6.13. Alfred ruleth ouer the Westsaxons and the greatest part of England, the Danes afflict him with sore warre, and cruellie make wast of his kingdome, they lie at London a whole winter, they inuade Mercia, the king whereof (Bur|thred by name) forsaketh his countrie and goeth to Rome, his death and buriall; Halden king of the Danes diuideth Nor|thumberland among his people; Alfred incountreth with the Danes vpon the sea, they sweare to him that they will depart out of his kingdome, they breake the truce which was made betwixt him and them, he giueth them battell, and (besides a great discomfiture) killeth manie of their capteines, the Danes and English fight neere Abington, the victorie vncerteine, seuen foughten fieldes betwixt them in one yeare, the Danes soiourne at London. The xiij. Chapter.

Alfred ruleth ouer the Westsaxons and the greatest part of England, the Danes afflict him with sore warre, and cruellie make wast of his kingdome, they lie at London a whole winter, they inuade Mercia, the king whereof (Bur|thred by name) forsaketh his countrie and goeth to Rome, his death and buriall; Halden king of the Danes diuideth Nor|thumberland among his people; Alfred incountreth with the Danes vpon the sea, they sweare to him that they will depart out of his kingdome, they breake the truce which was made betwixt him and them, he giueth them battell, and (besides a great discomfiture) killeth manie of their capteines, the Danes and English fight neere Abington, the victorie vncerteine, seuen foughten fieldes betwixt them in one yeare, the Danes soiourne at London. The xiij. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _AFter the decease of king Ethelred,Alured or Alfred. 871. as Mat. West. & S [...] Dunelmen. doo note it. Hent Hunt. his brother Alu|red or Alfred succéeded him, and began his reigne ouer the Westsaxons, and other the more part of the people of England, in the yeare of our Lord 872, which was in the 19 yeare of the emperour Lewes the second, and 32 yeare of the reigne of Charles the bald, king of France, and about the eleuenth yeare of Constan|tine EEBO page image 145 the second king of Scotland. Although this Al|ured was consecrated king in his fathers life time by pope Leo (as before ye haue heard) yet was he not admitted king at home, till after the decease of his thrée elder brethren: for he being the yoongest, was kept backe from the gouernement, though he were for his wisdome and policie most highlie estée|med and had in all honour.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 In the beginning of his reigne he was wrapped in manie great troubles and miseries,S [...]ed perse|cuted by Danes. speciallie by the persecution of the Danes, which made sore and greeuous wars in sundrie parts of this land,Matt. Westm. de|stroieng the same in most cruell wise. About a moneth after he was made king,The Danes obteine the victorie. he gaue battell to the Danes of Wilton, hauing with him no great number of people, so that although in the beginning the Danes that day were put to the woorse, yet in the end they obteined the victorie.The Danes wintered at London. Shortlie after, a truce was taken betwixt the Danes and the Westsaxons. And the Danes that had lien at Reading, remoued from thence vnto London, where they lay all the winter season. In the second yeare of Alured his reigne, [...] the Danish king Halden led the same armie from London into Lindseie, and there lodged all that winter at Torkseie.Rep [...]on. In the yeare following, the same Halden inuaded Mercia, and wintered at Ripindon.Burthred king of Mer|cia. There were come to him thrée other lea|ders of Danes which our writers name to be kings, Godrun, Esketell, & Ammond, so that their power was greatlie increased. Burthred king of Mercia which had gouerned that countrie by the space of 22 yéeres, was not able to withstand the puissance of those enimies: wherevpon he was constreined to auoid the countrie, and went to Rome, where he de|parted this life, and was buried in the church of our ladie, néere to the English schoole.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 875 In the fourth yeare of king Alured the armie of the Danes diuided it selfe into two parts,The Danes went into Northumber|land. so that king Halden with one part thereof went into Nor|thumberland, and lay in the winter season néere to the riuer of Tine, where hee diuided the countrie amongest his men, and remained there for the space of two yeares, and oftentimes fetched thither booties and preies out of the countrie ofthe Picts. The o|ther part of the Danish armie with the thrée foresaid kings or leaders came vnto Cambridge,The Danes at Cambridge and remai|ned there a whole yeare. In the same yeare king Alured fought by sea with 7 ships of Danes,876 tooke one of them, & chased the residue. In the yeare next insuing,The Danes tooke an oth. Hen. Hunt. the Danes came into the countrie of the Westsaxons, and king Alured tooke truce with them againe, and they sware to him (which they had not vsed to doo to anie afore that time) that they would depart the countrie. Their armie by sea sailing from Warham toward Excester, susteined great losse by tempest, for there perished 120 ships at Swane|wicke.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Moreouer the armie of the Danes by land went to Excester in breach of the truce,The Danes went to Ex|cester. and king Alured followed them, but could not ouertake them till they came to Excester, and there he approched them in such wise, that they were glad to deliuer pledges for performance of such couenants as were accorded betwixt him and them.Hent. Hunt: And so then they departed out of the countrie, and drew into Mercia. But shortlie after, when they had the whole gouernment of the land, from Thames northward, they thought it not good to suffer king Alured to continue in rest with the residue of the countries beyond Thames. And therefore the thrée foresaid rulers of Danes, Godrun, Esketell, and Ammond, inuading the countrie of Westsaxons came to Chipnam, distant 17 miles from Bristow,877 & there pitched their tents.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 King Alured aduertised hereof,Polydor. hasted thither, and lodging with his armie néere to the enimies, prouoked them to battell. The Danes perceiuing that either they must fight for their liues, or die with shame, boldlie came foorth, and gaue battell. The Englishmen rashlie incountered with them, and though they were ouermatched in number, yet with such violence they gaue the onset, that the enimies at the first were abashed at their hardie assaults. But when as it was perceiued that their slender ranks were not able to resist the thicke leghers of the eni|mies, they began to shrinke & looke backe one vpon an other, and so of force were constreined to retire: and therewithall did cast themselues into a ring, which though it séemed to be the best way that could be deuised for their safetie, yet by the great force and number of their enimies on each side assailing them, they were so thronged togither on heaps, that they had no roome to stir their weapons. Which disad|uantage notwithstanding, they [...]lue a great num|ber of the Danes,Hubba slaine. and amongest other, Hubba the brother of Agner, with manie other of the Danish capteins. At length the Englishmen hauing vali|antlie foughten a long time with the enimies, which had compassed them about, at last brake out and got them to their campe.The victorie doubtfull. To be briefe, this battell was foughten with so equall fortune, that no man knew to whether part the victorie ought to be ascribed. But after they were once seuered, they tooke care to cure their hurt men, and to burie the dead bodies, name|lie the Danes interred the bodie of their capteine Hubba with great funerall pompe and solemnitie: which doone, they held out their iournie till they came to Abington,Abington. whither the English armie shortlie af|ter came also, and incamped fast by the enimies.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 In this meane while, the rumor was spread a|broad that king Alured had béene discomfited by the Danes, bicause that in the last battell he withdrew to his campe. This turned greatlie to his aduan|tage: for thereby a great number of Englishmen hasted to come to his succour.The Danes and English|men fight néer to Abington. On the morrow after his comming to Abington, he brought his armie readie to fight into the field: neither were the eni|mies slacke on their parts to receiue the battell, and so the two armies ioined and fought verie sore on both sides: so that it séemed by Englishmen had not to doo with those Danes, which had béene diuerse times before discomfited and put to flight, but rather with some new people fresh and lustie. But neither the one part nor the other was minded to giue ouer: in so much that the horssemen alighting on foot, and putting their horsses from them, entered the battell amongst the footmen, and thus they continued with equall aduantage till night came on, which parted the affraie, being one of the sorest foughten fields that had beene heard of in those daies. To whether partie a man might iustlie attribute the victorie,Uncerteine victorie. Thus farre Polydor. it was vt|terlie vncerteine, with so like losse & gaine the mat|ter was tried & ended betwixt them. With the sem|blable chance of danger and glorie seuen times that yéere did the English and Danes incounter in ba|tell,Ran. Higd. as writers haue recorded. At length, when their powers on both parts were sore diminished, they a|greed vpon a peace,A peace agre|ed vpon. with these conditions, that the Danes should not attempt anie further warre a|gainst the Englishmen, nor bring into this land a|nie new supplie of souldiers out of Denmarke.The Danes soiourned at London. But this peace by those peacemakers was violated and broken, in so much as they ment nothing lesse than to fall from the conceiued hope which they had of bea|ring rule in this land, and of inriching themselues with the goods, possessions, rents and reuenues of the inhabitants. The same yéere the Danes soiorned in the winter season at London, according as they had doone often times before.