had hitherto done. ♦ fible, however, if the princefs reco-conduct himself towards her as he vered, that fhe would perish fooner for later from the brutal nature of the Czarovitz, the formed a plan to gain ⚫ over the women belonging to the prin fcefs, to declare that the and the infant f were both dead. The Czarovitz ac, cordingly ordered her to be interred without delay and without ceremony, 'Couriers were dispatched to the Czar to inform him of the event, and all the courts of Europe put on mourne ing for the bundle of sticks which was interred. "He made the moft folemn decla ration that he would obey her com'mands; and it became his intereft to be faithful. The beauty, understand, ing, and virtues of the princess had ' made a very deep impression on him, ' and habitual intercourse had served to ftrengthen it. He was amiable and young, and fhe was not infenfible to his attentions. They continued, how. ever, to live, in their ufual way, but became every day dearer to each "In the mean time the princess,other, who had been removed to a retired fpot, recovered her health and ftrength; when, poffeffed of fome jewels, with a fum of money which the Countess of Konifmarck had pro'cured for her, and clothed in the Idrefs of common life, the fet off for Paris, accompanied by an old German domeftic, who paffed for her father. She made but a fhort ftay there, and having hired a female fervant, proceeded to a fea-port, and ! embarked for Louisiana. "Her figure attracted the notice of the inhabitants; and an officer of 'the colony, named D'Auband, who I had been in Ruffia, recollected her. "It was however with fome difficulty that he could perfuade himself "The old domeftic, who paffed for the father of the princess, at length died; and the could no longer, according to the rules of decorum, live with D'Auband as fhe had hitherto done, under the apparent authority and protection of a parent. In 'this delicate fituation, D'Auband unfolded to her the difpofitions and fentiments of his heart; and proposed to add a new veil to her real "condition, by becoming her husband. 'She confented to his propofition; and this princefs, who had been destined to wear the crown of Ruffia, and whose fifter actually wore that of the 'German empire, became the wife of 6 a lieutenant of infantry. In the first year of her marriage the had a daugh herself, and instructed in the French and German languages. of the reality of what he faw. Inter, whom the nurfed and educated 'deed it was fcarce poffible to believe that a woman in fuch a fituation !could be the daughter-in-law of the Czar Peter. However, to afcertain the truth, he offered his fervices to the pretended father, and at length formed an intimate friendship with f him; fo that they agreed to furnish an house, and live together at their !common expense. "Some time afterwards, the ga zettes which arrived in the colony announced the death of the Czaro'vitz. D'Auband then declared to the princefs his knowledge of her, and offered to abandon every thing in order to conduct her to Ruffia. "They had lived ten years in this happy ftate of mediocrity, when 'D'Auband was attacked by the fif tula; and his wife, alarmed at the 'danger which generally accompanies the operation neceffary for the cure of that disorder, infifted that it should { be performed at Paris. "They accordingly fold their habitation, and embarked on the first veffel that failed for France. On their arrival at Paris, D'Auband was attended by the most skilful furgeons; and till his cure was completed, his wife never quitted him for a moment, nor fuffered any other perfon to per 'form the tender offices which were neceffary in his fituation: fhe waited "But the, finding herself infinitely $ more happy than when the was within the verge of royalty, refufed to facrifice the tranquillity of her obfcureupon him throughout his illness with fituation, for all that ambition could toffer her. She only exacted a promife from D'Auband to maintain the moft inviolable fecrecy, as well as the most watchful and patient affection. On his recovery, D'Auband, in order to fecure to her the little fortune which he poffeffed, folicited ⚫ from of marine, M. de Machault, and, ⚫ without affigning any reafon, ordered him to write to the governor of the 'Ifles of Mauritius and Bourbon, to treat M. D'Auband with every pof from the Eaft India Company an employment in the Ifle of Bourbon, where he was appointed major. "While he was engaged in foliçit❝ing this business, his wife fometimes went to take the air with her daugh-fible mark of diftinction; which order ter, in the gardens of the Thuilleries. One day as he was fitting upon a bench, and talking with her daughter in German, that he might not be understood by thofe who were near her, Marshal de Saxe paffed by, and hearing two ladies fpeak his own tongue, ftopped to look at them. The mother lifting up her eyes and recollecting the marshal, inftantly threw them to the ground; when he, ⚫ still more attracted by her embarrassment, fuddenly exclaimed, "Is it 'poffible, Madam!" She did not, however, permit him to finish the fentence, but rifing from the seat, begged him to accompany her to a more retired part of the garden, where the acknowledged herfelf, and, after having requested his entire fecrecy, invited him to fee her at her own habitation, when she would inform him of every thing which concerned her. "On the following day Marshal de Saxe paid her a vifit, and heard ⚫ the recital of her adventures, as well as the share which the Countess of • Konifmarck, his mother, had in them, She conjured him, at the fame time, not to reveal any thing respecting her to the king, till a negotiation which "her husband was agitating was concluded, and which would be com⚫pleted in three months. The marshal folemnly promised to comply with her request, and paid his vifits to her and her husband in the most secret • manner. "The three months being almoft expired, the marshal, on calling to fee her, was informed, that she and her husband had quitted Paris two days before, and that M. D'Auband had been named to a majority in the Ifle of Bourbon. "On this information, the marshal went immediately to Versailles, to give an account to the king of every thing that related to the princefs'; "when his Majesty sent for the minister 'was punctually executed, according "Being a widow, and without children, the returned to Paris, and 'took up her abode at the Hotel de Peru. Her defign was to retire to a convent; but the Queen of Hungary offered to fix her at Bruffels, with a 'penfion of twenty thousand florins; but (adds M. Duclos) I am alto'gether ignorant whether she went to refide there: but this I know, that within thefe fix years fhe was at Vitry, where the lived in a very reclufe manner, with no more than three fervants, one of whom was a Negro. She was then called Madame 'de Moldack; but I know not who M. de Moldack was, and when the married him. She is now widow: I faw her as fhe was taking a walk, in the year 1768'* P. 305. XXVIII. The Hiftory of the AngloSaxons, from the Death of Alfred the Great, to the Norman Conquest. By SH. TURNER, F.A. S. Svo. Vols. II. and III +. pp. 8or. 16s. Cadell and Davies. "This laft account was written in 1771.” CONTENTS. CONTENTS. VOL. II. INTRODUCTION.Book III. Chap. I. The political State of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, in the eighth and ninth Centuries. II. The Sea Kings and Vikingr of the North.-III. The firft Aggreffion of the Northmen on the AngloSaxons.--IV.The Reign of Ethelwulf, and the Invafions of the Northmen to the Birth of Alfred in 849.-V. The Birth of Alfred-Northmen Invafions--Alfred's Travels, and the Depofition of Ethelwulf.-VI. The Reign of Ethelbald.-VII. The Reign of Ethelbert, and Alfred's Education-VIII. The Expeditions of Ragnar Lodbrog, and his Death in Northumbria.IX. The Reign of Ethelred, and the Actions of the Sons of Ragnar Lodbrog in England. —Book IV. Chap. I. The Reign of Alfred, from his Acceffion to his Retirement.-II. Alfred becomes a Fugitive. III. His Conduct during his Seclufion-IV. His Reftoration. -V. The Actions of Haftings, and his Invafions of England.-VI. Alfred's Victories-Haftings quits the Ifland-Alfred's Death.--Book V. Chap. I. Alfred's intellectual Cha racter. II. Alfred's moral Character.-III. Alfred's moral Conduct. VOL. III. Book VI. Chap. I. The Reign of Edward the Elder.-II. The Reign of Athelstan.--III. Sketch of the ancient. Hiftory of Bretagne, and Athelstan's Reception of its Chiefs. —-IV. Athelstan's Connexion with France, Germany, Norway, and Normandy; and a previous View of their State in his Reign.-V. Athelftan improves Exeter-His Laws-His Perfon--The Death of Edwin.-VI. Reign of Edward the Elder.VII. Reign of Edred.-VIII. The Life of Dunftan, to the Acceffion of Edwy.-IX. Reign of Edwin.-X. Reign of Edgar-XI. Edward the Martyr, or Edward the Second of the Anglo-Saxon Kings.XII. Reign -- of Ethelred the Unready-Norway. XIII. A View of the laft Scene of Northern Piracy.--XIV. Ethelred. the Unready.--XV. Reign of Edmund Ironfide.XVI. Reign of Canute the Great.-XVII. Reign of Harold the Firft, furnamed Harefoot. XVIII. Reign of Hardicanute.XIX. Reign of Edward the Confeffor. XX. Reign of Harold the Second, the Son of Godwin, and the laft of the Anglo-Saxon Kings→→→→ Bayeux Tapestry. EXTRACTS FROM THE PREFACE. "THE publication of the first part of this Hiftory impofed an obligation on its author to complete the defign announced in its preface. This defign was mentioned to confift of a fecond part, which was to carry on the hiftory Egbert to the Norman Conqueft, where of the Anglo-Saxons from the death of the civil hiftory of this people ends, becaufe, by that event, their dynasty was clofed. A third part was alfo announced, in which it was proposed to ftate the language, laws, literature, religion, and manners, which prevailed among this branch of our ancient an-. ceftry, "The prefent publication exhibits had been promifed. The abundance the execution of the fecond part, which of materials compelled the author to extend it to two volumes. "It is now eleven years fince the idea of this History was conceived, and its execution begun. It was firft fuggefted by the ftriking fact, that, with the exception of one or two flight references, the northern literature has never been confulted by the English hiftoriographers. The criticifm of Dr. Blair im preffed upon the attention of the prefent author the death-fong of Ragnar Lodbrog. The genius of this heroic poem could not fail to intereft, and its fubject, being his depredations on the British iflands, and his death in Northumbria, excited a ftrong curiofity to know fomething of his hiftory. On the author found that they had taken referring to our cftecmed hiftorians, no notice of this important and striking character. The curious fubject of the northern piracy had been as little ftudied. The author was therefore led led to defire an acquaintance with the literature of the North, becaufe without that, he perceived that the hiftory of his own countrymen could be but imperfectly apprehended. "The notes of Stephanius, of Saxo Grammaticus, increafed his with to know more of the hiftory and remains of the nations on the Baltic. On comparing their documents with our own, he was ftruck with the refulting fact, that the great Danifh invafion, by which Alfred and his brother were fo afflicted, was not a cafual depredation, but a deliberate attack to revenge the death of the celebrated Ragnar Lodbrog. This circumftance, which gave fyftem and meaning to what appeared before to be incoherent and unconnected, occafioned further researches; and it at laft became apparent, that the inattention of our writers to the northern documents, had filled their hiftories with obfcurity and miftake. The more he inveftigated the fubject, the more important it seemed that this deficiency fhould be fupplied. The connexion between our history and that of the northern nations was fo intimate and inceffant, that it appeared impoffible to frudy the English annals from Egbert to William the Conqueror with any precifion or intelligence, unless the northern literature was confulted and applied. "To combine the hiftory of the Baltic with our own, whenever they had been in circumftance connected, was the purpose for which this work was originally undertaken. In purfuing this object, it was perceived that the Anglo-Saxon hiftory, during the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, had been very fuperficially narrated, because it had been unjustly undervalued. It became therefore an additional feature of the prefent undertaking, to make a careful research into the authentic documents of our early hiftory, to fupply the facts which had been omitted, and to correct the inadvertencies which had hitherto prevailed." P. v. "The era of the Anglo-Saxons has been claffed by fome among the legendary periods of fabulous hiftory; but in answer to this erroneous idea, it may be afferted, that from Egbert to the Conqueft, there is a clear ftream of unquestionable hiftory. Many contemporary annals, records, lives, and other documents, exift on every generation, befides numerous writers who followed clofe upon the periods which they defcribe. The monkifh customi of compofing in their cloifters hiftori cal chronicles, has conveyed to us fo many authentic documents, that those only, whofe ftudies have led to their examination, can conceive juftly of their number and importance. In fome few circumftances a little chaẩm and a momentary obfcurity may be noticed; but thefe defects are to be found in the moft recent hiftories. On the whole it may be said, that the Anglo-Saxon hiftory may fail to pleafe from the inadequate abilities of the writer who narrates it: but his fubject must not be confounded with his compofition. The Anglo-Saxons were a people whom philofophy may contemplete with inftruction and pleafure, whatever may be the fate of the prefent effort to pourtray them." P. xiii: EXTRACTS. THE SEA KINGS AND VIKINGR OF THE NORTH. "WHEN we review thefe kings and fub-kings of the North, we behold only a part of its political fituation: A phenomenon of the most disastrous nature, at the fame time appeared in the Baltic, which has no parallel in the hiftory of man. "This was the prevalence of fove reigns who poffeffed neither country nor fubjects, and yet filled every region adjacent with blood and mifery. The fea kings of the North were a race of beings whom Europe beheld with hor ror. Without a yard of territorial pro perty, without any towns, or vifible nation, with no wealth but their fhips, no force but their crews, and no hopê but from their fwords, the fea kings fwarined upon the boisterous ocean, vifited like the fiends of vengeance every diftrict they could approach, and maintained a fearful empire on that element, whofe impartial terrors feem to mock the attempt of converting it into kingdoms. Never to fleep under a fmoky roof, nor to indulge in the cheerful cup over a hearth, were the boafts of thefe watery fovereigns, who not only flourished in the plunder of the fea and its fhores, but who some times amaffed fo much booty, and en lifted fo many followers, as to be able to allault provinces for permanent conqueft. Thus Haki and Hagbard were fea kings; their reputation induced many bands of rovers to join their fortunes. They attacked the King of Upfal, whom Haki defeated and fucceeded. Some years afterwards, the fons of Yngvi, who had become fea kings, and lived wholly in their war ships, roamed the ocean in fearch of adventures. They encountered the King of Haley-ia, and hanged him. They alfo affaulted Haki, and overpowered him. Solvi was a fea king, and infefted the eastern regions of the Baltic with his depredations. He fuddenly landed in Sweden in the night, furrounded the houfe where the King of Upfal was fleeping, and applying firebrands, reduced all who were in it to alhes. Such was the generous warfare of these royal pirates. "It was a law of cuftom in the North, that one of the male children fhould be felected to remain at home to inherit the government. The reft were exiled to the ocean, to wield their fceptres amid the turbulent waters. The confent of the northern focieties entitled all men of royal do fcent, who affumed piracy as a profeffion, to enjoy the name of kings, though they poffeffed no territory. Hence the fea kings were the kinfmen of the land fovereigns; while the eldest fon afcended the paternal throne, the reft of the family haftened like petty Neptunes to establish their kingdoms in the waves; and if any of the fylki. kongr, or thiod-kongr were expelled their inheritance by others, they alfo fought a continuance of their dignity upon the ocean. When the younger branches of a reigning dynasty were about to become fea kings, the fhips and their requifite equipments were always furnished as a patrimonial right. "When we recollect the numerous potentates of Scandinavia, and their general fecundity, we may expect that the ocean fwarmed with fea kings. Such was their number, that one Danish fovereign is mentioned to have deftroyed feventy of the honourable but direful race. Their rank and fucceffes always fecured to them abundant forces, and the mifchief they perpetrated must have been immenfe. Thefe fea kings were alfo called Her-kongr. "The fea kings had the name of VOL. V.-No. XLV. honour, but they were only a portion of thofe pirates or vikingr, who in the ninth century were covering the ocean. Not only the children of the chiefs, but every man of importance, equipped fhips, and roamed the feas to ac quire property by force. At the age of twelve the fons of the great were in action under military tutors. Piracy was not only the most honourable occupation, and the best harvest of wealth, it was not only confecrated to public emulation by the illuftrious who purfued it, but no one was efteemed noble, no one was refpected, who did not return in the winter to his home with thips laden with booty. The fpoil confifted of every neceflary of life, clothes, domestic utenfils, cattle, which they killed and prepared on the fhores they ravaged, flaves, and other property. It is not furprifing, that, while this fpirit prevailed, every country abounded in deferts. "So reputable was the purfuit, that parents were even anxious to compel their children into the dangerous and malevolent occupation. By an extraordinary enthufiatim for it, they would not fuffer their children to inherit the wealth which they had gained by it. It was their practice to command their gold, filver, and other property to be buried with them, that their offspring might be driven by necellity to engage in the conflicts and to participate the glory of maritime piracy. Inherited property was defpifed. That affluence only was efteemed which danger had endeared. It was therefore well faid of the Northmen by one of their còntemporaries, that they fought their food by their fails, and inhabited the fea. "In our happy time monarchs acquire celebrity by the literary talents of their fubjects; by patronizing the arts; by encouraging the diffusion of the fciences, and by favouring agricul, ture and commerce. The nobleft fame of the fovereign arifes now from the improved intellect and general profperity of his people. In the difaftrous æra of the Northmen, piracy was the only glory and the only purfuit which kings of energy efteemed. It was the general amufement of their summer months: hence almost every king commemorated by Snorre is difplayed as affaulting other provinces, or as fuffering invafions in his own. With strange Y infatuation, |