those who were slain with the king." They returned no answer to this, but silently begin the battle; shield punishes shield, and arms are laced in bucklers, relation falls by his kinsman; they smash the doors, one pursues after another, and a lamentable fight ensues. Alas! they slay the prince; all his companions are laid low before his face, except one, and he was the baptismal son of duke Osric, but half alive, and covered with wounds. Now Cynewulf reigned thirty-one years, and his body lies entombed in the city of Winchester. The above-named prince also reposes in the church commonly called Axanminster.[44] Both their families trace to Cerdic. A. 755. In the same year Ethelbald, king of Mercia, was slain at a place called Seccandune,[45] and his body rests in a monastery called Reopandune.[46] Bernred succeeded to the kingdom, and not long after he also died. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 43: This is a sort of paraphrase rather than a translation: the original is not only bad in style and ungrammatical, but exceedingly corrupt and very obscure.] [Footnote 44: Now Axminster. The syllable _an_ or _en_ occurs similarly in many ancient Saxon towns; thus Bedanford, Oxenford, &c., and Seccandune, Reopandune below.] [Footnote 45: Now Seckington.] [Footnote 46: Now Repton.] CHAP. XIX.--_Of the reign of king Offa and of his deeds._ A. 756. In the revolution of the same year, Offa succeeded to the kingdom, a remarkable man, son of Thingferth; his grandfather was Enwulf, his great-grandfather Osmod, his great-grandfather's father Pybba, his great-grandfather's grandfather was Icel, his sixth ancestor Eomær, the seventh Angeltheow, the eighth Offa, the ninth Wærmund, the tenth Wihtlæg, the eleventh Woden. A. 773. Also after seventeen years, from the time that Cynewulf took the kingdom from Sigebert, the sign of our Lord's cross appeared in the heavens after sun-set, and in the same year a civil contest[47] took place between the people of Kent and Mercia, at a place called Cittanford:[48] and in those days some monstrous serpents were seen in the country of the Southern Angles, which is called Sussex. A. 777. About four years after, Cynewulf and Offa fought a battle near the town of Bensington, which was gained by Offa. A. 779. Two years afterwards, the Gauls and Saxons stirred up no slight contests with one another. A. 783. In short, after four years, Cyneard slays king Cynewulf, and is himself also slain there. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 47: The term 'civile bellum'--_civil war_ is used by Ethelwerd, to denote a battle between the kindred Anglo-Saxon kingdoms; the classical reader will also note the use of the word 'bellum' for 'proelium.'] [Footnote 48: This should be Ottanford, or Otford, in Kent, a place of great antiquity.] CHAP. XX.--_Of the acts of Bertric, king of the West-Saxons._ A. 783. In the same year Bertric received the kingdom of the West-Angles, whose lineage traces up to Cerdic.