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ALFONSO. cabinet crises and military insurrections, labor riots, and Anarchistic disturbances. In 1S04 and 18U5 insurrections broke out in the Philippines and in Cuba. In ISilS the United States declared war on Spain, and bj- the treaty of Paris, De- cember 10, 1898, deprived her of Cuba, Porto Kico, and the Philippines. See Spanish-AmeriCAN War; PlIlLlPPl^'E IsLAJ(l).S, etc.

ALFONSO MARIA DE LIGUORI, mare'a da le-gvO'rt'. See LiGUORI.

ALFONSO OF BOUR'BON (1S49— ). Infanta of Spain, a brother of the pretender to the crown, Charles VII., nephew of the former pretender, Don Carlos. (See Carlos, Don.) He participated in the struggle of the Carlists (1873-74), and together with his wife, Maria de las Nievas, became notorious by reason of sangui- nar.y <leeds at the siege of Cuenca.

ALFORD, al'ferd, Henry, D.D. (1810-71). An English biblical critic and poet. He was born in London, October 7, 1810, and educated at Trin- ity College, Cambridge. He became Fellow of Trinity in 1834, Vicar of Wymeswold, a college living, in the diocese of Peterborough, 1833 ; minister of Quebec Chapel, JIarylebonc, London, 1S53; Dean of Canterbury, 18.57. He was very versatile, could play and sing, carve and paint. He wrote poetrj' and sermons. He was a literary critic and editor. P>ut his reputation rests upon his edition of the Greek New Testament, in which for the first time the treasures of German lin- guistic and exegetical studies were introduced in comprehensive fashion to those unfamiliar with German. It «as begun in 1845 and the fourth and last volume published in 1801. For the day it was a great service. He enabled the mere English reader to reap a great part of his harvest by his Vcip Testament for Enrilish Read- ers (London, 1808, 4 volumes). Other of his writ- ings have had much vogue, especially his poetrj'. The School of the Heart, and Other Poems, etc., which is characterized not so much by depth or originality as by freedom from affectation, ob- scurity or bombast. Among his latest writings was .1 Plea for the Queen's Enijlish (sixth edition. ISSO), which excited considerable discussion. He also published several volumes of sermons. He died at Canterbury. January 12, 1871. Consult The Life of Dean Alford, by his widow ( London. 1873 ).

AL'FRED. A village in Allegany County, N. Y., 12 miles southwest of Hornellsville, on the Erie Railroad (Jlap: New York, C 3). Alfred was settled in 1807 and was incorporated in 1887 : it is known principally as the site of Al- fred LTniversity, a Seventh Day Baptist institu- tion, organized in 1836. The' New- York State School of Clay Working and Ceramics is also situated here. '^ Pop., 1800, 780; 1000, 7.50. ALFRED, or .ffiLFRED, the Great (840- 901). King of Wessex from 871 to 901. He was born at Wantage, in Berkshire, in 849. His father was .Ethelwulf, King of the West Saxons. Alfred, the youngest of five sons, succeeded to the throne in 871, on the death of his brother .-Ethelred. His reign, which lasted more than thirty years, is noteworthy first, because of the wars with the Danish invaders ; second, because of the interest which the King took in • education. Before discussing his real achieve- ments, however, it may be well to speak briefly of some things erroneously attributed to him. In the popular legends he has been re- garded as the author of many reforms and in- stitutions which were in no waj' due to him. His real and great merits have been overlooked because of the actions incorrectly credited to him. Except for the false statements in many seconda- ry works, it would be unnecessary to say that he did not institute trial by jury, and that he was not the founder of the University of Oxford. The picturesque tales of liis hiding from the Danes, of the burned cakes, and of his visit to the Danish camp disguised as a harper, are inventions of a later age.

Alfred became king in the midst of a Danish invasion. After several battles he was able to make peace with the enemy, probably by paying them money. In the following years Danish ma- rauding expeditions were frequent, and in 878 there was a great invasion. For a few months the Danes Avere successful almost everywhere, and roet with no general resistance. About Easter, Alfred established himself at Athelney, and gathered there all the forces that he could. Seven weeks afterward he marched to Brixton, gathering troops as he went, and in the battle of Ethandun, probably Edington in 'iltshire, he defeated the Danes and captured their stronghold. The Danish King Guthrum was baptized, and the peace of Wedmore followed. There were some less important engagements in the following years, but on the whole, for the next fifteen years Alfred was able to give his time to the internal affairs of his kingdom. In 893 the Danes, who had l)een driven away by Ar- nulf (q.v. ), King of Germany, made a descent upon England. For more than four years the warfare went on almost continuously, but at last the Danes were driven out. These Danish inva- sions had an important influence on the history of England. By crushing the individual king- doms, they worked, unwittingly, for the unity of England. Alfred, by withstanding them success- fully, made his kingdom the rallying point for all the Saxons, and prepared the way for the eventual supremacy of his descendants. He died October 28, 901.

Alfred was an enthusiastic scholar and a zealous patron of learning. When he came to the throne, as he himself wrote, he found little or no interest in education, and few learned men. He invited to his court native and foreign scholars, of whom the best known are Asser and John Scotus Erigena. He laljored himself, and encouraged others to labor, for the education of his people. The composition of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle may have been due to his initiative. He himself translated works which ho thought would be useful to his people, and instead of merely translating literally, he expanded or omitted portions in order to make the work more serviceable. His principal works were translations of the following: Boethius, Consolation of Philosophji : Orosius. Historii of the World; and Gregory the Great. Pastoral Care. Of the last there is an excellent edition in the publications of the Early English Text Society. He is said to have translated, or to have had translated, the Soliloquies of St. Au(iusfine. It was believed formerly that Alfred translated Bede's Ecclesiastieal Historii, but more critical study has shown that the translation is made into the Anglian dialect and not the West Saxon. It was certainly not the work of Alfred, although it may have been made under his direction. See Miller,