Oswen, who often practised fasting and prayer at the sacred tomb of the martyr for a series of many years, opening the mausoleum of the blessed martyr, and, on every occasion of.1 the Lord's Supper, cutting his hair and his nails, and all the 1 fragments she carefully collected and deposited in a small i bag, and placed on the altar of that church, where to this j very day they are preserved with all due veneration. The same year, died Weremond, bishop of Dummoc, after whose death that see was transferred to Helmham, and instead of two bishops, one of whom had his episcopal seat at Dummoc, and the other at Helmham, there was ordained one bishop, by name Wilred, who had as his successors in the same see Athwolf, Alfric, Theodred, Athelstan, Algar, Alwyn, Alfric, a third Alfric, Stigand, Ethelm, and Herstan. . CH. XVI.—FROM A.D. 871 το A.D. 900. ! The Danes invade the West Saxons—Reach Reading—Battles with Alfred—King Ethelred dies and is succeeded by Alfred —The youth and education of Alfred—His wisdom—His —Brithred, king of Northumberland and Mercia—The body Saint Cuthbert is brought from Lindhfarne—A truce is made between Alfred and the Danes—It is broken—Alfred besieges Exeter and builds a fleet—The Danes ravage Wiltshire-— Alfred retires to Athelney—King Gytro becomes a Christian —An accountof John or Dun Scotus—Alfred defeats the Dames —Story of a vision of the emperor Charles about purgatory— Alfred becomes king of all Britain—A list of the kings of Heptarchy—Alfred founds monasteries—Appoints governors throughout his kingdom—Story of Rollo, duke of Normandy —Death of Alfred. I A.D. 871. The before-mentioned army of the pagans quitted I the country of the East Angles, and invaded the kingdom of \ the West Saxons^Vrnd came to the royal town which is called Reading, situateci on the south bank of the river Thames, in the county of Berks. After the arrival of whom, on the third day, two of their counts, with a numerous multitude of armed men, went forth to plunder, while others in the meantime raised a fortification between the two rivers, namely, the Thames and the Kennet, on the right hand of the abovementioned town. And they were encountered by Eadulf, count of Berkshire, and his army, in the place which is called