Thus all the principal men held a sort of factious and independent authority; they despised the king, they oppressed the people, and they hated one another.  The Danes, in every part of England but Wessex as numerous as the English themselves, and in many parts more numerous, were ready to take advantage of these disorders, and waited with impatience some new attempt from abroad, that they might rise in favor of the invaders.  They were not long without such an occasion; the Danes pour in almost upon every part at once, and distract the defence which the weak prince was preparing to make.

In those days of wretchedness and ignorance, when all the maritime parts of Europe were attacked by these formidable enemies at once, they never thought of entering into any alliance against them; they equally neglected the other obvious method to prevent their incursions, which was, to carry the war into the invaders’ country.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 987.]

[Sidenote:  A.D. 991.]

What aggravated these calamities, the nobility, mostly disaffected to the king, and entertaining very little regard to their country, made, some of them, a weak and cowardly opposition to the enemy; some actually betrayed their trust; some even were found who undertook the trade of piracy themselves.  It was in this condition, that Edric, Duke of Mercia, a man of some ability, but light, inconstant, and utterly devoid of all principle, proposed to buy a peace from the Danes.  The general weakness and consternation disposed the king and people to take this pernicious advice.  At first 10,000_l._ was given to the Danes, who retired with this money and the rest of their plunder.  The English were now, for the first time, taxed to supply this payment.  The imposition was called Danegelt, not more burdensome in the thing than scandalous in the name.  The scheme of purchasing peace not only gave rise to many internal hardships, but, whilst it weakened the kingdom, it inspired such a desire of invading it to the enemy, that Sweyn, King of Denmark, came in person soon after with a prodigious fleet and army.  The English, having once found the method of diverting the storm by an inglorious bargain, could not bear to think of any other way of resistance.  A greater sum, 48,000_l._, was now paid, which the Danes accepted with pleasure, as they could by this means exhaust their enemies and enrich themselves with little danger or trouble.  With very short intermissions they still returned, continually increasing in their demands.  In a few years they extorted upwards of 160,000_l._ from the English, besides an annual tribute of 48,000_l._ The country was wholly exhausted both of money and spirit.  The Danes in England, under the protection of the foreign Danes, committed a thousand insolencies; and so infatuated with stupidity and baseness were the English at this time, that they employed hardly any other soldiers for their defence.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 1002]