ALFRED. 109

of the English , their negligence in foraging and cplundering, and their dissolute wasting of whatthey gained by rapine and violence. Encouragedby these favourable appearances, he secretly sentemissaries to the most considerable of his subjects,and summoned them to a rendezvous, attendedby their warlike followers, at Brixton , on theborders of Sekvood forest The English , whohad hoped to put an end to their calamities byservile submission , now found the insolence andrapine of the conqueror more intolerable than allpast fatigues and dangers; and, at the appointedday, they joyfully resorted to their prince. Onhis appearance, they received him with shouts ofapplause and could not satiate their eyes withTie fight of this beloved monarch, whom theyhad long regarded as dead, and who now, withvoice and looks expressing his confidence of suc-cess , called them to liberty and to vengeance.He instantly conducted them to Eddington, wherethe Danes were encamped; and taking advantageof his previous knowledge of the place, he di-rected his attack against the most unguarded quarterof the enemy. The Danes, surprised to see anarmy of English , whom they considered as totallysubdued , and still more astonished to hear thatAlfred was at their head , made but a faint resist-ance, notwithstanding their superiority of number;and were soon put to flight with great slaughter.

Chron. Sax. p. 85.

Aster. p. 10. Chron. Sax. p. 85. Simeon Dunelm.p. 128. Alured Levers p. 105. Abbas Rieval p. 354.

HAP

II.