A. D. 963. 271 



563 Among many other donations and privileges granted by King 



Edgar to the abbay of Medefliamftede (afterwards called Peterburgh) 

 there was the right of having a mint at Stanford with one coiner. [^Chr. 

 Sax. ad. an.\ None of the towns, named as coining places in Athelftan's 

 law, were near fo far north as this one. 



964 — According to a pompous charter, afcribed to Edgar, ' the great- 

 ' eft part of Ireland, with its moft noble city Dublin,' was fubjed to 

 him. But the Irifh conquefts, achieved for Edgar by the monks, are 

 unknown to the fober hiflorians of England, as well as to thofe of Ire- 

 land. The later relate, that for fome years before this time Dublin 

 was taken and retaken almoft every year by the native Irifh and Oft- 

 men ; and that their perpetual wars with the Oftmen, and among them- 

 felves, had reduced the Irifli, a people deftitute of commerce, to fuch a 

 tremendous excefs of mifery, that ' the father fold his fon and daughter 

 • for meat.' \Spelmaii,Concil. p. 432. — Warcei Ant'tq. Hihern. p. iii. — An. 

 Uit. ad. an. 964.] 



968 The emperor Otto firft opened the filver mines in the Hercy- 



nian mountains, which have greatly enriched Germany ; and he built 

 the town of Goflar near them, whence they are now called the mines 

 of Goflar, [Spencr HiJi.Germ. pragmat. V. i, p. 35 1 — Cluverii Hijl. miin- 

 di, p. 450.] Some think the filver mines of Chemnitz in Hungary more 

 antient than thofe of Goflar. 



969 — According to the contemporary teftimony of Liutprand, bifliop 

 of Cremona, and ambalfador from the Weilern to the Eaftern Roman 

 empire, the trade andnavigationof Amalfiat this time emulated thofe of 

 Venice. The Amalfians, though poflefling a very narrow trait of country, 

 acquired wealth, and fupportcd liberty, by their foreign commerce, 

 which extended to the oppoiite coaft of Africa, to Conftantinople, and 

 to fome of the ports in the eafl: end of the Mediterranean : and they, 

 together with t^ie Venetians fupplied Italy and other parts of Europe, 

 with the pretious produce and rich manufaduresof the Eafl:. [Muraiori, 

 Script. V. \\,p. 487 ; Ant'tq. V. ii, p. 884.] 



970 — But the commerce of the Saracens in the Mediterranean was 

 much more extenfive than that of the Chriftians ; and they were alfo 

 fuperior to them in naval power, and particularly in the fize of their 

 veffels. Abdirraman, the Saracen fultan, or calif, of the greateil part 

 of Spain, built a vefTel larger than had ever been feen before, and load- 

 ed her with innumerable articles of merchandize, to be fold in the eaft- 

 ern regions. On her way fhe met with a fhip carrying difpatches from 



ders in GcftVey Vinifauf's pot-m, [i?ii:^arfl'/'_5'/f, o^. though a later writer, as he introduces a perfon 



Gale, p. 433] might refer equally to woollen, addreffing himfclf to England, [/. 396] and fay- 



or any other, goods made in t.!i^- loom. — All thefe ing of former times, ' Flanders, thy weaver made 



authors flouriihed about the vear 1 200. And to ' pretious clothing for tiicc from thy ov.'n raate- 



them may be added MatLcw of Weftminfter, ' rials.' 



