248 A. D. 795. 



795 — ^We now find the firft certain accounts of the northern piratical 

 rovers, called Normans, Norwegians, Danes, or Oftmen, landing in Ire- 

 land and the iflands on the north fide of it, many of which were fettled 

 ■by monks, mofi; of whom they drove from their monafl:eries. [^nn. Ult. 

 ad an. 794, with VJJerii Brit, ecclef. antiq. p. 958.] There is no reafon 

 to fuppofe that the north part of Britain could efcape their ravages, 

 though there is no certain account of any invafion of it by them till 

 > about forty years after this time. 



796 — The commerce of Britain, which fince the time of the Roman 

 •dominion in the ifland had been almofi: totally extmguifhed, appears to 

 have begun to revive about this time. Some Englifh traders reforted 

 to the continent ; and they even went as far as Rome, and perhaps Ve- 

 nice. Some of them, in order to evade payment of the cuftoms exa6l- 

 -ed from them in their tranfit through France, pretended to be pilgrims 

 on their journey to Rome,, the baggage of all fuch being exempted from 

 duties. The Englifh goods, which were of fuch value in refpedl to their 

 bulk as to admit of being fmuggled in a traveler's baggage, were pro- 

 bably nice works in gold and filver, in making which the Anglo-Saxon 

 artifts appear to have been eminently fkilful*. Reliques, images, of faints, 

 pretious ftones, books, pidures for churches, and drefl^es for priefls, were 

 probably the chief articles of the homeward cargoes. The French col- 

 ledors of the cuftoms, difcovering the deception of the pretended pil- 

 grims, obliged them to pay the duties upon their goods ; whereupon 

 they complained to Offa, the moft powerful of the Englifh kings, in 

 confequence of which an embargo was laid upon the Ihipping on both 

 fides for fome time. But when Offa had compelled all the other Eng- 

 lifli and Saxon kings to acknowlege his fuperiority, Charles the Great 

 became willing to enter into friendfhip with him, without, however, 

 giving up his claim to the cuftomary duties on merchandize. I have 

 already (p. 60) given a tranflation of the oldeft commercial treaty in 

 the world ; and the reader, I dare fiiy, will be pleafed to fee a tranfla- 

 tion of Charles's letter to Offa, then in effed the monarch of England, 

 as far as it relates to commercial objeds, as it is, properly fpeaking, the 

 very firft of the many commercial treaties between England and the 

 other countries of Europe. It begins thus : 



' Charles, by the grace of God king of the Franks and Lombards, 

 * and patrician of the Romans, to our venerable and moft dear brother, 

 ' Ofta, king of the Merkians, greeting. Firft, we give thanks to all- 

 ' mighty God for the fincere catholic faith which we fee fo laudably 

 ' exprcitdd in your letters. Concerning the ftrangers, who, for the love 

 ' of God and the falvation of their fouls, wifli to repair to the threftiolds 

 ' of the blefied apoftles, let them travel in peace without any trouble. 



* The Englifh works in gold and filver in thefc ages were famous even in Italy. [^Muralori ylnliq. 



y. V, Co/. 12.] ■ ' 



