London and the Kingdom - Volume I | Page 8

again
appeared. This time they erected a work on the sea, twenty miles above
London. Alfred made a reconnaissance and closed up the river so that
they found it impossible to bring out their ships.(30) They therefore
abandoned their vessels and escaped across country, and "the men of
London" writes the chronicler, "brought away the ships, and all those
which they could not bring off they broke up, and those that were
stalworth they brought into London."(31)
(M21)
The principle of each man becoming responsible to the Government for
the good behaviour of the neighbour, involved in the system of
frankpledge which Alfred established throughout the whole of his
kingdom, subject to his rule, was carried a step further by the citizens
of London at a later date. Under Athelstan (A.D. 925-940) we find
them banding together and forming an association for mutual defence
of life and property, and thus assisting the executive in the maintenance

of law and order. A complete code of ordinances, regulating this "frith"
or peace gild, as it was called, drawn up by the bishops and reeves of
the burgh, and confirmed by the members on oath, is still preserved to
us.(32)
(M22)
The enactments are chiefly directed against thieves, the measures to be
taken to bring them to justice, and the penalties to be imposed on them,
the formation of a common fund for the pursuit of thieves, and for
making good to members any loss they may have sustained. So far, the
gild undertook duties of a public character, such as are found
incorporated among other laws of the kingdom, but it had, incidentally,
also its social and religious side. When the ruling members met in their
gild-hall,(33) which they did once a month, "if they could and had
leisure," they enjoyed a refection with ale-drinking or "byt-filling."
(M23)
Some writers see in the "frith-gild" of Athelstan's day, nothing more
than a mere "friendly society," meeting together once a month, to drink
their beer and consult about matters of mutual insurance and other
topics of more or less social and religious character.(34) But there is
evidence to show that the tie which united members of a "frith-gild"
was stronger and more solemn than any which binds the members of a
friendly society or voluntary association. The punishment of one who
was guilty of breaking his "frith" was practically banishment or death.
Such a one, in Athelstan's time, was ordered to abjure the country,
which probably meant no more than that he was to leave his burgh or
perhaps the shire in which he dwelt, but if ever he returned, he might be
treated as a thief taken "hand-habbende" or one taken with stolen goods
upon him, in other words, "with the mainour."(35) A thief so taken
might lawfully be killed by the first man who met him, and the slayer
was, according to the code of the "frith-gild," "to be twelve pence the
better for the deed."(36) Under these circumstances, it is more
reasonable to suppose, that the "frith-gild" was not so much a voluntary
association as one imposed upon members of the community by some
public authority.(37)

(M24)
The commercial supremacy of London, not only over Winchester but
over every other town in the kingdom, now becomes more distinct, for
when Athelstan appointed moneyers or minters throughout the country,
he assigned eight (the largest number of all) to London, whilst for
Winchester he appointed only six, other towns being provided with but
one or at most two.(38) The king, moreover, showed his predilection
for London by erecting a mansion house for himself within the city's
walls.
The encouragement which Athelstan gave to commercial enterprise by
enacting, that any merchant who undertook successfully three voyages
across the high seas at his own cost (if not in his own vessel) should
rank as a thane,(39) must have affected the London burgess more than
those of any other town.
(M25)
Under Ethelred II, surnamed the "Unready" or "redeless" from his
indifference to the "rede" or council of his advisers, the city would
again have fallen into the hands of the Danes, but for the personal
courage displayed by its inhabitants and the protection which, by
Alfred's foresight, the walls were able to afford them. In 994, Olaf and
Sweyn sailed up the Thames with a large fleet and threatened to burn
London. Obstinate fighting took place, but the enemy, we are told,
"sustained more harm and evil than they ever deemed that any
townsman could do to them, for the Holy Mother of God, on that day,
manifested her mercy to the townsmen and delivered them from their
foes."(40)
(M26)
Matters might not have been so bad had not the king already committed
the fatal error of attempting to secure peace by buying off the enemy.
In