The chronicle of Ihon Hardyng in metre, fro[m] the first begynnyng of Engla[n]de, vnto ye reigne of Edwarde ye fourth where he made an end of his chronicle. And from yt time is added with a co[n]tinuacion of the storie in prose to this our tyme, now first emprinted, gathered out of diuerse and sondrie autours of moste certain knowelage [et] substanciall credit, yt either in latin orels in our mother toungue haue writen of ye affaires of Englande.

The .C .viii. Chapiter.

¶ Alurede kyng of Westsex protectour of Englande reigned xxi. yere and died the yere .viii. C .xcv.

ALurede, kyng was of this region That brother was to this noble Elfryde A perfect clerke, proued in opynyon As clerkes could discerne, and proued In knighthode also approued and notified So plenerly, that no man knewe his peer So good a knight, he was and singuler.

¶ In battayles many, in his fathers dayes And also in his brethren tyme all thre He fought full ofte, and bare hym wel alwayes That for his dedes and singularitee He was commended amonge thenemytee Within the lande and out, as well was knowe His fame among the people hye was blowe.

¶ Whyles he was kyng, he had aduersitee With Danes oft, that on hym did ryue Destroyed his lande, with great iniquitee

The whiche full oft, with might he did out driue And slewe thousandes, that lost theyr lyue Through the warres, begon of theyr outrage That meruayll was to sene, of one lynage.

¶ And in the yere. viii, hundreth sixty and eyght The Danes came to Yorke, and toke the towne Hunger and Vbba, with many a wyle sleight Wasted the lande about, both vp and downe And so came forth to Mars, with hostes boune And to Westsex, whom then the kyng Alurede Discomfited there, with the hoste that he did lede.

¶ The Danyshe hoste, to Redyng came agayn Another hoste at London, was with pride Of Danes also, that wrought hym mekyll payne But whyles these hoostes, were parted and deuide With his power, Alurede gan to ryde And at Anglefeld he fought, in Barkeshyre right Where victorie he had, maugre of theyr might

¶ At Redyng in Barkeshire, then he mette An hoste full greate, where he had then agayn The victorye, and his fooes downe bette At Basyng also, he slewe theim downe certeyne At Asshenden, he droue theim out all pleyne And gotte the felde, with all the victories As Flores sayeth right in his memories

¶ And in the yere .viii. C. syxty and fourtene The Danishe hoste, rode Lyndsey & Mars coūtre And home agayn, as then was well sene In Northumberlande, with greate prosperitee

The Danes rode, doyng great aduersitee Where the bishoppe then of holye Isselande And all his monkes were, full fast fleand

¶ With s. Cuthberts bones, bare about .vii. yere Nowe here, nowe there, in dyuers places aboute For dread of Danes, and enemyes that there were In Northumberlande dwellyng, y^t tyme ful stout But then the kyng, the sea sayled throughout▪ And shyppes gatte, with much great ryches For to defende his lande, fro greate distresse.

¶ In Westsex then, with fooes agayn he met Wher they fro hym, to Exeter that night Fled full faste, where Alurede theim ouer sette And slewe theim downe, in batayll and in fyght And then in Mers, anone he fought forth ryght With Danes tho, and also with Norwayes That wasted had all Mers, in many wayes.

¶ Then fought he also, at Chipnā in Wilshire And Hunger and Vbba and duke Haldene Tyrauntes cruell, hote as any fyre The Christen folke did brenne, wast and slene With cruell tourmentes, did theim care and tene Where Alurede had the victorie And slewe that daye, all the Danyshyre

Notes

• Alurede kyng.
• Supersti∣cion.