In December, 1768, Chatterton opened a correspondence with James Dodsley,
the London publisher, saying that several ancient poems had fallen into
his hands, copies of which he offered to supply him, if he would send a
guinea to cover expenses. He inclosed a specimen of "Aella." "The
motive that actuates me to do this," he wrote, "is to convince the world
that the monks (of whom some have so despicable an opinion) were not such
blockheads as generally thought, and that good poetry might be wrote in
the dark days of superstition, as well as in these more enlightened
ages." Dodsley took no notice of the letters, and the owner of the
Rowley manuscripts next turned to Horace Walpole, whose tastes as a
virtuoso, a lover of Gothic, and a romancer might be counted on to enlist
his curiosity in Chatterton's find. The document which he prepared for
Walpole was a prose paper entitled "The Ryse of Peyncteynge yn Englande,
wroten by T. Rowleie, 1469, for Mastre Canynge," and containing _inter
alia_, the following extraordinary "anecdote of painting" about Afflem,
an Anglo-Saxon glass-stainer of Edmond's reign who was taken prisoner by
the Danes. "Inkarde, a soldyer of the Danes, was to slea hym; onne the
Nete before the Feeste of Deathe hee founde Afflem to bee hys Broder
Affrighte chanynede uppe hys soule. Gastnesse dwelled yn his Breaste.
Oscarre, the greate Dane, gave hest hee shulde bee forslagene with the
commeynge Sunne: no tears colde availe; the morne cladde yn roabes of
ghastness was come, whan the Danique Kynge behested Oscarre to arraie hys
Knyghtes eftsoones for Warre. Afflem was put yn theyre flyeynge
Battailes, sawe his Countrie ensconced wyth Foemen, hadde hys Wyfe ande
Chyldrenne brogten Capteeves to hys Shyppe, ande was deieynge wythe
Soorowe, whanne the loude blautaunte Wynde hurled the battayle agaynste
an Heck. Forfraughte wythe embolleynge waves, he sawe hys Broder, Wyfe
and Chyldrenne synke to Deathe: himself was throwen onne a Banke ynne the
Isle of Wyghte, to lyve hys lyfe forgard to all Emmoise: thus moche for
Afflem."[8]