ALFRED. rr firmed [A]. Soon after hi"' rrturn, his fathrr ' :i the decline of life, ar.d goin<r to vilit the hdv i> ', t< '>k his la- vourite (on along with him ; uhcn-lK h.i! art tnnity of feeing and he.iring many things which mr.i! !! ' >"/ im- preilions on him, as rem.i'rv) i!:i:::v; h;s whole 1 [':. wolf had five Ions, irid d.rjghtcr ; of wrK>m A the eldeft, was king of Kent, in his father's li'c rime, and died before him. /E:helbal.', the- lecondO.n, railed a rebellion 1 "' 1 ^ P- '* aaintl iiis L.tucr, when he renirn--d from Rome ; who, to avoid any tffuiion of blood, conlentet! to divide his dominions with him. /Ethel wolf did not ?dhg furvive this; but, before Ibid. p.t,g his death, he, by a full and dilliniil teUamcnr, m ,! .; '"! rt-d to fettle all the claims of his chi'.'ren. (>y tins ^-ill ^Ethel- bald and /Ethelhert had his kingdoms divided betwixt ti,un ; a:id he kfc his private eftite, with all the money in his c<>f- fjrs, to his younger fon^, /Ethelred and Alfred. ./Ethclwolf ibid. p. n. died in 858, and was fucceeded by jEthelhald, who re :g'Ted bat two years and a half. On his demife, /E^helbert lei zed the crown, which he held for five years, .and died in So^.Chron, Sax, He was fucceeded by his brother /Ethdred ; who, while KeP-' 8 - was a private mn, had folemnly promifed ^!frc-l to do him that jaltice which had been denied by the two former kings, by Diving him what his father had bequeathed him. On his accellion, ;Elfred demanded a performance of his promife ; but the king; excufed him!e!f on account of the troublefome times, and "allured him, that at his drath he would leave' him ail. Alfred having given proofs of his emirate in the former king's reign, ffithelied would never part vith him, r , f A"! The-p are many reaCons why the Leo IV. then noli.;!-! I'M- . anoioting-^SU'red to b? king is fcrupledi who appointtri t ( .-i'1 mlmt / (Ses Lelan^, p. 145.) He was his as a king, confirm-. i h id ad^ptfd father's younger fon, and had three, at him as his own leaf), if not four brethren between him monk of the royal , w !i and t'ue crown, z. He was but five v--y near thefr limes, l..ys. (Chronic. years old, and therefore it is unlikely his lib. iii. fol. 47 ; .) ; ' h-ld lather ft )uld intend him f r a vice kin-. confecratedJiim km;, he, 3. such an uncli-n could have had no Oyled hi:n his Ion ; u ouisr confequence than that of makinf; time of conriim.u'mn, are him obnoxious to his brethren. Bat thofc li'tl- ones tlin'r clul, notwiihftanding thefe ebjeftionn, rranv of Oloctftei i , - > *) authors fpeak of Alfred's journev to that h* w .s c-ow, ; Rome, and of his unction. Alfcr bifli^p Sir Henry Siu-lu,..!-,. - of Sherborns, who was intimate with fi.mi a,.tlio;ia , . king ^Elfred, in the memonrs he wrote Anointed KH^, (..n of That or,nc-. hath tliefe wor.fs : ( l)e Alt'>rd, thejf U'l Ke'mi ^eiiis /Elr'reil. p. 7 } ' The feme ano:n:ed kir.- year king /Eri.elwclt'lent his K-n/Eltred Leo j and that in to Rome, atienaed by many ot th nn- ceremony, thr p- p bihiy aal psrlons of the lower link. Anaal. ti:n. i.i. t F 4 but
