536 On the Setilement of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. [ July 1 
fairs. But Arthur soon found himself 
under the necessity of raising the siege; 
because he was informed that Cheldric* 
was coming with a mighty fleet to the re- 
hef of the besieged. In this difficulty he 
sent for assistance to Floel, the Duke of 
Britany, who accordingly came with 
15,000-men. Strengthened by this rein- 
forcement, he attacked the Saxons, who 
were besieging Lincoln, slew 6000, and 
pursued the rest tothe Caledonian forest, 
where he enclosed them, and barricaded 
them up by felling trees, so that they had 
no retreat. A compromise was then made, 
in which it was stipulated, that they 
(probably only those who had come with 
Colgrin and Baldulph), should return into 
Germany unmolested, but yield up their 
booty, a and give hostages, for their obser- 
vance of the treaty. Yet it did not last 
Jong, before the Saxons broke the treaty, 
returned, and made a descent at Totness*, 
whence they ravaged the country as far 
as the Severn, and laid siege to the city 
of Baden, now Bath, m Somerset. As 
soon as. Arthur was isformed of ‘this, he 
gave up his expedition againt the Picts 
and Scots, and hastened to the relief of 
his subjects, having previously ordered 
all the hostages to be hanged. The Sax- 
ens were encamped on the Badonian 
mountain, whence Arthur dislodged them, 
and gained agreat victory. ‘The remains 
of their army fled to the isle of Thanet. 
Arthur was in this battle armed in the 
following manner: he had on a coat of 
mail; his helmet was gilt and adorned 
with a dragon; in his shield which was 
named Priwen, was a representation of 
the virgin Maryt, for the Britons had long 
been Christians. His sword was called 
Caliburne, and was made on the Ava- 
* So Galfredus cails him, and it is my 
opinion that by this name is meant the West 
Saxon prince, Cenric. 
sa A small town on the river Dert, in De- 
vonshire. 
¢ Shicld-marks or devices are very ancient 
in the North, but as they were not constant in the 
families, they cannot be considered the same 
as the armorial ensigns of the present nobility, 
though they gave rise tothem. In the printed 
Niala (an Icelandish saga), c. 19, p. 143, it 
is related that Helgi had a red shield, on 
which was represented a hart, and Kari had a 
gilt one, in which was a lion. ‘This was 
in the latter end of the 10th century. Ke- 
specting the shield-devices of the Norwegians, | 
Dolmer has coliected some accounts in Hird- 
skraa, p. 252, where none 1s mentioned, how- 
ever, of anolder date than that of Olui Tryg- 
¥Eson, 
lonian island; his long and broad lance 
was called lron. After, this, he aganx 
turned his arms against the Picts and 
Seots; defeated them, and would, per- 
haps, have extirpated them, if he had 
not suffered himself to be persuaded by 
their priests to conclude a treaty, for the 
sake of their common creed. He then 
vanquished Guillamur, an Irish king, whe 
had come with a considerable army to 
their assistance; it is even related that 
he went over to Ireland, took Guillamur 
and some. other petty kings prisoners, 
and made war there with great success. 
In all’these contests he is said to have 
been engaged from his accession, in 518, 
tll525. But, notwithstanding his exer~ 
tions, it was not in bis power to do. any 
move than only for some time to protract 
the miserable fate of the Britons. Teven 
think that his and his father’s plan to 
remove the war into the North, acce- 
lerated the ruin of their country. For 
these conquests, though glorious and splen- 
did, cost a great number of people, were 
of dittle use, and of short duration: be- 
sides such enterprises exasperated the. 
Anglo-Saxons still more, and niade them: 
exert their utmost strength to accom~ 
plish the conquest of the island. So E 
find that a great multitude, with wives 
and children, arrived nearly at this time | 
from Anglia in that part of Britain which 
was afterwards called East-Anglia, where: 
chief. 
Thence they spread themselves into Mer- 
one Wilhelm. was their first 
cia (A. D. 525), but were in both coun- 
tries for a long timé governed only by 
chiefs, which occasioned numberless in- 
testine feuds. Probably there was none 
among them descended from Odin or 
the Asers*, or who was of so illustrious: 
a family, that he could venture to as- 
sume the royal name and power. The last 
Angles who arrived were, in my opinion, 
from Anglia Proper, of which Sleswic was. 
the capital, and from the island of Als, 
which I think was the. native place. off 
Wilhelm. Nor did Cerdic leave the Bri- 
tons long in peace. He fought a battle 
with them at Cerdicsleah, now Chards- 
ley, in Buckinghamshire (A. D. 523), 
The consequence of this victory seems 
to have been, that the kingdom of Essex 
was established in the same year by Er- 
kenwin, who came, I think, from West- 
land, that is the Eiderstedt country, and 
* So the friends and companions of Odin 
were called, who came and settled with him. 
inthe North. Trazsl.- 
