^6,1 A. D. 897. 



mitting attention to his fleet this illuftrious prince, who may with great 

 propriety be called f be father of the Britijl) navy, protedled his fhores from 

 frefh invafions ; and he alfo kept his Danifli allies of the eaftern parts 

 of England more quiet, than their own inclinations led them to be. 



871-900 — At the acceflion of Alfred, England, owing to the long- 

 continued ravages of the Danes, had fallen into a flate of degeneracy, 

 rather below barbarifm. Scarcely a nobleman could read, and there 

 was not, by Alfred's own account, one perfon on the fouth fide of the 

 Thames capable of tranflating a common prayer from Latin into Eng- 

 lifli. Alfred himfelf, though he was fent to Rome (which was, next to 

 Conftantinople, the feat of what little learning remained in the Chrif- 

 tian world) when he was five years of age, returned to England without 

 learning to read, and continued ignorant till his twelfth year. His 

 great proficiency in learning and fcience, though he had the advantage 

 of not being heir apparent to the crown till his eighteenth year, is 

 truely wonderful, considering the grofs darknefs of the age, and the tur- 

 bulent fi:ate of the country His literary works alone, which are ftili 

 extant, are fufficient, independent of all his other excellencies, to im- 

 mortalize the name of their author. 



When the treaty of partition with Godrun gave the miferable coun- 

 try fome refpite from the horrors and devaftations of war, Alfred, ever 

 intent upon augmenting the knowlege and the happinefs of his people, 

 applied to thofe very countries, which had formerly been enlightened 

 by the learning of England, for teachers to reclaim his fubjefts from 

 ignorance ; fo that by his paternal care the youth were at leafl taught 

 to read. It has been a matter of fierce contefl:, whether the imiverfity 

 of Oxford is of higher antiquity, or owes its foundation to Alfred. He 

 kept up a frequent correfpondence with the pope, and alfo with Abel 

 the patriarch of Jerufalem, who fent him feveral valuable prefents of 

 (Jriental commodities. 



Alfred was the firfi; native of Britain, that we know of, who made 

 any attempt to extend the fcience of geography beyond the bounds of 



' ncr as Is done in the prefent time ; their heads fail to be trimmed by its clues (or lower corners) 



« and (lerns arc very ercA,'and rift high out of the fo as to go with the wind on the beam, if not even 



' water, ornamented at top with fome uncouth nearer, thoiigli the yard has no braces. The malt: 



' head of an animal, rudely cut ; they have but one has two flirouds leading to ihe gunnels, one fore 



« niaft, the top of which is alfo decorated with a flay to the head, and two back ilays to the ttcrn. 



' bird, the head of a bird, or fome fuch device ; If I were not aware, that the iigurcs of men are 



' to this mad is made fail a large fail, which from generally made much too large, in proportion to 



* its nature and conftruftion could only be ufeful, other objects, by the artills of the dark ages, thefc 

 ' when the vefTel went before the wind : the fliip boats might be faid to be not above ten or twelve 



* was (leered by a large oar with a flat end very teet long. The bird on tlic mad-head turned on 



• broad, paffing by the fide cf the ilcrn ; and this a fpindle to (how the wind, as appears from the 



♦ was managed by the pilot, who fat in the (Icrn, defeription of Cnut's fleet in tlie Encomium of 

 ' and thence ifTucd his orders to the mariners.' Emma, \_ap. Dit Chefne,p. 166] which exhibits the 



The above are the wonia of Mr. Strult. \_Chron- appearance of warlike (hips, but in language ra- 

 icle of England, y. \, p. ^Ti'] ."^ From his engraved thcr too pompous. 

 copy of the drawings, I fee nothing to hinder tlic 



