242 A. D. 668. 



due to the ingenuity of an individual. Conftantinople and the remainder 

 of the empire owed their prefervation to a new and wonderful inven- 

 tion of Callinicus, a Syrian or Egyptian Greek, whofe fcience on this 

 occafion, like that of Archimedes in the fiege of Syracufe, was infinite- 

 ly more valuable than the ftrength and courage of the greateft armies. 

 This invention was the famous Greek fire, a fubftance or preparation, 

 which communicated unextinguifhable fire to every thing it came in 

 contadl with, and which could be launched from the military engines, 

 {hot through a tube, and conveyed in every diredion, even water itfelf 

 being no impediment, but rather giving additional vigour to its opera- 

 tion. The fecret of preparing this aftonifhing engine of deftrudion, or 

 defence, was preferved with the ftrideft vigilance by the Roman (or 

 Grecian) government above four hundred years, after which the Sara- 

 cens got pofleffion of the art. It continued to be ufed in war, till it 

 was fuperfeded by the invention of gun-powder, and then even the 

 knowlege of it was loft. 



690 — Benedid Bifcop, who made fo many journies to Rome, and im- 

 ported fo much church furniture to Northumberland, as already relat- 

 ed, fold a book upon cofmography to Aldfrid, his fovereign, for eight 

 hides of land. At that rate fcarcely any but a king could afford to have 

 a book ; and even in the very higheft ranks there were then but few 

 in Britain, who could read. Indeed, as books were almoft inacceilible, 

 reading could be of little ufe. 



694 — ^The kingdom of Kent is faid to have paid a fine of thirty thou- 

 fand pounds of ftlver to Ine, king of the Weft-Saxons, for the flaughter 

 of his brother. \Cbr. Sax. ad an.'\ Notwithftanding the refpedable au- 

 thority of the Saxon chronicle, it is difficult to conceive how fo fmall a 

 country (for the kingdom of Kent contained only the prefent fhire of 

 that name) could in thofe days raife a fum, equal, as appears by the 

 laws of the fame King Ine, to the value of 1,440,000 fheep with as 

 many young lambs, reckoning 48 {hillings in the money pound, and 

 one fhilling as the price of a fheep with her lamb, as rated in King 

 Tne's laws *. 



The feventieth law of Ine fixes the quantity of the various articles to 

 be paid annually by the pofTeflbr of a farm of ten hides of land, or as 

 much as required ten ploughs : but we are not informed, whether it v;as 

 ■,\ regulation for the farms of the king's own property, like the farming 

 laws of Charlemagne, or was generally binding upon the land-holders 



* William Tliorni-, [cjA 1770 ap. Tivyfilcn\ gold. The conjtftiire of Dodor Henry \_Hij}. of 



though comparatively a late writer, (ccms to coim: L'lilain, F. iv, p. 280 cd. 1788] that pounds have 



nearrr the truth, when he rates the fine at three cript into the text iiiilcad of pennies, 30,000 pcn- 



thoii/and pounJs, which lie, being a monk of Can- iiies being the full wtrcgeld of a king, is cxtremc- 



trrbiiry, may have taken from an authentic record. ly probable. 

 WiUiau; of Mtliiifbury raifes it to ^0,000 marks of ^ 



