THE Sea-King came of a regal strain, And 2 roved with his Norsemen the land and the 3 main. 6 Gathering of ravens and wolves to the feast. Before him was battle, behind him 7 wrack, And he burned the churches, that heathen Dane, To light his band to their barks again. 8 On Erin's shores was his outrage known; The winds of France had his banners blown; Little was there to plunder, yet still His pirates had 'forayed on Scottish hill; 1 But upon merry England's coast More frequent he sailed, for he won the most. If a sail but gleamed white 'gainst the 10 welkin blue, 11 Burghers hastened to man the wall, 13 Beacons were lighted on headland and cape, Scott. 2 Regal strain, kingly race. rove, to wander, roam. 3 main, the sea. 4 realm, kingdom. 5 stealing of child. The Northmen used to steal children to sell them as slaves. 6 feast. The wolves and ravens gathered to devour the dead. 7 wrack, wreck, destruction. 8 Erin, Ireland. 9 foray, to plunder. 10 welkin, sky. burgher, a townsman. 13 beacon, a fire lighted 12 peasant, a countryman. on a high place to give notice of danger. brothers, the monks. added to the litany. 16 66 'Defend us 14 11 15 aye, ever. grey "such a prayer was MANY kings have been called "Great," but no one was ever more worthy to be so called than Alfred, hardly any as worthy. Most have been called "great" because they were famous warriors and conquered foreign lands: they least deserve the title. Alfred, too, was a famous warrior, but the only battles he fought were in defence of his country. And he was something more than a suc 2 cessful general; he strove to make his people better and wiser and happier than he found them. Alfred was born at Wantage, in Berkshire, in 849. When he was four years old his father sent him to Rome where he staid for some time, the Pope taking him for god-child. In those days very few people could read or write, but Alfred could do both. We cannot say when he learned, though it is very likely that the Pope had him taught while he was at Rome. One thing we do know the story which is often told of his mother offering a pretty book to that one of her sons who could first read it cannot be true. : Alfred was twenty-one years old when he became king. He began his reign in the midst of the fiercest attack the Danes had yet made upon Britain. After a 3 drawn battle at 4 Wilton he made peace with them, and Wessex had rest for some time, though the fighting went on in other parts of the country. 5 In 876 they came into Wessex again, and three years of bloodshed and misery followed. In 878 the invaders suddenly appeared before Chippenham. They took the town and then rode up and down the kingdom, robbing and killing wherever they went. Alfred himself had to flee before them. With a little band of friends he found shelter among the marshes of Somersetshire on an island since called 6 Athelney. 7 But things soon began to look brighter. First the men of Devon defeated a leader who was ravaging their country, slew him and many of his followers, and took his famous raven banner. Then the men of Somerset came together at Alfred's call. He left Athelney and, collecting fresh troops as he went, marched to ' Ethandun, where he overcame the Danes and put them to flight. They took refuge in their stronghold; Alfred besieged it, and after a fortnight, they were forced to 10 submit. 8 Guthrum, their leader, promised to turn Christian, and was baptized with thirty of his chief men. Then Alfred and he made a 11 treaty at 12 Wedmore. They agreed to divide the land between them; Alfred was to rule over part of Mercia and all south of the Thames, Guthrum over the rest of the country. Having thus freed his kingdom from foreign foes Alfred gave all his time and thought to bettering the condition of his people. He appointed as alder men and bishops the best and wisest men he could find; he searched out and published afresh the good laws which former kings had made; he punished evil-doers and did justice to every one, so |