came up with eighty ships into the mouth of the
Thames and wrought him there a work at Milton
(Kent) and the other at Appledore."
The arrival of this new band of horsed marauders
led, naturally, to movements in East Anglia and
Northumbria, where doubtless the Danes and the
Angles, closely akin to them, had begun to coalesce.
Alfred tried to forestall this rising by exacting pledges
and even made a treaty with Haesten. The story
is well told by Roger of Wendover, a Thirteenth
Century chronicler : "Losing all hope of defending the
place (Milton), Haesten the Dane began to consider
in what way he might by falsehood deceive the King's
clemency. Sending, therefore, messengers to the
King, he gave hostages and promised on his oath
that if he might be suffered to depart, he would for
the time to come, refrain from disquieting the realm
of England ; and the more to assure the King, he
sent him his two sons, who were in their boyhood,
that if he wished he might imbue them with the
sacrament of faith and baptism. The most pious
King, who was always more solicitous to deliver the
souls of the pagans than to slay them, acquiesced in
this request ; and after the boys were regenerated
in the sacred font, he permitted their father Haesten
and the rest of the infidels to depart in peace according
to the agreement." Haesten, however, showed no
disposition to observe the pact and attempted by
stealth to join his allies amongst the East Anglians
and Northumbrians by moving to the west of the
Wealden Forest and then crossing the Thames.
Alfred met and defeated him at Farnham, and
although he managed to cross the Thames, many of
his followers were drowned, since there was neither
ford nor bridge at that place.
The Danes went thence to join their countrymen
at Mersea. "The Christians, not having any vessels
there, could not lay siege to the place, especially as
victuals failed them, and they had fulfilled the period
6