i 5 6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

i>. with unrelenting vengeance ; but his death, whichhappened soon after, freed his enemies from allfarther inquietude, and gave Edgar peaceablepossession of the government

EDGAR.

This prince, who mounted the throne in suchearly youth , soon discovered an excellent capacityin the administration of affairs; and his reign isone of the most fortunate that we meet with inthe ancient English history. He showed no aversionto war; he made the wisest preparations againstinvaders: And by this vigour and foresight, hewas enabled, without any danger of sufferinginsults, to indulge his inclination towards peace,and to employ himself in supporting and improv-ing the internal government of his kingdom.He maintained a body of disciplined troops; whichhe quartered in the north , in order to keep themutinous Northumbrians in subjection, and torepel the inroads of the Scots. He built andsupported a powerful navy 1,9 ; and that he mightretain the seamen in the practice of their duty,and always present a formidable armament tohis enemies, he stationed three squadrons off thecoast, and ordered them to make, from time totime, the circuit of his dominions I4 \ The foreign

,)s See note [B] at the end of the volume.

Higden, p. 265.

See note [ C ] at the end of the volume.