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Authors: Charles Palliser
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he did. But Alfred answered that he was now using his authority to designate his heir and was choosing his nephew who, he was sure, would make a fine king if he himself were to die. Then the most loyal of the thegns, seeing that he was determined, went to the length of trying to thwart him by physically preventing him from leaving his private quarters.
The king, however, in the hours of darkness before dawn on this, the tenth day and the one on which Wulflac was to be killed, disguised himself as one of his own servants and managed to escape. Unrecognized, he made his way to where the army’s horses were stabled and found his own mount – the fierce Wederstepa, which nobody but he could ride. The horse resisted being saddled and mounted, but as soon as the king was astride, it recognized its master and grew still. Because of the noise the stallion had made, the young stable-boy was roused from sleep and as soon as he saw the horse’s gentle demeanour he knew that Alfred was the stranger in the saddle.
‘Incidentally,’ I said, ‘I don’t know if you’re familiar with that painting by Landseer in the National Gallery on the subject?’
‘Landseer?’ He smiled. ‘What is it called? “The King at Bay”?’
I saw instantly that this was a joke and laughed. ‘No, this is Edwin’s brother, Charles Landseer. The painting is called “King Alfred being recognized by his devoted stable-lad”. It’s very moving. In the foreground the king, with an expression of mingled guilt and affection beautifully caught on his noble features, is turning his head away from the cry of startled recognition that has just come from the lips of the handsome boy who gazes at him with awe and devotion.’
He removed the pipe and smiled. ‘Indeed? I’ll make a point of seeing it next time I’m up in Town.’ He seemed to be making some private allusion which was lost upon me.
‘Anyway, back to Grimbald:
The boy seized the horse’s bridle and shouted until the rest of the household came running. The thegns were so moved by the king’s courage and determination that they now agreed to make an assault on the town without waiting for reinforcements. So the troops were quickly woken, mustered and drawn up facing the walls. The bishop could be seen still hanging above the main gate, and it was clear that he was close to death. Shortly before dawn the English army assembled and waited for the king’s signal to attack. At that moment the sun, which had just risen over Woodbury Downs, began to be swallowed up by a black shadow and the land grew darker and darker until within the space of a minute, complete darkness fell and a cold wind sprang up. Flames seemed to shoot out from the sun which was now hidden behind the disc of the moon. The horses neighed in terror and birds flocked together and wheeled about the skies in confusion, unsure if it was time to roost or not. This was something that nobody then living had ever seen and everybody imagined that it signified the end of the world. Only Alfred knew that this was an eclipse; and so he rode up and down the lines shouting to his men that the sun would return within a minute or two. But his explanation came too late and his troops fell into a state of complete panic. The Danes were overcome by the same terror and Olaf, who was standing atop the main gate, believing that Wulflac had summoned the darkness up by the use of magic, ordered that the ropes which were holding him be cut. The scholar plummeted to his death just as the darkness began to lift. Shamefully, the Danes then threw the martyr’s body into a well beside the Old Minster – now known throughout Christendom as St Wulflac’s Well. Alfred’s horror and grief may be imagined. And although he managed to regain command of most of his scattered army, there was now no possibility of launching an attack on the town with frightened soldiers, especially now that the element of surprise had been lost.
Fortunately, however,
The king, however, in the hours of darkness before dawn on this, the tenth day and the one on which Wulflac was to be killed, disguised himself as one of his own servants and managed to escape. Unrecognized, he made his way to where the army’s horses were stabled and found his own mount – the fierce Wederstepa, which nobody but he could ride. The horse resisted being saddled and mounted, but as soon as the king was astride, it recognized its master and grew still. Because of the noise the stallion had made, the young stable-boy was roused from sleep and as soon as he saw the horse’s gentle demeanour he knew that Alfred was the stranger in the saddle.
‘Incidentally,’ I said, ‘I don’t know if you’re familiar with that painting by Landseer in the National Gallery on the subject?’
‘Landseer?’ He smiled. ‘What is it called? “The King at Bay”?’
I saw instantly that this was a joke and laughed. ‘No, this is Edwin’s brother, Charles Landseer. The painting is called “King Alfred being recognized by his devoted stable-lad”. It’s very moving. In the foreground the king, with an expression of mingled guilt and affection beautifully caught on his noble features, is turning his head away from the cry of startled recognition that has just come from the lips of the handsome boy who gazes at him with awe and devotion.’
He removed the pipe and smiled. ‘Indeed? I’ll make a point of seeing it next time I’m up in Town.’ He seemed to be making some private allusion which was lost upon me.
‘Anyway, back to Grimbald:
The boy seized the horse’s bridle and shouted until the rest of the household came running. The thegns were so moved by the king’s courage and determination that they now agreed to make an assault on the town without waiting for reinforcements. So the troops were quickly woken, mustered and drawn up facing the walls. The bishop could be seen still hanging above the main gate, and it was clear that he was close to death. Shortly before dawn the English army assembled and waited for the king’s signal to attack. At that moment the sun, which had just risen over Woodbury Downs, began to be swallowed up by a black shadow and the land grew darker and darker until within the space of a minute, complete darkness fell and a cold wind sprang up. Flames seemed to shoot out from the sun which was now hidden behind the disc of the moon. The horses neighed in terror and birds flocked together and wheeled about the skies in confusion, unsure if it was time to roost or not. This was something that nobody then living had ever seen and everybody imagined that it signified the end of the world. Only Alfred knew that this was an eclipse; and so he rode up and down the lines shouting to his men that the sun would return within a minute or two. But his explanation came too late and his troops fell into a state of complete panic. The Danes were overcome by the same terror and Olaf, who was standing atop the main gate, believing that Wulflac had summoned the darkness up by the use of magic, ordered that the ropes which were holding him be cut. The scholar plummeted to his death just as the darkness began to lift. Shamefully, the Danes then threw the martyr’s body into a well beside the Old Minster – now known throughout Christendom as St Wulflac’s Well. Alfred’s horror and grief may be imagined. And although he managed to regain command of most of his scattered army, there was now no possibility of launching an attack on the town with frightened soldiers, especially now that the element of surprise had been lost.
Fortunately, however,
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