The common stock, out of which all grow, extends to 892.  The present writer sees no reason to doubt that the idea of a national, as opposed to earlier local chronicles, was inspired by Alfred, who may even have dictated, or at least revised, the entries relating to his own campaigns; while for the earlier parts pre-existing materials, both oral and written, were utilized.  Among the latter the chronological epitome appended to Bede’s Ecclesiastical History may be specially mentioned.  But even this common stock exists in two different recensions, in A, B, C, on the one hand, and D, E on the other.  The main points of difference are that in D, E (1) a series of northern annals have been incorporated; (2) the Bede entries are taken, not from the brief epitome, but from the main body of the Eccl.  Hist. The inference is that, shortly after the compiling of this Alfredian chronicle, a copy of it was sent to some northern monastery, probably Ripon, where it was expanded in the way indicated.  Copies of this northernized Chronicle afterwards found their way to the south.  The impulse given by Alfred was continued under Edward, and we have what may be called an official continuation of the history of the Danish wars, which, in B, C, D extends to 915, and in A to 924.  After 915 B, C insert as a separate document a short register of Mercian affairs during the same period (902-924), which might be called the acts of AEthelflaed, the famous “Lady of the Mercians,” while D has incorporated it, not very skilfully, with the official continuation.  Neither of these documents exists in E. From 925 to 975 all the chronicles are very fragmentary; a few obits, three or four poems, among them the famous ballad on the battle of Brunanburh, make up the meagre tale of their common materials, which each has tried to supplement in its own way.  A has inserted a number of Winchester entries, which prove that A is a Winchester book.  And this local and scrappy character it retains to 1001, where it practically ends.  At some subsequent time it was transferred bodily to Canterbury, where it received numerous interpolations in the earlier part, and a few later local entries which finally tail off into the Latin acts of Lanfranc.  A may therefore be dismissed.  C has added to the common stock one or two Abingdon entries, with which place the history of C is closely connected; while D and E have a second group of northern annals 901-966, E being however much more fragmentary than D, omitting, or not having access to, much both of the common and of the northern material which is found in D. From 983 to 1018 C, D and E are practically identical, and give a connected history of the Danish struggles under AEthelred II.  This section was probably composed at Canterbury.  From 1018 the relations of C, D, E become too complicated to be expressed by any formula; sometimes all three agree together, sometimes all three are independent; in other places each pair in turn agree against the third.  It