Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/111

 ALFRED. had now great fuccefs, which was chiefly owing to his fl'et, an advantage of his own creating. Having fecuied tnc !ea- coafts, he fortified the rell of ihe km.;Jo.n with caltlcs and walled towns; and he befieged and recovered from the Danes the city of London, which he relolved to repair, and keep a* a frontier [F]. After fome years refpite, Alfred was again called into the field j for a body of Dines, being worfted in the weft of France, came with a fleet of two hundred and fifty fail on the coaft of Kent; and having landed, fixed themfelvesat Appfe- tree. Shortly after, another fleet of eighty veflels coming up the Thame>, trie men landed, and built a fort at Middleton. Before /lf/ed marched againft the enemy, he obliged the Danes, fettled in Northumberland and Kilex, to give him hoftages for their good behaviour. He then moved to wards Chron. Six, the. invaders, and pitched his camp between their armies, to p-9 ** prevent their junction. A great body, however, moved oft" toEiTex ; and crofting the river, came to Farnham in Surry, where they were defeated by the king's forces. Meanwhile 1 ^. 93 the Danes fettled in Northumberland in breach of treaty; and, notwithstanding the holtages given, equipped two fleets; and, after p!u."!deriiu the northern and fouthern coafts, failed to Exeter, and befieged ir. The king, as foon as he receiv- ed intelligence, marched againft them ; but, before he reach- ed Exeter, they had got potT^ffion of it. He kept trurn, however, blocked up on all fides, and reduced them at laft to fuch extremities, that they were obliged to eat their horfes, and even ready to devour each other. Being at length ren- dered defperate, they made a general fally on the befiegers, but were defeated, though with great lofs on the king's fide. The remainder of this body of Danes fled into Kilex, to the Ibid, fort they had built there, and to their fhips. Before /Elfred had time to recruit himfelf, another Danifh leader, whofe name was Laf, came with a great army out of Nouhumber- [F] The Danes had poffelTed them- Dane?, r^ftored it to. its ancient fplendor. fclvesof London in the time of his father, And obiemog that through the confufioa and had held '. till now as a convenieiit- of the times, many, b.ir. S^xmis and place for them to land at, and foriify Danes, liveu in a loofediforocrly manner, themfelves in j neither was it t:iken without owning any ,govfrnn;f nt, he from them but by a clofe fiege. How- oft' red thcni now a com iljblifn- ever, when it (^me into the king's ment, if they w< u!d fubmit, ami b -rome hands, it was in a mifcrabie condition, his fubje6^8. Thu proportion w^ better fcaice habitable, and all its fortifica' ions received than he cxpff led ; for multi- ruined. The king, moved bv the im- tudts, growing weary of a vv.'^bo J kind 1 poriance of the phce, and the defue of o ( lite, joyfully accepted fuch an offer. Jlrengthening his frontier againrt the Chron. bax. p, SS. land,