Page 47

                  totkDAN ES.                                     47
courfed; (4.) that upon a ftri& and impqrtial Inqueft, neither the an-
ient Britains, nor Romans, nor Saxons, are found to have any juf-'
tifiable Title to the Honour of founding that of Stono-Hng; (.-) that,
no one of our old Hiftorians made mcntion of any fuch Work, un-
til long after the Daws had acquircd the Sovereign Power in thi "
Ifland, and left fundry Memorials of their Vi&orious Armies;
(6.) that the great Impairmnct of 'the Fabrick fince that time of th6
7Janique Conqueft, doth, not evince it to be of greater Antiquity;
(7.) that neither the Magnificence of the fame at firfi, (8.) nor the
Vaftnefs of Strength, and Skill in Engines, required to the Tranf-
portation and Elevation of Stones of -fuch prodigious Weight, are
fuficient Arguments to the contrary: 'Coiifidring thefe Things, I fay,
why may I not conjedure,'thet the Dane', and only the Danes, were
the Authors of Stone-Heng?Sure I am of thus much, -that this Opi-
nion of mine, if. it be erroneous, is yetr highly plaultble; having this
Advantage over the othes concerning the-fame obfcute Sujbe&, that it
is not fo eafily to be refuted. Nor' ig:it Arrogancy in me to affirm;
that if I have been deceived in enterrainhing this Conceit in the Place
of Truth, 'twtas becaufe Ifound it in the Livery and Colours of Truth.
However,. I expe& you fhould confider, 4tis no Difhonour to even the
beft Marks-man, not to hit the white, when hd is forced to fhoot in the
dark. Which Confidetatidon being aldno. ftlflie ttto fecure my well-
intended Endeavours from too fevere and difingenuous Cenfure, in cafe
it Ihall hereafter be difovcered that'1 h'ave, b&n miftakdn in the main
Thing fought after, namely, the Atithorsg of or Afitiquity  I doubt
not but your Candour will extend it-alfo-to the favourable Conftruc-
tion of my Suppofitions ,oncerning the Cir-camances.
  In the Strength of this Cofidence, thereforo, I adventure to acquaint
you moreover, with' my Conje&ure concerning the T i M E, when
Stone-Heng was firft, fetup-, fWhich I iakotobe in the B .eginning of the
Reign of that excelent Vrince, Alfred, oi Alured; who- as he was the
firff anointed King of this Ifland, fo was'he the Arrf learned King, -and
moft. munificent Patron to Scholars, that e "orfwaye'4 the Sceptre of
Britain: For all our Chronicles agreeingly deliver, that he was fcarce-
ly feated in his Throne, when there came over greater Swarms of Danes
than ever before, to infefthisDominions 5'and thate after many unfor-
tunate Bartels with the', he was reduced'to that Extrernity, that leav-
ing his large Monarchy to the Rage and Rapine of thofe infulting Pa-
gans, he fled for Safety of his Life into the Marhes of Somerfetire,
where for two Years he lay concealed in a poor Difguife, fuftaining
himfelf by Fiffhmng and Fowl*ng. Among other Adventures that be-
fel this glorious Perfon in this dark &-cipfe, it is not unworthy Re-
membrance, that on aTime as he was fitting in the Chimney-Corner,
in the Cottage of a Cow-herd, (who had entertained him into his Ser-
vice) and bufied in trimming his Bow and Arrows' a Cake of Dough,
lying to be baked on the Hearth before him, chanced to be burned;
which the Uoodwife implidng to his Neglte&,' in freat Fury caft Iaway
his Bow and Arrows, and fharply checking him, faid, Thou Felltv, dojI
thou fee the Bread burn before thy Face, and wilt not turn it ? aidjet
thou atglad to eat it before it be half baked. Shortly after this, learn-
ing Policy from Adverfity, and deriving- ouxage from Necellchy,'he
ventured, in the Habit of a common Minftrel, to enter into the Danes
                                                         Camp,