ing, on his return at the close of 856 Æthelwulf
found Wessex in arms. In a gathering at Sel-
wood ¹ its thegns had pledged themselves to place
the king's eldest living son, Æthelbald -- who on the
death of his brother Æthelstan, a few years back,
had succeeded him in charge of the Eastern King-
dom -- on the throne of Wessex, and their course was
backed by Bishop Ealhstan of Sherborne. Swith-
un, on the other hand, remained true to Æthel-
wulf, and the Kentishmen welcomed him back to
their shores. But Æthelwulf had no mind for civil
strife. He was already drawing fast to the grave;
and if we judge his conduct by the past history of
his reign, rather than by the charges of weakness
which later tradition brought against him, we may
see in his summons of a Witenagemot to settle this
question the reluctance of a noble ruler to purchase
power for himself by again rending England asun-
der in the face of the foe. The voice of the Witan
bade Æthelwulf content himself with the Eastern
Kingdom; and, abandoning Wessex to Æthelbald,
the king dwelt quietly in this under-realm for the
brief space of life which still was left him. ²

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