266

HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

rule, no event in the smallest degree memorable took place. That of Ethelred,his successor, became more interesting. This prince, whose reign could not,however, be considered a glorious one, paid considerable attention to his navy,according to the uniform testimony of the ancient chronicles, though he appearsto have derived no very material advantage from it; for in the fifteenth yearof his reign, (993) Svvane, king of Denmark, and Olave, king of Norway,sailed up the Humber unopposed, and ravaged all the adjacent country ; nordid the mischief end here, for a number of Danish freebooters, or pirates, en-couraged by the success of their sovereign, entered the river Thames with afleet consisting of ninety-four vessels, and having laid siege to London, threat-ened it, for a while, with total destruction. T his sudden and unforeseen attackcaused a proposal from Ethelred, who, extremely alarmed at the event justmentioned, shewing that he wished to purchase peace on any terms, the Dane,and his ally, accordingly demanded a sum which they considered adequate tothe price, or perhaps as much as they thought the kingdom was able to pay.These terms being complied with, a treaty was entered into, and faithfullykept by the princes themselves, particularly the Norwegian ; but the Danishpirates gave very little cessation to their 1 ravages, which were not put an endto but by the payment of a second and more heavy tribute than theformer.

The treacherous massacre of the Danes on the 13th of November 1002,proved, and with good reason, a signal for the renewal of hostilities. Swanearriving with his fleet off the western coast, disembarked his troops, and soonrendered himself master of several strong ports, among others of Exeter,which fell into his hands through the treachery of the governor, and reducedEthelred to a third repetition of mortification, the ignominious purchaseof a precarious peace. The temporary cessation, however, procured by thistreaty, induced Ethelred to use every exertion in his power to collect a navysufficient for the protection of his harassed subjects. In this respect, the illfated king was successful, but every hope and prospect of service from thisarmament, which was in those days considered as extremely powerful, wastotally destroyed by the factions and dissentions which arose among the nobi-lity and commanders. Reiterated contributions were accordingly resorted to,as the only means left of averting the horrors of war; and the unfortunateEthelred, after a most unhappy and inglorious reign of thirty-five years con-tinuance, paid the debt to nature, an event which had it taken place some

years