HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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relation in blood, but how related, is not known. The Danes, availing them-selves of the divisions which Ethelwald’s claim had caused in the island,attached themselves to his cause, and landed in great force, under the pretenceof supporting his title to the crown. Edward gave them battle in Kent, butgained no very material advantage, except by the death of his opponent Ethel-wald, who fell in the fight, together with Eric, falsely called by some writersthe king of Denmark, but in fact the prince, or general of the Danes thenin Britain. The loss of their leaders damped, for a time, the spirits of theinvaders, and they negociated with Edward a treaty, which remained unbrokenfor three years. A number of Danish vessels at length appeared on thecoast, and the king having mustered an hundred ships on the shores of Kent,embarked in person, and attacking the Danish fleet, forced the greatest partof it to run aground, afterwards vanquishing the troops which had landed.No other naval exploit graced the twenty-two years reign of Edward theelder, who was succeeded by the short-lived Ethelward, his eldest sou, whomCampbell, mistakingly, calls his brother.

Athelstan, a base son of Edward, next mounted the throne. This princehas been much extolled by the Saxon chroniclers, who have written of hisreign, and perhaps with truth. He adopted a different line of conduct fromthat of his predecessors, who, rather from impolicy, or avarice, than from in-feriority of strength, had allowed the Danes, from time to time, to settle iuBritain, on condition of tributary homage. Athelstan determined, if possible,to expel them by force of arms, and, in the execution of this design, seems tohave placed his main reliance on his navy. He increased the number, andimproving the mode of equipping his ships, fitted out great fleets against Ire-land*, as well as Scotland, by the connivance or encouragement of whoseprinces the Danes had been chiefly supported. He was equally successful inthese expeditions, and in his military operations at home ; so that havinggained a decided superiority, he was proceeding to strip the Danish chiefs ofthe lands, and strong holds, which they had acquired in his kingdom, whendeath put a period to his victories, A law made in this reign for the encou-ragement of commerce, is well worthy of remark, not only for its immediaterelation to the present subject, but because the degree of credit due to those

* Analavus, called king of the Irish, invaded England with a fleet of six hundred and fifteen ships,and was vanquished by Athelstan at the mouth of the Humber. Selden Mare Claus, fol. 257.