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curious remains of early architecture are still to be
seen (Scotland in Early Christian Times, i. p. 87).
After that, for several years there is a cessation of
raids; Godfred, king of Denmark, was employing all
hands in war with the Slavs, with Frisia and with
Charlemagne. But after his death we find that the
Vikings at once returned to Ireland. In 811-813
they began a new phase of their operations, as though
the experience of the late war had taught them–the
most teachable of people–how to do more than fall
upon a defenceless island and fly with the plunder.
They now landed and went up the country, in Ulster,
in Connemara, and to the lakes of Killarney. They
were not always successful, for both the Irish annals and
Eginhard tell us that they were beaten off with great
loss, more than once. These disasters appear to have
disheartened them; for seven years there are no more
invasions.
At last we have come to the period when we
begin to hear of Norwegians in North British seas.
That they had some knowledge of the route, and
perhaps occasionally used it in fishing or trading
voyages, is very likely; indeed it would be inconceivable
that this piece of water between Shetland and
Norway was untraversed when the route to the Færoes
and Iceland was well known to the Irish. It seems
reasonable to suppose that the example of the Danish
enterprises was talked about, and soon followed, by
the men of Hordaland; the contagion of enterprise,
so to speak, spread northward. But there was a
difference from the beginning between the Danish
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