ENGLAND- , 203 



Egbert, who was the eldest remaining branch of the race of Cerdic, 

 one of the Saxon chiefs who first arrived in Britain. On the submis- 

 sion of the Northumbrians in the year 827, he became king of all 

 England. 



He changed the name of his kingdom into that of Engle-lond or 

 England ; but there is reason to believe that some part of England 

 continued still to be governed by independent princes of the blood of 

 Cerdic, though they paid perhaps a small tribute to Egbert, who died 

 in the year 838, at YVinchester, his chief residence. 



Egbert was succeeded by his son Ethelwolf, who divided his pow- 

 er with his eldest son Athelstan. By this time England had become 

 a scene of blood and ravages, through the renewal of the Danish in- 

 vasions ; and Ethelwolf, after some time bravely opposing them, re- 

 tired in a fit of devotion to Rome, to which he carried with him his 

 youngest son, afterwards the famous Alfred, the father of the Eng- 

 lish constitution. 



Upon his death, after his return from Rome, he divided his domini- 

 ons between two of his sons (Athelstan being then dead) Ethelbald 

 and Ethelbert : but we know of no patrimony that was left to young 

 Alfred. Ethelbert, who was the surviving son, left his kingdom, in 866, 

 to his brother Ethelred ; in whose time, notwithstanding the courage 

 and conduct of Alfred, the Danes became masters of the sea-coast, 

 and the finest counties in England. Etbelred being killed, 'his brother 

 Alfred mounted the throne in 871. He was one of the greatest prin- 

 ces, both in peace and war, mentioned in history. He fought seven 

 battles with the Danes with various success ; and, when defeated, 

 found resources that rendered him as formidable as before. He was, 

 however, at one time reduced to a state of the greatest distress, being 

 forced to live in the disguise of a cow herd : but still he maintained a 

 secret correspondence with his brave friends, whom he collected to- 

 gether; and by their assistance gave the Danes many signal, over- 

 throws, till at last he recovered the kingdom of England, and obliged 

 ihe Danes, who had settled in it, to swear obedience to his govern- 

 ment : even part of Wales courted his protection ; so that he was pro- 

 bably more powerful than any monarch that had ever reigned in Eng- 

 land. 



Among the other glories of Alfred's reign, was that of raising a ma- 

 ritime power in England, by which he secured her coasts from future 

 invasions. He rebuilt the city of London, which had been burnt down 

 by the Danes, and founded the university of Oxford about the year 

 895. He divided England into counties, hundreds, and tithings : or 

 rather he revived those divisions, and the use of juries, which had 

 fallen into disuse by the ravages of the Danes. Having been educated 

 at Rome, he was not only a scholar, but an author ; and he tells us, that 

 upon his accession to the throne he had scarcely a lay subject who 

 could read English, or an ecclesiastic who understood Latin. He in- 

 troduced stone and brick building into general use in palaces as well 

 as churches; though it i3 certain that his subjects, for many years af- 

 ter his death, were fond of timber buildings. His encouragement of 

 commerce and navigation may seem incredible to modern times ; but 

 he had merchants who traded in East-India jewels ; and William of 

 Malmsbury says, that some of their gems were reposited in the 

 church of Sherborne in his time. He received from one October, 

 about the year 890, a full discovery of the coast of Norway and Lap>- 

 land, as far as Russia; and he tells the king in his memorial, printed 



