CHAPTER III--ENGLAND UNDER THE GOOD SAXON, ALFRED
Alfred the Great was a young man, three-and-twenty years of age, when hebecame king. Twice in his childhood, he had been taken to Rome, wherethe Saxon nobles were in the habit of going on journeys which theysupposed to be religious; and, once, he had stayed for some time inParis. Learning, however, was so little cared for, then, that at twelveyears old he had not been taught to read; although, of the sons of KINGETHELWULF, he, the youngest, was the favourite. But he had--as most menwho grow up to be great and good are generally found to have had--anexcellent mother; and, one day, this lady, whose name was OSBURGA,happened, as she was sitting among her sons, to read a book of Saxonpoetry. The art of printing was not known until long and long after thatperiod, and the book, which was written, was what is called'illuminated,' with beautiful bright letters, richly painted. Thebrothers admiring it very much, their mother said, 'I will give it tothat one of you four princes who first learns to read.' ALFRED soughtout a tutor that very day, applied himself to learn with great diligence,and soon won the book. He was proud of it, all his life.
This great king, in the first year of his reign, fought nine battles withthe Danes. He made some treaties with them too, by which the false Danesswore they would quit the country. They pretended to consider that theyhad taken a very solemn oath, in swearing this upon the holy braceletsthat they wore, and which were always buried with them when they died;but they cared little for it, for they thought nothing of breaking oathsand treaties too, as soon as it suited their purpose, and coming backagain to fight, plunder, and burn, as usual. One fatal winter, in thefourth year of KING ALFRED'S reign, they spread themselves in greatnumbers over the whole of England; and so dispersed and routed the King'ssoldiers that the King was left alone, and was obliged to disguisehimself as a common peasant, and to take refuge in the cottage of one ofhis cowherds who did not know his face.
Here, KING ALFRED, while the Danes sought him far and near, was leftalone one day, by the cowherd's wife, to watch some cakes which she putto bake upon the hearth. But, being at work upon his bow and arrows,with which he hoped to punish the false Danes when a brighter time shouldcome, and thinking deeply of his poor unhappy subjects whom the Daneschased through the land, his noble mind forgot the cakes, and they wereburnt. 'What!' said the cowherd's wife, who scolded him well when shecame back, and little thought she was scolding the King, 'you will beready enough to eat them by-and-by, and yet you cannot watch them, idledog?'
At length, the Devonshire men made head against a new host of Danes wholanded on their coast; killed their chief, and captured their flag; onwhich was represented the likeness of a Raven--a very fit bird for athievish army like that, I think. The loss of their standard troubledthe Danes greatly, for they believed it to be enchanted--woven by thethree daughters of one father in a single afternoon--and they had a storyamong themselves that when they were victorious in battle, the Ravenstretched his wings and seemed to fly; and that when they were defeated,he would droop. He had good reason to droop, now, if he could have doneanything half so sensible; for, KING ALFRED joined the Devonshire men;made a camp with them on a piece of firm ground in the midst of a bog inSomersetshire; and prepared for a great attempt for vengeance on theDanes, and the deliverance of his oppressed people.
But, first, as it was important to know how numerous those pestilentDanes were, and how they were fortified, KING ALFRED, being a goodmusician, disguised himself as a glee-man or minstrel, and went, with hisharp, to the Danish camp. He played and sang in the very tent of GUTHRUMthe Danish leader, and entertained the Danes as they caroused. While heseemed to think of nothing but his music, he was watchful of their tents,their arms, their discipline, everything that he desired to know. Andright soon did this great king entertain them to a different tune; for,summoning all his true followers to meet him at an appointed place, wherethey received him with joyful shouts and tears, as the monarch whom manyof them had given up for lost or dead, he put himself at their head,marched on the Danish camp, defeated the Danes with great slaughter, andbesieged them for fourteen days to prevent their escape. But, being asmerciful as he was good and brave, he then, instead of killing them,proposed peace: on condition that they should altogether depart from thatWestern part of England, and settle in the East; and that GUTHRUM shouldbecome a Christian, in remembrance of the Divine religion which nowtaught his conqueror, the noble ALFRED, to forgive the enemy who had sooften injured him. This, GUTHRUM did. At his baptism, KING ALFRED washis godfather. And GUTHRUM was an honourable chief who well deservedthat clemency; for, ever afterwards he was loyal and faithful to theking. The Danes under him were faithful too. They plundered and burnedno more, but worked like honest men. They ploughed, and sowed, andreaped, and led good honest English lives. And I hope the children ofthose Danes played, many a time, with Saxon children in the sunny fields;and that Danish young men fell in love with Saxon girls, and marriedthem; and that English travellers, benighted at the doors of Danishcottages, often went in for shelter until morning; and that Danes andSaxons sat by the red fire, friends, talking of KING ALFRED THE GREAT.
All the Danes were not like these under GUTHRUM; for, after some years,more of them came over, in the old plundering and burning way--among thema fierce pirate of the name of HASTINGS, who had the boldness to sail upthe Thames to Gravesend, with eighty ships. For three years, there was awar with these Danes; and there was a famine in the country, too, and aplague, both upon human creatures and beasts. But KING ALFRED, whosemighty heart never failed him, built large ships nevertheless, with whichto pursue the pirates on the sea; and he encouraged his soldiers, by hisbrave example, to fight valiantly against them on the shore. At last, hedrove them all away; and then there was repose in England.
As great and good in peace, as he was great and good in war, KING ALFREDnever rested from his labours to improve his people. He loved to talkwith clever men, and with travellers from foreign countries, and to writedown what they told him, for his people to read. He had studied Latinafter learning to read English, and now another of his labours was, totranslate Latin books into the English-Saxon tongue, that his peoplemight be interested, and improved by their contents. He made just laws,that they might live more happily and freely; he turned away all partialjudges, that no wrong might be done them; he was so careful of theirproperty, and punished robbers so severely, that it was a common thing tosay that under the great KING ALFRED, garlands of golden chains andjewels might have hung across the streets, and no man would have touchedone. He founded schools; he patiently heard causes himself in his Courtof Justice; the great desires of his heart were, to do right to all hissubjects, and to leave England better, wiser, happier in all ways, thanhe found it. His industry in these efforts was quite astonishing. Everyday he divided into certain portions, and in each portion devoted himselfto a certain pursuit. That he might divide his time exactly, he had waxtorches or candles made, which were all of the same size, were notchedacross at regular distances, and were always kept burning. Thus, as thecandles burnt down, he divided the day into notches, almost as accuratelyas we now divide it into hours upon the clock. But when the candles werefirst invented, it was found that the wind and draughts of air, blowinginto the palace through the doors and windows, and through the chinks inthe walls, caused them to gutter and burn unequally. To prevent this,the King had them put into cases formed of wood and white horn. Andthese were the first lanthorns ever made in England.
All this time, he was afflicted with a terrible unknown disease, whichcaused him violent and frequent pain that nothing could relieve. He boreit, as he had borne all the troubles of his life, like a brave good man,until he was fifty-three years old; and then, having reigned thirtyyears, he died. He died in the year nine hundred and one; but, long agoas that is, his fame, and the love and gratitude with which his subjectsregarded him, are freshly remembered to the present hour.
In the next reign, which was the reign of EDWARD, surnamed THE ELDER, whowas chosen in council to succeed, a nephew of KING ALFRED troubled thecountry by trying to obtain the throne. The Danes in the East of Englandtook part with this usurper (perhaps because they had honoured his uncleso much, and honoured him for his uncle's sake), and there was hardfighting; but, the King, with the assistance of his sister, gained theday, and reigned in peace for four and twenty years. He graduallyextended his power over the whole of England, and so the Seven Kingdomswere united into one.
When England thus became one kingdom, ruled over by one Saxon king, theSaxons had been settled in the country more than four hundred and fiftyyears. Great changes had taken place in its customs during that time.The Saxons were still greedy eaters and great drinkers, and their feastswere often of a noisy and drunken kind; but many new comforts and evenelegances had become known, and were fast increasing. Hangings for thewalls of rooms, where, in these modern days, we paste up paper, are knownto have been sometimes made of silk, ornamented with birds and flowers inneedlework. Tables and chairs were curiously carved in different woods;were sometimes decorated with gold or silver; sometimes even made ofthose precious metals. Knives and spoons were used at table; goldenornaments were worn--with silk and cloth, and golden tissues andembroideries; dishes were made of gold and silver, brass and bone. Therewere varieties of drinking-horns, bedsteads, musical instruments. A harpwas passed round, at a feast, like the drinking-bowl, from guest toguest; and each one usually sang or played when his turn came. Theweapons of the Saxons were stoutly made, and among them was a terribleiron hammer that gave deadly blows, and was long remembered. The Saxonsthemselves were a handsome people. The men were proud of their long fairhair, parted on the forehead; their ample beards, their freshcomplexions, and clear eyes. The beauty of the Saxon women filled allEngland with a new delight and grace.
I have more to tell of the Saxons yet, but I stop to say this now,because under the GREAT ALFRED, all the best points of the English-Saxoncharacter were first encouraged, and in him first shown. It has been thegreatest character among the nations of the earth. Wherever thedescendants of the Saxon race have gone, have sailed, or otherwise madetheir way, even to the remotest regions of the world, they have beenpatient, persevering, never to be broken in spirit, never to be turnedaside from enterprises on which they have resolved. In Europe, Asia,Africa, America, the whole world over; in the desert, in the forest, onthe sea; scorched by a burning sun, or frozen by ice that never melts;the Saxon blood remains unchanged. Wheresoever that race goes, there,law, and industry, and safety for life and property, and all the greatresults of steady perseverance, are certain to arise.
I pause to think with admiration, of the noble king who, in his singleperson, possessed all the Saxon virtues. Whom misfortune could notsubdue, whom prosperity could not spoil, whose perseverance nothing couldshake. Who was hopeful in defeat, and generous in success. Who lovedjustice, freedom, truth, and knowledge. Who, in his care to instruct hispeople, probably did more to preserve the beautiful old Saxon language,than I can imagine. Without whom, the English tongue in which I tellthis story might have wanted half its meaning. As it is said that hisspirit still inspires some of our best English laws, so, let you and Ipray that it may animate our English hearts, at least to this--toresolve, when we see any of our fellow-creatures left in ignorance, thatwe will do our best, while life is in us, to have them taught; and totell those rulers whose duty it is to teach them, and who neglect theirduty, that they have profited very little by all the years that haverolled away since the year nine hundred and one, and that they are farbehind the bright example of KING ALFRED THE GREAT.