he found suertie, or after:  all the inhabitants of the hundred or tithing where he dwelt, shuld be put to their fine.  By this deuise he brought his countrie into good tranquillitie, so that he caused bracelets of gold to be hanged vp aloft on hils where anie common waies lay, to see if anie durst be so hardie to take them away by stealth.  He was a liberall prince namely in relieuing of the poore.  To churches he confirmed such priuileges as his father had granted before him, and he also sent rewards by way of deuotion vnto Rome, and to the bodie of saint Thomas in India.  Sighelmus the bishop of Shireborne bare the same, and brought from thence rich stones, and sweet oiles of inestimable valure.  From Rome also he brought a peece of the holy crosse which pope Martinus did send for a present vnto king Alfred.

[Sidenote:  Foundation of monastaries.] Moreouer king Alfred founded three goodlie monasteries, one at Edlingsey, where he liued sometime when the Danes had bereaued him almost of all his kingdome, which was after called Athelney, distant from Taunton in Sumersetshire about fiue miles:  the second he builded at Winchester, called the new minster:  and the third at Shaftesburie, which was an house of nuns, where he made his daughter Ethelgeda or Edgiua abbesse.  But the foundation of the vniuersitie of Oxford passed all the residue of his buildings, which he began by the good exhortation and aduise of Neotus an abbat, in those daies highlie esteemed for his vertue and lerning with Alfred.  This worke he tooke in hand about the 23 yeere of his reigne, which was in the yeere [Sidenote:  895.] of our Lord 895.  So that the vniuersitie of Cambridge was founded [Sidenote:  Polydor.  The vniuersitie of Oxford erected.] before this other of Oxford about 265 yeeres, as Polydor gathereth.  For Sigebert king of the Eastangles began to erect that vniuersitie at Cambridge about the yeere of our Lord 630.

King Alfred was learned himselfe, and giuen much to studie, insomuch that beside diuerse good lawes which he translated into the English toong, gathered togither and published, he also translated diuerse other bookes out of Latine into English, as Orosius, Pastorale Gregorij, Beda de gestis Anglorum, Boetius de consolatione philosophiae, and the booke of Psalmes; but this he finished not, being preuented by death.  So this worthie prince minded well toward the common wealth of his people, in that season when learning was little esteemed amongst the west nations, did studie by all meanes [Sidenote:  The vertuous zeale of Alured to bring his people to an honest trade of life.] possible to instruct his subiects in the trade of leading an honest life, and to incourage them generallie to imbrace learning.  He would not suffer anie to beare office in the court, except he were lerned:  and yet he himselfe was twelue yeeres of age before he could read [Sidenote:  He is persuaded by his mother, to applie himselfe to learning.] a word on the booke, and was then trained by his mothers persuasion to studie, promising him a goodlie booke which she had in hir hands, if he would learne to read it.