thelstan'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 991,
he had, with the consent of his witan, raised the sum of L10,000 with
which he had bribed the Danish host. This