izr HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

chap. and erudition ,s , found immediately, on Fign. accession, a specimen of that turbulent life, towhich all princes, and even all individuals wereexposed , in an age when men , less restrained bylaw or justice, and less occupied by industry, hadno aliment for their inquietude, but wars, insur-rections, convulsions, rapine, and depredation.Ethelwald , his cousin-german , son of kingEthelbert, the elder brother of Alfred, insistedon his preferable title "; and arming his partizans,took possession of Winburne, where he seemeddetermined to defend himself to the last extremity,and to await the issue of his pretensions ” 7 . Butwhen the king approached the town with a greatarmy , Ethelwald , having the prospect of certaindestruction, made his escape, and fled first intoNormandy , and thence into Northumberland ;where he hoped, that the people, who had beenrecently subdued by Alfred , and who were im-patient of peace , would , on the’ intelligence ofthat great prince’s death, seize the first pretenceor opportunity of rebellion. The event did notdisappoint his expectations : The Northumbriansdeclared for him "; and Ethelwald , having thusconnected his interest with the Danish tribes ,. went beyond sea, and collecting a body of these

free - hooters, he excited the hopes of all those

*' W. Malms. lib. 2. cap. 5. Hoveden, p. 42 r.

' 55 C’nron. Sax. p. 99, 100.

Ibid. p. 100. H. Hunting, lib. A. p. ZZ2.

* a Ibid. Ibid r