Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/113

 ALFRED, 77 gulating his government for the fccurity of himfHf and his fuc- ceflbrs, as well as for the eafc and benefit of his fubje&s in general. Before his reign, though there were many kings who took the title, yet none could properly be called monarch of the Englim nation ; for notwithstanding there was always, after the time of Egbert, a prince who held a kind of pre- eminence over the reft, yet he had no dominion over their fubjedts, as ^Elired had in the latter part of his reign ; for to him all parts of England, not in the pofTclIion of the Danes, Submitted, which was greatly owing to the fame of his wif- dom, and mildnefs of his government. He is faid to have c hron.S, drawn up an excellent fyftem of Jaws, which are mentioned 1 *' 9 8 ' 93 * in the " Mirror of Juftice," publifhed by Andrew Home, in the reign of Edward I as alfo a collection of judgements; and, if we may credit Harding's Chronicle [;:], they were ufed in Weftminfter-hall in the reign of Henry IV. In the Chro- nicle faid to be written by John Brompton, we meet fome Iawsc l. 8tf afcribed to king Alfred. They are in number fifty-one ; and before them is a preface, wherein the king recites many '.r-inga concerning the excellency and ufe of Jaws. In the clote he fays, he colledted from the laws of his anceftor king Ina, fuch as feemed to him moft reafonable ; and having commu- nicated them to the learned men of his kingdom, he, with, their ailent, publilhed them to be the rule of his people's actions. Thtfe laws borrowed from king Ina were, if we believe himfelf, many of them taken from the Britifla conftitu- tions ; and thofe, if credit is to be given to their authors, were excerpts from the Greek and Trojan laws. Although there remain but few laws which can be pofitively afcribed to JElfred ; yet we are well informed, that to him we owe many of thofe advantages, which render our conftitution fo dear and valuable. VVe are indebted to him for tiials by juries (i) ; and if we rely on fir John Spelman's conje6lure,Spe!man*g Polhumout [H] King Alurede the laws of Troye and Brute, Worki, P. Laws Moluntynes ani Mercians congregate, "" With Danifh lawee, that were well conftitute. And Grrltifhe alfo, well made and approbate, In En^liihe tongue he di.; them all tranflate, Whkh yet bee called the hwes of Alurede, At Weftmynfter remembrcd yit indede. Harding's Chron. fol. 3. b. ft] This is inf-rred from a law of vifcd the holding men 10 good l>rhviour Alfred';, whi'h jbligedoneof the king's by obliging them to put in fureties ; at thanes 10 purge. m elf by twelve of his alfo the calling a voucher to prove a pro- pe^r: ; ai the pun uion of another thane perty in goods at the time ot lale. ^.Spel- was by tlevrn of h: peers ,.nd one of the man's Life of Alfred, p. 106, 107. Chanel, lit iiall'o faidtohavc de- his