blames him as they, for his contemporaries knew him to be but a
"host king," with no authority over newcomers or those who did not
choose to own allegiance to him.

Save in a few cases, where the original spelling preserves a lost
pronunciation, as in the first syllable of "Eadmund," the modern
and familiar forms of the names have been used in preference to the
constantly-varying forms given by the chroniclers. Bridgwater has
no Saxon equivalent, the town being known only as "The Bridge"
since the time when the Romans first fortified this one crossing
place of the Parret; and the name of the castle before which Hubba
fell varies from Cynuit through Kynwith to Kynwich, whose
equivalent the Combwich of today is. Guthrum's name is given in
many forms, from Gytro to Godramnus. Nor has it been thought worth
while to retain the original spelling AElfred, the ae diphthong
having been appropriated by us to an entirely new sound; while our
own pronunciation of the name slightly broadened as yet in Wessex,
is correct enough.

The exact relationship of St. Neot to Alfred, beyond that he was a
close kinsman, is very doubtful. He has been identified with a
brother, Athelstan of East Anglia, who is known to have retired to
Glastonbury; but there is no more than conjecture, and I have been
content with "cousinship."

C. W. Whistler

Stockland, 1898.