But between the years 993, and 1016, a wooden bridge was erected. This great work was performed in the reign of Ethelred, and in the last mentioned year, Canute King of Denmark sailing up the river, in order to plunder the city, and finding that he could not pass the bridge with his ships, caused a canal to be cut through the marshes on the south side of the river, which probably began at the place now called Dockhead, and extending in a semicircle by Margaret’s Hill, entered the Thames about St. Saviour’s Dock, a little above the bridge. This work being accomplished, Canute brought his ships to the west of London bridge, and attacked the city on all sides; however the citizens exerting themselves with extraordinary bravery, he was repulsed with considerable loss, and obliged to raise the siege. Yet he afterwards renewed it with greater vigour than before, but with no better success. At last a peace was concluded between King Edmund and Canute, by which the kingdom was divided between them, when Mercia, of which London was the capital, falling to Canute’s share, the city submitted to him; and Edmund dying a few months after, Canute summoned a parliament to meet in London, who chose that prince sole monarch of England. Canute now, resolving to win the hearts of his new subjects, disbanded his army, and threw himself entirely upon the affections of the English, at which the above parliament were so pleased, that they granted him 83,000l. a prodigious sum at that time! for, according to the price of land and provisions then, it must have been equal to nine millions at present; and of this immense sum, London alone raised 11,000l. which is a convincing proof of the opulence of the city, since it must be possessed of above one seventh part of the wealth of the whole kingdom. But we are not writing a history of England, but of its capital, we shall therefore pass over the following reigns, till we come to the invasion of William the Conqueror, who laid Southwark in ashes; but the Londoners afterwards submitting to him, he, in the year 1067, granted them his first charter in their own language, which consists of little more than four lines, beautifully written in the Saxon character on a slip of parchment, six inches long, and one broad, and is still preserved in the city archives. In 1077 happened the greatest casual fire, that till this time ever befel the city, by which the greatest part of it was laid in ashes; and about two years after, the Conqueror beginning to suspect the fidelity of his subjects, caused the present square tower of London to be erected, to keep them in awe. See the TOWER OF LONDON.