What 'Danegeld' is, and under what emergency it was first levied. • " The payment of Danegeld was first exacted by reason of the pirates. For, harassing this country, they used their utmost endeavours to lay it waste. In order to cheek their ravages, it was enacted, that Danegeld should be paid yearly ; namely, twelve pence for each hide of land throughout the whole country, for the purpose of hiring persons to resist the incursions of the pirates. From this Danegeld all the Church was free and exempt, and all the land which belonged to the Church as of its own demesne, wherever situate ; it paying nothing whatever towards such a tax, because more trust was put in the prayers of the Church than in its defence by arms. [And the English69 ehurch enjoyed this exemption down to the times of William the Younger, who was surnamed Rufus, when he required aid from the barons of England in order to regain Normandy and retain possession of it against his brother Robert, surnamed Curthose, who was setting out for Jerusalem. It was conceded to him, though not sanctioned ι or confirmed by law ; but by reason of the necessity of the case, he caused four shillings to be paid to him for every hide of land, that of the Church not even excepted. While the collection of the tax was being made, the Holy Church protested against it, demanding her exemption, but she availed nothing thereby.] \0f the various kinds of the King's Protection, along the Four Streets or Royal Roads, and along rivers, hy the navigation of which provisions are carried. " The king's protection is of various kinds. One kind is given under his own hand, which is called by the English f Cvninges hande sealde grith.' One kind is that which lasts for a period of eight days from the time of his coronation. There are also eight days at the Nativity of our Lord, eight days at Easter, and eight at Pentecost. Another protection is that given by his letters. Another, that which the Four public Roads possess, Watlingstrete,70 Fosse,71 Ikenildestrete,79 ω This must be an interpolation, if these laws belong to the time of Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror. The more general opinion now is, that they belong to the time of William II. 10 71 I From Devonshire to Chester. From Caithness, in Scotland, I ko Totnes, in Devonshire. 7 2 It extended from Saint David's, in : Wales, to Tynemouth, in Northumberland. VOL. I. Ν Ν