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04 - Life of Alfred the Great by Bishop of Sherbourne Asser · Life of Alfred the Great

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  Speaker 1: Part one, Section three of the Life of King Alfred.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. The Life of King Alfred by
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  Speaker 1: Assir Bishop of Sherborne, translated by J. A. Giles, Part one,
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  Speaker 1: Section three. In the year of Our Lord's Incarnation eight
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  Speaker 1: hundred seventy four, the twenty sixth since the birth of
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  Speaker 1: King Alfred, the army before so often mentioned left Lindsay
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  Speaker 1: and marched to Mercia, where they wintered at Repton. Also
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  Speaker 1: they compelled Boorred, King of Mercia, against his will, to
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  Speaker 1: leave his kingdom and go beyond the sea to Rome
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  Speaker 1: in the twenty second year of his reign. He did
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  Speaker 1: not long live after his arrival, but died there and
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  Speaker 1: was honorably buried in the School of the Saxons in
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  Speaker 1: Saint Mary's Church, where he awaits the Lord's coming and
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  Speaker 1: the first Resurrection with the just. The Pagans, also, after
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  Speaker 1: his expulsion, subjected the whole kingdom of the Mercians to
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  Speaker 1: their dominion, but by a most miserable arrangement, gave it
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  Speaker 1: into the custody of a certain foolish man named Kalewulf,
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  Speaker 1: one of the King's ministers, on condition that he should
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  Speaker 1: restore it to them whenever they should wish to have
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  Speaker 1: it again. And to guarantee this agreement, he gave them
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  Speaker 1: hostages and swore that he would not oppose their will,
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  Speaker 1: but be obedient to them in every respect. In the
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  Speaker 1: year of our Lord's Incarnation eight hundred seventy five, which
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  Speaker 1: was the twenty seventh of King Alfred, the above named army,
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  Speaker 1: leaving Repton divided into two bodies, one of which went
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  Speaker 1: with half Dana into Northumbria, and, having wintered there near
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  Speaker 1: the Tyne, reduced all Northumberland to subjection. They also ravaged
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  Speaker 1: the Picts and the Strathclydensians note Strathclyde, Britons end of note.
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  Speaker 1: The other division, with Gothrun Ausquetel and anuiund three kings
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  Speaker 1: of the Pagans went to a place called Grantebridge, and
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  Speaker 1: there wintered note Cambridge end of note. In the same year,
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  Speaker 1: King Alfred fought a battle by sea against six ships
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  Speaker 1: of the Pagans and took one of them. The rest
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  Speaker 1: escaped by flight. In the year of Our Lord's Incarnation
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  Speaker 1: eight hundred seventy six being the twenty eighth year of
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  Speaker 1: King Alfred's life. The aforesai reread army of the Pagans,
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  Speaker 1: leaving Grantebridge by night, entered a castle called Wareham, where
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  Speaker 1: there is a monasterium of holy virgins. Between the two
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  Speaker 1: rivers Frowme and Trent. In the district which is called
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  Speaker 1: in British Dorngurs, but in Saxon Thornsatta placed in a
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  Speaker 1: most secure situation, except that it was exposed to danger
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  Speaker 1: on the western side from the nature of the ground.
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  Speaker 1: With this army, Alfred made a solemn treaty to the
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  Speaker 1: effect that they should depart out of the kingdom, and
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  Speaker 1: for this they made no hesitation to give as many
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  Speaker 1: hostages as he named. Also, they swore an oath over
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  Speaker 1: the Christian relics, which with King Alfred were next in
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  Speaker 1: veneration after the Deity himself, that they would depart speedily
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  Speaker 1: from the kingdom. Note they swore oaths to Alfred on
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Ring. Says the Saxon Chronicle. The most solemn
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  Speaker 1: manner of swearing among the Danes and other northern nations
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  Speaker 1: was by their arms. Olaus Magnus Book eight, Section two,
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  Speaker 1: end of note. But they again practiced their usual treachery,
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  Speaker 1: and caring nothing for the hostages or their oaths, they
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  Speaker 1: broke the treaty, and sallying forth by night, slew all
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  Speaker 1: the horsemen that the king had round him, and turning
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  Speaker 1: off into Devon, to another place called in Saxon Exouchester,
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  Speaker 1: but in British care Wise, which means in Latin the
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  Speaker 1: city of the ex situated on the eastern bank of
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  Speaker 1: the River Wise. They directed their course suddenly towards the
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  Speaker 1: South Sea, which divides Britain and Gaul, and there passed
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  Speaker 1: the winter. In the same year, Halfdana, king of those parts,
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  Speaker 1: divided out the whole country of Northumberland between himself and
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  Speaker 1: his men, and settled there with his army. In the
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  Speaker 1: same year, Ralo, with his followers, penetrated into Normandy. This
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  Speaker 1: same Ralau, Duke of the Normans, whilst wintering in Old
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  Speaker 1: Britain or England, at the head of his troops, enjoyed
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  Speaker 1: one night a vision revealing to him the future. See
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  Speaker 1: more of this Ralau in the Annals. Note it is
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  Speaker 1: necessary to inform the reader that many passages of this
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  Speaker 1: work are modern interpolations made in the old manuscript by
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  Speaker 1: a later hand. The annals referred to in the text
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  Speaker 1: are supposed not to be a genuine work of Asser.
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  Speaker 1: End of note. In the year eight hundred seventy seven,
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  Speaker 1: the Pagans, on the approach of autumn, partly settled in
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  Speaker 1: Exeter and partly marched for plunder into Mercia. The number
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  Speaker 1: of that disorderly crew increased every day, so that if
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  Speaker 1: thirty thousand of them were slain in one battle, others
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  Speaker 1: took their places to double the number. Then King Alfred
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  Speaker 1: commanded boats and galleys, that is, long ships to be
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  Speaker 1: built throughout the kingdom in order to offer battle by
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  Speaker 1: sea to the enemy. As they were coming on board
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  Speaker 1: of these, he placed seamen and appointed them to watch
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  Speaker 1: the seas. Meanwhile, he went himself to Exeter, where the
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  Speaker 1: Pagans were wintering, and, having shut them up within the walls,
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  Speaker 1: laid siege to the town. He also gave orders to
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  Speaker 1: his sailors to prevent them from obtaining any supplies by sea,
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  Speaker 1: and his sailors were encountered by a fleet of one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and twenty ships full of armed soldiers who were
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  Speaker 1: come to help their countrymen. As soon as the king's
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  Speaker 1: men knew them that they were fitted with Pagan soldiers,
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  Speaker 1: they leaped to their arms and bravely attacked those barbaric tribes.
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  Speaker 1: But the Pagans, who had now for almost a month
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  Speaker 1: been tossed and almost wrecked among the waves of the sea,
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  Speaker 1: fought vainly against them. Their bands were discomfited in a moment,
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  Speaker 1: and all were sunk and drowned in the sea at
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  Speaker 1: a place called Swaniwick note Swanwich in Dorsetshire end of note.
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  Speaker 1: In the same year, the army of Pagans, leaving Whareham,
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  Speaker 1: partly on horseback and partly by water, arrived at Swaniwick,
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  Speaker 1: where one hundred and twenty of their ships were lost,
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  Speaker 1: and King Alfred pursued their land army as far as Exeter.
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  Speaker 1: There he made a covenant with them and took hostages
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  Speaker 1: that they would depart. Note this is a mere repetition
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  Speaker 1: of the preceding see a former note in this page.
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  Speaker 1: End of note. The same year, in the month of August,
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  Speaker 1: that army went into Mercia and gave part of that
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  Speaker 1: country to one kale Wulf, a weak minded man and
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  Speaker 1: one of the king's ministers. The other part they divided
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  Speaker 1: among themselves. In the year of Our Lord's Incarnation eight
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  Speaker 1: hundred seventy eight, which was the thirtieth of King Alfred's life,
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  Speaker 1: the army above mentioned left Exeter and went to Chippenham,
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  Speaker 1: a royal villa situated in the west of Wiltshire and
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  Speaker 1: on the eastern bank of the river which is called
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  Speaker 1: in British the Avon. There they wintered and drove many
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  Speaker 1: of the inhabitants of that country beyond the sea. By
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  Speaker 1: the force of their arms and by want of the
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  Speaker 1: necessaries of life, they reduced almost entirely to subjection all
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  Speaker 1: the people of that country. At the same time, the
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  Speaker 1: above named Alfred, King of the West Saxons, with a
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  Speaker 1: few of his nobles and certain soldiers and vassals, used
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  Speaker 1: to lead an unquiet life among the woodlands of the
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  Speaker 1: country of Somerset, in great tribulation, for he had none
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  Speaker 1: of the necessaries of life, except what he could forage
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  Speaker 1: openly or stealthily by frequent sallies from the Pagans, or
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  Speaker 1: even from the Christians who had submitted to the rule
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  Speaker 1: of the Pagans. And, as we read in the Life
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  Speaker 1: of Saint naote at the house of one of his cowherds.
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  Speaker 1: Note the woodlands Athelney a morass formed by the conflux
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  Speaker 1: of the thone and parrot. End of note. But it
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  Speaker 1: happened on a certain day that the countrywoman, wife of
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  Speaker 1: the cowherd, was preparing some loaves to bake, and the king,
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  Speaker 1: sitting at the hearth, made ready his bow and arrows
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  Speaker 1: in other warlid like instruments. The unlucky woman, espying the
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  Speaker 1: cakes burning at the fire, ran up to remove them, and,
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  Speaker 1: rebuking the brave king, exclaimed, can thee mind the chauks
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  Speaker 1: man and duzan seem burn? I'm bound these eat em
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  Speaker 1: fast enough? Azun as tis the turn. Note. The original
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  Speaker 1: here is in Latin verse, and may therefore be rendered
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  Speaker 1: into English verse. But such as every housewife in Somersetshire
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  Speaker 1: would understand. End of note. The blundering woman little thought
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  Speaker 1: that it was King Alfred who had fought so many
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  Speaker 1: battles against the Pagans and gained so many victories over them.
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  Speaker 1: But the Almighty not only granted to the same glorious
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  Speaker 1: king victories over his enemies, but also permitted him to
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  Speaker 1: be harassed by them, to be sunk down by adversities
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  Speaker 1: and depressed by the low estate of his followers, to
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  Speaker 1: the end that he might learn that there is one
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  Speaker 1: Lord of all things, to whom every need doth bow,
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  Speaker 1: and in whose hand are the hearts of kings, who
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  Speaker 1: puts down the mighty from their seat, and exalteth the humble,
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  Speaker 1: who suffers his servants when they are elevated at the
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  Speaker 1: summit of prosperity, to be touched by the rot of adversity,
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  Speaker 1: that in their humility they may not despair of God's mercy,
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  Speaker 1: and in their prosperity they may not boast of their honors,
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  Speaker 1: but may also know to whom they owe all the
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  Speaker 1: things which they possess. We may believe that the calamity
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  Speaker 1: was brought upon the king aforesaid, because in the beginning
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  Speaker 1: of his reign, when he was a youth and influenced
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  Speaker 1: by youthful feelings, he would not listen to the petitions
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  Speaker 1: which his subjects made to him for help in their
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  Speaker 1: necessities or for relief from those who oppressed them. But
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  Speaker 1: he repulsed them from him and paid no heed to
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  Speaker 1: their requests. This particular gave much annoyance to the Holy
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  Speaker 1: Man Saint Naot, who was his relation, and often foretold
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  Speaker 1: to him in the spirit of prophecy, that he would
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  Speaker 1: suffer great adversity on this account. But Alfred neither attended
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  Speaker 1: to the reproof of the man of God, nor listened
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  Speaker 1: to his true prediction. Wherefore, seeing that a man's sins
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  Speaker 1: must be corrected either in this world or the next,
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  Speaker 1: the true and righteous Judge was willing that his sin
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  Speaker 1: should not go unpunished in this world, to the end
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  Speaker 1: that he might spare him in the world to come
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  Speaker 1: from this cause. Therefore, the aforesaid Alfred often fell into
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  Speaker 1: such great misery that sometimes none of his subjects knew
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  Speaker 1: where he was or what had become of him. In
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  Speaker 1: the same year, the brother of Hingwar and Halfdana, with
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  Speaker 1: twenty three ships, after much slaughter of the Christians, came
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  Speaker 1: from the country of Demitia, where he had wintered, and
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  Speaker 1: sailed to Devon, where with twelve hundred others he met
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  Speaker 1: with a miserable death, being slain while committing his misdeeds
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  Speaker 1: by the king's servants before the castle of kinuit kinwith
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  Speaker 1: into which many of the king's servants with their followers
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  Speaker 1: had fled for safety. Note the brother of Hingwar and
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  Speaker 1: half Dana, probably the sanguinary Ilubu Dmitia or South Wales.
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  Speaker 1: End of note. The Pagans, seeing that the castle was
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  Speaker 1: altogether unprepared and unfortified except that it had walls in
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  Speaker 1: our own fashion, determined not to assault it because it
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  Speaker 1: was impregnable and secure on all sides, except on the eastern,
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  Speaker 1: as we ourselves have seen. But they began to block
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  Speaker 1: hate it, thinking that those who were inside would soon surrender,
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  Speaker 1: either from famine or want of water, for the castle
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  Speaker 1: had no spring near it. But the result did not
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  Speaker 1: fall out as they expected. For the Christians, before they
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  Speaker 1: began to suffer from want, inspired by Heaven, judging it
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  Speaker 1: much better to gain victory or death, attacked the Pagans
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  Speaker 1: suddenly in the morning, and from the first cut them
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  Speaker 1: down in great numbers, slaying also their king, so that
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  Speaker 1: few escaped to their ships, and there they gained a
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  Speaker 1: very large booty, amongst other things, the standard called raven.
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  Speaker 1: For they say that the three sisters of Hingwar and Hubba,
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  Speaker 1: daughters of Lodobros, wove that flag and got it ready
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  Speaker 1: in one day. They say moreover that in every battle
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  Speaker 1: wherever that flag went before them. If they were to
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  Speaker 1: gain the victory, a live crow would appear flying on
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  Speaker 1: the middle of the flag, but if they were doomed
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  Speaker 1: to be defeated, it would hang down motionless, and this
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  Speaker 1: was often proved to be so. The same year after Easter,
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  Speaker 1: King Alfred, with a few followers, made for himself a
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  Speaker 1: stronghold in a place called Athelney, and from thence sallied
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  Speaker 1: with his vassals and the nobles of Somersetshire to make
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  Speaker 1: frequent assaults upon the Pagans. Also in the seventh week
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  Speaker 1: after Easter, he rode to the Stone of Egbert, which
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  Speaker 1: is in the eastern part of the wood, which is
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  Speaker 1: called Sellwood, which means in Latin silhoua magna, the great wood,
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  Speaker 1: but in British quite more note Stone of Egbert now
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  Speaker 1: called Brixton Deverell in Wiltshire Selwood. Selwood Forest extended from
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  Speaker 1: Frome to Bourham, and was probably much larger at one time.
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  Speaker 1: End of note. Here he was met by all the
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  Speaker 1: neighboring folk of Somersetshire and Wiltshire and Hampshire, who had
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  Speaker 1: not for fear of the Pagans, fled beyond the sea,
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  Speaker 1: and when they saw the king alive after such great tribulation,
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  Speaker 1: They received him as he deserved, with joy and acclamations,
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  Speaker 1: and encamped there for one night. When the following day dawned,
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  Speaker 1: the king struck his camp and went to Oakley, where
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  Speaker 1: he encamped for one night. Note or Igley supposed to
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  Speaker 1: be lay now Westbury, Wiltshire, end of note. The next
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  Speaker 1: morning he removed to Eddington, and there fought bravely and
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  Speaker 1: perseveringly against all the army of the Pagans, whom, with
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  Speaker 1: divine help, he defeated with great slaughter, and pursued them
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  Speaker 1: flying to their fortification. Immediately he slew all the men
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  Speaker 1: and carried off all the booty that he could find
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  Speaker 1: without the fortress, which he immediately laid siege to with
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  Speaker 1: all his army. And when he had been there fourteen days,
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  Speaker 1: the Pagans, driven by famine, cold, fear, and last of
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  Speaker 1: all by despair, asked for peace on the condition that
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  Speaker 1: they should give the King as many hostages as he pleased,
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  Speaker 1: but should receive none of him in return, in which
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  Speaker 1: form they had never before made a treaty with any one.
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  Speaker 1: The King, hearing that, took pity upon them, and received
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  Speaker 1: such hostages as he chose, after which the Pagans swore
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  Speaker 1: moreover that they would immediately leave the kingdom and their
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  Speaker 1: king Gothrun, promised to embrace Christianity and receive baptism at
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  Speaker 1: King Alfred's hands, all of which articles he and his
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  Speaker 1: men fulfilled as they had promised. For After seven weeks, Gothrun,
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  Speaker 1: king of the Pagans, with thirty men chosen from the army,
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  Speaker 1: came to Alfred at a place called Aller, near Athelney,
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  Speaker 1: and there King Alfred, receiving him as his son by adoption,
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  Speaker 1: raised him up from the holy laver of baptism on
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  Speaker 1: the eighth day at a royal villa named Wedmore, where
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  Speaker 1: the holy Chrism was poured upon him. Note Wedmore is
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  Speaker 1: four miles and three quarters from Axbridge in Somersetshire. In
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  Speaker 1: the Saxon Chronicle a d. Eight hundred seventy eight, it
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  Speaker 1: is said that Gothrun was baptized at Aller, and his
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  Speaker 1: chrism loosing was at Wedmore. The chrismal was a white
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  Speaker 1: linen cloth put on the head at the administration of baptism,
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  Speaker 1: which was taken off at the expiration of eight days.
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  Speaker 1: End of note After his baptism, he remained twelve knights
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  Speaker 1: with the King, who, with all his nobles, gave him
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  Speaker 1: many fine houses. In the year of Our Lord's incarnation
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  Speaker 1: eight hundred seventy nine, which was the thirty first of
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  Speaker 1: King Alfred, the aforesaid army of Pagans, leaving Chippenham, as
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  Speaker 1: they had promised, went to Chirinchester, which is called in
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  Speaker 1: British kerr Corry, and is situate in the southern part
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  Speaker 1: of the Wickee, And there they remained one year note
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  Speaker 1: Wickeee inhabitants of Gloucester, Worcester and part of war Wick
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  Speaker 1: end of note. In the same year a large army
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  Speaker 1: of pagans sailed from foreign parts into the River Thames
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  Speaker 1: and joined the army which was already in the country.
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  Speaker 1: They wintered at Fulham, near the River Thames. In the
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  Speaker 1: same year, an eclipse of the sun took place between
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  Speaker 1: three o'clock and the evening, but nearer to three o'clock.
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  Speaker 1: In the year of Our Lord's incarnation eight hundred eighty,
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  Speaker 1: which was the thirty second of King Alfred, the above
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  Speaker 1: named army of Pagans left Chirinchester and went among the
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  Speaker 1: east angles where they divided out the country and began
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  Speaker 1: to settle. The same year, the army of Pagans, which
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  Speaker 1: had wintered at Fulham, left the island of Britain and
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  Speaker 1: sailed over the sea to the eastern part of France,
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  Speaker 1: where they remained a year at a place called Yhent.
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  Speaker 1: In the year of Our Lord's Incarnation hundred eighty one,
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  Speaker 1: which was the thirty third of King Alfred's life, the
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  Speaker 1: aforesaid army went higher up into France, and the French
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  Speaker 1: fought against them, And after the battle the Pagans obtained
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  Speaker 1: horses and became an army of cavalry. In the year
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  Speaker 1: of Our Lord's Incarnation eight hundred eighty two, the thirty
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  Speaker 1: fourth of King Alfred's life, the above named army steered
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  Speaker 1: their ships up into France by a river called the
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  Speaker 1: mes Merz, and there wintered one year. In the same year, Alfred,
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  Speaker 1: king of the Anglo Saxons, fought a battle by sea
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  Speaker 1: against the Pagan fleet, of which he captured two ships,
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  Speaker 1: having slain all who were on board, and the two
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  Speaker 1: commanders of two other ships with all their crews. Distressed
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  Speaker 1: by the battle and the wounds which they had received,
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  Speaker 1: laid down their arms and submitted to the king. In
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  Speaker 1: the year of our Lord's Incarnation eight one hundred eighty three,
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  Speaker 1: which was the thirty fifth of King Alfred's life, the
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  Speaker 1: aforesaid army went up the river called skald Shelt to
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  Speaker 1: a convent of nuns called Kundoch Conde, and there remained
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  Speaker 1: a year. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation eight
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  Speaker 1: hundred eighty four, which was the thirty sixth of King
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  Speaker 1: Alfred's life, the aforesaid army divided into two parts. One
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  Speaker 1: body of them went into East France, and the other,
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  Speaker 1: coming to Britain, entered Kent, where they besieged a city
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  Speaker 1: called in Saxon Rochester and situated on the eastern bank
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  Speaker 1: of the River Medway. Before the gate of the town,
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  Speaker 1: the Pagans suddenly erected a strong fortress, but yet they
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  Speaker 1: were unable to take the city because the citizens defended
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  Speaker 1: themselves bravely, until King Alfred came up to help them
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  Speaker 1: with a large army. Then the Pagans abandoned their fortress
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  Speaker 1: and all their horses, which they had brought with them
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  Speaker 1: out of France, and leaving behind them in the fortress.
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  Speaker 1: The greater part of their prisoners on the arrival of
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  Speaker 1: the king, fled immediately to their ships, and the Saxons
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: immediately seized on the prisoners and horses left by the Pagans,
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: And so the Pagans, compelled by stern necessity, returned the
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: same summer to France. In the same year, Alfred, king
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: of the Anglo Saxons, led his fleet full of fighting
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: men out of Kent to the country of the East
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Angles for the sake of plunder. And when they had
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: arrived at the mouth of the River Stour, immediately thirteen
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: ships of the Pagans met them, prepared for battle. A
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: fierce fight ensued and all the Pagans, after a brave resistance,
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: were slain. All the ships, with all their money were
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: taken or the sake of plunder. This expression paints in
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: strong colors the unfortunate and divided state of England at
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: this period, for it shows that the Danes had settled
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: possession of parts of it. In fact, all traces of
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: the heptarchy or ancient division of the island into provinces,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: did not entirely disappear until some years after the Norman conquest.
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: The River Store not the River Store in Kent, but
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: the store which divides Essex from Suffolk Lambard fixes the
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: battle at Harwich Haven end of note. After this, while
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: the Royal fleet were reposing, the Pagans, who lived in
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: the eastern part of England assembled their ships, met the
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: same Royal fleet at sea in the mouth of the
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: same river, and after a naval battle, the Pagans gained
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: the victory. End of part at one, Section three