and wunien mid Brutten, and dwell with Britons, mid muchelere wunne. with much delight. Æfne than worden, Even with these words, ther com of se wenden, lo came from sea wending, that wes an sceort bat lithen, that was a short boat sailing, sceouen mid vthen: driving with the waves: and twa wimmen therinne, and two women therein, wunderliche idihte: of wondrous aspect: and heo nomen Arthur anan, and they took Arthur anon, and aneouste hine uereden, and straight him bore away, and softe hine adun leiden, and softly down him laid, and forth gunnen hine lithen. and forth with him to sea they gan to move away. Tha wes hit iwurthen, Then was it come to pass, that Merlin seide whilen: what Merlin said whilome: that weore unimete care, that there should be much curious care of Arthures forth fare. when Arthur out of life should fare. Bruttes ileueth ȝete, Britons believe yet, that he beo on liue, that he be alive, and wunnie in Aualun, and dwelling in Avalon, mid fairest alre aluen: with the fairest of all elves; and lokieth euere Bruttes ȝete, still look the Britons for the day whan Arthur cume lithen. of Arthur’s coming o’er the sea. All this history was known to Alfred and went to swell the stream of his meditations, which tended to assure him that he had a fresh and promising field before him, and to mature in him the purpose of exerting himself to win the hearty attachment of this well-affected but still half alien population. * * * * * Between Twelfth Day and Easter Day of the year 878 there were barely eleven weeks, for Easter fell early that year, namely on March 23. Of Alfred’s doings in that interval we have no information, except in so far as it seems to be indicated that the affair of Cynwit was not conducted without his intervention. And we may add the traditional story of the cakes, a story which probably dates from Alfred’s day, as we have reasonably good evidence that it was current in the tenth century. Nor may we omit his espial of the Danish camp in minstrel guise, a legend which, though not found in early authorities, yet does claim some credit from the book in which it is narrated, namely the _Book of Hyde_—a book in which we might expect to find some early traditions of New Minster, one of king Alfred’s foundations.