their Edmund, where it lay cast forth in the village of Hoxne, seek out the severed head, and reverently re-unite the same. They embalmed him with myrrh and sweet spices, with love, pity, and all high and awful thoughts."

22. Afterwards this Edmund, who seems to have been about thirty years old when he died, was "canonized" or proclaimed a saint, and a great abbey called St. Edmund's Bury, or Bury St. Edmund's, was built over his grave, where the ruins of it may be seen to this day in that town of Suffolk.

23. Thus the Danes got possession of East Anglia. They burned down the wealthy abbeys of Peterborough, Ely, and Crowland, and killed or drove away the monks. After a time, however, those abbeys rose again, and two of our finest cathedrals are at Peterborough and Ely.

LECTURE IX.-ALFRED.

King Alfred. His education. His wars with the Danes. The treaty of Wedmore. The time of peace. Alfred's work in law, justice, religion, and education. His books.

Alfred.

1. THE last lecture left England in a very pitiable condition, ravaged and plundered by the Danish heathen. We heard of Ethelwulf's four sons, who were all kings in turn. The youngest and the greatest of them was Alfred, who has left such a beloved and glorious name behind him, and who was, perhaps, the best and wisest king England ever had. We must pass hastily over his three elder brothers, that we may have more time for Alfred, "England's darling," as the people loved to call him, even centuries after his death.

2. Our knowledge of Alfred's life is mainly derived from four sources. The first and principal authority is a Welsh clergyman, Asser, whose work has been already quoted; it was Authorities. in it that Ethelwulf's will was described. It has been stated already that the Welsh (or Britons) preserved a love of learning even after the English had persecuted and driven them away far west; so that some of our old histories, and many old poems, were written by them. This Asser, who seems to have been a good and clever man, was a great friend of Alfred, and wrote his life, which is very interesting, because he tells us many little things that he heard and saw himself, and makes us feel as if we knew and loved his king and friend as much as he did. The life he wrote has not been all preserved, and of what we have, part seems to have been added by some other writer at a later time, but a great deal of it is genuine, and very pithy and quaint, as well as hearty.

3. Besides Asser, we have a 'Chronicle' by a man who was descended from the royal family, and who wrote a short history of England for the instruction of a cousin Matilda of his in Germany. He says Ethelred, the third son of Ethelwulf, was his grandfather's grandfather, and that Alfred was grandfather to Matilda's grandfather. He seems to have had a misgiving that

she would find his book rather dry (which it must be confessed it really is), and makes an apology for it, saying, "Although I may seem to send you a load of reading, dearest sister of my desire, do not judge me harshly, but as my writings were in love to you, so may you read them." And so will we also read a little of them.

4. Again, and principally, as far as Alfred's wars are concerned, we have the first and oldest true history of England, written by Englishmen, which is commonly called, 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,' and will be referred to again later on.

5. Lastly, we have his own words, which show forth his noble character better than any one's words about him can do, and of which a few shall be quoted.

6. Both Asser and the Anglo-Saxon chronicler give us his whole pedigree. Of course he was descended (as all the English kings were supposed to be) from Woden; and as they now look upon Woden as a man, they also tell us who his father and grandfather were, and so back and back to "Sceaf, who was born in Noah's ark," and thence to Noah and Adam as in Genesis, ending with 66 our Father, that is Christ." Thus we see that they did not give up the idea of the Divine descent of man.

7. It need hardly be said that this pedigree is not at all to be trusted. But Asser tells us what is more to the purpose, that Alfred had a very good mother, "a religious woman, noble both by birth and nature."

8. Almost every one has heard the pretty story of the beginning of Alfred's education. Unfortunately, some learned men now say the story is not and cannot be true, but as Education. others give reasons for believing it which sound very fair, we will take it as Asser tells it. He first describes how Alfred was more comely, more graceful, and more beloved by his parents and by all the people than any of his brothers, and that "his noble nature implanted in him from his cradle a love of wisdom above all things," and by and bye tells how his mother trained him. "On a certain day his mother was showing him and his brothers a Saxon (or English) book of poetry, which she held in her hand, and said, 'Whichever of you shall the soonest learn this volume shall have it for his own.' Stimulated by these words, or rather by the Divine inspiration, and allured by the beautifully-illuminated letter at the beginning of the volume, he spoke before all his brothers, who, though his seniors in age, were not so in grace, and answered, 'Will you really give that book to one of us, that is to say, to him who can first understand and repeat it to you?' At this his mother smiled with satisfac

tion, and confirmed what she had before said. Upon which the boy took the book out of her hand, and went to his master to read it, and in due time brought it to his mother and recited it."

9. This seems to have been when Alfred was about four years old. We are not to suppose the child learned to read, but to repeat the poems; for it appears that he did not learn to read till after he was twelve years old. But he had, from that time, all through his life a passionate love of learning, and persevered in it through troubles and difficulties such as we can hardly imagine.

Visits to
Rome.

10. Alfred, while he was still a child, was twice at Rome. The Pope made much of him, and anointed him future King of England. He travelled through France, over the Alps, and through Northern Italy, and so he saw a great deal of the beauty of the world. It is to be feared he would not admire the Alps much, for in those days, and long after, people thought of mountains as horrible and savage places, only fit for wild beasts or hermits. But no doubt he was struck by the splendour of Rome, and the other Italian cities, so different from the rude and unbeautiful cities of England, as they were then. Rome was still the capital of the world. Many of the fine buildings which are now in ruins, and which we so often see in photographs, were, no doubt, still in good preservation. There, too, he saw the most learned, polite, and religious men then living. All this would make a great impression on the young and clever child, and we may be sure he never forgot it.

When we have once seen what we feel to be really good, exalted, and beautiful, it gives us something to aim at and to strive after. We shall see that he was aiming and striving all his life long; that was what made him so noble.

11. On his second visit to Rome he stayed there with his father a whole year. It seems strange that he did not learn to read, as there was a school at Rome on purpose for the English or Anglo-Saxons, to which King Ethelwulf made many handsome presents. But in those days it was not thought needful for kings, noblemen, or gentlemen to know how to read. That was left for the priests or clergymen. Kings used to make their mark, just as the most utterly ignorant people do now, and as, it is to be supposed, in another fifty years no one will do. The young

princes and nobles were taught hunting, wrestling, and the like; and they were also accustomed to hear songs and poems in their own language. Songs about war and heroes, kings and queens, the sea and the sea-kings, dwarfs and giants and dragons, beautiful

ladies and their lovers. Alfred dearly loved these old poems and ballads.

12. Meanwhile the fighting went on. All through his childhood and youth he must have been constantly hearing about the "pagans." I cannot attempt to give a history of all Ravages of these wars, but this is a specimen, out of the chronicle of Ethelwerd.

the Danes.

"865. After four years from the death of King Ethelbald, the pagans strengthened their position in the Isle of Thanet, and promise to be at peace with the men of Kent, who on their part prepare money, ignorant of the future. But the Danes break their compact, and, sallying out privately by night, lay waste all the eastern coast of Kent.

"868. After one year that army, leaving the eastern parts, crossed the river Humber into Northumberland, to the city of Evoric (York). . . . . After some delay they (the inhabitants) turned their thoughts to raise an army and repulse those who were advancing. They collected together no small bodies of troops and reconnoitred the enemy; their rage was excited, they joined battle, a miserable slaughter took place on both sides, and the kings were slain.

"871. After one year, therefore, the army of the barbarians set out for Reading, and the principal object of the impious crew was to attack the West-Saxons. . . . An indescribable battle is fought, now these, now those, urge on the fight with spears immovable. . . The barbarians at last triumph. . . . Four days after King Ethelred with his brother Alfred fought again with all the army of the Danes at Escesdune, and there was great slaughter on both sides; but at last King Ethelred obtained the victory."

Battle of

13. This battle of Escesdune, or Aston, "the Hill or Down of the Ash," was remarkable, as it throws great light on Alfred's character, his courage, and his good sense. Asser Aston. gives us a long description of it. "The pagans had divided themselves into two bodies, and began to prepare defences; for they had two kings, and many earls, so they gave the middle part of the army to the two kings, and the other part to all their earls. Which the Christians perceiving, divided their army also into two troops, and also began to construct defences. But Alfred (as we have been told by those who were present, and would not tell an untruth) marched up promptly with his men to give them battle; for King Ethelred remained a long time in his tent in prayer, hearing the mass, and