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placed Edgar, the king's younger brother, a boy of about thirteen years of age, at their head, they foon put him in poffeflion of all the northern parts of the kingdom. Edwy's power and the number of his adherents every day declining, he was at laft obliged to confent to a partition of the kingdom; but his death, which happened foon after, freed his enemies from all further inquietude, and gave Edgar peaceable poffeffion of the government.

Edgar being placed on the throne by the influence of the monks, affected to be entirely guided by their directions in all his fucceeding tranfactions.

Little worthy of notice is mentioned of this monarch except his amour with Elfrida, which is of too fingular a nature to be omitted. Edgar had long heard of the beauty of a young lady, whofe name was Elfrida, daughter to the earl of Devonshire; but, unwilling to credit common fame, in this particular, he fent Athelwald, his favourite friend, to fee, and inform him, if Elfrida was indeed that incomparable woman report had described her. Ethelwald arriving at the earl's, had no fooner caft his eyes upon that nobleman's daughter, than he became defperately enamoured of her himfelf. Such was the violence of his paffion, that, forgetting his mafter's intentions, he folicited only his own interefts, and demanded for himfelf the beautiful Elfrida, from her father in marriage. The favourite of a king was not likely to find a refufal; the earl gave his confent, and their nuptials were performed in private. Upon his return to court, which was fhortly after, he affured the king, that her riches alone, and her high quality had been the cause of her fame, and he appeared amazed how the world could talk fo much, and fo unjustly of her charms. The king was fatisfied, and no longer felt any curiofity, while Ethelwald fecretly triumphed in his addrefs. When he had, by this deceit, weaned the king from his purpose, he took an opportunity,

after

after fome time, of turning the converfation on Elfrida, representing, that though the fortune of the earl of Devonshire's daughter would be a trifle to a king, yet it would be an immense acquifition to a needy fubject. He, therefore, humbly entreated permiffion to pay his addreffes to her, as fhe was the richeft heiress in the kingdom. A request so seemingly reasonable, was readily complied with; Ethelwald returned to his wife, and their nuptials were folemnized in public. His greatest care, however, was employed in keeping her from court; and he took every precaution to prevent her from appearing before a king so fufceptible of love, while the was fo capable of inspiring that paffion. But it was impoffible to keep his treachery long concealed. Edgar was foon informed of the whole tranfaction; but diffembling his refentment, he took occafion to vifit that part of the country, where this miracle of beauty was detained, accompanied by Ethelwald, who reluctantly attended him thither. Upon coming near the lady's habitation he told him, that he had a curiofity to fee his wife, of whom he had formerly heard so much, and defired to be introduced as his acquaintance. Ethelwald, thunder-ftruck at the propofal, did all in his power, but in vain, to diffuade him. All he could obtain, was permiflion to go before, on pretence of preparing for the king's reception. On his arrival, he fell at his wife's feet, confeffing what he had done to be poffeffed of her charms, and conjuring her to conceal, as much as poffible, her beauty from the king, who was but too fufceptible of its power. Elfrida, little obliged to him for a passion that had deprived her of a crown, promised compliance; but, prompted either by vanity, or revenge, adorned her perfon with the moft exquifite art, and called up all her beauty on the occafion. The event anfwered her expectations; the king, no fooner faw, than he loved her, and was inftantly refolved to obtain her. The better

to effect his intentions, he concealed his paffion from the husband, and took leave with a feeming indifference; but his revenge was not the lefs certain and fatal. Ethelwald was fome time after sent into Northumberland, upon pretence of urgent affairs, and was found murdered in a wood by the way. Some fay he was ftabbed by the king's own hand; fome, that he only commanded the affaffinaton; however this be, Elfrida was invited foon after to court, by the king's own order, and their nuptials were performed with the ufual folemnity.

This monarch died, after a reign of fixteen years, in the thirty-third year of his age, being fucceeded by his fon, Edward, whom he had by his firft marriage, with the daughter of the earl of Ordmer.

Edward, furnamed the Martyr, was made king by the intereft of the monks, and lived but four years after his acceffion. In his reign there is nothing remarkable, if we except his tragical and memorable end. Hunting one day near Corfe caftle, where Elfrida, his mother-in-law refided, he thought it his duty to pay her a vifit, although he was not attended by any of his retinue. There defiring fome liquor to be brought him, as he was thirsty, while he was yet holding the cup to his head, one of Elfrida's domeftics, inftructed for that purpose, stabbed him in the back. The king, finding himself wounded, put spurs to his horfe; but, fainting with the lofs of blood, he fell from the faddle, and his foot fticking in the ftirrup, he was dragged along by his horfe, till he died.

Ethelred the Second, the fon of Edgar and Elfrida, fucceeded; a weak and irrefolute monarch, incapable of governing the kingdom, or of providing for its fafety. During his reign the old and terrible enemies, the Danes, who feemed not to be loaded with the fame accumulation of vice and folly as the English, were daily gaining ground. The weakness and the inexperience of Ethelred appeared to give a

favour

able opportunity for renewing their depredations; and, accordingly, they landed on feveral parts of the coaft, fpreading their usual terror and devastation.

As they lived indifcriminately among the English, a resolution was taken for a general maffacre; and Ethelred, by a policy incident to weak princes, embraced the cruel refolution of putting them all to the fword. This plot was carried on with fuch fecrecy, that it was executed in one day, and all the Danes in England were destroyed without mercy. But this maflacre so perfidious in the contriving, and fo cruel in the execution, inftead of ending the long miseries of the people, only prepared the way for greater calamities.

While the English were yet congratulating each other upon their late deliverance from an inveterate enemy, Sweyn, king of Denmark, who had been in-. formed of their treacherous cruelties, appeared off the western coasts with a large fleet, meditating flaughter, and furious with revenge. Ethelred was obliged to fly into Normandy, and the whole country thus came under the power of Sweyn, his victorious rival.

Canute, afterwards furnamed the Great, fucceeded Sweyn as king of Denmark, and alfo as general of the Danish forces in England. The conteft between him and Edmund Ironfide, fucceffor to Ethelsed, was managed with great obftinacy and perfeverance; the first battle that was fought appeared undecifive; a fecond followed, in which the Danes were victorious; but Edmund ftill having interest enough to bring a third army into the field, the Danish and English nobility, equally harraffed by thefe convulfions, obliged their kings to come to a compromife, and to divide the kingdom between them by treaty. Canute reserved to himself the northern parts of the kingdom, the fouthern parts were left to Edmund : but this prince being murdered about a month after the treaty by his two chamberlains, at Oxford, Ca

nute was left in peaceable poffeffion of the whole kingdom.

Canute is reprefented by fome hiftorians as one of the first characters in thofe barbarous ages. The piety of the latter part of his life, and the refolute valour of the former, were topics that filled the mouths of his courtiers with flattery and praife. They even affected to think his power uncontroulable, and that all things would be obedient to his command. Canute, fenfible of their adulation, is faid to have taken the following method to reprove them. He ordered his chair to be set on the sea-fhore while the tide was coming in, and commanded the sea to retire. "Thou art under my dominion, cried he; the land upon which I fit is mine; I charge thee therefore to approach no farther, nor dare to wet the feet of thy fovereign." He feigned to fit fome time in expectation of fubmiffion, till the waves began to furround him: then, turning to his courtiers, he obferved that the titles of Lord and Mafter, belonged only to him whom both earth and feas were ready to obey. Thus feared and refpected, he lived many years, honoured with the furname of Great for his power, but deferving it ftill more for his virtues. He died at Shaftfbury, in the nineteenth year of his reign, leaving behind him three fons, Sweyn, Harold, and Hardicnute. Sweyn was crowned king of Norway, Hardicnute was put in poffeffion of Denmark, and Harold fucceeded his father on the Englifh throne.

To Harold fucceeded his brother, Hardicnute, whofe title was readily acknowledged both by the Danes and the English; and, upon his arrival from the continent, he was received with the most extravagant demonftrations of joy. This king's violent and unjust government was but of thort duration. He died two years after his acceffion, in confequence

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