old 
 records state that Elfrida was specially beloved by 
 the Wessex people, but she was not destined to 
 remain long among them. The date of her marriage 
 is uncertain; probably she was only about twelve 
 when she was married to Baldwin II of Flanders, 
 a violent and greedy man, the son of Alfred's 
 step-mother Judith. 
 
 After the death of King Ethelbald, Judith had 
 returned to France, and became by a third marriage 
 the wife of Baldwin Iron-Arm, the first Count of 
 Flanders. Though the people of Wessex had no 
 love for her, a reconciliation took place between 
 Judith and Alfred after he became king. Alfred 
 knew the importance of uniting powerful foreign 
 
 153 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 princes to him by marriage, so he consented to give 
 his little daughter to Judith's son. Elfrida was 
 taken by her husband overseas to Flanders, and it 
 is uncertain if she ever saw her native country again. 
 Though little is known of her married life, we may 
 hope that she lived happily in her new home. 
 She had two sons and two daughters. From her 
 eldest son, Armulf, was descended Matilda, wife of 
 William the Conqueror, and first Norman Queen of 
 England. Through her our present sovereign, King 
 George V, can trace his descent from Alfred the 
 Great. 
 
 Elfrida survived her husband for fourteen years, 
 and died in 929. She was buried in the Church of 
 St Peter at Ghent, in Flanders. The English 
 estates which had been left to her by her father 
 King Alfred, she bestowed on the Abbey of St Peter 
 at Ghent. 
 
 Ethelward, the youngest son of Alfred, greatly 
 delighted his father by becoming a famous scholar. 
 He inherited all the King's great love of learning, 
 and devoted most of his time to study. The prince 
 was educated first at the court school, and after- 
 wards he studied at some of the great monastic 
 schools of Wessex. Ethelward's character was en- 
 tirely different from that of his brother Edward, 
 for he was ever gentle and submissive toward his 
 parents. His frank and generous nature caused 
 him to be beloved by all. To this favourite son 
 
 154 
 
King Alfreds Children 
 
 King Alfred left great estates in different parts of 
 Wessex. 
 
 Ethelward married and had three children, but 
 nothing is known of their descendants. He died on 
 October 16, 922, and was buried in the royal vault 
 at Winchester. 
 
 155 
 
CHAPTER XX: Alfred's 
 Last JV^ar 
 
 ALFRED'S troubles with the Danes were not 
 yet over. One more campaign had to be 
 fought ere he laid down his sword for ever. 
 Thanks to his wise foresight, however, the people 
 of Wessex were now better able to resist the invaders 
 than they had ever been before. 
 
 During the years of peace in England the Vikings 
 had been occupied in plundering and destroying 
 other countries. After the death of Charles the 
 Eat, a descendant of the mighty emperor Charle- 
 magne, his vast empire had been broken up into 
 portions — Germany being ruled by his nephew 
 Armulf, to whom was given the title of Emperor; 
 France by Odo, Count of Paris; and the smaller 
 divisions by petty sovereigns. The different rulers 
 soon quarrelled with each other, which gave the 
 Danes an opportunity for plundering them all in 
 turn. At last the Emperor Armulf re-established 
 his authority over the western portion of the empire, 
 and having mustered a huge army of Bavarians, 
 Franks and Saxons, he defeated the Danes in a great 
 battle fought near Louvaine, in Belgium. This 
 drove the Northmen from Germany. 
 
 Meantime, however, another great Danish army, 
 led by the sea-king Hastings, had for some time been 
 engaged in plundering that part of northern 
 
 156 
 
Alfred's Last War 
 
 France which lies around the town of Amiens. 
 They at length defeated Odo in several battles, and 
 took possession of the whole northern portion of his 
 kingdom. It was not long, however, before their 
 ravages brought a terrible famine on the ruined 
 land, from which they were forced to flee. Hastings 
 fled to Boulogne with his followers, and was there 
 joined by the Danes who had been driven from 
 Germany. Swarms of reckless freebooters and 
 robbers from all parts of Europe also hastened to 
 join him, and he was soon in command of a vast 
 army. 
 
 By means of small pirate boats Hastings managed 
 to communicate with the Danes who lived in East 
 Anglia, and from them learned how rich and pros- 
 perous Wessex had become during the years of his 
 absence. He soon set about building a fleet of 
 new ships at Boulogne, with which to sail with his 
 followers for England. The robbers determined to 
 take with them their wives and children, for this 
 was to be no mere plundering raid, but a complete 
 conquest of England. 
 
 On a beautiful autumn day of the year 893, two 
 hundred and fifty pirate ships, with many men and 
 horses on board, sailed from Boulogne. Steering 
 straight across the Channel they landed without 
 opposition in East Kent, near the mouth of the 
 river Rother, about seven miles west of Dungeness. 
 Up that river they towed their ships for four miles, 
 
 157 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 until they reached a half-built fortress, erected by 
 some Kentish peasants. This they captured with 
 little difficulty, but found it in such an unfinished 
 
 condition that it was of little use for defence. 
 Therefore they advanced a few miles farther until 
 they came to Appledore, in Kent, where they 
 encamped on the borders of a great wood known as 
 Andred's Weald. This wood stretched westward 
 for TOO miles, from Romney Marsh to Hampshire, 
 and for 30 miles from north to south. 
 
 Meanwhile another fleet of eighty Danish ships, 
 commanded by Hastings himself, had crossed the 
 Channel from Boulogne. Sailing round the North 
 Foreland they entered the river Swale, a tributary 
 of the Medway which separates the Isle of Sheppey 
 from Kent. The Northmen landed near the spot 
 where the town of Milton now stands, and there 
 built a fortified camp. 
 
 The two Danish camps were thus only about 
 twenty-six miles apart. The invaders had chosen 
 their position well. Both camps were close to 
 navigable rivers, up which the Danes might escape 
 in their ships if need arose. Through the hidden 
 paths of the forest which stretched between them 
 they could hold communication with each other, or 
 retire unseen into the heart of Wessex. 
 
 As soon as King Alfred heard of the arrival of the 
 invaders he sent a small force under his son Edward, 
 now a youth of twenty, to watch both camps and 
 
 158 
 
Alfreds Last JVar 
 
 report on their movements. The King was too wise 
 
 to attempt an immediate attaek on the Danish 
 camps, for he knew that their position was very 
 strong, iris next step was to cause all the Danes 
 who had settled in East Anglia to renew their oaths, 
 and give hostages as pledges that they would take no 
 part with the invaders. This they did readily, 
 although they only waited their opportunity to join 
 the enemy. 
 
 The King then mustered the division of his troops 
 whose turn it was for active service, and marched 
 to join his son Edward. He encamped at a place 
 from which he hoped to be able to prevent the two 
 Danish armies from joining each other, and prepared 
 to attack either of them should they attempt to 
 advance into the open country. During the winter, 
 however, the Danes made no effort to leave their 
 camps, though small parties of them made plunder- 
 ing raids on the surrounding districts, and usually 
 managed to escape capture by the English. 
 
 At last Hastings sent messengers to Alfred offering 
 to enter into an agreement which he had secretly 
 no intention of keeping. To deceive the King he 
 even sent to the English camp his two sons, and 
 declared that he desired them to receive Christian 
 baptism. King Alfred received the boys with much 
 kindness, and they w^ere solemnly baptized as 
 Christians. It is believed that Alfred's friend, 
 Bishop YVerferth, performed the ceremony. The 
 
 159 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 King himself and his son-in-law, Alderman Ethelred 
 of Mercia, stood godfathers for the boys. After the 
 ceremony the kind-hearted King entertained them 
 at a sumptuous feast, and afterwards sent them back 
 to their father loaded with gifts. 
 
 Alfred's generosity failed to touch the treacherous 
 old sea-king. The English, trusting to the treaty 
 made, had relaxed their watchfulness, when, soon 
 after Easter 894, the Danes at Appledore suddenly 
 broke up their camp and sent their ships round to 
 Benfleet, in Essex. They then made their way 
 through the woods to Berkshire and Hampshire, 
 which they plundered. Hastings, with his followers, 
 also took their ships, with their women and children 
 on board, to Benfleet, and began to harry and 
 plunder the districts that had been made over to 
 Alfred by the treaty of 884. After working much 
 havoc in these regions, Hastings led his robbers 
 into Hampshire, where he met some of his own 
 marauding troops laden with spoil. With this 
 booty and the plunder which he had taken himself 
 he turned northward. 
 
 Meantime King Alfred had received a message 
 from his son Edward, stating that the Danes had 
 passed near him on the march, but that he had been 
 unable to stop them. Hastings had purposed to 
 cross the Thames with his army, and march through 
 Essex to Benfleet, where his whole fleet had now 
 assembled. The King had no sooner received the 
 
 160 
 
•PRINCE EDWARD FOUGHT WITH LION-LIKE COURAGE" 
 
 — Page 160 
 
Alfreds Last W^ar 
 
 prince's message than he hastily mustered his army, 
 and pursued the Danes. He was soon joined by 
 Prince Edward with his troops, and, marching as 
 rapidly as possible, he succeeded in overtaking the 
 Danes at Farnham, in Surrey. For the first time 
 since their landing the robbers were forced to 
 fight. 
 
 There followed a long and fierce battle, in which 
 Prince Edward fought with lion-like courage, winning 
 great glory for his valour. At length one of the 
 pagan leaders fled wounded from the field, and his 
 departure caused a panic among his followers. 
 They suddenly turned and rushed northward, in the 
 wildest confusion and terror. On reaching the 
 Thames they could find only one ford. By this 
 they all attempted to cross at once, but in their 
 headlong rush many of them were swept away and 
 drowned. A large number of horses and much spoil 
 fell into the hands of the English. 
 
 The survivors of the Danish army reached a place 
 called Thorney Island, at the junction of the Thames 
 and Colne, where they were soon joined by Hastings 
 with those of his followers who had escaped from the 
 battle-field. King Alfred lost no time in dispatch- 
 ing a body of troops under the gallant Prince Edward 
 to blockade the Northmen in Thorney Island. This 
 time, however, they were well supplied with provi- 
 sions from their ships, with which they managed to 
 keep in touch throughout the siege. 
 
 161 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 At length the period of service of Prince Edward's 
 division of the army expired, and his men returned 
 home. King Alfred was on his way to replace them 
 with another division when startling news reached 
 him. In spite of their solemn oaths the Danes of 
 Northumbria and East Anglia had risen in revolt 
 and joined the invaders. Two of their fleets had 
 already landed in Devon; the larger one, of a hundred 
 ships, had sailed up the Exe and besieged Exeter, 
 while the smaller one, of forty ships, had made its way 
 up the Bristol Channel, and landed on the shores of 
 North Devon. 
 
 King Alfred was not greatly surprised to receive 
 this news, as he had for some time suspected the 
 East Anglian Danes of treachery. With the divi- 
 sion of his troops which had been already mustered, 
 he immediately hurried westward, leaving Prince 
 Edward with a small force to continue the siege of 
 Thorney Island. The Prince marched through 
 Essex with his troops, but arrived only to find that 
 the Danes had taken advantage of his absence to 
 escape to Benfleet. 
 
 As Prince Edward's force was too small to enable 
 him to attack the Danes at Benfleet with any hope 
 of success, he advanced to join his brother-in-law, 
 Alderman Ethelred, who was holding London with 
 a large body of Mercian troops. 
 
 The citizens of London were greatly alarmed on 
 hearing that the great Danish army was encamped 
 
 162 
 
Alfreds Last W^ar 
 
 within thirty miles of them. They implored Ethel- 
 red to protect them, for it was expected that the 
 invaders would immediately march on the city. 
 
 Day after day passed, however, without the Danes 
 making any attempt to attack London. At length 
 Ethelred determined to storm their camp at Benfleet. 
 Marching suddenly against them with a large force 
 he arrived at what was for him a fortunate time, 
 Hastings being absent with the greater part of his 
 troops on a plundering expedition through Mercia. 
 The Danes, who had not expected an attack, were 
 taken completely by surprise. Not only was their 
 camp stormed and all their plunder captured, but 
 most of their vessels, with the women and children on 
 board, fell into the hands of the English. Much booty, 
 of gold, silver, horses, and garments, was also taken. 
 
 Among the prisoners were the wife and two sons 
 of Hastings, who were sent to King Alfred, but the 
 generous King refused to revenge himself on them 
 by keeping them captive. He ordered his godsons 
 and their mother to be sent back to the faithless 
 Hastings, and before their departure gave them 
 many costly presents. All the serviceable Danish 
 vessels which had fallen into the hands of the English 
 were sent to London or Rochester, while the others 
 were broken Up or burnt. This was one of the most 
 complete victories in the annals of Wessex. 
 
 The surviving Danes, who had fled from Benfleet, 
 made their way eastward to Shoebury, where they 
 
 163 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 were soon joined by Hastings with his troops. Soon 
 after his arrival they all set out along the northern 
 bank of the Thames, and continued their march 
 westward until they reached the Severn, intending 
 to follow the course of that river toward the south. 
 They thus hoped to join their East Anglian allies 
 who had landed in Devonshire, and who still pos- 
 sessed a fleet. 
 
 Alderman Ethelred had, however, kept a careful 
 watch on their movements, and was too good a 
 general to permit them thus to join their allies with- 
 out opposition. He quickly ordered a muster of 
 every available troop, and the men of Wessex has- 
 tened from all parts to obey his summons. Alder- 
 men Ethelhelm of Wiltshire, Ethelnoth of Somerset, 
 and many noble thanes joined him with their forces. 
 A powerful body of soldiers from North Wales also 
 hastened to obey his call. 
 
 These forces represented nothing less than a rising 
 of the whole English people against the enemy. 
 Their readiness to volunteer, their rapid muster, 
 and excellent organization marked the progress 
 which their country had made under King Alfred 
 since the last invasion. 
 
 At the head of a magnificent force, Alderman 
 Ethelred marched to Buttington, on the Severn, 
 and there laid siege to a fortress held by the enemy. 
 Buttington is an ancient border parish between 
 Shropshire and Montgomeryshire. Through it ran 
 
 164 
 
Alfreds Last TVar 
 
 a great earthwork known as Offa's Dyke, built 
 about the year 795 by Offa, King of Mercia, for the 
 purpose of forming a boundary between England 
 and Wales. 
 
 For several weeks the Danes were so closely be- 
 sieged in Buttington that they could neither escape 
 to seek food nor hold communication with their 
 allies in Devon. Their provisions were soon ex- 
 hausted. Many of their horses died of starvation, 
 and they were forced to eat the rest. At length, 
 Hastings, driven to desperation, was compelled to 
 make a sudden sally with his men toward the east, 
 and attempted to fight his way through the besieging 
 army. The English met them outside the fortifica- 
 tions and a furious battle raged. Both sides fought 
 desperately and many noble English thanes were 
 slain. Among them was a gallant noble named 
 Ordheh, who had been much honoured and beloved. 
 By degrees, however, the English forced the North- 
 men before them, until they scattered in wild flight. 
 Evening found Ethelred and his troops masters of 
 the field. 
 
 About seventy years ago, some workmen, digging 
 the foundations for a new school near Offa's Dyke, 
 found a great quantity of bones just below the 
 surface. There can be little doubt that these were 
 the bones of many great warriors slain in the battle 
 of Buttington. 
 
 After this defeat Hastings was forced to make 
 
 165 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 a treaty with Ethelred, and the Danish army was 
 permitted to leave Mercia unmolested. In the late 
 summer they set out on the march westward by 
 the old Roman road called Watling Street. They 
 succeeded in reaching Danish East Anglia, where 
 they once more established themselves. But they 
 had not yet ceased to trouble Wessex. 
 
 166 
 
CHAPTER XXI: The Defeat 
 of the Danes 
 
 IN spite of the crushing defeat inflicted on Hast- 
 ings and his Danes at Buttington, the sea-rob- 
 bers were again to prove their marvellous power 
 of rallying. In Danish East Anglia, where they 
 were once more surrounded by their friends and 
 allies, they were soon joined by fresh reinforcements 
 from Northumbria. This encouraged Hastings to 
 renew the struggle, and he determined to make 
 another expedition to the west. 
 
 His first step was to order all the Danish women 
 and children who had accompanied him from 
 France to be placed on board the few ships left to 
 them, and conveyed from Shoebury to the island of 
 Mersey, in the estuary of the Blackwater, a few 
 miles south of Colchester. This was a safer place 
 than Shoebury, and farther from London. 
 
 In the autumn of 894, Hastings and his followers 
 left their ships to the care of their East Anglian allies, 
 and made a sudden dash across country toward 
 the north-west. Unfortunately, the English were 
 unable to oppose their advance, for Alderman 
 Ethelred had disbanded his army soon after the 
 battle of Buttington, believing that the enemy would 
 not attempt another attack before the winter. 
 
 Marching day and night without stopping, Hast- 
 ings and his followers reached the ruined walls of the 
 
 167 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 old Roman city of Chester. To this they laid siege, 
 but the English garrison held out bravely for two 
 days, and showed signs of being prepared to resist 
 the besiegers for a considerable time. Hastings 
 then decided that he would give up the attempt to 
 take the fortress, and contented himself with slaying 
 all the men whom he and his followers were able 
 to capture outside the city. The Danes also seized 
 all the cattle and corn in the neighbourhood. They 
 were unable to use the whole of the corn for them- 
 selves or their horses, so they burned the remainder. 
 After causing as much havoc as they were able, 
 they withdrew to the peninsula of Wirral, the long 
 stretch of land, protected by an embankment, lying 
 between the rivers Mersey and Dee, in Cheshire. 
 There they took up their position for the winter. 
 
 During all this time King Alfred had remained 
 in Devon with his forces, engaged in the attempt 
 to raise the siege of Exeter. Many months passed 
 before he succeeded in driving the Danes from 
 Exeter, as well as from North Devon. Even then 
 the pirates fled to their ships, and in these continued 
 for some time to hover round the coasts of Devon 
 and Cornwall, waiting for an opportunity to land. 
 So Alfred wisely decided to remain in Devon with his 
 army during the winter, in order to guard the coasts. 
 
 Though nearly two years had now elapsed since 
 the Danes returned to England, they had failed 
 to take any strongholds of importance, and, thanks 
 
 168 
 
'ALFRED WITH HIS SHIPS WATCHING FC.r\ THE DANES 
 NEAR THE DEVON COAST"— Paye 163 
 
The D ^:at of the Danes 
 
 to the splendid organization of the Wessex troops, 
 had been defeated again and again. They were not 
 yet crushed, however, for the old sea-king Hastings 
 was still at the head of a powerful army whose 
 plundering raids wasted and destroyed the country. 
 
 In the spring of 895, Hastings found himself in 
 difficulty on account of a lack of provisions for his 
 army. By that time most of his cattle had been 
 killed for food, and the rest, together with his sup- 
 plies, had been unexpectedly seized by some English 
 troops. This forced him to leave the peninsula of 
 Wirral, and he decided to make for Wales. 
 
 Marching southward through the Welsh terri- 
 tories, the Danes ravaged the country as far as 
 Brecknock and the surrounding districts. They 
 then returned north with their plunder. Fearing to 
 pass through Mercia lest they should meet with 
 Ethelred and his army, they went by Northumbria 
 and the Danelagh to their old quarters in East 
 Anglia. One ancient record states that they did not 
 escape without a sharp encounter at Stamford, in 
 Lincoln, with the troops of Alderman Ethelnoth, who 
 had been on the watch for them. The greater num- 
 ber, however, arrived safely at the island of Mersey, 
 where they once more established themselves. 
 
 Meanwhile the strict watch kept by King Alfred 
 and his troops had prevented the pirates from land- 
 ing in Devon or Cornwall. Wearied by vain at- 
 tempts to do so, they at length determined to sail 
 
 169 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 eastward with their fleet, and rejoin their allies in 
 East Anglia. On the way they made an attack on 
 the coast of Sussex, not far from the town of Chi- 
 chester. They found the coast well defended, how- 
 ever, for the inhabitants of the district lost no time 
 in turning out in great force. Many Danes were 
 slain, and several of their ships captured. The sur- 
 vivors hastened to Mersey, where they found a great 
 force of their countrymen already assembled for a 
 winter camp. 
 
 On learning that the pirates had withdrawn from 
 the coasts, Alfred left Devonshire and marched east- 
 ward with his army, intending to advance against 
 Mersey. While he was yet on the way messengers 
 met him with the news that the Danes had un- 
 expectedly left Mersey. Having towed their ships 
 from the Blackwater up the Thames as far as 
 the river Lea, and then up that river to a point 
 twenty miles above London, they there fortified a 
 camp. 
 
 Their new camp, in which they remained for the 
 winter, was well chosen as a point from which they 
 might blockade London. This was no doubt their 
 intention, though the winter and spring passed 
 without their daring to come out from behind the 
 fortifications. At length, in the summer of 896, 
 some of the citizens of London determined to risk 
 an attack on the Danish camp. But the Danes, 
 who were on the alert, beat them back with great 
 
 170 
 
The Defeat of the Danes 
 
 loss, four English thanes being slain during the 
 attack. 
 
 At the time of harvest, King Alfred, fearing a 
 Danish raid, encamped with an army in the neigh- 
 bourhood of London in order to protect the crops, 
 and watch the movements of the enemy. One day, 
 while his army was thus engaged, the King rode 
 along the bank of the river Lea and carefully ex- 
 amined the stream. He discovered a spot where 
 it would be possible to divert the river from its 
 course, and so cut off the escape of the Danish 
 ships. 
 
 The King first ordered two strong forts to be 
 constructed, one on each side of the Lea. Near 
 these forts he caused a number of shallow channels 
 to be dug, into which the main stream could flow. 
 One day, while this work was still in progress, the 
 Danes were horrified to observe the water of the 
 river flowing off so rapidly as to make it impossible 
 for them to take away their ships. Without waiting 
 for the trap to be completed, Hastings and his 
 Danes forsook their ships, and fled in panic across 
 the country toward the north-east. So rapidly 
 did they escape along Watling Street that, though 
 Alfred's troops started in hot pursuit, they were 
 unable to overtake them. The Danes reached 
 Bridgenorth, in Shropshire, where they built a new 
 stronghold. While the King's army continued to 
 pursue the fugitives for some distance, the Londoners 
 
 171 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 seized the deserted ships. All the useless vessels were 
 burnt, and the rest towed in triumph to London. 
 
 In the spring of 897, Hastings, who was now 
 completely baffled and crushed, broke up his last 
 camp on English soil. The Northumbrian and 
 East Anglian Danes who had joined him returned 
 to their homes, while Hastings himself, with his 
 followers, made his way to the east coast to rejoin 
 the Danish women and children. With his few 
 remaining ships the old sea-robber then sailed 
 away 'southward over sea to the Seine,' never 
 to return. Thus Alfred's last war ended in the 
 complete defeat of the Danes. 
 
 Though the English had lost fewer men in this 
 than in the former wars, a pestilence had raged 
 among men and cattle during the three years that 
 the Danes were in England. It attacked rich and 
 poor alike, and thousands of people died, including 
 many of the King's household servants. 
 
 The Danes had been driven from England, but 
 the pirates of the sea-coasts could not give up their 
 roving life all at once. In the autumn of the year 
 897, six pirate ships came to the Isle of Wight, and 
 did much damage there as well as around the coasts 
 of Devon. 
 
 King Alfred ordered nine of his new vessels to go 
 out against them, and cut off their escape in what- 
 ever port they were found. The Englishmen came 
 upon the pirates in the Solent, and there blockaded 
 
 172 
 
The Defeat of the Danes 
 
 them at an hour when the tide was very low. Three 
 of the pirate vessels lay stranded owing to the ebb of 
 the water, and their crews had gone ashore. The 
 crews of those which were still afloat sailed boldly 
 out to attack the English ships. Alfred's nine 
 vessels quickly surrounded them, and though the 
 pirates fought with desperate courage, they were 
 only one to every three of the Englishmen engaged. 
 Two of the pirate vessels were soon captured and 
 their crews slain. The third ship escaped with only 
 five men alive on it. 
 
 The victorious Englishmen, determined to cap- 
 ture this vessel, immediately gave chase. Their 
 triumph had rendered them reckless of danger, and 
 in the heat of the pursuit they failed to observe that 
 they were sailing into low water. Suddenly, with 
 no warning, all the King's ships found themselves 
 stranded. Three ran aground on the side where 
 the Danish vessels lay, and all the others on the op- 
 posite side. This made it impossible for those on the 
 opposite side to go to the help of the three vessels 
 which had been stranded close to the enemy. 
 
 The pirates did not fail to take advantage of this 
 disaster. When the tide had still farther ebbed 
 the pirate crews from the stranded vessels returned 
 and made a fierce attack on the three English ships 
 which lay at their mercy. Great was the rage and 
 dismay of the Englishmen on the other shore, unable 
 to go to the assistance of their comrades. In their 
 
 173 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 helplessness they were seen to beat their breasts 
 and tear their hair. 
 
 In spite of their perilous position, the English- 
 men defended themselves with great courage. They 
 determined at all costs to prevent the capture of 
 their vessels as long as possible, for it was certain 
 that, with the turn of the tide, help would come to 
 them from their comrades across the water. Mean- 
 time, however, many of the bravest fell, mortally 
 wounded by the pirates. Of the Danish crews no 
 less than one hundred and twenty men were slain, 
 while the English lost seventy-two, including five 
 officers of the King's household. At last, when the 
 English were driven almost to despair, the slowly 
 returning tide reached the point where the Danish 
 vessels lay. The pirates knew that if they waited 
 until the tide reached the other six English vessels 
 there would be no hope of their own escape, so they 
 rowed away with all speed. Their vessels, however, 
 were so badly damaged that they were unable to 
 proceed farther than the Sussex coast, on which two 
 of them were cast ashore. Their crews were immedi- 
 ately captured by the English, bound in chains, and 
 brought to the King at Winchester. 
 
 Although King Alfred desired to show mercy to all 
 who had wronged him, he knew that only by taking 
 the severest measures could he put down piracy 
 in future. If this were not done, many innocent 
 people would have to suffer in days to come, and 
 
 i74 
 
The Defeat of the Danes 
 
 countless lives be lost. Therefore the King ordered 
 all the captive pirates to be hanged, and, further, 
 made a law that in future every pirate, whether 
 English or Danish, captured on the coasts of Eng- 
 land, should be put to death without mercy. As 
 his orders were strictly carried out, the sea-faring 
 people of Northumbria and East Anglia gradually 
 ceased to follow the trade of pirates. 
 
 175 
 
CHAPTERXXII: The Death 
 of the King 
 
 AFTER his final victory over the Danes, 
 King Alfred enjoyed, during four happy 
 years, the peace for which he had so greatly 
 longed. He resumed the work which had been in- 
 terrupted during the war, and became the captain 
 of every enterprise which tended to the progress 
 and welfare of his people. But bodily weakness, 
 caused by the disease from which he had so long 
 suffered, and aggravated by the hardships endured 
 during the wars, had made the great King old before 
 his time. At the end of the fourth year of peace his 
 health failed completely. It is generally believed 
 that his death took place at his royal palace of 
 Wolvesey, in Winchester. No record exists of his 
 last days, but we may believe that he met his end 
 peacefully, happy in the knowledge that his life's 
 work had been successfully completed. 
 
 Alfred died on October 28, 901, at the early age 
 of fifty-three, after a reign of twenty-nine years and 
 six months. The Abbey Church of New Minster 
 was unfinished at the time of his death, and he was 
 buried in Winchester Cathedral. Even before the 
 completion of the Abbey Church quarrels arose 
 between the monks and the cathedral canons, who 
 were jealous of the honours bestowed on the abbey, 
 and it was declared that Alfred's spirit might be seen 
 
 170 
 
The Death of the King 
 
 wandering about the churchyard at night. His son 
 Edward, on hearing of this, ordered the King's coffin 
 to be solemnly transferred to the Abbey church 
 which by that time was nearly completed. 
 
 In the reign of King Henry I, when the monks 
 removed from the New Minster to Hyde Abbey 
 outside the city walls, there was a very great pro- 
 cession, in which the King and Queen, and the 
 Bishop of Winchester took part. The monks carried 
 with them not only the relics of the saints, but the 
 coffins of King Alfred, King Edward the Elder, 
 Alfred's wife Elswitha, the good monk Grimbald, 
 whose remains were enclosed in a silver shrine, and 
 other illustrious dead. There Alfred's coffin rested 
 for four hundred years, guarded by the faithful 
 monks, and visited by the people who loved and 
 reverenced his memory. At the Reformation, when 
 the great English monasteries were dissolved, all the 
 tombs at Winchester of Alfred and his descendants 
 were destroyed. 
 
 By his will Alfred left five hundred pounds and 
 many rich lands and estates to each of his sons. 
 To his son Edward he left his principal estates in 
 Wiltshire and Somersetshire, including the famous 
 royal burgh of Wedmore. To his youngest son 
 Ethelward, he left the great estates of Guildford 
 and Godalming in Surrey, and Steyning in Sussex. 
 
 To his wife Elswitha and his three daughters 
 the King bequeathed a hundred pounds each, and 
 
 177 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 certain lands. Elswitha received the estates of 
 Wantage, Lambourne (near Ashdown), and Ethen- 
 dune (Eddington); for the King had desired that 
 she should possess the place of his birth and the 
 scenes of his two greatest victories. To his young- 
 est daughter Elfrida, he gave the village of Lewisham 
 in Kent, with its dependencies, Greenwich and Wool- 
 wich. As already related, Elfrida afterwards gave 
 these estates to the abbey of St Peter at Ghent. 
 
 To his nephews Ethelhelm and Ethelward, sons 
 of his brother Ethelred, the King bequeathed certain 
 estates, according to an agreement made between 
 the brothers before Ethelred's death. To them and 
 to one, Osferth, believed to have been a kinsman of 
 his wife, Alfred also left a hundred marks each. 
 Ethelward, the youngest of Alfred's nephews, was 
 not content with his inheritance. He not only 
 endeavoured to extend it, but even attempted to 
 seize the crown after Alfred's death. He thus be- 
 came the enemy of his cousin, King Edward, 
 against whom he took the field with an army. 
 This revolt ended in 905, when Ethelward was slain 
 in battle. 
 
 King Alfred left a hundred marks to each of his 
 aldermen, and to Ethelred his son-in-law, alderman 
 of Mercia, he further bequeathed a sword worth a 
 hundred marks. Among his serving-men, whom he 
 was accustomed to pay at Easter, two hundred 
 pounds were to be divided according to the claims of 
 
 178 
 
The Death of the King 
 
 each. His faithful clergy were also remembered in 
 his will. To the Archbishop of Canterbury a hun- 
 dred marks were bequeathed, and the same sum to 
 Bishops Asser and Werferth. 
 
 Alfred believed that masses said for the repose 
 of men's souls and money given to God's poor would 
 benefit the departed in the next world. So he left 
 a sum of two hundred pounds to be devoted to the 
 salvation of his soul, and that of his father and those 
 friends for whose souls they had both promised to 
 pray. This money was divided into four equal parts; 
 of which one was to be given to the mass priests, one 
 to the poor clergy, one to the church where he him- 
 self should rest, and one to the poor throughout his 
 kingdom. To this church of New Minster, he had 
 previously bequeathed all the lands he possessed in 
 Kent. 
 
 Alfred desired that if there should be still more 
 money in his treasury after these legacies had been 
 paid, it should be divided among those already 
 mentioned in his will. In former years, when he 
 had more relatives living, he had made other wills, in 
 which they were mentioned. If any of these older 
 wills were found after his death he wished them to 
 be destroyed. Alfred commanded that none of the 
 estates bequeathed by him to his kinsmen should 
 ever be given to females, but should be handed 
 down in the male line, according to the custom of 
 his house; for, he adds, "my grandfather gave his 
 
 179 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 lands to the spear side and not to the spindle 
 side." 
 
 Lastly, Alfred remembered the slaves on his es- 
 tates, whose condition he had greatly improved. 
 His personal servants as well as the field labourers 
 were to be given full liberty to go over to another 
 master, or to another estate at their own pleasure, 
 and no one was to oppress them. 
 
 The King had refused to hoard his money and had 
 spent it freely for the good of his subjects. Thus 
 he died comparatively poor in worldly wealth, yet 
 the sums mentioned in his will are not so small as 
 might appear to us at the present day. The pur- 
 chasing power of money in Anglo-Saxon times was 
 very much greater than now. From early times to 
 the eleventh century the usual value of a sheep was 
 one shilling, both in Wessex and Mercia. A pig was 
 worth two shillings, and an ox six. A slave could be 
 bought for one pound, and a horse for half as 
 much. 
 
 No historian of that time has left a description of 
 Alfred's appearance. We do not think of the great 
 King as possessing a giant-like form, but suppose 
 him rather to have been of middle height, wiry, and 
 active, with the fair hair and blue eyes of the Saxon 
 race. We know that he was capable of enduring 
 great hardships in camp or on the battle-field. 
 
 "No man should desire a soft life," he had once 
 written. His own life had not been soft. From boy- 
 
 180 
 
The Death of the King 
 
 hood to middle age it had been a ceaseless struggle 
 against heathen enemies, against bodily sickness, 
 against the ignorance and superstition of his own sub- 
 jects. Yet he had ever marched breastf or ward, bear- 
 ing affliction with large-hearted cheerfulness and for- 
 titude. His life of constant activity may have 
 helped him to forget the pain from which he fre- 
 quently suffered, for his strong, brave spirit continu- 
 ally gained the mastery over his frail body. He 
 believed that pain and trouble came from God, and 
 in hours of desertion and defeat we are told that 
 he was encouraged by visions of the saints, who 
 bade him be of good cheer. 
 
 The King was at once a great statesman and a 
 great general. As statesman he guided his people 
 through a most difficult period of their history. In 
 saving Wessex from the general wreck brought about 
 by heathen invasions, he made his kingdom the 
 centre for the deliverance and union of all England. 
 Though Alfred did not live to form England into a 
 single kingdom, he made this work possible for his 
 sons and grandsons. He also did much to increase 
 the royal power and authority within his kingdom. 
 
 As general, the memory of his valour in the 
 battle-field and his perseverance in the face of over- 
 whelming difficulties will ever serve as an example 
 to the British soldier. 
 
 One secret of Alfred's success was that his people 
 knew they could trust him. He is known as Alfred 
 
 181 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 the Truth-teller, for his word was his bond. To 
 defend his people, to rule them justly, and to give 
 them wise laws was not enough for him. All this he 
 did and more also. He made it his further business 
 to be their guide, their teacher, their father, and 
 their friend. He undertook the humble task of a 
 translator that they might be the better instructed 
 in their own tongue. 
 
 Though a great student, he was no narrow-minded 
 recluse. Though a king he did not hold himself 
 apart from his people, but delighted in mixing freely 
 with them, rejoicing in the society of his scholars, 
 his huntsmen, his craftsmen, and his mariners, 
 interested in every worthy pursuit. While dealing 
 all day with the common affairs of life, he ever kept 
 before him the ideal of the highest. 
 
 "I desire," the King had written, "to leave to 
 those who come after me a memory of me in good 
 works." His aim has been more than fulfilled. 
 While other great names have been forgotten his 
 has come down to us through a thousand years, 
 encircled by the loving affection of the whole British 
 race, familiar to every English-speaking child. 
 
 Though King Alfred died rich in the love and 
 gratitude of his subjects, it was impossible for them 
 fully to realize all he had done for them. He had 
 found them ignorant, dejected, a prey to heathen 
 enemies. He left them enlightened, delivered, 
 inspired with courage and hope, and struggling up- 
 
 182 
 
The Death of the King 
 
 wards on a path of progress from which they have 
 never since wholly turned back. 
 
 Great as were Alfred's achievements in relation 
 to his opportunities yet it is less for what he did 
 than for the seeds he sowed of still greater things 
 to come that we have now to honour him. For 
 could the King awake from his sleep of a thousand 
 years to gaze on his country and the descendants of 
 those for whom he worked, how greatly amazed 
 would he be at the outcome of his labours. 
 
 The little Saxon fort on the banks of the Thames 
 which he rebuilt so long ago, he would find grown 
 into the world's mightiest metropolis. In the Eng- 
 lish Parliament with its far-reaching power and com- 
 plicated organization, he would behold the descend- 
 ants of his Witan, with whom he once held council. 
 In place of the little fleet of ships which he once 
 built at the cost of much labour and self-sacrifice 
 he would find riding on all seas the Imperial navy, 
 glorified by centuries of victory and supremacy, and 
 charged with the guardianship of a fifth of the world. 
 
 He who first laboured to translate books into the 
 English tongue would find the wealth of our English 
 literature of to-day. Could he view us in a great 
 panorama, Britain's commerce, her wealth, her arm- 
 ies, her dominions beyond the seas, the great proces- 
 sion of people of all nations now subject to the British 
 crown, would he not marvel greatly at the growth 
 of that seed sown by him a thousand \ears ago! 
 
 183 
 
CHAPTER XXIII: King 
 Alfreds Millenary 
 
 IN the autumn of 1901, exactly a thousand years 
 after the death of Alfred, there gathered in the 
 city of Winchester, his ancient capital, a vast 
 assembly of distinguished guests from all parts of 
 the English-speaking world. Noblemen, statesmen, 
 famous generals, men of letters, and representatives 
 from all the Universities and learned societies of 
 Great Britain, America, and the Colonies, met there 
 to do honour to the memory of Alfred the Great, 
 and to take part in the unveiling of a magnificent 
 bronze statue, which had been erected in his honour 
 at a cost of over £5000. 
 
 In connexion with the celebrations, an exhibition 
 was also held in the British Museum, London, and 
 was visited by many thousands of people. The 
 exhibits, which excited great interest, consisted of 
 manuscripts, objects of art, and coins, all belonging 
 to the time of King Alfred. 
 
 The manuscripts included a very early copy of 
 the Saxon Chronicle, and two other copies of later 
 date; a copy of Alfred's last will made between 
 880 and 885; and a manuscript copy of Asser's 
 Life of Alfred. There were also to be seen early 
 copies of all the books still in existence written or 
 translated by King Alfred, including the Universal 
 History of Orosius, Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version 
 
 184 
 
King Alfred } s Millenary 
 
 of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care, Alfred's version 
 of Bcethius and of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of 
 the English People; an eleventh century copy of 
 the Laws of King Alfred; a charter giving particu- 
 lars of the lands granted by Alfred's wife Elswitha 
 to the nuns of St Mary's, Winchester. There was 
 also to be seen a copy of the four Gospels in Latin, 
 followed in a handwriting of the same period, by a 
 copy of the famous letter addressed to Alfred by 
 Fulk, Archbishop of Rheims (see Chapter XIV). At 
 the beginning of each gospel are two pages gorge- 
 ously illuminated. There were also several Latin 
 copies of ancient grants and charters, among them 
 being a grant of lands in Kent from King Ethelwulf 
 to one of his thanes, Ealdene. This grant, dated 
 855, is witnessed by Alfred, the King's son, then six 
 years old. Another was a copy of a grant of land 
 by King Alfred, dated 875. 
 
 Among the plate and jewellery, the most remarkable 
 exhibits were two gold rings, relics of priceless value, 
 still to be seen in the British Museum. The first 
 of these, which once belonged to Ethelwulf, Alfred's 
 father, was discovered, by a fortunate chance, during 
 the summer of 1780 in the parish of Laverstock, Wilt- 
 shire, not far from Salisbury. It had been pressed 
 out of a cart rut in a field, and was picked up by 
 a labourer, who sold it to a silversmith in Salisbury 
 for thirty-four shillings, the value of the gold. The 
 ring bears some resemblance in shape to a bishop's 
 
 i8 5 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 mitre. On it is engraved, in lettering of the ninth 
 century, the words ' Ethel wulf Rex.' Above this is 
 a device filled in, like the letters, with black enamel, 
 representing two peacocks pecking a tree. The ring 
 shows the mark of a cart wheel, and is still somewhat 
 flattened in shape from the crushing received. 
 
 The other gold ring was once the property of 
 Ethelswitha, Queen of Mercia, the sister of Alfred, 
 and is of similar make to the first. It was found near 
 Aberford in Yorkshire, in the year 1870, by a plough- 
 man, who first observed it at the point of his plough- 
 share. He brought it to his master, who, believing 
 it to be brass, attached it to his dog's collar. There 
 it hung for some time, until one day a friend assured 
 him that it was gold. He then carried it to a silver- 
 smith in York, and exchanged it for spoons. The 
 dealer afterwards sold the ring, which passed into 
 the possession of various people until it was be- 
 queathed by Sir Wollaston Franks to the British 
 Museum. 
 
 The front of the ring is circular in shape, and 
 inlaid with black enamel. The device is a lamb 
 inside a circular medallion, surrounded by four 
 leaves, with the letters A. D. which stand for Agnus 
 Dei, Lamb of God. Inside the ring, on the back 
 of the circle, is the name Eathelswitha Regna 
 (regina). 
 
 From the style of the letters it is believed that 
 they were not engraven by a goldsmith, but scratched 
 
 186 
 
King Alfred's Millenary 
 
 in later by the priest of some shrine to which 
 Ethelswitha may have presented the ring. 
 
 Several gold brooches, a seal, a silver spoon and a 
 fork, all belonging to King Alfred's time, as well as 
 a beautiful copy of the Alfred Jewell, the original 
 of which is in Oxford (see Chapter IX), were among 
 the exhibits. 
 
 The collection of coins was very fine, and included 
 some beautiful specimens of the coinage of Nor- 
 thumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Kent, and Wessex 
 from about 600 to 901. The coins struck under 
 Alfred are mostly silver pennies, each supposed to 
 contain twenty-four grains troy of sterling silver. 
 Of these pennies there are over twenty different 
 kinds struck at no fewer than ten mints. Coins 
 larger than the penny are rare, but two worth nearly 
 seven pence, or 162 § grains, were to be seen in the 
 collection. It is believed that the heavy coins may 
 have been offering-pennies given by the King to 
 churches. 
 
 On some coins the King's bust is shown, his face 
 turned towards the right, with a diadem or band 
 round his head and ornamental drapery on his 
 shoulders. The engraving is in most cases very 
 roughly executed, and it would be a poor compliment 
 to the King to accept the figures on the coins as 
 accurate portraits. All coins bearing the King's 
 image show him without a beard, and on most of 
 them are the words, Aelfred Rex Saxonum. 
 
 187 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 The Millenary celebrations at Winchester extended 
 over several days, but the principal functions took 
 place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 18th, 
 19th, and 20th September. During these days the 
 streets of Winchester's grey old city were thronged 
 with vaster crowds of people than had ever before 
 been gathered there. On the Wednesday and 
 Thursday visits were paid to the different places of 
 historical interest in or near Winchester. 
 
 The ancient hall which formed part of the old 
 castle was visited. This castle was a royal residence 
 and fortress in the time of King Alfred, and contin- 
 ued to be much used by the kings of England after 
 the Conquest. A visit was also paid to Hyde 
 Abbey, the site of Alfred's burial place. The ruins 
 of the monks' barn, and part of the front gateway, 
 are all that now remain of the famous Abbey, although 
 the sites of the fish pond, the Abbey mill, and the 
 parish church are still pointed out. A church, of 
 which the foundations are probably Saxon, still 
 stands on the ancient site. 
 
 Winchester Cathedral was also visited. The 
 present edifice has been rebuilt, but on the same 
 site there stood in Alfred's time a cathedral, which 
 was the principal crowning and burial place of the 
 kings of England from Egbert to Cnut. The bones 
 of some of these kings are contained in six painted 
 wooden chests, placed on the north and south sides 
 of the choir. 
 
 188 
 
King Alfreds Millenary 
 
 On the Thursday, a visit was paid to the ruins of 
 Wolvesey Palace, where Alfred is believed to have 
 died. Nothing now remains of it but portions of 
 the old ivy-covered walls. It may have been on 
 these very walls that the King, two years before his 
 death, ordered a crew of Danish pirates to be 
 hanged, after trial, at Winchester. Wolvesey is said 
 to have been the place where Alfred assembled the 
 scholars who assisted him in his literary work, and 
 there much of that work, including the Anglo-Saxon 
 Chronicle, must have been accomplished. 
 
 Friday, September 20, was the greatest day of 
 all in the Millenary celebration, and was observed 
 as a public holiday in Winchester. In the morning 
 a magnificent procession, marked by a wealth of 
 colour, gathered on the Castle Hill, and marched 
 from the West Gate of the city to the Broadway, 
 where the grand ceremony of unveiling Alfred's 
 statue was to take place. First in order came the 
 Band of the First Volunteer Battalion of the Hamp- 
 shire Regiment; then the white-robed choristers from 
 Winchester, Salisbury, and Chichester Cathedrals, 
 from the Chapel Royal, Windsor, and from city 
 parishes; next, detachments of Northumberland 
 Fusiliers, King's Rifles, Gordon Highlanders, Infan- 
 try and Artillery Volunteers; then the Naval Bri- 
 gade, which was warmly cheered, led by the band of 
 His Majesty's ship "Excellent." After this, in suc- 
 cession followed representatives of friendly societies; 
 
 189 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 the City Champion in doughty array; representative 
 clergy; the Master and Brethren of the ancient 
 Hospital of St Cross, Winchester; the masters and 
 scholars of Winchester College; the Dean and 
 Chapter of Winchester Cathedral; the Band of the 
 Rifle Volunteers; delegates of the Universities and 
 learned societies from all parts of the English- 
 speaking world; the Deans of Windsor, Salisbury, 
 Chichester, St Albans, and Durham; the Bishops of 
 Winchester, Salisbury, Guildford, and Southamp- 
 ton; the mayors of many cities and boroughs; the 
 Lord Provost of Edinburgh; the Lord Mayor and 
 Sheriffs of London; the High Sheriff of Hampshire; 
 the Lord Lieutenant (Earl Northbrook) ; the Earl of 
 Rosebery; Mr Hamo Thorny croft, R.A., the sculp- 
 tor; the Band of the Gordon Highlanders; the Mayor 
 and Corporation of Winchester. 
 
 This procession presented a spectacle of surpass- 
 ing brilliancy. Nearly all who took part in it were 
 in full academicals or levee dress. Gorgeous official 
 robes of scarlet, blue, ermine, and black, academic 
 hoods of every hue, and all manner of quaint head- 
 gear were worn. The whole route of the procession 
 was lined with soldiers; flags waved from every 
 tower, and houses, windows, and balconies were 
 gaily decorated. 
 
 When the procession had reached the Broadway 
 and had halted around the veiled statue, the Bishop 
 of Winchester offered up a prayer. Lord Rosebery 
 
 190 
 
King Alfred's Millenary 
 
 then addressed to those assembled a most eloquent 
 speech in praise of the Saxon hero, King Alfred. At 
 the conclusion of his address he unveiled the statue 
 by pulling a silken cord. "God save the King," 
 was then sung, and cheers were raised for Lord 
 Rosebery and the sculptor, Mr Hamo Thornycroft. 
 Guns thundered forth a loud salute, and the bells 
 of the Cathedral Church rang out a merry peal. 
 
 The Mayor of Winchester afterwards entertained 
 four hundred guests at a banquet in the Guildhall. 
 In the afternoon medals and cakes were distributed 
 to the school children. A large ox, weighing eight 
 hundred and thirty seven pounds, was roasted whole, 
 and pieces of it were afterwards distributed to the 
 poor of Winchester. In the evening the streets 
 were brilliantly illuminated, and a display of fire- 
 works ended a day memorable for all time in the 
 annals of Winchester, where, after a thousand years, 
 the memory of the city's greatest son was so fittingly 
 honoured. 
 
 The great statue of King Alfred stands in the 
 Broadway facing up the High Street, its splendid 
 background the terraced hill of St Giles. The figure 
 is mounted on two huge blocks of granite, one above 
 the other, both brought from the granite quarries of 
 Penryn, Cornwall. The King holds high uplifted in 
 his right hand, a sheathed sword, grasping it beneath 
 the hilt, which is in the form of a cross, so that it 
 is presented as an emblem of Christianity and of 
 
 191 
 
The Story of Alfred the Great 
 
 peace rather than of war. His shield is by his side, 
 as a support for his left hand. From beneath his 
 crown, long flowing locks of hair fall on each side of 
 his noble countenance, majestic in its gentleness 
 and strength. His face is bearded, as was common 
 among the best type of Saxons. The King's robes 
 are thrown back, showing his short belted tunic 
 and leather leggings, fastened with thongs below 
 the knees. His whole attitude is dignified and 
 kingly. 
 
 The great statue stands as an emblem of the fact 
 that the heroic King still lives in the hearts of the 
 English people, who owe him so much. The homage 
 paid to his memory on the occasion of his millenary 
 celebration by representatives from nearly every 
 part of the civilized world is proof that Alfred of 
 Wessex yet holds his place as one of the greatest 
 figures in history. 
 
 192