A. D. 871-900. 



265 



nations, he compofed a code for the regulation of his fubjeds. He is 

 believed by feme to be the firll, who eftablidied in England the trial 

 by a jury of twelve men of fair charader, and of rank as nearly as pof- 

 fible equal with that of the party, whofe life or property was the iub- 

 jeft of the trial ; while others, apparently with good reafon, carry the 

 ufe of that mode of trial in England to the earlieft ages of the govern- 

 ment of the Angles, Saxons, &c. and fuppofe, it was brought over with 

 them from Germany *. 



If England had but little commerce in the reign of Alfred, and 

 the polTeffion of jewels, fillcen robes, and incenfe, proves that there 

 was at leaft fome, his improvements of {hipping, reftoration of de- 

 cayed towns, encouragement of arts and fcience, and unremitting at- 

 tention to the diftribution of juftice, at leaft paved the way to the ex- 

 tenfion of commerce X- 



It may be prefumed, that Alfred was the richefi; man in England ; 

 yet fo high was the value of money, that he left only five hundred 

 pounds of fdver, together with lands, to each of his two fons, and one 

 hundred pounds, with fome lands, to each of his three daughters; and, 

 from his will, which is fortunately extant, his whole flock of ready mo- 

 ney cannot be fuppofed to have exceeded three thoufand pounds, equal 

 in weight to about nine thoufand pounds of modern money. But Al- 

 fred was a good flaepherd, more intent upon feeding, than upon fleec- 

 ing, his flock. He is almoft the only charader in hiftory, whom no 

 writer has charged with any crime or weaknefs : and the whole bright 

 aflemblage of his virtues and talents prefents a pleafing and fplendid 

 pidure of a heaven-born genius riling out of the darknefs of one of the 

 darkell ages, and diflinguiflies this truely great prince from the crowd 



* The trial by jury, and even by a jury of 

 twelve, fcenis to be as antient as the days of Gre- 

 lian fable, which reports, that Mars, the god of 

 war, was tried for murder by a jury of twelve gods. 

 For examples of the general ufe of trial by jury in 

 the middle ages fee Speiman^s Glojfury, 110. jfurnta. 



\ Late writers have gone fo far as to fay, that 

 England had a moft wonderfully-extenfivc trade 

 m the reign of Alfred. They affert that he fent 

 (hips, or even fleets, to India. — Were they aware, 

 that thofe fhips or fleets mufi have doubled the 

 Cape of Goud Hope I TJiey add, that he built 

 nthcr fliips for trade as well as for war, and lent 

 :hem, together with competent fums of money, 

 lo merchants, who, thus royally fupported, traded 

 to Alexandria, and even to India ! following, no 

 doubt, the tratl of the king's fleet. They alfo 

 tell us, that the voyages of Ohther and Wulfftan, 

 were undertaken at Alfred's defire, with a view to 

 the extenfion of commerce. Bat Alfred himfelf, 

 a far better authority, tells uj they were perform- 



Vol.!. 



ed before thofe navigators came to his court : and 

 liis inquiries evidently proceeded from the thivft of 

 knowlege natural to a man of learning and fci- 

 ence. — The thirtieth of Alfred's laws fhows, that 

 merchant Ihips fometimes arrived in England ; but 

 the regulation refpctts the pafTengcrs and not the 

 cargo. — The only notice I can find of any ex- 

 portation in the time of Alfred, if it may be call- 

 ed exportation, is a prefcnt of the famous Britifti 

 dogs to Folk, archbirtiop of Rlieims in France. 

 Upon the whole it mull be acknowleged, that a 

 fenfe of the importance of comracrce, of which no 

 Chriilian nation out of Italy liad then any idea, 

 does riot appear to have formed any part of the 

 great and fcliacquircd knowlege of Alfred, whofe 

 illuftrious character ftands in no need of any fidi- 

 tious embellilhments. 



What I have faid of Alfred is extrafted from 

 his own works, and that of his contemporary bio- 

 grapher Afler, with fome ailllliiuce from tbe earli- 

 eft of the fut-cecding writers. 



LI 



