Alfgar the Dane or the Second Chronicle of Aescendune

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XVIII. FATHER CUTHBERT'S DIARY.

  In the Aescendune Woods, Easter Tide, 1007.--

  Here I am at home, if I may call these woods home, once more, havingspent my Lent with my brethren in the monastery of Abingdon. We are avery large party: Herstan and all his family are here, the EthelingEdmund, and Alfgar.

  We all travelled together from Abingdon. Passing through Oxen ford,Kirtlington (where Bishop Sidesman of Crediton died at the GreatCouncil, whose body is buried in the abbey), Beranbyrig, and Warwick,we reached the domains of Aescendune.

  We passed through the desolated village where lie the blackened ruinsof priory and hall, not without a sigh, and entered the forest.Although I had so recently travelled by that path (in September last),yet I could hardly find my way, and had once or twice like to havelost the party in quagmires. So much the better; for if we can hardlyescape such impediments, I do not think we need fear that the Daneswill find their way through the swamps and brakes.

  But the woods were so fresh and delightful to men like ourselves, whohave but just escaped from the confinement of the town. Blessed,thrice blessed, are they who dwell in the woods, God's first temples,apart from strife and the turmoil of arms!

  So spake I to my companions. The while the birds from each tree andbush chanted their Maker's praise, and the sweet fresh green ofspringtide enlivened the scene, as if to welcome us pilgrims to ourhome.

  "And not less, father," said the Etheling, "need we be grateful foryon fat buck, which I mean to send an arrow after. See, we have thewind of him."

  So speaking, while we all stood motionless, he crept near his victim,and drawing an arrow to its head, while all we saw was the branchinghorns of the stag, he let it fly. It whizzed through the air, anddrank the life blood of the poor beast, which bounded a few steps,staggered, and fell, when in a moment Alfgar ended its struggles bydrawing his knife across its throat, while young Hermann, a truehunter by instinct, clapped his hands with joy.

  "We shall bring our dinner with us," quoth the boy.

  At this point I found great difficulty. A brook coming down from thehills had overflowed the land until a swamp or quagmire had beenformed, whereon huge trees rotted in slime, while creeping plants hidthe deformity of decay.

  Our horses refused the path, and it took me a good hour's search, forI was guide, to find a more secure one. At last I found the trackswhere others had gone before me, and we followed a winding path for afull hour, until we arrived in a deep valley, where a brook made itsway between deep rocky banks, by the side of which lay our upwardpath.

  "What a splendid place for defence!" said Edmund. "With a score or twowarriors, one might hold an entire army at bay here."

  He pointed out to Alfgar and Hermann, who look upon him as a sort ofdemigod, all the capabilities of the place.

  "A few more steps, and we shall see our friends," said I; and weadvanced until, from the summit of the pass, we saw the valley whereinthey have found rest.

  They had worked well during autumn and winter, and the land was wellcultivated; the brook ran through the midst of the vale, which wasbounded by low hills on either side, and clear from forest growth.

  In the centre of the valley the brook divided, forming an island ofabout an acre of ground, containing several dwellings. From thecentral one, which possessed a chimney, smoke issued, and told of thenoon meat.

  By this time our approach was discovered, and I saw my brother, with afew serfs, advancing to meet us. It was a happy moment when weembraced each other again. And then he saw Alfgar, and embraced him asa son. They did not speak--their feelings were too deep for words. Allthat had passed since they last met must have rushed into their minds.Then Herstan, the Lady Bertha, Hermann, Ostryth, and Alfreda, all hadtheir turn.

  "Pardon me, prince," said I, when I introduced Edmund; "pardonbrothers who scarcely expected to meet again. Elfwyn, let me introducethe Etheling Edmund as your guest."

  "The Etheling Edmund!" repeated Elfwyn, with great respect; "it isindeed an honour which I receive."

  "The less said of it the better," said Edmund. "I am come to be one ofyou for a time, and am thankful to find a free-born Englishman towelcome me to the woods. Never, by God's help, will I return to thecourt so long as they pay tribute to the Danes."

  "It is true, then," said Elfwyn--"we hear scant news here--that peacehas been bought?"

  "Yes, bought for thirty-six thousand pounds, by Edric's advice. Ishould like to know how much of the money he retains himself. He ishand and glove with Sweyn. But I purpose deriving one benefit from thepeace, upon which the Danes do not reckon."

  "And that?--"

  "Is to train up an army of Englishmen who shall not be their inferiorsin warlike skill. In courage they are not their inferiors now. Perhapsyou will let me amuse myself by training your own retainers in theirspare moments?"

  "Most willingly. I could desire nothing better," said my brother,smiling inwardly at the enthusiasm of the young warrior.

  The labourers had just returned from wood and field, and when Edmundwas recognised he was greeted with vociferous cheers, which made thewoods ring.

  But I cannot describe the meeting of Alfgar with the mother and sisterof Bertric; they were alone a long time together after the noon meat,and I saw afterwards their eyes were red with weeping; well, they werenot all tears of sorrow.

  On the whole it has been a day of deep happiness, hallowed rather thanshadowed by the thought of Bertric, the circumstances of whose heroicdeath were only now fully known to his parents and sister.

  . . . . . .

  The voluminous pages of Father Cuthbert's diary for the years ofbitter woe and misery which followed cannot be fully transcribed; theywould fill a volume themselves, and we must content ourselves with afew extracts, which will probably interest our readers, and carry onthe thread of the history to the place where our narrative will againflow free and uninterrupted.

  Ascension Tide, 1007.--

  Edmund, assisted by Alfgar, has begun his task of disciplining andtraining all our able-bodied men. He says, and rightly, that he issure we shall very soon have the Danes back for more money, and thatthere will be no peace till we can defend ourselves properly. It isamusing to see with what zeal young Hermann takes lessons in arms fromAlfgar; that boy is born to be a soldier.

  September 1007.--

  We hear of an appointment which causes us much apprehension. The kingEthelred has appointed Edric Streorn ealdorman of Mercia; we are inhis district, and fear it may bode evil to us all. Edmund is besidehimself with rage; he vows that if Edric appears in these woods hewill slay him as he would a wolf.

  May 1008.--

  Every three hundred and ten hides of land has been charged with thecost of a ship, and every eight hides with the cost of breastplate andhelmet; we do trust to recover our supremacy at sea, and then theDanes cannot return.

  March 1009.--

  Alas, we are grievously disappointed of our hope. The fleet ismiserably destroyed; Brihtric, Edric's brother, a man like-minded tohimself; accused Wulfnoth, the ealdorman of Sussex, of high treason;the ealdorman, knowing that he had no chance of justice, seduced thecrews of twenty ships, and became a pirate, like unto the Danesthemselves. Brihtric pursued him with eighty ships, but being a badsailor, got aground in a storm, and Wulfnoth came and burned all whichthe storm spared. The commanders and crews have forsaken the rest ofthe fleet in disgust.

  Whitsuntide, 1009.--

  Poor Alfgar came to me in great trouble. He and Ethelgiva have beenaccepted suitors so long that he thought it time to propose marriage.She referred him, with her own full consent, to her father; and Elfwynsays, not unwisely, that he cannot consent until the land is at peace;that it is currently reported that Thurkill, a Danish earl, is at handwith an immense fleet, and that to marry might both hamper a warrior'shands and be the means of bringing up children for the sword. He fullyaccepts Alfgar's suit, but postpones the day till peace seemsestablished, that is "sine die." It is very hard to make A
lfgarreconciled to this. I try to do so.

  July 1009.--

  Bad news. Thurkill's fleet has landed at Sandwich.

  August 1009.--

  Worse news. Another fleet of Danes, under Heming and Eglaf, has joinedthe former fleet, and both together are ravaging Wessex as farnorthward as Berkshire; we have sent all the men we can spare to jointhe army, but the king, persuaded by Edric, will not give the EthelingEdmund any command therein.

  St. Martin's Mass,--

  One of our men has returned from the army. He states that forces beinggathered from all parts of England, the Danes were waylaid, and musthave been beaten, but that Edric persuaded the king not to fight whenthe victory was in his hands, and so they escaped.

  St. Brice's Day, 1009.--

  This ill-omened anniversary we sang dirge and mass for the souls ofthose who were slain by treachery seven years ago. Our forces havereturned from the south. They say the Danes have gone into winterquarters on the Thames, and that all the neighbourhood pays themtribute.

  London has hitherto gallantly resisted their attacks.

  Edric Streorn has married the king's daughter, Edmund's half-sister,Elgitha. Is this a time to be "marrying and giving in marriage"?Edmund is frantic about it.

  February 1010.--

  Woeful news. Herstan and all his family, who had returned in peace totheir dwelling, have come to us homeless and destitute. The Danes, asin 1006, suddenly issued from their ships. They took their way upwardsthrough Chiltern, and so to Oxford, burning the city. Then theyreturned all down the river, the infantry in boats, the cavalry onhorseback, burning on every side.

  But, worst of all, Abingdon is destroyed; the holy house which hasbeen a house of prayer so many generations! Keeping in their course,they burned Clifton; but the alarm was given in time, and the peopleescaped. There was no chance of defence this time.

  Then they attacked Dorchester, and burned part of the city, butretired before all was consumed, hearing that a large force wasmarching against them; so onward past the ruins of Wallingford, whichhad not yet been rebuilt, destroying Bensington on their road. Thusthey went on to Staines, when, fearing the forces of London, theyreturned through Kent to their ships.

  Our brethren who took refuge in Abingdon have just arrived. We mustfind them room here; they tell a piteous story.

  Ascension Tide, 1010.--

  A sorrowful Ascension Tide indeed! They have landed in East Anglia. Abattle has been fought and lost. Nearly all the English leaders slain.

  Whitsuntide.--

  We can hardly keep the festival, the people are so excited by thenews; all Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire (once more) are laid waste.They are on the road to Bedford.

  Edmund and Alfgar, with young Hermann, and all our fighting men, havegone out on their own account against them.

  July.--

  The Danes elude all our troops. Edric persuades the king to goeastward, and the Danes are westward. They go westward, and the Danesare eastward. There is no chieftain. A witan is summoned; it will dono good.

  November.--

  Northampton has fallen, cruelly fallen. The town is burned, and alltherein slain.

  Edmund and Alfgar, with not more than half our men, have returned withthe news. Hermann is seriously wounded, but bears it bravely. He isonly sixteen now. There is mourning over all our fallen heroes; butthey have died so bravely. Edmund says they have slain far more thantwice their number of the marauders. Still his father will give him nocommand. It is like private war so far as he is concerned; but manyfresh recruits have joined his standard, and will go out with him inspring.

  March 1011.--

  The king and witan have again offered tribute to the Danes; it isaccepted. I do not think the peace will last long.

  Michaelmas, 1011.--

  Woe is me! the Danes have broken the peace; and Canterbury, the chiefseat of English Christendom, whence came to us the blessed Gospel, istaken and burnt. Elfmar, the abbot of St. Augustine's--O falseshepherd! O wolf in sheep's clothing! betrayed it. The archbishop isprisoner. God and the blessed saints preserve him!

  Easter, 1012.--

  Another saint is added to the calendar; the Archbishop Elphege hassuffered martyrdom. On Easter eve they told him he must find ransom ordie. But he not only firmly refused to give money, but forbade hisimpoverished people to do so on his account. Then, on the followingSaturday, they led him to their hustings (or assembly), and shamefullyslaughtered him, casting upon him bones and the horns of oxen. Andthen one smote him with an axe iron on the head, and with the blow hesank down. His holy blood fell on the earth, and his soul he sentforth to God's kingdom.

  On the morrow they allowed the body to be taken to London, where thebishops, Ednoth of Dorchester and Elfhelm of London, received it, withall the townsmen, and buried the holy relics in St. Paul's minster,where they say many miracles have already been wrought at his tomb.

  Tribute has again been paid, and there is peace awhile. Thurkill, withforty ships, sweareth to serve King Ethelred and defend the country ifhe will feed and pay them.

  Oh that the martyr's intercessions may be heard for his afflictedcountry {xiii}.

  August 1013.--

  This fatal month our own neighbourhood, indeed nearly all Mercia, hassuffered the extreme horrors of war. Sweyn came along Watling Street,perpetrating the most monstrous cruelties; in short, he and hiscommitted the worst evil that any army could do.

  We found now how wisely we had decided not to rebuild Aescendune. Nota hall, farm, or cottage, escaped fire and sword, save those hidden inthe forest like us. Edmund has lost many men in the course of the lastfew months; and with the remainder he hid in our woods, ready toprotect us "to the last breath," as he said, "in his body." Alfgar andHermann, who have both been wounded (the latter for the second time),are with him still. But the enemy never discovered our retreat. Praisebe to God for sparing this little Zoar! The saints are not unmindfulhow we protested against the iniquity of St. Brice's day. But of onething we all feel sure; Anlaf cannot be alive, or revenge would leadhim here.

  December 1013.--

  Ethelred has fled to Normandy. He sent Queen Emma and her childrenbefore him. Sweyn, the Dane, is now King of England. There seems noresource but submission. We are told Edric Streorn is in high favourin the Pagan court; and still is ealdorman of Mercia. Alas! what aChristmas!

  Candlemas, 1014.--

  God has at length bared His arm: Sweyn is no more. The blasphemer andparricide is gone to his dread account. On the eve of the festival hefilled up the measure of his damnation by daring to exact an enormoustribute from the town where rests the uncorrupt body of the preciousmartyr St. Edmund, which even the pagan Danes had hitherto feared todo. He said that if it were not presently paid he would burn the townand its people, level to the ground the church of the martyr, andinflict various tortures on the clergy. Not content with this, hedisparaged the blessed martyr's merits, daring to say there was nosanctity about him. But, thus setting no bounds to his frowardness,Divine vengeance did not suffer the blasphemer to prolong hismiserable existence.

  Towards evening of the day when he had held a "thingcourt" atGainsborough, where he had repeated all these threats amongst hiswarriors, he, alone of the crowd, saw St. Edmund approaching him witha dreadful aspect.

  Struck with terror, he began to shout, "Help! comrades, help! St.Edmund is at hand to slay me!"

  While he spoke, the saint thrust his spear fiercely through him, andhe fell from his war horse. They bore him to a bed, whereon hesuffered excruciating agonies till twilight, when he died the third ofthe nones of February. From such a death, good Lord, deliver us! Thebloodthirsty and deceitful man shall not live out half his days;nevertheless, my trust shall be in thee, O Lord {xiv}!

  Lent, 1014.--

  Ethelred has returned, and is again king; he has promised to amend hisevil ways, and to be ruled by faithful and wise counsellors. AllEngland has rallied round the descendant of Edgar. Canute has fled.

  Eastertide
.--

  Edmund has returned to court. His father has received him graciously.Alfgar is with him. Elfwyn will not even yet consent to the marriage,saying, "Wait a little while; we have not yet done with the Danes." Ifear he is right.

  June 1015.--

  Herstan is here, and has brought us sad news. A great council has justbeen held at Oxford, whereat Edric Streorn, to the indignation of allmen, sat at the king's right hand. Would this had been all! He invitedSigeferth and Morcar, two of the chief Thanes in the seven burghs, tosupper with him; and there, when he had made them heavy with wine, hecaused them to be cruelly murdered by hired ruffians. Instead ofpunishing him, the king sanctioned the deed, took all theirpossessions, and sent Sigeferth's widow to be kept prisoner atMalmesbury. Alas! such deeds will call down God's vengeance upon us.

  Nativity of St. Mary (Sept. 8).--

  The Etheling went with Alfgar to Malmesbury a few days ago. We nowhear that he has released Sigeferth's widow, and that he has marriedher. We know not what to think of the step. It is a bold defiance ofhis father's cruel policy. He knew the widow before she was the wifeof Sigeferth, when Alfgar says he made honourable love to her. But itis a very sudden step.

  October 1015.--

  Alas! the Divine vengeance has not slumbered long after the late crueldeed. Canute is in England again. Edmund brought his wife here, askingus to take care of her. She is a gentle lady, worn down with care. Hehas gone, in conjunction with Edric, to fight Canute. I dread thisconjunction. Edmund would have gone alone, but his father insisted onjoining Edric in the command, saying two heads were better than one.

  November 1015.--

  Alfgar has come home, bringing messages from Edmund, with sad but notaltogether unexpected news. Edric, who is steeped in stratagems anddeceit, plotted against his life again and again, whereupon Edmundbroke up the camp in indignation, and took a separate course with allthe warriors who would follow his standard. Edric took the rest, wentdown to the seacoast, seduced the crews of forty ships, and thenjoined Canute with his whole forces. Alas! there seems no hope now.

  Epiphany, 1016.--

  There is war all over the land--civil war. It is not to be wonderedat. But many Englishmen have given their allegiance to Canute, who nowprofesses himself a Christian, saying they will not serve Ethelred anymore. So Edmund and Canute are both, I fear, ravaging the land, forEdmund has threatened more than once to regard those people as foeswho refuse to fight against the Danes. Men know not what to do.

  Eastertide, 1016.--

  We have received strange news. Ethelred is dying. He has summoned hisson. The tidings reached Edmund here. He had only been with us asingle day, and was about to depart again for the war, for Canutethreatens to attack London. It is there Ethelred lies sick unto death.Edmund seemed more moved than I should have expected. He has departedin all haste, taking Alfgar with him.