6.15. Th'English called diuers people Danes whom the French named Normans, wher|vpon that generall name was giuen them; Gur|mo Anglicus K. of Denmark, whose father Frotto was baptised in England; the Danes besiege Roche|ster, Alfred putteth them to flight, recouereth London out of their hands, and committeth it to the custodie of duke El|dred his sonne in law; he assaulteth Hasting a capteine of the Danes, causeth him to take an oth, his two sonnes are baptised; he goeth foorth to spoile Alfreds countrie, his wife, children, and goods, &c: are taken, and fauourablie giuen him a|gaine; the Danes besiege Excester, they flie to their ships, gaine with great losse, they are vanqui|shed by the Londoners, the death of Alfred, his issue male and female. The xv. Chapter.

Th'English called diuers people Danes whom the French named Normans, wher|vpon that generall name was giuen them; Gur|mo Anglicus K. of Denmark, whose father Frotto was baptised in England; the Danes besiege Roche|ster, Alfred putteth them to flight, recouereth London out of their hands, and committeth it to the custodie of duke El|dred his sonne in law; he assaulteth Hasting a capteine of the Danes, causeth him to take an oth, his two sonnes are baptised; he goeth foorth to spoile Alfreds countrie, his wife, children, and goods, &c: are taken, and fauourablie giuen him a|gaine; the Danes besiege Excester, they flie to their ships, gaine with great losse, they are vanqui|shed by the Londoners, the death of Alfred, his issue male and female. The xv. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 _HEre is to be noted, that writers name diuerse of the Danish capteins, kings (of which no mention is made in the Danish chronicles.) to reigne in those parties. But true it is, that in those daies, not onelie the Danish people, but also other of those northeast countries or regi|ons, as Swedeners, Norwegians, the Wondens, and such other (which the English people called by one generall name Danes, and the Frenchmen Normans) vsed to roaue on the seas, and to inuade forren regions, as England, France, Flanders, and others, as in conuenient places ye may find, as well in our histories, as also in the writers of the French histories, and likewise in the chronicles of those north regions. The writers verelie of the Danish chroni|cles make mention of one Gurmo,Gurmo. whome they name Anglicus, bicause he was borne here in Eng|land, which succeeded his father Frotto in gouerne|ment of the kingdome of Denmarke, which Frotto receiued baptisme in England, as their stories tell.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 In the eight yéere of king Alfred his reigne,Hen. Hunt. the armie of the Danes wintered at Cirencester,878 and the same yéere an other armie of strangers called Wincigi laie at Fulham, and in the yéere following departed foorth of England, and went into France,87 [...] and the armie of king Godrun or Gurmo departed from Cirencester,Simon Dun. Matth. West. and came into Eastangle, and there diuiding the countrie amongst them, began to inhabit the same. In the 14 yéere of king Alfred his reigne, part of the Danish armie which was gone ouer into France, returned into England and besie|ged Rochester.Rochester besieged. But when Alfred approched to the re|skue, the enimies fled to their ships,885 and passed ouer the sea againe. King Alfred sent a nauie of his ships well furnished with men of warre into Eastangle. the which at the mouth of the riuer called Sture, in|countering with 16 ships of the Danes, set vpon them, and ouercame them in fight: but as they retur|ned with their prises, they incountered with another mightie armie of the enimies, and fighting with them were ouercome and vanquished.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 889 In the yeere following, king Alfred besieged the citie of London,London reco|uered out of the hands of the Danes. the Danes that were within it fled from thence, and the Englishmen that were inhabi|tants thereof gladlie receiued him, reioising that there was such a prince bred of their nation, that was of power able to reduce them into libertie. This citie being at that season the chiefe of all Mercia, he deliuered into the kéeping of duke Eldred, which had maried his daughter Ethelfleds, Wil. Malm. Ethelfleda. & held a great por|tion of Mercia,Colwolphus. which Colwolphus before time posse|sed by the grant of the Danes, after they had subdu|ed K. Burthred (as before is said.) About the 21 yere of K. Alfred, an armie of those Danes & Normans, which had béene in France,Limer, now Rother. Andredeslegia returned into England, and arriued in the hauen or riuer of Limene in the east part of Kent, néere to the great wood called An|dredesley, which did conteine in times past 120 miles in length,A castell built at Appledore. and thirtie in breadth.893 These Danes lan|ding with their people builded a castle at Appledore.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the meane time came Hasting with 80 ships into the Thames, Simon Dun. At Milton. and builded a castle at Middleton, but he was constreined by siege which king Alfred planted about him,Hasting the capteine of the Danes besieged. He receiueth an oth. to receiue an oth that he should not in any wise annoie the dominion of king Alfred, who vpon his promise to depart, gaue great gifts as well to him as to his wife and children. One of his sonnes also king Alfred held at the fontstone, and to the other duke Aldred was god father. For (as it were to win credit, and to auoid present danger) Hasting sent vnto Alfred these his two sonnes, sig|nifieng that if it stood with his pleasure, he could be content that they should be baptised.Beanfield saith M. West. But neuerthe|lesse this Hasting was euer most vntrue of word and déed, he builded a castle at Beamfield. And as he was going foorth to spoile and wast the kings coun|tries, Alfred tooke that castle,This enter|prise was at|chiued by E|theldred duke of Mercia in the absence of the king, as Matth. West. hath noted. Excester besieged. with his wife, children, ships and goods, which he got togither of such spoiles as he had abroad: but he restored vnto Hasting his wife and children, bicause he was their godfather.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Shortlie after, newes came that a great number of other ships of Danes were come out of Northum|berland, and had besieged Excester. Whilest king Al|fred went then against them, the other armie which lay at Appledore inuaded Essex, and built a castell in that countrie, and after went into the borders of Wales,Seuerne. and builded another castell neere vnto the ri|uer of Seuerne: but being driuen out of that coun|trie, they returned againe into Essex. Those that had besieged Excester, vpon knowledge had of king Al|freds comming, fled to their ships, and so remai|ning on the sea, roaued abroad, séeking preies. Be|sides this,Chester taken by Danes. other armies there were sent foorth, which comming out of Northumberland tooke the citie of Chester, but there they were so beset about with their enimies,Great famine that they were constreined to eate their horsses. At length, in the 24 yéere of king Alfred, they left that citie, and fetcht a compass about North|wales, and so meaning to saile round about the coast to come into Northumberland,Hen. Hunt. they arriued in Es|sex, and in the winter following drew their ships by the Thames into the water of Luie.The water of Luie, now Lée. That armie of Danes which had besieged Excester, tooke preies a|bout Chichester, and was met with, so that they lost manie of their men, and also diuerse of their ships.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the yéere following, the other armie which had brought the ships into the riuer Luie, began to build a castell néere to the same riuer, twentie miles di|stant from London:Hen. Hunt. but the Londoners came thi|ther, and giuing battell to the Danes,The Londo|ners victors against the Danes. slue foure of the chiefe capteins. But by Simon Dunel. and Matt. Westm. it should seeme, that the Londoners were at this time put to flight, and that foure of the kings barons were slaine in fight. Howbeit Henrie Hunt. hath written as before I haue recited; and further saith, that when the Danes fled for their re|fuge to the castell, king Alfred caused the water of Luie to be diuided into thrée chanels, so that the Danes should not bring backe their ships out of the place where they laie at anchor. When the Danes EEBO page image 148 perceiued this,Quathbridge or Wake|bridge. they left their ships behind them, and went into the borders of Wales, where at Cart|bridge vpon Seuerne they built another castell, and lay there all the winter following, hauing left their wiues and children in the countrie of Eastangles. King Alfred pursued them, but the Londoners tooke the enimies ships, and brought some of them to the citie, and the rest they burnt.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 Thus for the space of thrée yéeres after the arriuing of the maine armie of the Danes in the hauen of Luie, they sore indamaged the English people, al|though the Danes themselues susteined more losse at the Englishmens hands than they did to them with all pilfering and spoiling. In the fourth yéere after their comming,The Danish armie diuided into parts. the armie was diuided, so that one part of them went into Northumberland, part of them remained in the countrie of Eastangles, & another part went into France. Also certeine of their ships came vpon the coast of the Westsaxons, oftentimes setting their men on land to rob and spoile the countrie. But king Alfred tooke order in the best wise he might for defense of his countrie and people, and caused certeine mightie vessels to be builded, which he appointed foorth to incounter with the enimies ships.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Thus like a worthie prince and politike gouernor,The death of king Alfred. he preuented each way to resist the force of his eni|mies, and to safegard his subiects. Finallie after he had reigned 29 yéeres and an halfe, he departed this life the 28 day of October. His bodie was buried at Winchester: he left behind him issue by his wife Ethelwitha the daughter vnto earle Etherlred of Mercia,His issue. two sonnes, Edward surnamed the elder, which succéeded him, and Adelwold: also thrée daugh|ters, Elfleda or Ethelfleda,Elfleda. Ethelgeda or Edgiua, and Ethelwitha.