By Oeo. Matcham, Esq. 185 



been adduced on particular points of this controversy, may now con- 

 sider the comparative probability of a march from Brixton to 

 Highley common, the latter part of which would be through an 

 open country, and on the third and following day another march of 

 nine or ten miles to Yatton, equally exposed to view, with a battle 

 at the termination of it ; to the narrative submitted by Sir Richard 

 Hoare, which I add in his own words, as his magnificent publication 

 is in the hands of few probably of your readers. 



" On the second day he marched to -33cglea, and there rested 

 for the night. If this halting place is fixed at Clay Hill, or in its 

 neighbourhood, the army must have diverged considerably to the 

 north west ; from a desire, probably, of following the wood-land 

 tract, and avoiding the more open and exposed country. Silence and 

 secrecy were the watch words of the day ; and the chief object of 

 King Alfred was to surprise the unsuspecting Danes, who thought 

 him secure in his retreat at Athelney. And here it will be neces- 

 sary for me to answer some of the objections made by former writers, 

 to this line of march. I shall not take any notice of the fanciful 

 positions of Dr. Beke and Mr. Whitaker, but confine myself to those 

 of the learned Camden and his annotator Bishop Gibson. The lat- 

 ter thinks " that Westbury Leigh would be a better situation for 

 the -^cglea of Asser and the Chronicle; and says that Clay Hill 

 bears no marks of intrenchments, and is too far from the spot where 

 the battle was fought on the following day near Edington." Though 

 on each of the first days march, Asser tells us that Alfred encamped 

 {" castrametatus est"), we are not to imply that he raised military 

 intrenchments for the safety or convenience of his army for one 

 night. There are indeed evident signs of raised earthen works round 

 Clay Hill, as may be seen in the annexed plate, but they bear marks 

 of much higher antiquity, and cannot possibly be attributod to the 

 Saxon monarch, whose object was to proceed slowly and secretly 

 towards his enemy ; slowly, that he might afford an opportunity 

 for his friends from distant parts to join him ; and secretly, that 

 the enemy might gain no previous intelligence of his hostile inten- 

 tions, all of which plans would have been counteracted had he, 

 (according to Bishop Gibson,) encamped at "Westbury Leigh ; a 



