Ða het Ælfred Cyng timbran langscipu
ongen þa æscas: þa wæron
fulneah tu swa lange swa þa oþru;
sume hæfdon .lx. ara. sume ma. þa
wæron ægþer ge swiftran ge
unwealtran, ge eac hieran þonne þa
oþru. Næron nawþer ne on Fresisc
gescæpene ne on Denisc, bute swa him selfum þuhte þæt
hie nytwyrþoste beon meahten. Þa æt
sumum cirre þæs ilcan geares comon þær
sex scipu to Wiht, 7 þær micel
yfel gedydon, ægþer ge on Defenum
ge welhwær be þæm særiman. Þa
het se cyng faran mid nigonum to þara niwena
scipa, 7 forforon him þone muþan
foran on utermere; þa foron hie mid þrim
scipum ut ongen hie, 7 þreo stodon æt
ufeweardum þæm muþan on drygum.
Wæron þa men uppe on londe of agane, þa
gefengon hie þara þreora scipa
tu æt þæm muþan uteweardum,
7 þa men ofslogon, 7 þæt an
oþwand. On þæm wæron
eac þa men ofslægene buton fifum.
King Alfred them commanded ships to be built
to meet the Danish fleet: they were nearly
twice as long as the other ships; some had
sixty oars, some more. Those were both swifter
and stronger and higher than the others. They
were neither Frisian-shaped or Danish, but
as the king himself though that they might
be most useful. Then, at a particular occasion
in that same year came six [Danish] ships to
the Isle of Wight and there did great evil,
both in Devon and elsewhere by the sea coast.
Then the king gave instruction to travel there
with nine of the new ships, and they [Alfred’s
ships] got in front of them at the mouth of
the river near the open sea. Then they [the
Danes] fared with three ships against them
and three of their ships stood at the mouth
of the river on dry ground. Those men were
gone up on the land, and then they [the English]
seized two of the three ships at the mouth
of the river, and slew those men, and the other
ship escaped. In that one all but five of the
men were slain.