And here a word as to this _Chronicle_, which is a national history generally conceded to have been established by King Alfred, under the advice of his counsellor Pflegmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, about 870 A.D. It begins with a brief account of Britain from Cæsar’s invasion, and becomes very full in its narrative after the year 853. The _Chronicle_ shares with Bede’s history the highest place among authorities for early English history. Seven original copies of it are still in existence, and, making due allowance for the ravages of time and the elements, and the destruction by war, demolition of the monasteries, theft, spoliation, and the wilful mischief of religious bigotry, the survival of these seven copies would go far to prove the former existence of several hundreds. The copies yet extant are all evidently based upon a single original text, and it is presumed that the _Chronicle_ was continued at all the monasteries in England, each one forwarding its local annals to some one special monastery, where a brief summary was compiled of the whole, copies of which were supplied to all the religious houses, to be incorporated with the general _Chronicle_, thus keeping up from year to year the general history of the nation. M. Taine gives some half-dozen dry-as-dust extracts from the _Chronicle_ of this nature: “902. _This year there was the great fight at the Holme, between the men of Kent and the Danes._” He adds: “It is thus the poor monks speak, with monotonous dryness, who after Alfred’s time gather up and take notes of great visible events; sparsely scattered we find a few moral reflections, a passionate emotion, nothing more” (vol. i. p. 53). But at page 42, M. Taine has given us as belonging to a period preceding Christianity in England, as a part of “the pagan current,” an extract from the song on Athelstan’s victory, of which he speaks in terms of enthusiastic admiration. “If there has ever been anywhere a deep and serious poetic sentiment, it is here,” etc. Now, this song, under the date of A.D. 937, _is a part of the Saxon Chronicle, written by some poor monk “after Alfred’s time_.” “This year King Athelstane, the Lord of Earls, Ring-giver to the warriors, Edmund too His brother, won in fight with edge of swords Lifelong renown at Brunanburh. The sons Of Edward clave with the forged steel the wall Of linden shields. The spirit of their sires Made them defenders of the land, its wealth, Its homes, in many a fight with many a foe.”[5]