A. D. 674. 239 



many journies to Rome, whence he imported a prodigious number of 

 flatues, reliques, books, and pidures of fcripture hiftory, wherewith he 

 adorned, and almoft filled, his church. [Bedcv H'lft. ahbat Wer£miitbi\ 



710 — From Northumberland the tafte for fine churches fpread into 

 the neighbouring kingdom of the Pichts, where a church of ftone in 

 the Roman flile was built by workmen fent from Weremouih at the 

 requeft of King Nechton the fon of Dereli. {Eeda Hijl. ecclef. L. v, 



C. 22.] 



About 630 — King Edwin, who began the building of the church at 

 York, feems to have been alfo the founder of the caflle of Edwynefburg * 

 {^Edhiburgli), fituated on a precipitous rock in the north part of his do- 

 minions. We have not the fmalleft information of the nature of the 

 architedure of this caflle, which communicated its name to the town, 

 built upon the Hoping ridge of the hill adjacent to the eaft lide of it, 

 which in after ages became the capital city of Scotland. 



A filver penny, coined at Eoferwic {Tork), and marked with the name 

 of Edwin, is believed to be the earliefl extant fpecimen of coinage in this 

 ifland after the abdication of the Romans, unlefs that of Ethelbert king 

 of Kent belong to the firfl king of that name, who died in the year pre- 

 ceding the accefhon of Edwin f . 



I have here thrown together fome notices of the progrefs of eccle- 

 fiaftical and military architedure, and of fome of the other arts in 

 Britain, which as yet furnifhes but fcanty materials for commercial- 

 hiflory. Our attention is now recalled to the EalL 



616 — Alexandria, though greatly reduced in the general decay of the 

 Eaflern empire, and by the removal of mofl of the Oriental trade to 

 Perfia, was flill the commercial capital of the Mediterranean. That city, 

 with the fertile country of Egypt, was now wrefled from the fuccefTors 

 of Auguflus and Coni^antine by Chofroes, the vidlorious king of Perfia. 

 Conflantinople, deprived of the ufual fupply of eight millions of modii 

 of corn J, the annual importation from Egypt, was ready to perifh for 

 want of food ; and the miferable emperor was reduced to the neceffity 

 of figning a treaty (a°. 621), binding himfelf to pay annually to the Pex- 

 fian monarch a tribute of 1000 talents of gold, looo talents of filver, 

 1000 robes of filk, 1000 horfes, and, moll ignominious of all, 1000 

 virgins. Perhaps (for the writers of the age have left us to conjedlure) 

 it was impoffible for an exhaufled empire to pay the tribute. Whatever 



* So the name is fpellej in a diarter of King foundation of a foolifh fable. [See Geographical 



David I, tlie molt antient writing in which it is illujlralions of Scottijh hijiory, vo. Edinburgh, Puel- 



mentioned ; and the name of Edwin is alfo pre- Lirum,'\ 



ferved, as it is fpelled by Simeon of Durham and f Ethelbert's coin, being, I apprehend, of un- 



in the Chronicle of Lanercoll, which expvefsly certain age, will be mentioned in a note under the 



calls him the builder of the calile, and alfo gives year 1066. 



the ftory of his feven daughters being preferved io \ The Roman modius being 3 fmall matter more ■ 



it ; which ftory, together with its other name of than the Englifh peck, the fupply from Egypt '.va: 



Maydyn caftle, has furniQied Hedor Boyfe the above two millions of bullicls. 



