6.14. Rollo a noble man of Denmarke with a fresh power entreth England, and begin|neth to waste it, king Alured giueth him batell, Rollo saileth ouer into France; who first inhabited Normandie, and whereof it tooke that name; the Danes breake the peace which was made betwixt them and Alured, he is driuen to his shifts by their inuasions into his kingdome, a vision appeereth to him and his mother; king Al|ured disguising himselfe like a minstrell entereth the Danish campe, marketh their behauiour vnsuspected, assalteth them on the sudden with a fresh power, and killeth manie of them at aduantage; the Deuonshire men giue the Danes battell vnder the conduct of Haldens brother, and are discomfited; Alured fighteth with them at Edanton, they giue him ho|stages, Gurthrun their king is baptised and named A|del stan, a league concluded betwixt both the kings, the bounds of Alureds kingdome. The xiiij Chapter.

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Rollo a noble man of Denmarke with a fresh power entreth England, and begin|neth to waste it, king Alured giueth him batell, Rollo saileth ouer into France; who first inhabited Normandie, and whereof it tooke that name; the Danes breake the peace which was made betwixt them and Alured, he is driuen to his shifts by their inuasions into his kingdome, a vision appeereth to him and his mother; king Al|ured disguising himselfe like a minstrell entereth the Danish campe, marketh their behauiour vnsuspected, assalteth them on the sudden with a fresh power, and killeth manie of them at aduantage; the Deuonshire men giue the Danes battell vnder the conduct of Haldens brother, and are discomfited; Alured fighteth with them at Edanton, they giue him ho|stages, Gurthrun their king is baptised and named A|del stan, a league concluded betwixt both the kings, the bounds of Alureds kingdome. The xiiij Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 _ABout the same time, or shortlie after,Ann. 876 [...]aith Simon D [...]n. there came into England one Rollo, a noble man of Denmarke or Nor|way, with a great armie, and (notwithstanding the peace concluded betweene the En|glishmen and the Danes) be|gan to waste and destroy the countrie. King Alured hearing these newes, with all spéed thought best in the beginning to stop such a common mischiefe, and immediatlie assembling his people, went against the enimies, and gaue them battell, in the which there died a great number of men on both sides, but the greater losse fell to Rollo his armie. Yet Matthew Westmin. saith, that the Englishmen were put to flight. After this, it chanced that Rollo being warned in a dreame, left England, & sailed ouer into France, where he found fortune so fauourable to him, that he obteined in that region for him and his people a countrie,30 yéeres after this he was baptised. the which was afterwards named Nor|mandie, of those northerne people which then began to inhabit the same, as in the histories of France you maie sée more at large.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The Danes which had concluded peace with king Alured (as before you haue heard) shortlie after, vp|on the first occasion, brake the same, and by often in|uasions which they made into the countrie of West|saxons, brought the matter to that passe, that there remained to king Alured but onelie the three coun|tries of Hamshire,King Alured driuen to his shifts. Wiltshire, & Summersetshire, in so much that he was constreined for a time to kéepe himselfe close within the fennes and maresh grounds of Summersetshire, with such small com|panies as he had about him, constreined to get their liuing with fishing, hunting, and other such shifts. He remained for the most part within an Ile called E|dlingsey,Edlingsey. that is to say, the Iland of noble men, enui|roned about with fennes and mareshes.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Whiles he was thus shut vp within this Iland,A vision if it be true. he was by dreame aduertised of better hap shortlie to follow: for as it hath béene said, saint Cuthbert ap|péered to him as he laie in sléepe, and comforted him, declaring to him, that within a while fortune should so turne, that he should recouer againe his kingdome to the confusion of his enimies. And to assure him that this should prooue true, he told him that his men which were gone abroad to catch fish, should bring home great plentie, although the season was against them, by reason that the waters were frosen, and that a cold rime fell that morning, to the hinderance of their purpose. His mother also at that time being in sleepe, saw the like vision. And as they had dreamed, so it came to passe: for being awakened out of their sleepe, in [...]ame his men with so great foison of fish, that the same might haue sufficed a great armie of men, for the vittelling of them at that season.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Shortlie after, king Alured tooke vpon him the ha|bit of a minstrell, and going foorth of his closure, re|paired to the campe of the Danish king,King [...] disguiseth himselfe. Polydor. onelie ac|companied with one trustie seruant, and tarrieng there certeine daies togither, was suffered to go in|to euerie part, and plaie on his instrument, as well afore the king as others,Fabian. so that there was no secret, but that he vnderstood it. Now when he had séene and learned the demeanour of his enimies, he returned againe to his people at Edlingsey, and there decla|red to his nobles what he had séene and heard, what negligence was amongst the enimies, and how ea|sie a matter it should be for him to indamage them. Wherevpon they conceiuing a maruellous good hope, and imboldened with his words, a power was assembled togither, and spies sent foorth to learne and bring woord where the Danes lodged: which being doone, and certificat made accordinglie, king Alured comming vpon them on the sudden,Hen [...]. Hunt. slue of them a great number, hauing them at great aduantage.87 [...]

Compare 1577 edition: 1 878 About the same time the brother of king Halden came with thirtie and three ships out of Wales intoMatth. We [...]. the countrie of Westsaxons, on the coast of Deuon|shire, where the Deuonshire men gaue him battell, and slue him with 840 persons of his retinue. Other write, that Halden himselfe was present at this con|flict, with Inguare, otherwise called Hungar, and that they were both slaine there, with twelue hun|dred of their companieSimon Dun (before a certeine castell cal|led Kinwith) receiuing as they had deserued for their cruell dealing latelie by them practised in the parties of Southwales, where they had wasted all afore them with fire and swoord, not sparing abbeies more than other common buildings.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 King Alured being with that good lucke the more comforted, builded a fortresse in the Ile of Edling|sey, afterwards called Athelney,Athelney. and breaking out oftentimes vpon the enimies, distressed them at sun|drie times with the aid of the Summersetshire men, which were at hand. About the seuenth wéeke after Easter, in the seuenth yéere of his reigne, king Al|ured went to Eglerighston, on the east part of Sel|wood, where there came to him the people of Sum|mersetshire, Wiltshire, & Hamshire, reioising great|lie to sée him abroad.Edant [...]e. From thence he went to Edan|ton, & there fought against the armie of the Danes, and chased them vnto their strength,This battell should séeme the same that Polydor spea|keth of fought at Abingdon. Polychron. Iohn Pike. Gurthrun or Gurmond bap+tised, and na|med Adelstan, is made king of Eastangle. where he remai|ned afore them the space of fouretéene daies. Then the armie of the Danes deliuered him hostages and couenants to depart out of his dominions, and that their king should be baptised, which was accompli|shed: for Gurthrun, whome some name Gurmond, a prince or king amongst these Danes, came to Al|ured and was baptised, king Alured receiuing him at the fontstone, named him Adelstan, and gaue to him the countrie of Eastangle, which he gouerned (or ra|ther spoiled) by the space of twelue yéeres.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Diuerse other of the Danish nobilitie to the num|ber of thirtie (as Simon Dunelmensis saith) came at the same time in companie of their king Gurthrun, and were likewise baptised, on whome king Alured bestowed manie rich gifts. At the same time (as is to be thought) was the league concluded betwixt king Alured and the said Gurthrun or Gurmond, in which the bounds of king Alureds kingdome are set foorth thus:

First therefore let the bounds or marshes of our dominion stretch vnto the riuer of Thames, and from thence to the water of Lée, euen vnto the head of the same water, and so foorth streight vnto Bedford: and finallie going alongst by the riuer of Ouse, let them end at Watlingstréet.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 This league being made with the aduise of the EEBO page image 147 sage personages as well English as those that in|habited within east England, is set foorth in maister Lamberts booke of the old English lawes, in the end of those lawes or ordinances which were established by the same king Alured, as in the same booke ye may sée more at large.