EDGAR.

*57

Danes dared not to approach a country wh ; "!? cappeared in such a posture of defence : Thedomestic Danes saw inevitable destruction to bethe consequence of their tumults and insurrections:The neighbouring sovereigns, the king of Scot-land, the princes of Wales, of the Isle of Man,of the Orkneys, and even of Ireland , werereduced to pay submission to so formidable amonarch. He carried his superiority to a greatheight, and might have excited an universalcombination against him, had not his powerbeen so well established , as to deprive his enemiesof all hopes of shaking it. It is said, that,residing once at Chester, and having proposed togo by water to the abbey of St. John the Baptist,he obliged eight of his tributary princes to rowhim in a barge upon the Dee The Englishhistorians are fond of mentioning the name of Ken-neth III. king of Scots among the number: TheScottish historians either deny the fact,or assert, thattheir king, if ever he acknowledged himself a vassalto Edgar, did him homage, not for his crown,but for the dominions which he held in England.

But the chief means, by which Edgar main-tained his authority, and preserved public peace,was the paying of court to Dunstan and the monks,who had at first placed him on the throne , andwho, by their pretensions to superior sanctity

Spell. Cone. p. 432.

1,8 W. Malmes. lib. 2. cap. 8. Hovedcn, p. 406. st.Hunting, lib. 5. p. 356.

HAP

II.