No More Learning

THE Christian religion, having once taken root in
Kent, spread itself with great rapidity throughout
all the other Saxon kingdoms in England. The
manners of the Saxons underwent a notable alteration by this change in their religion: their ferocity was much abated; they became more mild and sociable; and their laws began to partake of the
softness of their manners, everywhere recommending mercy and a tenderness for Christian blood.
There never was any people who embraced religion
with a more fervent zeal than the Anglo-Saxons,
nor with more simplicity of spirit. Their history
for a long time shows us a remarkable conflict between their dispositions and their principles. This
conflict produced no medium, because they were
absolutely contrary, astd both operated with almost
equal violence. Great crimes and extravagant penances, rapine and an entire resignation of worldly
goods, rapes and vows of perpetual chastity, succeeded each other in the same persons. There
was nothing which the violence of their passions
could not induce them to commit; nothing to which'they did not submit to atone for their offences, when
reflection gave an opportunity to repent. But by
degrees the sanctions of religion began to preponderate; and as the monks at this time attracted all
the religious veneration, religion everywhere began
to relish of the cloister: an inactive spirit, and a
spirit of scruples prevailed; they dreaded to put
? ? ? ? 256 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
the greatest criminal to death; they scrupled to
engage in any worldly functions. A king of the
Saxons dreaded that God would call him to an account for the time which he spent in his temporal
affairs and had stolen from prayer. It was frequent
for kings to go on pilgrimages to Rome or to Jerusalem, on foot, and under circumstances of great
hardship. Several kings resigned their crowns to devote themselves to religious contemplation in monasteries, -more at that time and in this nation than in all other nations and in all times. This, as it
introduced great mildness into the tempers of the
people, made them less warlike, and consequently
prepared the way to their forming one body under
Egbert, and for the other changes which followed.
The kingdom of Wessex, by the wisdom and courage of King Ina, the greatest legislator and politician
of those times, had swallowed up Cornwall, for a
while a refuge for some of the old Britons, together
with the little kingdom of the South Saxons. By
this augmentation it stretched from the Land's End
to the borders of Kent, the Thames flowing on the
north, the ocean washing it on the south. By their
situation the people of Wessex naturally came to engross the little trade which then fed the revenues of
England; and their minds were somewhat opened by
a foreign communication, by which they became more
civilized and better acquainted with the arts of war
and of government. Such was the condition of
799 the kingdom of Wessex, when Egbert was
called to the throne of his ancestors. The
civil commotions which for some time prevailed had
driven this prince early in life into an useful banishment. He was honorably received at the court,of
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 257
Charlemagne, where he had an opportunity of studying government in the best school, and of forming
himself after the most perfect model. Whilst Charlemagne was reducing the continent of Europe into one
empire, Egbert reduced England into one kingdom.
The state of his own dominions, perfectly united under him, with the other advantages which we have
just mentioned, and the state of the neighboring Saxon governments, made this reduction less difficult.
Besides Wessex, there were but two kingdoms of consideration in England, - Mercia and Northumberland.
They were powerful enough in the advantages of Nature, but reduced to great weakness by their divis-.
ions. As there is nothing of more moment to anycountry than to settle the succession of its government on clear and invariable principles, the Saxon, monarchies, which were supported by no such principles, were continually tottering. The right of government sometimes was considered as in the eldest son, sometimes in all; sometimes the will of the deceased prince disposed of the crown, sometimes a
popular election bestowed it. The consequence of
this was the frequent division and frequent reunion
of the same territory, which were productive of infinite mischief; many various principles of succession
gave titles to some, pretensions to more; and plots,
cabals, and crimes could not be wanting to all the
pretenders. Thus was Mercia torn to pieces; and
the kingdom of Northumberland, assaulted on one
side by the Scots, and ravaged on the other by the
Danish incursions, could not recover from a long an
archy into which its intestine divisions had plunged
it. Egbert knew how to make advantage of these
divisions: fomenting them by his policy at first, and.
VOL. VII. 17
? ? ? ? 258 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
quelling them afterwards by his sword, he reduced
these two kingdoms ulder his government. The
same power which conllqered Mercia and Northumberland made the reduction of Kent and Essex easy,
- the people oil all hands the more readily submitting, because there was no change made in their laws,
manners, or the form of their government.
Egbert, Egbert, when he had brought all England
A. D. 827. . under his dominion, made the Welsh tributary, and carried his arms with success into Scotland,
assumed the title of Monarch of all Britain. * The
southern part of the island was now for the first time
authentically known by the name of England, and by
every appearance promised to have arrived at the fortunate moment for forming a permanent and splendid monarchy. But Egbert had not reigned seven years in peace, when the Danes, who had before
showed themselves in some scattered parties, and
made some inconsiderable descents, entered
A. D. 832.
the kingdom in a formidable body. This
people came from the same place whence the English themselves were derived, and they differed from
them in little else than that they still retained their
original barbarity and heathenism. These, assisted
by the Norwegians, and other people of Scandinavia,
were the last torrent of the Northern ravagers which
overflowed Europe. What is remarkable, they attacked England and France when these two kingdoms were in the height of their grandeur, - France under Charlemagne, England united by Egbert. The
good fortune of Egbert met its first check from these
people, who defeated his forces with great slaughter
near Charmouth in Dorsetshire. It generally hap* No Saxon monarch until Athelstan.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 259
pens that a new nation, with a new method of making war, succeeds against a people only exercised in
arms by their own civil dissensions. Besides, England, newly united, was not without those jealousies
and that disaffection which give such great advantage to an invader. But the vigilance and courage of Egbert repaired this defeat; he repulsed the Danes; and died soon after at Winchester, full of
years and glory.
He left a great, but an endangered suc- Ethelwolf,
cession, to his son Ethelwolf, who was a mild A. D' 838.
and virtuous prince, full of a timid piety, which utterly disqualifies for government; and he began to
govern at a time when the greatest capacity was
wanted. The Danes pour in upon every side; the
king rouses from his lethargy; battles are fought
with various success, which it were useless and tedious to recount. The event seems to have been,
that in some corners of the kingdom the Danes
gained a few inconsiderable settlements; the rest of
the kingdom, after being terribly ravaged, was left
a little time to recover, in order to be plundered
anew. But the weak prince took no advantage of
this time to concert a regular plan of defence, or
to rouse a proper spirit in his people. Yielding
himself wholly to speculative devotion, he entirely
neglected his affairs, and, to complete the ruin of
his kingdom, abandoned it, in such critical circumstances, to make a pilgrimage to Rome. At Rome
he behaved in the manner that suited his little genius; in making charitable foundations, and in extending the Rome-scot or Peter-pence, which the folly of some princes of the Heptarchy had granted
for their particular dominions, over the whole king
? ? ? ? 260. ABRIDGMENT OF: ENtLISH HISTORY.
dom. His shameful desertion of his country raised
so general a discontent, that in his absence. his own
son, with the principal of his nobility and bishops,
conspired against him. At his return, he found,
however, that several still adhered to him; but here,
too, incapable of acting with vigor, he agreed to an
accommodation, which placed the crown on the head
of his rebellious son, and only left to himself a sphere
of government as narrow as his genius,- the district of Kent, whither he retired to enjoy an inglorious privacy with a wife whom he had married in France.
Ethelred, On his death, his son Ethelred still held. D. 86. the crown, which he had preoccupied by
his rebellion, and which he polluted with a new
stain. He married his father's widow. The confused history of these times furnishes no clear account either of the successions of the kings or of their actions. During the reign of this prince and
his successors Ethelbert and Ethelred, the people in
several parts of England seem to have withdrawn
from the kingdom of Wessex, and to have revived
their former independency. This, added to the weakness of the government, made way for new swarms
of Danes, who burst in upon this ill-governed and
divided people, ravaging the whole country in a
terrible manner, but principally directing their fury
against every monument of civility or piety. They
had now formed a regular establishment in Northumberland, and gained a very considerable footing in
Mercia and East Anglia; they hovered over every
part of the kingdom with their fleets; and being es.
tablished in many places: in the heart of the coun
try, nothing seemed able to resist them.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH. HISTORY. 261 CHAPTER IV.
REIGN OF KING ALFRED.
IT was in the midst of these distractions
A. D. 871.
that Alfred succeeded to a sceptre which
was threatened every moment to be wrenched from
his hands. He was then only twenty-two years of
age, but exercised from his infancy in -troubles and
in wars that formed and displayed his virtue. Some
of its best provinces were torn from his kingdom,
whibh was shrunk to the ancient bounds of Wessex;
and what remained was weakened by dissension, by
a long war, by a raging pestilence, and surrounded
by enemies whose numbers seemed inexhaustible, and
whose fury was equally increased by victories or defeats. All these difficulties served only to increase the vigor of his mind. He took the field without
delay; but he was defeated with considerable loss.
This ominous defeat displayed more fully the greatness of his courage and capacity, which found in desperate hopes and a ruined kingdom such powerful resources. In a short time after he was in a condition to be respected: but he was not led away
by the ambition of a young warrior. He neglected
no measures to procure peace for his country, which
wanted a respite from the calamities which had long
oppressed it. A peace was concluded for Wessex.
Then the Danes turned their faces once more towards Mercia and East Anglia. They had before stripped the inhabitants of all their movable substance, and now they proceeded without resistance to seize upon their lands. Their success encouraged
new swal'ms of Danes to crowd over, who, fillding
? ? ? ? 262 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
all the northern parts of England possessed by their
friends, rushed into Wessex. They were adventurers under different and independent leaders; and
a peace little regarded by the particular party that
made it had no influence at all upon the others.
875 Alfred opposed this shock with so much
firmness that the barbarians had recourse
to a stratagem: they pretended to treat; but taking
advantage of the truce, they routed a body of the
West Saxon cavalry that were off their guard, mounted their horses, and, crossing- the country with amazing celerity, surprised the city of Exeter. This was an acquisition of infinite advantage to their affairs,
as it secured them a port in the midst of Wessex.
Alfred, mortified at this series of misfortunes, perceived clearly that nothing could dislodge the Danes,
or redress their continual incursions, but a powerful
fleet which might intercept them at sea. The want
of this, principally, gave rise to the success of that
people. They used suddenly to land and ravage a
part of the country; when a force opposed them,
they retired to their ships, and passed to some other
part, which in a like manner they ravaged, and then
retired as before, until the country, entirely harassed,
pillaged, and wasted by these incursions, was no longer able to resist them. Then they ventured safely
to enter a desolated and disheartened country, and
to establish themselves in it. These considerations
made Alfred resolve upon equipping a fleet. In this
enterprise nothing but difficulties presented themselves: his revenue was scanty, and his subjects altogether unskilled in maritime affairs, either as to the construction or the navigation of ships. He did not
therefore despair. With great promises attending a
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 263
little money, he engaged in his service a number of
Frisian seamen, neighbors to the Danes, and pirates,
as they were. He brought, by the same means, shipwrights from the continent. He was himself present
to everything; and having performed the part. of a
king in drawing together supplies of every kind, he
de'scended with no less dignity into the artist, - improving on the construction, inventing new machines, and supplying by the greatness of his genius the
defects and imperfections of the arts in that rude
period. By his indefatigable application the first
English navy was in a very short time in readiness to
put to sea. At that time the Danish fleet of one hundred and twenty-five ships stood with full sail for Exeter; they met; but, with anl omen prosperous to
the new naval power, the Danish fleet was entirely
vanquished and dispersed. This success drew on the.
surrendry of Exeter, and a peace, which Alfred much
wanted to put the affairs of his kingdom in order.
This peace, however, did not last long. As the
Danes were continually pouring into some part of England, they found most parts already in Danish hands; so that all these parties naturally directed their course
to the only English kingdom. All the Danes conspired to put them in possession of it, and bursting unexpectedly with the united force of their whole
body upon Wessex, Alfred- was entirely overwhelmed,
and obliged to drive before the storm of his fortune.
He fled in disguise into a fastness in the A. D 876
Isle of Athelney, where he remained four
months in the lowest state of indigence, supported by
an heroic humility, and that spirit of piety which
neither adverse fortune nor prosperity could overcome. It is much to be lamented that a character
? ? ? ? 264 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLIStH HISTORY.
so formed to interest all men, involved in reverses of
fortune that make the most agreeable and useful part
of history, should be only celebrated by pens so little
suitable to the dignity of the subject. These revolutions are -so little prepared, that we neither can perceive distinctly the causes which sunk him nor those
which again raised him to power. A few naked facts
are all our stock. From these we see Alfred, assisted
by the casual success of one of his nobles, issuing
from his retreat; he heads a powerful army once
more, defeats the Danes, drives them out of WTessex, follows his blow, expels them from Mercia, subdues them in Northumberland, and makes them tributary in East Anglia; and thus established by a number of victories in a full peace, he is presented
to us in that character which makes him venerable
to posterity. It is a refreshment, in the midst of
such a gloomy waste of barbarism and desolation,
to fall upon so fair and cultivated a spot.
When Alfred had once more reunited the
a. D. 880.
kingdoms of his ancestors, he found the
whole face of things in the most desperate condition: there was no observance of law and order;
religion had no force; there was no honest industry; the most squalid poverty and the grossest ignorance had overspread the whole kingdom. Alfred
at once enterprised the cure of all these evils. To
896 remedy the disorders in the government, he
revived, improved, and digested all the Saxon institutions, insomuch that he is generally honored as the founder of our laws and Constitution. *
* Historians, copying after. one another, and examining little,
have attributed to this monarch the institution of juries, an institution which certainly did never prevail amongst the Saxons. They
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 265
The shire he divided into hundreds, the hundreds
into tithings; every freeman was obliged to be entered into some tithing, the members of which were
mutually bound for each other, for the preservation
of the peace, and the avoiding theft and rapine. For
securing the liberty of the subject, he introduced the
method of giving bail, the most certain fence against
the abuses of power. It has been observed that the
reigns of weak princes are times favorable to liberty;
but the wisest and bravest of all the English princes
is the father of their freedom. This great man was
even jealous of the privileges of his subjects; and as
his whole life was spent in protecting them, his last
will breathes the same spirit, declaring that he had
left his people as free as their own thoughts. He not
only collected with great care a complete body of
laws, but he wrote comments on them for the instruction of his judges, who were in general, by the misforhave likewise attributed to him the distribution of England. into shires, hundreds, and tithings, and of appointing officers over these
divisions. But it is very obvious that the shires were never settled
upon any regular plan, nor are they-the result of any single design.
But these reports, however ill imagined, are a strong proof of the
high veneration in which thist excellent prince has always been held;
as it has been thought that the attributing these regulations to him
would endear them to the nation. He probably settled them in such
an order, and made such reformations in his government, that some
of the institutions themselves which he improved have been attributed
to him: and, indeed, there was one work of his which serves to furnish us with a higher idea of the political capacity of that great man
than any of these fictions. He made a general survey and register
of all the property in the kingdom, who held it, and what it was distinctly: a vast work for an age of ignorance and time of confusion,
which has been neglected in more civilized nations and settled times.
It was called the Roll of Winton, and served as a model of a work
of the same kind made by William the Conqueror.
? ? ? ? 266 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
tune of the time, ignorant. And if he took care to
correct their ignorance, he was rigorous towards their
corruption. He inquired strictly into their conduct,
he heard appeals in person; he held his Wittenagemotes, or Parliaments, frequently; and kept every part of his government in health and vigor.
Nor was he less solicitous for the defence than he
had shown himself for the regulation of his kingdom.
He nourished with particular care the new naval
strength which he had established; he built forts and
castles in the most important posts; he settled beacons to spread an alarm on the arrival of an enemy; and ordered his militia in such a manner that there
was always a great power in readiness to march, well
appointed and well disciplined. But that a suitable
revenue might not be wanting for the support of his
fleets and fortifications, he gave great encouragement
to trade, which, by the piracies on the coasts, and the
rapine and injustice exercised by the people within,
had long become a stranger to this island.
In the midst of these various and important cares,
he gave a peculiar attention to learning, which by
the rage of the late wars had been entirely extinguished in his kingdom. "Very few there were"
(says this monarch) " on this side the Humber that
understood their ordinary prayers, or that were able
to translate any Latiii book into English, - so few,
that I do not remember even one qualified to the
southward of the Thames when I began my reign.
"
To cure this deplorable ignorance, he was indefatigable in his endeavors to bring into England men of learning in all branches from every part of Europe,
and unbounded in his liberality to them. He enacted by a law that every person possessed of two hides
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 267
of land should send their children to school until sixteen. Wisely considering where to put a stop to his
love even of the liberal arts, which are only suited to
a liberal condition, he enterprised yet a greater design than that of forming the grQwing generation, --
to instruct even the grown: enjoining all his earldormen and sheriffs immediately to apply themselves to
learning. or to quit their offices. To facilitate these
great purposes, he made a regular foundation of an
university, which with great reason is believed to
have been at Oxford. Whatever trouble he took to
extend the benefits of learning amongst his subjects,
he showed the example himself, and applied to the
cultivation of his mind with unparalleled diligence
and success. He could neither read nor write at
twelve years old; but he improved his time in such a
manner that he became one of the most knowing men
of his age, in geometry, in philosophy, in architec
ture, and in music. He applied himself to the improvement of his native language; he translated several valuable works from Latin; and wrote a vast number of poems in the Saxon tongue with a wonderful facility and happiness. He not only excelled in
the theory of the arts and sciences, but possessed a
great mechanical genius for the executive part; he
improved the manner of ship-building, introduced a
more beautiful and commodious architecture, and
even taught his countrymen the art of making bricks,
-- most of the buildings having been of wood before
his time. In a word, he comprehended in the greatness of his mind the whole of government and all its
parts at once, and, what is most difficult to human
frailty, was at the same time sublime and minute.
Religion, which in Alfred's father was so prejudi
? ? ? ? 268 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
cial to affairs, without being in him at all inferior in
its zeal and fervor, was of a more enlarged and noble
kind; far from being a prejudice to his government,
it seems to have been the principle that supported
him in so many fatigues, and fed like an abundant source his civil and military virtues. To his religious exercises and studies he devoted a full third part of his time. It is pleasant to trace a genius even
in its smallest exertions, -- in measuring and allotting his time for the variety of business he was engaged in. According to his severe and methodical custom, he had a sort of wax candles made of different colors in different proportions, according to the
time he allotted to each particular affair; as he carried these about with him wherever he went, to make
them burn evenly he invented horn lanterns. One
cannot help being amazed that a prince, who lived
in such turbulent times, who commanded personally
in fifty-four pitched battles, who had so disordered
a province to regulate, who was not only a legislator,
but a judge, and who was continually superintending his armies, his navies, the traffic of his kingdom,
his revenues, and the conduct of all his officers,
could have bestowed so much of his time on religious exercises and speculative knowledge; but the
exertion of all his faculties and virtues seemed to
have given a mutual strength to. all of them. Thus
all historians speak of this prince, whose whole his.
tory was one panegyric; and whatever dark spots of
human frailty may have adhered to such a character, they are entirely hid in the splendor of his many
shining qualities and grand virtues, that throw a glory
over the obscure period in which he lived, and which
is for no other reason worthy of our knowledge.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 269
The latter part of his reign was molested with
new and formidable attempts from the Danes:. but
they no longer found the country in its former condition; their fleets were attacked; and those that landed found a strong and regular opposition. There
were now fortresses which restrained their ravages,
and armies well appointed to oppose them in the
field; they were defeated in a pitched battle"; and
after several desperate marches from one part of the
country to the other, everywhere harassed
A. D. 897.
and hunted, they were glad to return with
half their number, and to leave Alfred in quiet to
accomplish the great things he had projected. This
prince reigned twenty-seven years, and died at last
of a disorder in his bowels, which had afflicted him,
without interrupting his designs or souring his temper, during the greatest part of his life. CHAPTER V.
SUCCESSION OF KINGS FROM ALFRED TO HAROLD.
HIs son Edward succeeded. Though of Edward,
less learning than his father, he equalled A' 900.
him in his political virtues. . e made war with success on the Welsh, the Scots, and the Danes, and left his kingdom strongly fortified, and exercised,
not weakened, with the enterprises of a vigorous
reign. Because his son Edmund was under age,
the crown was set on the head of his illegitimate
offspring, Athelstan. His, like the reigns Athelstan,
of all the princes of this, time, was molested A. D. 925.
by the continual incursions of the Danes; and notb.
? ? ? ? 270 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ing but a succession of men of spirit, capacity, and
love of their country, which providentially happened
at this time, could ward off the ruin of the kingdom.
Such Athelstan was; and such was his brother EdEdmund, mund, who reigned five years with great A. D. 942. reputation, but was at length, by an obscure
ruffian, assassinated in his own palace. Edred, his
Edred, brother, succeeded to the late monarchy:
A. D. 94. though he had left two sons, Edwin and
Edgar, both were passed by on account of their minority. But on this prince's death, which happened after a troublesome reign of ten years, valiantly
Edwin, supported against continual inroads of the
A. D. 95. Danes, the crown devolved on Edwin; of
whom little can be said, because his reign was short,
and he was so embroiled with his clergy that we can
take his character only from the monks, who in such
a case are suspicious authority.
Edgar, Edgar, the second son of King Edmund,
A. - D- 959 came young to the throne; but he had the
happiness to have his youth formed and his kingdom
ruled by men of experience, virtue, and authority.
The celebrated Dunstan was his first minister, and
had a mighty influence over all his actions. This
prelate had been educated abroad,, and had seen the
world to advantage. As he had great power at
court by the superior wisdom of his counsels, so by
the sanctity of his life he had great credit with the
people, which gave a firmness to the government of
his master, whose private character was in many
rlcpects extremely exceptionable. It was in his
reign, and chiefly by the means of his minister,
Dulnstan, that the monks, who had long prevailed in
the opinion of the generality of the people, gave a to
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 271
tal overthrow to their rivals, the secular clergy. The
secular clergy were at this time for the most part
married, and were therefore too near the common
modes of mankind to draw a great deal of their respect; their character was supported by a very small
portion of learning, and their lives were not such
as people wish to see in the clergy. But the monks
were unmarried, austere in their lives, regular in
their duties, possessed of the learning of the times,
well united under a proper subordination, full of
art, and implacable towards their enemies. These
circumstances, concurring with the dispositions of
the king and the designs of Dunstan, prevailed so
far that it was agreed in a council convened for that
purpose to expel the secular clergy from their livings, and to supply their places with monks, throughout the kingdom. Although the partisans of the
secular priests were not a. few, nor of the lowest
class, yet they were unable to withstand the current of the popular desire, strengthened by the authority of a potent and respected monarch. However, there was a seed of discontent sown on this occasion, which grew up afterwards to the mutual destruction of all the parties. During the whole reign of Edgar, as lie had secured the most popular part
of the clergy, and with them the people, in his interests, there was no internal disturbance; there was
no foreign war, because this prince was always ready
for war. But he principally owed his security to
the care he took of his naval power, which was much
greater and better regulated than that of any English monarch before him. He had three fleets always equipped, one of which annually sailed round
the island. Thus the Danes, the Scots, the Irish,
? ? ? ? 272 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
and the Welsh were kept in awe. He assumed the
title of King of all Albion. His court was magnificent, and much frequented by strangers. His revenues were in excellent order, and no prince of his time supported the royal character with more dignity.
Edgar had two wives, Elfleda and Elfrida. By the
first he had a son called Edward; the second bore
him one called Ethelred. On Edgar's death, EdEdward, ward, in the usual order of succession, was
A. D. 95. called to the throne; but Elfrida caballed
in favor of her son, and finding it impossible to set
him up in the life of his brother, she murdered him
with her own hands in her castle of Corfe, whither
he had retired to refresh himself, wearied with huntEthelred, ing. Ethelred, who by the crimes of his
A. D. 979. mother ascended a throne sprinkled with
his brother's blood, had a part to act which exceeded the capacity that could be expected in one
of his youth and inexperience. The partisans of
the secular clergy, who were kept down by the vigor of Edgar's government, thought this a fit time to
renew their pretensions. The monks defended themselves in their possession; there was no moderation
on either side, and the whole nation joined in these
parties. The murder of Edward threw an odious
stain on the king, though he was wholly innocent
of that crime. There was a general discontent, and
every corner was full of murmurs and cabals. In this
state of the kingdom, it was equally dangerous to exert the fulness of the sovereign authority or to suffer it to relax. The temper of the king was most inclined to the latter method, which is of all things
the worst. A weak government, too easy, suffers
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 273
evils to grow which often make the most rigorous
and illegal proceedings necessary. Through an ex-,
treme lknity it is on some occasions tyrannical. This
was thl- condition of Ethelred's nobility, who, by being permitted everything, were never contented.
Thas all the principal men held a sort of factious
and independent authority; they despised the king,
they oppressed the people, and they hated one another. The Danes, in every part of England but Wessex as numerous as the English themselves, and in many parts more numerous, were ready to take advantage of these disorders, and waited with impatience
some new attempt from abroad, that they might rise.
in favor of the invaders. They were not long without such an occasion; the Danes pour in almost upon
every part at once, and distract the defence which
the weak prince was preparing to make.
In those days of wretchedness and ignorance, when
all the maritime parts of Europe were attacked by
these formidable enemies at once, they never thought
of entering into any alliance against them; they
equally neglected the other obvious method to prevent their incursions, which was, to carry the war
into the invaders' country.
What aggravated these calamities, the no- 987
bility, mostly disaffected to the king, and entertaining very little regard to their country, made,
some of them, a weak and cowardly opposition to the
enemy; some actually betrayed their trust; some
even were found who undertook the trade of piracy
themselves. It was in this condition, that Edric,
Duke of Mercia, a man of some ability, but light,
inconstant, and utterly devoid of all principle, proposed to buy a peace from the Danea. The genVOL. VII. 18
? ? ? ? 274 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTOIRY.
eral weakness and consternation disposed the king
and people to take this pernicious advice. At first. . 991. 10,0001. was given to the Danes, who retired with this money and the rest of their
plunder. The Ellglish were now, for the first time,
taxed to supply this payment. The imposition was
called Danegelt, not more burdensome in the thing
than scandalous in the name. The scheme of purchlasing peace not only gave rise to many internal
hardships, but, whilst it weakened the kingdom, it
inspired such a desire of invading it to the enemy,
that Sweyn, King of Denmark, came in person soon
after with a prodigious fleet and army. The English,
having once found the method of diverting the storm
by an inglorious bargain, could not bear to think of
any other way of resistance. A greater sum, 48,0001. ,
was now paid, which the Danes accepted with pleasure, as they could. by this means exhaust their enemies and enrich themselves with little danger or trouble. With very short intermissions they still returned, continually increasing in their demands. . In
a few years they extorted upwards of 160,0001. from
the English, besides an annual tribute of 48,0001.
The country was wholly exhausted both of money
and spirit. The Daines in England, under the protection of the foreign Danes, committed a thousand
insolencies; and so infatuated with stupidity and
baseness were the English at this time, that they
employed hardly any other soldiers for their defence.
A. D. 1002. In this state of shame and misery, their
sufferings suggested to them a design rather
desperate than brave. They resolved on a massacre
of the Danes. Some authors say, that ill one night
the whole race was cut off. Many, probably all the
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 275
military men, were so destroyed. But this massacre,
injudicious as it was cruel, was certainly not universal; nor did it serve any other or better end than
to exasperate those of the same nation abroad, who
the next year landed in England with a
A. D. 1003.
powerful army to revenge it, and committed outrages even beyond the usual tenor of the Danish cruelty. There was in England no money left to purchase a peace, nor courage to wage a successful
war; and the King of Denmark, Sweyn, a prince of
capacity, at the head of a large body of brave and
enterprising men, soon mastered the whole kingdom,
except London. Ethelred, abandoned by fortune and
his sulbjects, was forced to fly into Normandy.
As there was no good order in the English affairs,
though continually alarmed, they were always surprised; they were only roused to arms by the cruelty of the enemy, and they were only formed into a body by being driven from their homes: so that
they never made a resistance until they seemed to
be entirely conquered. This may serve to account
for the frequent sudden reductions of the island, and
the frequent renewals of their fortune when it seemed
the most desperate. Sweyn, in the midst of his victories, dies, and, though succeeded by his son Canute,
who inherited his father's resolution, their affairs
were thrown into some disorder by this accident.
The English were encouraged by it. Ethelred was
recalled, and the Danes retired out of the kingdom;
but it was only to return the next year with a greater and better appointed force. Nothing seemed able
to oppose them. The king dies. A great part of
the land was surrendered, without resistance, to Canute. Edmund, the eldest son of -Ethelred, supported,
? ? ? ? 276: ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
Edinund however, the declining hopes of the English
Ironside,
a. D. 1016. for some time; in three months he fought
three victorious battles; he attempted a fourth, but
lost it by the base desertion of Edric, the principal
author of all these troubles. It is common with the
conquered side to attribute all their misfortunes to
the treachery of their own party. They choose to
be thought subdued by the treachery of their friends
rather than the superior bravery of their enemies.
All the old historians talk in this strain; and it must
be acknowledged that all adherents to a declining
party have many temptations to infidelity.
Edmund, defeated, but not discouraged, retreated
to the Severn, where he recruited his forces. Canute
followed at his heels. And now the two armies were
drawn up which were to decide the fate of England,
when it was proposed to determine the war by a
single combat between the two kings. Neither was
unwilling; the Isle of Alney in the Severn was chosen for the lists. Edmund had the advantage by the greatness of his strength, Canute by his address; for
when Edmund had so far prevailed as: to disarm him,
he proposed a parley, in which he persuaded Edmund
to a peace, and to a division of the kingdom. Their
armies accepted the agreement, and both kings departed in a seeming friendship. But Edmund died soon after, with a probable suspicion of being murdered by the instruments of his associate in the empire.