The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-09-13 00:00:00

1NV10W.11.1.777-

A . t't
• -
sent publieatioej be era' ifitatlng this .lates of bit
country, and with the Court he left lith easi?
The contiuet of the Magistrate upcinthe Bedell be-
fore whom this use was heard, was, niche highest
degree, dignified and impartial, as, indeed, it is only
an as of justice to him to say, it invariably is upon
every occasion when he presides. I4e regretted that
his absence from home, for some days past, had pie.
eluded him the opportunity of knowing any thing of
this case until it came before him. and even then of
conferring vr.th any of the other Magistrates upon it,
which he wished to do. Mr. Stanistreet insisted,
with much warmth, that either the Defendant
should find bail to take his trial for a misdemeanor,
or the case should be dismissed. But the Magistrate,
after expressinghis rtlu6sance to adopt any rigorous
proceedings towards the Defendant, was perfealy
content with his individual recognizance to appear
and answer any charge that might be preferred
against him at the mu Quarter Sassions.—( Liver-
• rtl

CANTERBURY.

The taking of Canterbury, be the Danes, in the year 1011,
anti the Death of Archbishop Elpheg.—Translated from
Shone. Nanny of Denmark, e. 3, p. 380, seq.
On the 13:h of September (4. D. 1011), an army
of Danes, under the command of Thorkil*, came
before Canterbury, besieged it twenty days, set fire
M it by machines of war, that discharged red hot
arrows, raised bills of earth, built towers, employed
battering-tams (the whole of which was mostly per-
formed by Englishmen), and also distressed it
through want of provision ; which made Arch-
bishop Elpheg send overtures for peace. But at
length they took it, through the treachery of the
Archdeacon Elmar, who had shortly before been
granted his life by Elpheg. They forced open the
gates, and entered the city with sound of trumpets,
for there were no defenders on the walls, all hav-
ing hurried home to extinguish the fire. Great
numbers were killed on this occasion, and the streets
were coveted with dead bodies. The greater part of
the city was also burned. Many were precipiratedfrom
the walls. Women were seen dragged by the hair
through the streets, and at last thrown into the
flames; infants were torn from the arms of their
mothers, thrown up in the air, and caught on
the points of the spears, or they were trampled
and crushed to death in the streets. Our an-
cestors were then, as they too often were, moat
detestable barbarians. The Archbishop Elpheg,
ogether with Alf word. the King's Earl,
Abbot Leofvin, Bishop Godwin of Rochester, and
Lenfrana, abbess of the convent of St. Mildred,
were then taken prisoners, but Elmer was suffered
to go unmolested. The Archbishop addressed the
Danes with severil, therefore he was kicked and
cuffed, and compelled to stand at the entrance of
the church, and look at their proceedings. All cle-
rical persons, both men and women, besides a great
number of the inhabitants, were also taken prisoners,
and the Danes remained at pleasure in the city. At
length, having stripped it entirely, they carried away
the Archbishop, tied and secured, on a boat, to their
ships, which were lying at Greenwich, where they
kept him in prison seven months, setting a guard
of twelve watriors to watch him. Thither they
also brought the captive women, children, and men.
Christ Church, the principal church of the city, was
plundered and burnt, and every tenth person only.
by the casting of lots, was spared ; so that' out of
ten, nine were killed, without distinftion of sea or
age. The number of the killed amounted very near
to 8000 ; that of the saved was only 4 monks and
800 other persons. In the month of April ensuing,
the Archbishop lost his life in the following manner.
They pressed him very much that he should pur-
chase his Wetly, and demanded for his ransom
3030 or 4000 pounds ; but he constantly not only
refused to pay the sum, but even gave orders that
nothing should be given far his deliverance, alleg-
ing that the peasants of the church would be ruined
by it. They particularly pressed him hard on Sa-
turday, thel2th of A pril, requiring ransom, or threat-
siting to kill him ; but he persisted in answering, that
his life was not of so much worth, that :'se people
ought to be ruined for his sake. He even repeated
his former orders, that no ransom should be paid.
and thus he rushed on his men destruaion.
After this thei brought him before their assembly,
which was held at Greenwich, on the 19th of Apt il,
and cried out to him, .! Bishop ! give gold, or thou
shalt to-day become a public speslacle." They
were then flushed with wine, which they had pro-
cured from the south. He was brought on horse-
back, and they proposed the same conditions to
him, but in vain. Then, starting up from their
seats, they attempted to kill him by striking him
with the fist sides of their axes, and by flinging
bones and horns of oxen at him ; from which
I conclude :hat they were sitting at table, as
flinging bones was a custom I have mentioned
under Kraft- Krake, King of Denmark, who died
A. D. 552 ) But at last one Thrum, probably
'frond, who had the day before been confirmed by the
Archbishop, ran up, moved by compassion, and
gave him a blow on the head with his axe, which
brought him dead to the ground. He was then near
60 years of age. Borneo/ them were ashamed of this
horrid deed, and probably tile mote so, as in my of
them were already Christians by name. A quarrel
therefore arose among them. when some were fur
delivering up his body for han‘tu-able interment,
others for throwing it into theTbames; they even met
in arms : a miracle is said towards evening ro have
gained over the Heathen party ; but it is more pro-
bable, as Brampton. and even osserti, adds, that the
cit kens of London bought his body with a great sum
of Money. It was accordingly the next morning
brought to London, and with great solemnity in-
terred in the church of lit Paul, whence it was
removed to Canterbury eleven years after. On the
Ff.ace in Greenwich where he was killed, a church
was consecrated to his honour, which, according to
the account of Walkman°, has been rebuilt in later
times, and is still celled by his name.
• This Therkd, swoon, d the tall, was • Wee of great east
nd,tee among the Defies. After the tenth of Sweya to De,
nisch, aw the year 1007. be' writs the perwia.iott Mot Clog,
stem (Mei to Fresh.* with flet• shops, fae the pintas rti re.
ewag...g the death at a Irealwa S turd, after tit death n.
Elpheg, he Owl* alienable.? with [thelred Y.. awd Agadn.4i
hies sewed ha e.tmpanute. Sot in tote be sided ad.
Caao'e. was veer nYt. wastesstet te, Ilia iseetett. hod was 1.1
dead. EJil d Emu Anglia At ....gm he foil hate Cyr.
with eatittle, wan hatddlod to. ksittle.si, sad osustiattal to) t
plituttiee tu Dams&