214 ; 
dusted upon thefe principles may reafon- 
ably be expeéted, under the favour of. 
Providence, to be produétive of a benign . 
and enlightened policy. towards the native 
fubjets of Brith India, to improve their 
moral condition, and to diffale the happy 
influences of Chriftianity ATONE ORE the 
EBaftern World. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
The TAKING of CANTERBURY by’ the 
DANES iz the YEAR 1011, aad the 
DEATH of ARCHBISHOP ELPHEG.— 
Tranflated from sUHM’s HisTORY of 
DENMARK, W. 3, p- 380; jeg. 
N the 8th of September (A.D. ro11) 
an army of Danes, under :he com- 
mand of Therkil,* came be’ore Canterbu- 
Ty; beligggt it twenty days, fet fre toit by 
machines of war that difcharged red hot 
arrows, raifed hills of earth, built towers, 
employed battering-ram the whole of 
which was mofly Aare by Englifh- 
men,) and alio diftreiled it through want of 
provifions ; which made Archbifhop E]- 
peg ae overtures for peace. But at 
> took it_ through the freachery 
of the pont jeacon Eimar, who had thort- 
lv before beea granted hia-life ae Elpheg. 
r 
They forced opent he gates, and entered the 
ity wich the found of trumpets, for there 
wereno defenders on the w al is, all having 
hurried home to extinguifn the fire. Great 
numbers were killed on this occafion, and 
the ftreets were covered with dead bodies, 
The greater part of the city wasalfo burn- 
ed. Many were précipitated from the 
wals. Women were (een dragged by the 
hair through the fireets, and at laft thrown 
into the flames ; infants were torn from 
the arms cf their mothers, thrown up in 
the air, and caught on the points of fhe 
fpears, or they were ‘trampled and crufhed 
to death in the Our anceitors 
were then, as they too often were, molt 
detetiable barbarians. The Archbjfliop 
: 
wrects. 
* This Thorkil, furnamed the tal/, was a 
man of great eminence among the Danes. 
After the return of Sweyn to Denmark in 
the year 10c7, he, with the permiffion of 
Liiat IRE went over to England with forty 
fhips, for the purpofe of revenging the death 
f abrother. Shortly after the death of El- 
pheg, he mage frienafhip with Ethelred II, 
and affifted him again his compatricts. But 
in the fequel he fided with Canute, was very 
infitumental to his fuccefs, and was by him 
made earl of Vaft-Anglia. | At length he fell 
into difgrace with Canvte, was banifhed the 
kingdom, aad murdered by the populace in 
Deamark. 
% 
The Taking of Canterbury by the Danes. 
| [April 1, 
Elpheg, together with Aifweand, the king’s. 
earl, Abbot Leofvin, Bithop Godvin of 
Rochefter, aad Leofrana, abbels of the 
of the convent of St. Mildred, were then 
taken prifoners, but Elmar was fuffered. to’ 
gounmolefied,. The Archbifhop addreff- 
ed the Danes with feverity, therefore he 
was kicked and cuffed, and compelled to 
ftand at the entiance of the church, and 
look at their proceedings, All clerical 
perfons, both men and women, befides a 
great number of the inhabitants, were alfo. 
taken prifoners, and the Danes remained at 
pleafure in the city. At length, having 
{tripped itenticely, they carried away the 
Archbifhop, tied and fecured, ona boat to 
their flips, which were lying at Green- 
wich, where they kept him in prifon feven 
months, letting a guard of twelve warriors 
to watch him. Thither they alfo brought 
the captive women, children, and men. 
Chrift Church, the priactp:| church of the 
‘city, was pluodercd and burnt, and every 
tenth perfan only, by the cafting of lots, 
was {pared, fo that out of ten mime were 
killed, without dikinétion of fex or age. 
The number of the killed amounted very 
Near to 8000 5 that of the faved was only 
4 monks and 800 other perfons. In the 
month of April enfuing the Archbifhop 
loit his life in the following manner. They 
preficd him very much that he fhotld pur- 
chaiz his liberty, and demanded for his 
ranfom 3000 or 4000 pounds ; but he 
conftantly not only refufed to pay the fum, 
but even gave crders that nothing fhould 
be given for his de liverance, aileging that 
the peafants of the churehn would be ruin- 
ed by it. They particularly prefied him 
‘hard on a Saturday tae 12th of April, re- 
au ranfam, or threatening to kill him 
but he perhited in an{wering, that his life 
was not of fo much worth, that the people 
ought to be ruined for his fake.. He even 
repeated his former erders, that no ran- 
fom fhould be paid, and thus he rufhied on 
his own. deftru@tion. After this they 
brought him before their affembly, which 
was held at Greenwich on the roth of 
April, and cried out to him, ‘* Bifhop } 
give gold, or thou fhalt to-day become a 
public fpe&tacle.” They were then fluth- 
ed with wine, which they had procured 
from the fouth. He was brought en 
horfeback, and they propoled the fame 
conditions to him, but in vain. Then, 
liarting up from their feats, they attempt= 
ed to kill nim by ftrikiig him wich theflat 
fides of their axes, and by flinging bones 
and horns of oxen at him ; from which I~ 
conclude that they were fitting at table, as” 
Junging bones was a cuftom I have mien- 
tioned 
