Thy bleeding corse, requiring at his hand,
Advancement o'er the Peerage of the land.

Th' indignant King assented with a frown,

And placed the traitor's head high o'er the regal town.

So the Amalekite, who Saul had slain,
Aspired from DAVID rich reward to gain.
So they who slew the King of Israel's Son,
And deem'd the Royal Psalmist's favour won,
Found retribution: such just guerdon be,
In ev'ry age, the MEED of TREACHERY!

DANISH

DANISH SOVEREIGNS.

SUMMARY OF THE REIGN OF

CANUTE THE GREAT.

Crowned sole Monarch, 1017. Married, first to Alfwena, daughter of an Earl of Hampshire, by whom he had issue, Sweyn and Harold, afterwards Kings of Sweden and England: secondly to Emma, of Normandy, widow of Ethelred II. by whom he had Hardicanute, (King of Denmark and afterwards of England,) and Gunilda; the latter married Prince Henry, eldest son of Conrad, Emperor of Germany. Reigned 18 years. Died 1036. Buried at Winchester.

PRINCIPAL EVENTS.

A war with the Danes of two hundred years duration ended by Canute's accession. Scotland rendered tributary. The Church and Town of St. Edmundsbury, built in honour of Edmund, King of East Anglia, who had been killed by the Danes. Ashdon Priory, and St. Bennet's, Norfolk, founded by the King.

EMINENT PERSONS.

Elnothus, Archbishop of Canterbury. Edmond and Edward, sons of the late King Edmond, who were sent, with intent to have them murdered, to the King of Sweden, that Monarch, however, permitted them to retire to Hungary.

COTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.

Popes.

Benedict VIII. 1012. John XVIII. 1024. Benedict IX. 1033.

Emperors.

Of the East.--Basil II. 975, Constantine X. 1025. Romanus III. 1028. Michael IV. 1034.

Of the West.-Henry II. 1002. Conrad II. 1024.

Kings.

Of France-Robert II. 997. Henry I. 1031.

Of Scotland.-Malcolm II. 1014.

CANUTE

"When Canute the King was passing by ;
"Row to the shore, Knights,' said the King,
"And let us hear these Churchmen sing.'

WRITTEN BY CANUTE.-Vide STURT.

EDMUND by EDRIC thus unjustly slain,
Britons are now sole "liegemen to the DANE;"
Who, less by right than power of the sword,
Of England, Denmark, Norway, is the Lord.
Hence, servile courtiers as they bent the knee,
Hail'd him great master of the land and sea;
His better feeling courts th' unconscious waves,
To roll reproof around his cringing slaves.*

The Sons of EDMUND most unjustly sent
From their inheritance to banishment;
Seek Sweden's aid in vain, and, after, found,
A kind asylum on Hungarian ground.

* The story of Canute's reproof of his flatterers, is too generally known to need insertion here,

CANUTE

Canute in four the British state divides,
And Dane and Englishman in turn presides;
OLAUS, of Norway, next his arms subdue,
And Scottish MALCOLM pays the tribute due.*
A splendid pilgrimage to Rome he takes,

And needless homage to the Pontiff makes.
Rebuilt the Abbey, which his sire destroy'd
At Bury, hence new wealth the Monks enjoyed.
To appease Old EDGAR ATH'LING's spirit, who,
So legends tell, Canute's great father slew.
As (Pallas taught) Idomeneus of Crete

Gave to the useful arts protection meet;

Some wholsome laws the British Monarch made, Encouraged genius, and assisted trade.

It has been said, that, "Like AUGUSTUS, he "Shou'd never have been born." We also see In the same sentence it has been replied,

That, "being born, he never shou'd have
died."

Unjustly tho' the English crown he gain'd,
Few subjects of his Government complain'd;
Who, finally, to all his people proved

A Sovereign respected, and beloved.

* A. D. 1036. A tribute levied by the Danish invaders on the English, in arrear for several preceding reigns, and called Danegelt.

+ Vide the reign of Ethelred the Second, page 105.

SUMMARY OF THE REIGN OF

HAROLD, SURNAMED HAREFOOT.

Began to reign, A. D. 1036. Reigned three years. Died without issue, 1039, at Oxford; was buried at Westmin

ster.

PRINCIPAL Events.

Prince Alfred, son of Etheldred II. invited to England by the King, and murdered, as it is supposed, by Earl Godwin.

EMINENT PERSONS.

Godwin, Earl of Kent, whose estates being afterwards swallowed by inundations of the sea, are now denominated the Goodwin Sands. Elnothus, Archbishop of Canterbury.

COTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.

Pope.

Benedict IX. 1033,

Emperors.

Of the East-Michael IV. 1034.

Of the West.-Conrad II. 1024.

Kings.

Of France.-Henry I. 1031.

Of Scotland.-Malcolm II. 1014. Duncan I. 1034.

VOL. I.

H

HAROLD