fubmitted to be his inftrument, in this unnatural and brutal action. THAT nobleman knew, that he was univerfally believed to have been an accomplice in Alfred's death, and that he was on that account very obnoxious to Hardicanute; and perhaps he hoped, by difplaying this rage against Harold's memory, to justify himself from having had any participation in his counsels. But prince Edward, being invited over by the King his halfbrother, immediately on his appearance, entered an accufation against Godwin for the murder of Alfred, and demanded juftice for that act of barbarity. Godwin, in order to appeafe the King, made him a magnificent present of a galley with a gilt ftern, rowed by fourfcore men, who wore each of them a gold bracelet on his arm, weighing fixteen ounces, and was armed and cloathed in the most fumptuous manner. Hardicanute, pleased with the splendor of this fpectacle, quickly forgot his brother's murder; and on Godwin's fwearing that he was innocent of that crime, he allowed him to be acquitted. THOUGH Hardicanute, before his acceffion, had been called over by the vows of the English, he foon loft the affections of the nation by his mifconduct; but nothing appeared more grievous to them, than his renewing the impofition of Danegelt, and obliging the nation to pay a great fum of money to the fleet, which brought him over from Denmark. The discontents went high in many places; and in Worcester the populace rofe, and put to death two of the collectors. The › Chron. Sax. p. 156. W. Malm. p. 76. H. Hunt. p. 365. ہم Q ? W. Malm. p. 77. Hoveden, p. 439. Chron. St. Petri de Burgo, p. 39. Sim. Dun. CHAP. III. P. 180. . W. Malm. p. 76. King, CHAP. III. King, enraged at this oppofition, fwore vengeance against the city, and ordered three noblemen, Godwin, duke of Weffex, Siward, duke of Northumberland, and Leofric, duke of Mercia, to execute his menaces with the utmost rigor. They were obliged to fet fire to the city, and deliver it up to be plundered by their foldiers; but they faved the lives of the inhabitants whom they confined in a fmall island of the Severn, called Beverey, till, by their interceffion, they were able to appease the King, and obtain the pardon of the fupplicants. THIS violent government was of very short duration. Hardicanute died in two years after his acceffion, at the marriage of a Danish lord, which he had honoured with his presence. His usual habits of intemperance and gluttony were so well known, that, notwithstanding his robuft conftitution, his fudden death gave as little furprize, as it did forrow, to his fubjects. 1041. 十 TH EDWARD the CONFESSOR. HE English, on the death of Hardicanute, faw a favourable opportunity offered for recovering their liberty, and for shaking off the Danish yoke, under which they had fo long laboured. Sweyn, King of Norway, the eldest fon of Canute, was abfent; and as the two laft Kings had died without iffue, there appeared none of that race, port as fucceffor to the throne. at court on his brother's demife; • Hoveden, p. 439. Higden, p. 276. whom the Danes could fupPrince Edward was fortunately and though the defcendants Sim. Dun. p. 181. Flor. Wigorn. p. 623. of. of Edmond Ironfide were the true heirs of the Saxon family, yet their abfence in fo remote a country as Hungary, appeared a fufficient reafon for their exclufion, to a people like the English, fo little accustomed to obferve a regular order in the fucceffion of their monarchs. All delays might be dangerous; and the prefent occafion must haftily be embraced; while the Danes, without concert, without a leader, aftonished at the prefent incident, and anxious only for their perfonal fafety, dared not to oppose the united voice of the nation. BUT this concurrence of circumftances in Edward's favour might have failed of its effect, had his fucceffion been opposed by Godwin, whose power, alliances, and abilities, gave him a great influence at all times, much more amidst thofe fudden opportunities, which always attend a revolution of government, and which, either feized or neglected, commonly prove fo decifive. There were circumstances, which divided men's hopes and fears with regard to their expectations of Godwin's conduct. On the one hand, the credit of that nobleman lay chiefly in Weffex, which was almost entirely inhabited by English; and it was therefore préfumed, that he would fecond the withes of his people, in restoring the Saxon line, and in humbling the Danes, from whom he, as well as they, had reason to dread, as they had already felt, the most grievous oppreffions. On the other hand, there fubfifted a declared animofity between Edward and Godwin, on account of Alfred's murder; of which the latter had publicly been accused by the prince, and which he might believe so deep an offence, as could never, on account of any fubfequent merits, be fincerely pardoned. But their common friends here interposed; and representing the neceffity of their good correspondence, obliged them to lay afide all jealoufy CHAP. III. سا CHAP. jealoufy and rancour, and concur in reftoring liberty to their native country. Godwin only ftipulated, that Edward, as a pledge of his fincere reconcilement, should promise to marry his daughter, Editha"; and having fortified himself by this alliance, he summoned at Gillingham a general council of the nation, and prepared every measure for fecuring the fucceffion to Edward. The English were unanimous and zealous in their resolutions; the Danes were divided and difpirited: Any small opposition, which appeared in this affembly, was brow-beaten and fuppreffed; and Edward was crowned King, with the highest demonstrations of duty and affection *. THE triumph of the English, upon this fignal and decisive advantage, was at first attended with fome infult and violence against the Danes; but the King, by the mildness of his character, soon reconciled the latter to his administration, and the distinction between the two nations gradually disappeared. They were interspersed with the English in most of the provinces; they spoke nearly the fame tongue; they differed little in their manners and laws; the prevalence of domeftic diffentions in Denmark, prevented, for a long time, any powerful invafion from thence, which might awaken their animofities; and as the Norman conqueft, which enfued foon after, reduced both nations to equal fubjection, there is no farther mention in history of any difference between them. The joy, however, of their present deliverance made fuch impreffion on the minds of the English, that they instituted an annual feftival for celebrating " W. Malm. p. 80. H. Hunt. p. 365. Ingulf, p. 62. × W. Malm, p. 80. y In the year 1046, the Danes made an invafion from twenty-five fhips, the only one we read of during this reign. Chron. Sax. p. 158. King Edward remitted the tax called Danegelt. Brompton, p. 942. Chron. Dunstaple, vol, i. p. 18. that ป that great event; and it was observed in fome counties, even to THE popularity, which Edward enjoyed on his acceffion, was not destroyed by the first act of his administration, the refuming all the grants of his immediate predeceffors; an attempt, which is commonly attended with the most dangerous confequences. The poverty of the crown convinced the nation, that this act of violence was become abfolutely neceffary; and as the lofs fell chiefly on the Danes, who had obtained large grants from the late Kings, their countrymen, on account of their services in fubduing the kingdom, the English were rather pleased to see them reduced to their primitive poverty. The King's severity also towards his mother the Queen-dowager, though exposed to some more cenfure, met not with very general disapprobation. He had hitherto lived on very indifferent terms with that princess: He accufed her of neglecting him and his brother during their adverse fortune: He remarked, that as the fuperior qualities of Canute, and his better treatment of her, had made her entirely indifferent to the memory of Ethelred, she also gave the preference to her children of the fecond bed, and always regarded Hardicanute as her favourite. The fame reafons had probably made her unpopular in England; and though her benefactions to the monks obtained her the favour of that order, the nation was not, in general, difpleased to see her ftripped by Edward of immenfe treasures which she had amaffed. He confined her, during the remainder of her life, in a monastery at Winchester; but carried no farther his rigour against her. The stories of his accusing her * Spellm. Gloffary in verbo Hocday. V ↳ W. Malm. p. 64, So. Brompton, p. 906. Malm. p. 8o. Hoveden, p. 439. Higden, p. 277. of CHAP. |