1804. | 
ceeds to thew, ftep by ftep, how they ga- 
thered ftrength by the addition of one 
province after another to their original 
territory. He then fhews how this rude 
and unpolifhed people affumed, by de- 
grees, a national charaéter, when violence 
yielded fomewhat:to law, and when all 
the rules of natural juftice were enforced. 
He then traces their naval expeditions to 
Spain, Italy, France, England, Scotland, 
Ireland, Germany, &c. In the fecond 
volume, he exhibits the internal ftrength, 
and foreign conquetts, of the Danes. This 
fubject is alfo continued through a large 
portion of the third volume. In the 
fourth, he points out the fatal effects of 
the inordinate ambition of a ftate that 
wifhes to extend its conquefis beyond cer- 
tain bounds. The fupplement is intereft- 
ing, as it comes down toa period in which 
our monkifh hiftorians began to fhed fome 
light on the hiftory of our own country, 
and when mankind were not content to 
wrap themfelves up in the gloom of le- 
gendary tales. 
Wefiminfter, 
May 12, 1804. 
C. H. WILSON. 
ACCOUNT of the MURDER of PRINCE! 
ALFRED im 1036, from the DANISH of 
MR. SUHM. 
«¢ England ftood thus on the death of 
Knud: — Hardeknud, who was at one 
time confidered by the Englifh as the heir- 
apparent to the throne, according to the 
arrangement of Knud and Emma, was 
abfent in Denmark, which he was heir to, 
and which he governed as regent. The 
belt and moft of the Englifh writers, as 
well as the encomiait of Emma, agree in 
in this ;* fo that little credit is to be given 
to fome later hiftorians, who fay, that he 
was in England at the time of his father’s 
death: for if this had been the cafe, he 
would have feized immediately on the 
Englifh crown. Harald, Knud’s fon by 
Alfifa, was prefent in England, when his 
* Out of this clais Ingulpbus, who died 
in 1109, muft be excepted. This writer af- 
ferts, p. $94 and 895, that Hardeknud was in 
England at the time of his fathers death ; 
and that he, after a divifion of the kingdom 
between himfelf and his brother Harald, 
went to Denmark. It is not probable, how- 
ever, that he would have quitted the country 
at a moment when public opinion was in fuch 
a doubtful ftate. Befides, the affairs of Den- 
mark made it neceflary that he fhould vifit 
that kingdom previous to his father’s death, 
fo that he might be ready to afiume the fo- 
vereignty of it as foon as that event took 
place. 
MonTHLy Mac. No, 115. 
Account of Suhm’s Hiftory of Denmark. 
449 
father died ; and poffeffed at the time,.a 
part of Scotland as his patrimony. He 
was young, lively, and affable; and, 
through thefe qualities, bad won the hearts 
of the Danes fettled in England, as well 
as many of the Englifi themlelves. Lt 
fhould not then be matter of furprize, if 
he embraced fo favourable an opportunity 
to afcend the Englith throne, in the ab- 
fence of his brother, who was already in 
poffeflion of a kingdom; fo that, accord- 
ing to the opinion of thofe days, it was 
thought equitable that the fecond fon 
fhould have a kingdom alfo. For, not- 
withftanding his father was a Dane, yet 
his mother was an Englifh woman, which 
weighed very much in his favour w.th the 
natives; and in order to ftrengthen his 
claims to the Enghth fceptre, h's party 
gave out, that his father himfelf, in his 
Jaft moments, had declared him to be hig 
fucceffor. Several Englith writers do not 
hefitate to affert, that his father had divid- 
ed his dominions in the following manner ; 
namely, that he bequeathed England to 
Harald, Denmark to Hardeknud, and 
Norway to Svend. This affertion does 
not even bear the femblance of probabi- 
lity ; becaufe it is well known, that Knud 
wifhed to unite the crowns of England 
and Denmark, as the fubjugation of the 
former had coft him fo much blood and 
treafure for this very purpofe; and befides, 
the Danes conceived that they had a claim 
on England on that account: yet, fetting 
this afide, it is not likely that he would 
oppofe the withes of his beloved Emmay 
to whom he had promifed, that Harde. 
knud, his and her fon, fhould fucceed to 
the crown of England ; and in order that 
his intention in this refpeét fhould be the 
more fully underftood, the Englith, at the 
exprefs defire of the king, were taught to 
icok up to him as his immediate fucceffor. 
The encomiaft, in addition to this, fays, 
that Hardeknud, in the life time of his 
father, was appointed regent over all his 
dominions, Norway excepted, And in 
other places, he fays, that Knud and 
Emma always treated him as the heir ap- 
parent, and allowed him an eftablifhment 
to maintain the dignity of that title. This 
was fo well known, and fo clearly under- 
ftood, that Harald and his party, in the 
beginning, ventured no further than to 
fay, that Harald only withed to rule the 
kingdom in truit for his brother Harde- 
knud. And Roger Hovedon fays, that 
notwithftanding Harald affumed the reins 
of government, yet he did not rule with 
the authority of his father, becaufe a 
more lawful heir, namely, Hardeknud, 
2N was 
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