Ethelred.

EThelred the third, Son of Ethelwolf, at his first [An. Dom. 866] * coming to the Crown was entertain'd with a fresh invasion of Danes, led by Hinguar and Hubba, two Brothers, who now had got footing among the East-Angles; there they winterd, and coming to terms of peace with the Inhabitants, furnish'd them∣selves of Horses, forming by that means many Troops with Riders of thir own: These Pagans, Asser saith, came from the River Danubius. Fitted [An. Dom. 867] * thus for a long expedition, they ventur'd the next year to make thir way over land and over Humber, as far as Yorke, them they found to thir hands im∣broil'd in civil dissentions; thir King Osbert they had thrown out, and Ella Leader of another faction cho∣sen in his room; who both, though late, admonish'd by thir common danger, towards the years end with united powers made head against the Danes and prevail'd; but persueing them over-eagerly into Page  200 Yorke, then but slenderly wall'd, the Northumbrians * were every where slaughter'd, both within and with∣out; thir Kings also both slain, thir City burnt, saith Malmsbury, the rest as they could, made thir peace, over-run and vanquisht as far as the River Tine, and Egbert of English race appointed King over them. Bromton no antient Author (for he wrote since Mat. West.) nor of much credit, writes a particular cause of the Danes coming to Yorke: that Bruern a Noble∣man, whose Wife King Osbert had ravisht, call'd in Hinguar and Hubba to revenge him. The example is re∣markable if the truth were as evident. Thence victo∣rious, the Danes next year enterd into Mercia to∣wards [An. Dom. 868] Nottingham, where they spent the Winter. Burhed then King of that Country, unable to resist, implores the aid of Ethelred and young Alfred his Brother, they assembling thir Forces and joining with the Mercians about Nottingham, offer Battel: the Danes not daring to come forth, kept themselves * within that Town and Castle, so that no great fight was hazarded there; at length the Mercians weary of long suspence, enterd into conditions of peace with thir Enemies. After which the Danes return∣ing back to Yorke, made thir abode there the space of one year, committing, some say, many cruelties. [An. Dom. 869] * [An. Dom. 870] * Thence imbarking to Lindsey, and all the Summer destroying that Country, about September they came with like fury into Kesteven, another part of Lincolnshire, where Algar the Earl of Howland now Holland, with his Forces, and two hunderd stout Souldiers belonging to the Abbey of Croiland, three hunderd from about Boston, Morcard Lord of Brunne, with his numerous Family, well train'd and arm'd: Osgot Governour of Lincoln with 500. of that City, Page  201 all joyning together, gave Battel to the Danes, slew of them a great multitude, with three of thir Kings, and persu'd the rest to thir Tents; but the night fol∣lowing, Gothrun, Baseg, Osketil, Halfden, and Ha∣mond, five Kings, and as many Earls, Frena, Hinguar, Hubba, Sidroc the Elder and Younger, coming in from several parts with great forces and spoils, great part of the English began to slink home. Never∣theless Algar with such as forsook him not, all next day in order of Battel facing the Danes, and sustain∣ing unmov'd the brunt of thir assaults, could not withhold his men at last from persueing thir coun∣terfitted flight; wherby op'nd and disorder'd, they fell into the snare of thir Enemies, rushing back up∣on them. Algar and those Captains fore-nam'd with him, all resolute men, retreating to a hill side, and slaying of such as follow'd them, manifold thir own number, dy'd at length upon heaps of dead which they had made round about them. The Danes thence passing on into the Country of East-Angles, rifl'd and burnt the Monastery of Elie, overthrew Earl Wulke∣tul with his whole Army, and lodg'd out the Win∣ter at Thetford; where King Edmund assailing them, was with his whole Army put to flight, himself tak'n, bound to a stake, and shot to Death with Ar∣rows, his whole Country subdu'd. The next year [An. Dom. 871] * with great supplies, saith Huntingdon, bending thir march toward the West-Saxons, the only people now left, in whom might seem yet to remain strength or courage likely to oppose them, they came to Reading, fortifi'd there between the two Rivers of Thames, and Kenet, and about three dayes after, sent out wings of Horse under two Earls to forage the Coun∣try; * but Ethelwulf Earl of Barkshire, at Englefeild a Page  202 Village nigh, encounterd them, slew one of thir Earls, and obtain'd a great Victory. Four dayes after came the King himself and his Brother Alfred with the main Battail; and the Danes issuing forth, a bloody fight began, on either side great slaughter, in which Earl Ethelwulf lost his life; but the Danes loosing no ground, kept thir place of standing to the end. Neither did the English for this make less hast to another conflict at Escesdunc, or Ashdown, four dayes after, where both Armies with thir whole force on either side met. The Danes were imbat∣tail'd in two great Bodies, the one led by Bascai and Halfden, thir two Kings, the other by such Earls as were appointed; in like manner the English divided thir powers, Ethelred the King stood against their Kings; and though on the lower ground, and com∣ing later into the Battail from his Orisons, gave a fierce onset, wherin Bascai (the Danish History names him Erazus the Son of Regicerus) was slain. Alfred was plac'd against the Earls, and beginning the Bat∣tail ere his Brother came into the field, with such re∣solution charg'd them, that in the shock most of them were slain; they are nam'd Sidroc Elder and Younger, Osbern, Frean, Harald; at length in both Divisions, the Danes turn thir backs; many thou∣sands of them cut off, the rest persu'd till night. So much the more it may be wonderd to hear next in the Annals, that the Danes 14 days after such an over-throw, fighting again with Ethelred and his Brother Alfred at Basing, under conduct, saith the Danish Hi∣story, of Agnerus and Hubbo, Brothers of the slain Evacus, should obtain the Victory; especially since the new supply of Danes mention'd by Asser, arriv'd after this action. But after two Months, the King Page  203 and his Brother fought with them again at Mertun, in two Squadrons as before, in which fight hard it is to understand who had the better; so darkly do the Saxon Annals deliver thir meaning with more then wonted infancy. Yet these I take (for Asser is * heer silent) to be the Chief Fountain of our story, the ground and basis upon which the Monks later in time gloss and comment at thir pleasure. Never∣theless it appears, that on the Saxon part, not Hea∣mund the Bishop only, but many valiant men lost thir lives. This fight was follow'd by a heavy Sum∣mer Plague; wherof, as is thought, King Ethelred * dy'd in the fifth of his Reign, and was buried at Winburne, where his Epitaph inscribes that he had his Deaths wound by the Danes, according to the Da∣nish History 872. Of all these terrible landings and devastations by the Danes, from the days of Ethelwolf till thir two last Battels with Ethelred, or of thir Leaders, whether Kings, Dukes, or Earls, the Danish History of best credit saith no∣thing; So little Wit or Conscience it seems they had to leave any memory of thir brutish, rather then manly actions; unless we shall suppose them to have come, as above was cited out of Asser, from Danu∣bius, rather then from Denmarke, more probable some barbarous Nations of Prussia, or Livonia, not long before seated more Northward on the Bal∣tic Sea.