The life of king alfred

[Ulf]

From A.D. 849 to A.D. 887.
Part I
In the year of our Lord's incarnation 849, was born Alfred, king of the
Anglo-Saxons, at the royal village of Wanating, (1) in Berkshire, which country has
its name from the wood of Berroc, where the box-tree grows most abundantly. His
genealogy is traced in the following order. King Alfred was the son of king
Ethelwulf, who was the son of Egbert, who was the son of Elmund, was the son of
Eafa, who was the son of Eoppa, who the son of Ingild. Ingild, and Ina, the famous
king of the West-Saxons, were two brothers. Ina went to Rome, and there ending this
life honourably, entered the heavenly kingdom, to reign there for ever with Christ.
Ingild and Ina were the sons of Coenred, who was the son of Ceolwald, who was the
son of Cudam, who was the son of Cuthwin, who was the son of Ceawlin, who was the
son of Cynric, who was the son of Creoda, who was the son of Cerdic, who was the son
of Elesa, who was the son of Gewis, from whom the Britons name all that nation
Gegwis, (2) who was the son of Brond, who was the son of Beldeg, who was the son of
Woden, who was the son of Frithowald, who was the son of Frealaf, who was the son of
Frithuwulf, who was the son of Finn of Godwulf, who was the son of Gear, which Geat
the pagans long worshipped as a god. Sedulius makes mention of him in his metrical
Paschal poem, as follows: --
When gentile poets with their fictions vain,
In tragic language and bombastic strain,
To their god Geat, comic deity,
Loud praises sing, &c.