In 999, on the eve of doomsday as men then thought, they sailed up Thames and Medway, and attacked Rochester.

The men of Kent stoutly fought them, but, as usual, without assistance from other shires; and the Danes took horses, and rode over the land, almost ruining all the West Kentings.
The king and his witan resolved to send against them a land fyrd and a ship fyrd or raw levy.

But the spirit of the West Saxons was broken, and though the craft were gathered together, yet in the end, as the Chronicle plaintively puts it, "neither ship fyrd nor land fyrd wrought anything save toil for the folk, and the emboldening of their foes." [1] See Mr.York-Powell's "Scandinavian Britain." So, year after year, the endless invasion dragged on its course, and everywhere each shire of Wessex fought for itself against such enemies as happened to attack it.

At last, in the year 1002, AEthelred once more bought off the fleet, this time with 24,000 pounds; and some of the Danes obtained leave to settle down in Wessex.

But on St.Brice's day, the king treacherously gave orders that all Danes in the immediate English territory should be massacred.