264 



Danish king of Dublin, aided it would appear by some Irish auxilia- 

 ries, was defeated with great slaughter, and the loss of his Jine Jleet * 

 Henry of Huntingdon also records the same transaction, -f* In 939, 

 says Caradoc of Lhancarvan, " died Abloive, (i. e. Aulaf,) the chief 

 king of Ireland." In 940 and 942 the Danes plundered and burned 

 Downpatrick, probably during those wanton invasions, in which, ac- 

 cording to the Antiquitates Celt. Scand.,J Eric used to indulge dur- 

 ing the summer months, and by which he is said to have acquired 

 great wealth and riches. Indeed the chivalry of these expeditions 

 is matter of commendation with the Danish annalists, who trium- 

 phantly acquaint us, that their countrymen formed companies for pira- 

 tic expeditions, and actually sanctioned their partnership by an oath, 

 thus, add their eulogists, honourably acquiring wealth for themselves. § 

 In fact, villages of the north grew into cities, from the riches of 

 these spoliations, as Lundenll in Scania and others could be deduced 

 to prove.** 



In 946 they devastated Meath.-ff In 948 they burned Slane, 

 and put many of the clergy to death. |]: In 950 they plundered 



* jEthelstanus rex ej usque frater interfecerunt Hibernos in praelio Brunanburh. * * 

 ***** Scotorum gens et navium classis egregia peribant. * »»»»»* 

 Maestae reliquiae in mari resono ultra profundam aquam Difelinam pelunt." — Chronicon Saxon, 

 ad ann. 937. 



f " Gens vero Hibernensium et puppium habitatores fatales corruerunt in praelio Brune- 

 burh."— Hist. lib. 5. 



I " Nimis arcta idcirco cum erat ei (Eiriko) quam tenebat provincia, aestivis semper tem- 

 poribus in piratica frequens Scotiam et Hebrides insulas Hibemiam et Britanniam latrociniis 

 vexabat, qua opes sibi et divitias comparavit." — P. 64. 



§ " Societatem sub juramento inierunt, piraticam exercentes qua pecuniam sibi honorijice 

 qucBsiverunt." — Bartholinus de Antiq. Dan. p. 457. 



II See Adam, of Bremen, de Sit. Dan. c. 213. 



•• It was about this time the same adventurous tribes made so many establishments in the 

 northern parts of France. — See Hume's England, vol. 1. c. 3. 



tt Ware's Ant. Hib. H Archdall. Men. Hib. p. 572. 



