A L F 
And observing, that, through the confufion of the times, 
many, both Saxons and Danes, lived in a loofe diforderly 
manner, without owning any government, he offered them 
now a comfortable eftablifhment, if they would fubmit 
and become his fubjefts. This propofition was better re¬ 
ceived than he expeCted ; for multitudes/growing weary 
of a vagabond kind of life, joyfully accepted fuch an offer. 
After fome years refpite, Alfred was again called into 
the field; for a body of Danes, being worfted in the weft 
of France, came with a fleet of 250 fail on the coaft of 
Kent,; and, having landed, fixed themfelves at Apple, 
t-ree: fttortly after, another fleet of eighty veffels coming 
up the Thames, the men landed, and built a fort at Mid¬ 
dleton. Before Alfred marched againft the enemy, he 
obliged the Danes, fettled in Northumberland and Eflex, 
to give him hoftages for their good behaviour. He then 
moved towards the invaders, and pitched his camp be¬ 
tween their armies, to prevent their junction. A great 
body, however, moved off to Eflex; and, crofting the ri¬ 
ver, came to Farnham in Surrey, where they were defeat¬ 
ed by the king’s forces. Meanwhile the Danes fettled in 
Northumberland, in breach of treaty, and notwithftanding 
the hoftages given, equipped two fleets; and, after plun¬ 
dering the northern and fouthern coafts, failed to Exeter, 
and belleged it. The king, as foon as he received intel¬ 
ligence, marched againft them ; but, before he reached 
Exeter, they had got polfedion of it. He kept them, how¬ 
ever, blocked up on all fides ; and reduced them at laft to 
fuch extremities, that they were obliged to eat their hor- 
fes, and were even ready to devour each othef. Being at 
length rendered defperate, they made a general fally on 
thebefiegers; but were defeated, though with great lofs 
on the king’s fide. The remainder of this body of Danes 
fled into Eflex, to the fort they had built there, and to 
their fhips. Before Alfred had time to recruit himfelf, 
another Danifli leader, whofe name was Laf, came with a 
great army out of Northumberland, and deftroyed all be¬ 
fore him, marching on to the city of Werheal in the w'eft, 
which is fuppofed to be Chefter, where they remained the 
reft of that year. The year following they invaded North 
Wales; and, after having plundered and deftroyed every 
thing, they divided, one body returning to Northumber¬ 
land, another into the territories of the Eaft-Angles; from 
whence they proceeded to Eflex, and took pofteflion of a 
final! iiland called Merefig. Here they did not long re¬ 
main ; for, having parted, fome failed up the river 
Thames, and others up the Lea-road ; where, drawing up 
their fhips, they built a fort not far from London, which 
proved a great check upon the citizens, who went in a 
body and attacked it, but were repulfed with great lofs: 
at harveft-time the king himfelf was obliged to encamp 
with a body of. troops in the neighbourhood of the city, in 
order to cover the reapers from the excuriions of the Danes. 
As he was one day riding by the fide of the river Lea, af¬ 
ter fome obfervations, he began to think that the Danifli 
fnips might be laid quite dry : this he attempted, and fuc- 
ceeded; fo that the Danes deferted their fort and (hips, 
and marched away to the banks of the Severn. This 
contrivance of the king’s is thought to have produced the 
meadow between Hertford and Bow; for at Hertford was 
the Danifh fort, and from thence they made frequent ex¬ 
cursions on the inhabitants of London. Authors are not 
agreed as to the method the king purfued in laying dry 
the Danifh fhips: Dugdale fuppofes that he did it by ftrait- 
ening the channel; but Henry of Huntingdon alleges, 
that he cut feveral canals, which exhaufted its water. Such 
of the Danifh fhips as could be got off, the Londoners 
carried into their own road ; the reft they burnt and de¬ 
ftroyed. 
Alfred enjoyed a profound peace during the three laft 
years of his reign, which he chiefly employed in eftabliih- 
ing and regulating his government, foi; the fecurity of 
himfelf and his fucceffors, as well as the eafe and benefit 
of his fnbjeds in general. After a troublefome reign of 
twenty-eight years, he died on the 2Sth of OClober, A. D, 
R E D. 279 
900; and was buried at Winchefter, in Hyde-abbey, un¬ 
der a monument of porphyry. 
All our hiftorians agree in diftinguifhing him as one of 
the moft valiant, wifeft, and beft, of kings, that ever reign¬ 
ed in England; and it is alfo generally allowed, that he not 
only digefted feveral particular laws ftill in being, but that 
he laid the firft foundation of our prefent happy conftitu- 
tion. There is great reafon to believe that we are indebt¬ 
ed to this prince for trials by juries; and the Doomfday- 
book, which is preferved in the exchequer, is thought to- 
be no more than another edition of Alfred’s Book of Win¬ 
chefter, which contained a furvey of the kingdom. It is 
faid alfo, that he was the firft who divided the kingdom 
into fhires: what is aferibed to him is not a bare divifioa 
of the country, but the fettling a new form of judicature; 
for, after having divided his dominions into (hires, he fub- 
divided each ill ire into three parts, called trytkings. There 
are fome remains of this ancient divifion in the ridings of 
Yorkfliire, the laths of Kent, and the three parts of Lin- 
colnftiire. Each trything was divided into hundreds or 
wapentakes; and thefe again into tythings or dwellings 
of ten houfeholders: each of thefe hcufeholders flood 
engaged to the king, as a pledge for the good behaviour 
of his family, and all the ten were mutually pledges for 
each other; fo that, if any one of the tythings was fuf- 
peCted of an offence, if the head-boroughs or cltiefs of 
the tything would not be fecurity for him, he was impri- 
foned ; and, if he made his elcape, the tything and hun¬ 
dred were fined to the king. Each {hire was under the 
government of an earl, under whom was the reive, his 
deputy; fince, from his office, called Jhire-reive orJJicriff. 
And fo effectual were thefe regulations, that it is faid lie 
caufed bracelets of gold to be hung up in the highways, as 
a challenge to robbers, and they remained untouched. 
The merit of this prince, both in private and public 
life, may with advantage be fet in oppofition to that of 
any monarch or citizen which the annals of any age or any 
nation can prefent to us. He feems, indeed, to be the 
complete model of that perfect character, which, under 
the denomination of a fage or wife man, the philofophers 
have been fond of delineating, rather as a fiction of their 
imagination, than in hopes of ever feeing it reduced to 
practice : fo happily were all his virtues tempered toge¬ 
ther, fo juftly were they blended, and fo powerfully did 
each prevent the other from exceeding its proper bounds. 
He knew how to conciliate the moftenterprifing fpiritwith 
the coolelt moderation; the moft obftinate perleverance 
with the ealieft flexibility; the moft fevere juftice with the 
greateft lenity; the greateft vigour in command with the 
greateft affability of deportment; the higheft capacity and 
inclination for fcience, with the moft fhining talents for 
aftion. His civil and his military virtues are almoft equal¬ 
ly the objeCts of our admiration, excepting only, that the 
former, being more rare among princes, as well as more 
ufeful, feern chiefly to challenge our applaufe. Nature 
alfo, as if defirous that fo bright a production of her (kill 
ftioiild be fet in the faireft light, had bellowed on him all 
bodily accompli(hments, vigour of limbs, dignity of ftiape 
and air, and a pleafant, engaging, and open, countenance. 
Fortune alone, by throwing him into that barbarous age, 
deprived him of hiftorians worthy to tranfmit his fame to 
pofterity; and we with to fee him delineated in more live¬ 
ly colours, and with more particular ftrokes, that we may 
at leaft perceive fome of thafe frnall fpecks and blemifties, 
from which, as a man, it is impoffible he could be entirely 
exempted. 
In private life, Alfred was the moft amiable man in his 
dominions; of fo equal a temper, that he never fullered 
either fadnefs or unbecoming gaiety to enter his mind; 
but appeared always of a calm yet cheerful difpoiition, 
familiar to his friends, juft even to iiis enemies, kind and 
tender to all. He was a remarkable ceconomift of his 
time; and AflTerius has given 11s an account of the me¬ 
thod he took for dividing and keeping an account of it: 
he caufed fix wax-candles to be made, each of twelve 
3 inches 
