rst　attempt　at　remedying；　by　inquirers　into　English　History；　the　whole　period　from　Egbert；　the　first　Saxon　King　of　England；　on　to　Edward　the　Confessor；　the　last；　being　everywhere　completely　interwoven　with　that　of　their　mysterious；　continually　invasive　〃Danes；〃　as　they　call　them；　and　inextricably　unintelligible　till　these　also　get　to　be　a　little　understood；　and　cease　to　be　utterly　dark；　hideous；　and　mythical　to　us　as　they　now　are。
  King　Olaf　Tryggveson　is　the　first　Norseman　who　is　expressly　mentioned　to　have　been　in　England　by　our　English　History　books；　new　or　old；　and　of　him　it　is　merely　said　that　he　had　an　interview　with　King　Ethelred　II。　at　Andover；　of　a　pacific　and　friendly　nature；though　it　is　absurdly　added　that　the　noble　Olaf　was　converted　to　Christianity　by　that　extremely　stupid　Royal　Person。　　Greater　contrast　in　an　interview　than　in　this　at　Andover；　between　heroic　Olaf　Tryggveson　and　Ethelred　the　forever　Unready；　was　not　perhaps　seen　in　the　terrestrial　Planet　that　day。　　Olaf　or　〃Olaus；〃　or　〃Anlaf；〃　as　they　name　him；　did　〃engage　on　oath　to　Ethelred　not　to　invade　England　any　more；〃　and　kept　his　promise；　they　farther　say。　　Essentially　a　truth；　as　we　already　know；　though　the　circumstances　were　all　different；　and　the　promise　was　to　a　devout　High　Priest；　not　to　a　crowned　Blockhead　and　cowardly　Do…nothing。　　One　other　〃Olaus〃　I　find　mentioned　in　our　Books；　two　or　three　centuries　before；　at　a　time　when　there　existed　no　such　individual；　not　to　speak　of　several　Anlafs；　who　sometimes　seem　to　mean　Olaf　and　still　oftener　to　mean　nobody　possible。　　Which　occasions　not　a　little　obscurity　in　our　early　History；　says　the　learned　Selden。　　A　thing　remediable；　too；　in　which；　if　any　Englishman　of　due　genius　（or　even　capacity　for　standing　labor）；　who　understood　the　Icelandic　and　Anglo…Saxon　languages；　would　engage　in　it；　he　might　do　a　great　deal　of　good；　and　bring　the　matter　into　a　comparatively　lucid　state。　　Vain　aspirations；or　perhaps　not　altogether　vain。
  At　the　time　of　Olaf　Tryggveson's　death；　and　indeed　long　before；　King　Svein　Double…Beard　had　always　for　chief　enterprise　the　Conquest　of　England；　and　followed　it　by　fits　with　extreme　violence　and　impetus；　often　advancing　largely　towards　a　successful　conclusion；　but　never；　for　thirteen　years　yet；　getting　it　concluded。　　He　possessed　long　since　all　England　north　of　Watling　Street。　　That　is　to　say；　Northumberland；　East　Anglia　（naturally　full　of　Danish　settlers　by　this　time）；　were　fixedly　his；　Mercia；　his　oftener　than　not；　Wessex　itself；　with　all　the　coasts；　he　was　free　to　visit；　and　to　burn　and　rob　in　at　discretion。　There　or　elsewhere；　Ethelred　the　Unready　had　no　battle　in　him　whatever；　and；　for　a　forty　years　after　the　beginning　of　his　reign；　England　excelled　in　anarchic　stupidity；　murderous　devastation；　utter　misery；　platitude；　and　sluggish　contemptibility；　all　the　countries　one　has　read　of。　　Apparently　a　very　opulent　country；　too；　a　ready　skill　in　such　arts　and　fine　arts　as　there　were；　Svein's　very　ships；　they　say；　had　their　gold　dragons；　top…mast　pennons；　and　other　metallic　splendors　generally　wrought　for　them　in　England。　　〃Unexampled　prosperity〃　in　the　manufacture　way　not　unknown　there；　it　would　seem！　　But　co…existing　with　such　spiritual　bankruptcy　as　was　also　unexampled；　one　would　hope。　Read　Lupus　（Wulfstan）；　Archbishop　of　York's　amazing　_Sermon_　on　the　subject；＇8＇　addressed　to　contemporary　audiences；　setting　forth　such　a　state　of　things；sons　selling　their　fathers；　mothers；　and　sisters　as　Slaves　to　the　Danish　robber；　themselves　living　in　debauchery；　blusterous　gluttony；　and　depravity；　the　details　of　which　are　well…nigh　incredible；　though　clearly　stated　as　things　generally　known；the　humor　of　these　poor　wretches　sunk　to　a　state　of　what　we　may　call　greasy　desperation；　〃Let　us　eat　and　drink；　for　to…morrow　we　die。〃　　The　manner　in　which　they　treated　their　own　English　nuns；　if　young；　good…looking；　and　captive　to　the　Danes；　buying　them　on　a　kind　of　brutish　or　subter…brutish　〃Greatest　Happiness　Principle〃　（for　the　moment）；　and　by　a　Joint…Stock　arrangement；　far　transcends　all　human　speech　or　imagination；　and　awakens　in　one　the　momentary　red…hot　thought；　The　Danes　have　served　you　right；　ye　accursed！　　The　so…called　soldiers；　one　finds；　made　not　the　least　fight　anywhere；　could　make　none；　led　and　guided　as　they　were；　and　the　〃Generals〃　often　enough　traitors；　always　ignorant；　and　blockheads；　were　in　the　habit；　when　expressly　commanded　to　fight；　of　taking　physic；　and　declaring　that　nature　was　incapable　of　castor…oil　and　battle　both　at　once。　　This　ought　to　be　explained　a　little　to　the　modern　English　and　their　War…Secretaries；　who　undertake　the　conduct　of　armies。　　The　undeniable　fact　is；　defeat　on　defeat　was　the　constant　fate　of　the　English；　during　these　forty　years　not　one　battle　in　which　they　were　not　beaten。　　No　gleam　of　victory　or　real　resistance　till　the　noble　Edmund　Ironside　（whom　it　is　always　strange　to　me　how　such　an　Ethelred　could　produce　for　son）　made　his　appearance　and　ran　his　brief　course；　like　a　great　and　far…seen　meteor；　soon　extinguished　without　result。　　No　remedy　for　England　in　that　base　time；　but　yearly　asking　the　victorious；　plundering；　burning　and　murdering　Danes；　〃How　much　money　will　you　take　to　go　away？〃　　Thirty　thousand　pounds　in　silver；　which　the　annual　_Danegelt_　soon　rose　to；　continued　to　be　about　the　average　yearly　sum；　though　generally　on　the　increasing　hand；　in　the　last　year　I　think　it　had　risen　to　seventy…two　thousand　pounds　in　silver；　raised　yearly　by　a　tax　（Income…tax　of　its　kind；　rudely　levied）；　the　worst　of　all　remedies；　good　for　the　day　only。　　Nay；　there　was　one　remedy　still　worse；　which　the　miserable　Ethelred　once　tried：　　that　of　massacring　〃all　the　Danes　settled　in　England〃　（practically；　of　a　few　thousands　or　hundreds　of　them）；　by　treachery　and　a　kind　of　Sicilian　Vespers。　　Which　issued；　as　such　things　usually　do；　in　terrible　monition　to　you　not　to　try　the　like　again！　　Issued；　namely；　in　redoubled　fury　on　the　Danish　part；　new　fiercer　invasion　by　Svein's　Jarl　Thorkel；　then　by　Svein　himself；　which　latter　drove　the　miserable　Ethelred；　with　wife　and　family；　into　Normandy；　to　wife's　brother；　the　then　Duke　there；　and　ended　that　miserable　struggle　by　Svein's　becoming　King　of　England　himself。　　Of　this　disgraceful　massacre；　which　it　would　appear　has　been　immensely　exaggerated　in　the　English　books；　we　can　happily　give　the　exact　date　（A。D。　1002）；　and　also　of　Svein's　victorious　accession　（A。D。　1013）；＇9＇pretty　much　the　only　benefit　one　gets　out　of　contemplating　such　a　set　of　objects。
  King　Svein's　first　act　was　to　levy　a　terribly　increased　Income…Tax　for　the　payment　of　his　army。　　Svein　was　levying　it　with　a　stronghanded　diligence；　but　had　not　yet　done　levying　it；　when；　at　Gainsborough　one　night；　he　suddenly　died；　smitten　dead；　once　used　to　be　said；　by　St。　Edmund；　whilom　murdered　King　of　the　East　Angles；　who　could　not　bear　to　see　his　shrine　and　monastery　of　St。　Edmundsbury　plundered　by　the　Tyrant's　tax…collectors；　as　they　were　on　the　point　of　being。　　In　all　ways　impossible；　however；Edmund's　own　death　did　not　occur　till　two　years　after　Svein's。　　Svein's　death；　by　whatever　cause；　befell　1014；　his　fleet；　then　lying　in　the　Humber；　and　only　Knut；＇10＇　his　eldest　son　（hardly　yet　eighteen；　count　some）；　in　charge　of　it；　who；　on　short　counsel；　and　arrangement　about　this　questionable　kingdom　of　his；　lifted　anchor；　made　for　Sandwich；　a　safer　station　at　the　moment；　〃cut　off　the　feet　and　noses〃　（one　shudders；　and　hopes　not；　there　being　some　discrepancy　about　it！）　of　his　numerous　hostages　that　had　been　delivered　to　King　Svein；　set　them　ashore；and　made　for　Denmark；　his　natural　storehouse　and　stronghold；　as　the　hopefulest　first　thing　he　could　do。
  Knut　soon　returned　from　Denmark；　with　increase　of　force　sufficient　for　the　English　problem；　which　latter　he　now　ended　in　a　victorious；　and　essentially；　for　himself　and　chaotic　England；　beneficent　manner。　Became　widely　known　by　and　by；　there　and　elsewhere；　as　Knut　the　Great；　and　is　thought　by　judges　of　our　day　to　have　really　merited　that　title。　A　most　nimble；　sharp…striking；　clear…thinking；　prudent　and　effective　man；　who　regulated　this　dismembered　and　distracted　England　in　its　Church　matters；　in　its　State　matters；　like　a　real　King。　　Had　a　Standing　Army　（_House　Carles_）；　who　were　well　paid；　well　drilled　and　disciplined；　capable　of　instantly　quenching　insurrection　or　breakage　of　the　peace；　and　piously　endeavored　（with　a　signal　earnestness；　and　even　devoutness；　if　we　look　well）　to　do　justice　to　all　men；　and　to　make　all　men　rest　satisfied　with　justice。　　In　a　word；　he　successfully　strapped　up；　by　every　true　method　and　regulation；　this　miserable；　dislocated；　and　dissevered　mass　of　bleeding　Anarchy　into　something　worthy　to　be　called　an　England　again；only　that　he　died　too　soon；　and　a　second　〃Conqueror〃　of　us；　still　weightier　of　structure；　and　under　improved　auspices；　became　possible；　and　was　needed　here！　　To　appearance；　Knut　himself　was　capable　of　being　a　Charlemagne　of　England　and　the　North　（as　has　been　already　said　or　quoted）；　had　he　only　lived　twice　as　long　as　he　did。　　But　his　whole　sum　of　years　seems　not　to　have　exceeded　forty。　　His　father　Svein　of　the　Forkbeard　is　reckoned　to　have　been　fifty　to　sixty　when　St。　Edmund　finished　him　at　Gainsborough。　　We　now　return　to　Norw