ETHELRED.

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After this victory the whole province of Kentwas made a scene of slaughter, fire, and devas-tation. The extremity of these miseries forcedthe English into counsels for common defenceboth by sea and land; but the weakness of theking, the divisions among the nobility, thetreachery of some, the cowardice of others, thewant of concert in all, frustrated every endeavour:Their fleets and armies either came too late toattack the enemy, or were repulsed with disho-nour; and the people were thus equally ruinedby resistance or by submission. The English,therefore, destitute both of prudence and una-nimity in council, of courage and conduct in thefield, had recourse to the same weak expedient,which by experience they had already found soineffectual: They offered the Danes to buy peaceby paying them a large sum of money. Theseravagers rose continually in their demands; andnow required the payment of 24,000 pounds, towhich the English were so mean and imprudentas to submit 4 . The departure of the Danes pro-cured them another short interval of repose, whichthey enjoyed as if it were to be perpetual, with-out making any effectual preparations for a morevigorous resistance upon the next return of theenemy.

Besides receiving this sum , the Danes wereengaged by another motive to depart a kingdom,which appeared so little in a situation to resist

H A. pni.

Hoveden, p. 429. Chron. Mailr. p. iZZ.

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