Page:Source Problems in English History.djvu/51

 Alfred’s life, the oft-mentioned army fleeing from this region went again into the land of the West Franks; they entered by the river called Seine and pushed far up-stream in their boats even to the city of Paris, and there wintered. And they laid out their camp on both sides of the river near to the bridge in order to keep the citizens from crossing—for this city is located on a small island in the middle of the river. And they besieged the city that whole year, but through God’s favor and the vigorous defense of the citizens they could not break the fortifications.

In the same year Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, after the burning of cities and the slaughter of peoples, honorably restored the city of London and made it habitable; and he intrusted its defense to Ethelred, ealdorman of the Mercians. And all the Angles and Saxons who had before been widely scattered or who were in captivity with the pagans voluntarily turned to the king and placed themselves under his rule.

The barbarians renewed the peace, with a fraudulent intention, and more hostages than were