66

to obtain poffeffion of her on honourable terms. Athelwold, overcome by those charms, which he found even to surpass report, upon his return to Edgar, facrificing his fidelity to his paffion, told him, that her fortune and quality alone procured her the admiration of the world, and that her charms, fo far from being extraordinary, would have been entirely overlooked in a woman of inferior condition. But," added he, "though fhe has nothing to claim the attention of a fovereign, her immenfe wealth would to a fubject, be a fufficient compenfation for the homelinefs of her perfon, and though it could never produce on me the illufion of beauty, it might make her a convenient wife!" Edgar, ready to promote his favourite's intereft, not only approved of his purpose, but forwarded his fuccefs by his recommendations to the parents of Elfrida, when Athelwold was foon made happy in the poffeffion of his miftrefs.

Royal favourites are never without enemies. Edgar was foon informed of the truth; but before he would execute vengeance on Athelwold's treachery, he refolved to fatisfy himself of the extent of his guilt. He accordingly told him, that he intended to pay him a vifit at his caftle, and be introduced to his new-married wife. Athelwold was thunderftruck at the propofal; but, as he could not refufe the honour, he only begged leave to go before the king a few hours, to prepare for his reception. On his arrival, he informed Elfrida of his deceit and danger, and entreated her to conceal from Edgar, by every means in her power, that fatal beauty, which had feduced him from his fidelity to his friend. Elfrida promifed compliance, though nothing appears to have been further from her thoughts. She took care to appear before the king with all the advantages, which the richeft attire, and most engaging airs could beftow. This had the defired effect. She inftantly excited in the bofom of the amorous Edgar, the highest love towards herself, and the most furious defire of revenge againft her husband. He, however, diffembled thofe páffions, till, having feduced Athel

wold

wold into a wood, on pretence of hunting, he stabbed him with his own hand, and foon after efpoufed Elfrida.

One of the remarkable incidents of this reign, was the extirpation of wolves in England, which the king effected, by changing the tribute money, ufually paid by the Welch princes, into an annual tribute of 300 heads of wolves.

Edgar was fucceeded, in 975, by his eldeft fon Edward, afterwards barbaroufly murdered by his ftepmother, whose fon Ethelred afcended the throne in 978. The nation was at that time harraffed by the Danes. To get rid of them, Ethelred agreed to pay 30,000l. levied by way of tax, and called Danegeld, which was the first land-tax in England. In the year 1002 they had made fuch fettlements in England, that Ethelred confented to a general maffacre of them. But this atrocious defign ferved only to enrage the Danish king Swein, who, in 1013, obliged Ethelred, his queen, and two fons, to flee into Normandy, a province of France, at that time governed by its own princes, ftyled the dukes of Normandy.

Swein being killed, was fucceeded by his fon Canute the Great. But Ethelred returning to England, forced Canute to retire to Denmark, from whence he invaded England with a great army, and obliged Edmund Ironfide, fo called from his uncommon bodily ftrength, to divide with him the kingdom. Upon Edmund's being affaffinated, Canute fucceeded to the whole, which he enjoyed for fome years in great tranquillity, and died in the year 1035.

With Canute fell the glory of the Danes in England; and at his death the torch of difcord, which had lighted up fo many woes to this country, began to burn with a more baleful luftre. Canute, though nursed in blood, trained to injuftice, and habituated to barbarity, paffed to the grave with the character of the mildest virtues. He acquired the furname of Great from his conqueft; but merited that epithet much better from the virtues he displayed, during the pacific period of his adminiftration

5

ftration. He was ever attentive to the intereft of his people, and difpleafed with the adulation of his cour

tiers.

His fon Harold Harefoot did nothing memorable, and his fucceffor Hardicanute was fo degenerate a prince, that the Danish royalty in England ended with him. The family of Ethelred being now called to the throne, Edward, commonly called the Confeffor, fucceeded, though Edgar Atheling, a weak youth, defcended from an elder branch, had the lineal right. Edward was a great benefactor to the church, and exceffively fond of the Normans, with whom he had refided. He was governed by his minifter, earl Godwin, and his fons, the eldest of whom was Harold. It is faid that he devised the fucceffion of his crown to William,. duke of Normandy. Be that as it will, it is certain that, upon the death of the confeffor, Harold, fon to Godwin, earl of Kent, mounted the throne.

William Duke of Normandy, though illegitimate,. poffeffed that great duchy, and refolved to affert his right to the crown of England. For that purpose, he invited the neighbouring princes, as well as his own vaffals, to join him, and made liberal promifes to his followers, of lands and honours in England, to induce them to give him more effectual affiftance. By thefe means he collected 40,000 of the bravest and most regular troops in Europe, and while Harold was embarraffed with fresh invafions of the Danes, William. landed in England without oppofition. Harold returning from the North, encountered William in Suffex,. near the place where the town of Haftings now ftands,. and a moft bloody battle was fought between the two armies; in which Harold being killed, the crown of England devolved upon William, in the year 1066,

The victor loft about fix thousand men in this long and dreadful conteft; but the number of English that fell was much greater. The next morning exhibited a fcene of blood fhocking to the eye of every humane beholder. The body of Harold was at laft found among an indifcriminate heap of carnage, fo deformed,

that

that it would perhaps never have been known, had not a lady, whom he had kept as a mistress, diftinguished it by a particular mark.

Thus died Harold in defence of English liberty, against the ufurpation of foreign power.

His death put a period to the Anglo-Saxon government, after it had continued above fix hundred from Hengift, the firft king of Kent.

CHAP. II.

years,

RELIGION OF THE SAXONS BEFORE THEIR CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY.

ME

EN not favoured with revelation, give their own paffions and prejudices to the divinities whom they adore. Brought up in battle, and habituated to blood, the Saxons made their gods as fierce and untractable as themfelves. The character given of Odin differs in no refpect from the pictures we have of those bold and intrepid warriors, who led their predatory armies into the regions of the fouth. The fupreme gods of other nations are reprefented as favourable to the existence of the human fpecies. The chief title of Odin was the Father of the Slain. The events of this life, excepting the means of leaving it with renown and through violence, commanded little of the attention of his worshippers. His dominion therefore, in some measure, may be said to begin in the hour of death.

The mode of worship, among the Saxons, and their Scandinavian ancestors, was as fimple as their ideas of a divinity were unrefined. A great log of unfafhioned wood, perpendicularly raifed in the open air, was the common reprefentative of Odin. This fymbol they diftinguifhed by the name of Irmunfel, a word which, in their language, fignified the univerfal pillar which fuftains the world.

Thor,

Thor, from which Thursday, the fifth day of the week, is derived, was only the title of Thunderer, annexed by all nations to the Supreme Divinity. Odin was worshipped under that name as prefiding over the regions of the air, as the ruler of tempefts, the director of thunder, the lord of the weather, and protector and nourisher of the fruits of the earth.

Contrary to the practice of the Celtic nations, the Saxons, Danes, and other northern tribes, admitted a female divinity into the catalogue of their gods. As Odin was believed to be the father, Frea was esteemed the mother of all the deities. Odin was the irresistible principle which gives motion to every thing that breathes; and Frea furnished that portion of matter which is animated into living creatures by the active and pervading fpirit, diftinguished by the name of God.

In the most ancient times, Frea was the fame with the goddess Hertha, or the Earth. Her worfhip filled the minds of her devotees with fentiments very different from thofe which the bloody altars of Odin infpired.. During the feast held in honour of Hertha among the Angli, and their neighbours on the Baltic, an univerfal joy was fpread over the country. Benevolence and hofpitality prevailed in every quarter. War and difcord ceafed; and it was then only that peace and quiet were either known or loved. The univerfal parent of mankind did not, they justly thought, delight in the destruction of her race; and therefore every instrument of death was fhut up during her fuppofed refidence in the land. When she retired to her facred groves, her warlike worshippers, whofe bent to humanity was only temporary, recoiled with violence into their favourite occupation of flaughter and war.

To Frea the fixth day of the week was confecrated, which ftill bears her name.

With regard to a future ftate, though prejudice and education have fometimes eradicated the fear of death from whole nations, the love of exiftence feems to be immoveably planted in the human breaft. Pleafed