ALFRED.

in

font, gave him the name of Athelstan, and re- cceived him as his adopted son

The success of this expedient seemed to corres-pond to Alfred’s hopes: The greater part of theDanes settled peaceably in their new quarters:Some smaller bodies of the fame nation , whichwere dispersed in Mercia, were distributed intothe five cities of Darby, Leicester, Stamford,Lincoln , and Nottingham , and were thence called,the his or Five Burgers. The more turbulent andunquiet made an expedition into France underthe command of Hastings 4! ; and except by ashort incursion of Danes, who failed up the Thames;and landed at Fulliam , but suddenly retreated totheir ships, on finding the country in a postureof defence , Alfred was not for some years in-fested by the inroads of those barbarians

The king employed this interval of tranquillityin restoring order to the state, which had beenshaken by so many violent convulsions; in estab-lishing civil and military institutions; in compos-ing the minds of men to industry and justice; andin providing against the return of like calamities.Fie was , more properly than his grandfatherEgbert, the sole monarch of the English , (for sothe Saxons were now universally called) becausethe kingdom of Mercia was at last incorporatedin his state, and was governed by Ethelbert, hisbrother-in-law, who bore the title of Earl: And44 Asser. p. io. Chroru Sax. p. 90.

" W. Malm. lib. 2. cap. 4. Ingulf, p. z6.

" Asler. p. 11.

HAP.

II.