Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 1.djvu/44

30 own country again with the spoils they had collected, without attempting any settlement.

The affection of this prince for his illegitimate son, Athelstan, induced him to resign to him the kingdoms of Kent, Essex, and Sussex, together with the title of king of the first-named place, reserving to himself that of King of all England, and the kingdom of Wessex. The Danes now seldom failed to visit England yearly for the sake of plunder. In 845, the Earls Enulph and Osrick, aided by Bishop Alstan, obtained a considerable victory over them.

In 851, the barbarians landed again on the coast of Wessex, where they plundered the country to a great extent, but were met by Ethelwulph's general, Earl Ceorle, who defeated them at Wenbury with great slaughter.

Shortly afterwards, Athelstan, the King, of Kent, encountered them upon their own element, and succeeded in capturing nine of their ships.

Next year the Danes sailed up the Thames with 300 vessels, and pillaged London, after which they marched into Mercia, and would have overrun all England if the preparations of Ethelwulph and his son, the King of Kent had not deterred them. They re-passed the Thames, and were defeated at Okely in Surrey.

Shortly after this victory Athelstan died, and his father once more reigned as sole monarch of the Saxon kingdoms in the island.

Ethelwulph appears to have been in some respects a weak, but by no means a cruel prince. He was very religiously disposed, and guided for years, in all religions matters, by Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, and Alstan, Bishop of London. By the advice of the former, he is said to have granted to the Church the tithe of all his dominions. He also sent his youngest son, Alfred, when a mere boy, to Rome, and in 855 visited the Eternal City himself. On his return, he passed through France, where he married



Judith, or Leatheta, as she is named in the Saxon Chronicles, the daughter of Charles the Bald, a princess only twelve years of age.

This unreasonable union so incensed his son Ethelbald and Bishop Alstan against him, that on his arrival in England he was compelled to resign the kingdom of Essex to the former to prevent a civil war. The aged monarch survived this partition but two years.

Ethelwulph, by his will, disposed of the kingdom of Kent to his second son, Ethelbert, and the kingdom of Essex to Ethelbald, Ethelred, and Alfred, in the order of seniority, and directed his heirs to maintain one poor person for every