concerns.

he rose with the earliest dawn of summer to his work. A short prayer and a scanty breakfast were his first After spending some hours in the business of the state, he would mount his horse, and gallop off into the forest after a wild boar or a red deer. Then came dinner and a sleep, after which some more official work was done. The evening was given to study, dictation, or literary conversation.

9. We have seen how Alfred suffered in Athelney and triumphed in Ethandune. He inflicted another great defeat upon the Danes before he died. There came to the shore of Kent a fleet that seemed numberless, consisting of more than two hundred ships, and its chief was the great Hastings, the best-known pirate of his day. The Danes landed, and, by forming great intrenched camps, succeeded in holding their ground for a long time. Their principal station, and their last one, was at Ware upon the Lea, whence they threatened London on the north.

10. Alfred came on them at a time when they were just preparing to reap a field of corn, which some Saxon farmer had sown, but upon which, all the summer, they had been casting covetous eyes. We can faintly imagine their rage when they saw one-half of Alfred's force lay down their spears and set to work with sickles on the grain. The reaping, the binding, the carting, were calmly and securely done, while the Danes looked on in helpless rage from their strong

entrenchments, which were utterly useless this case. Alfred knew well that the Danes depended chiefly on their ships, and that to render them useless would be like robbing Samson of his hair.

11. Secretly, therefore, but ceaselessly, he set diggers to work upon the banks of the stream, who trenched the land in two long channels, parallel to the natural bed, in whose waters the Danish fleet was floating. When all was ready he cut a way for the river to flow into these artificial troughs, and thus render the stream so shallow that the ships ran aground and fell on their sides, useless, and incapable of being stirred by wind or oar. It was a fatal blow to the pirates, who abandoned their works, and, scattering over the country, got home with difficulty next year, in some leaky ships which they managed to borrow from the Danes of the eastern coast. Five years after this skillful achieve ment Alfred died (901).

• BIV'-OUAC, (biv'-uak) to watch or be ouard as a whole army.

IV. THE STORY OF KING ALFRED AND SAINT CUTHBERHT.

FREEMAN.

From Old English History for Children, by Edward A. Freeman, M. A

1. Now King Alfred was driven from his kingdom by the Danes, and he lay hid for three years in the Isle of Glastonbury. And it came to pass on a day that all

his folk were gone out to fish, save only Alfred himself, and his wife, and one servant whom he loved. And there came a pilgrim to the king, and begged for food. And the king said to his servant, "What food have we in the house?"" And his servant answered, "My lord, we have but one loaf and a little wine." Then the king gave thanks to God, and said, "Give half of the loaf and half of the wine to this poor pilgrim."

So the servant did as his lord commanded him, and gave to the pilgrim half of the loaf and half of the wine, and the pilgrim gave great thanks to the king. And when the servant returned he found the loaf whole, and the wine as much as there had been aforetime. And he wondered also how the pilgrim came into the isle, for that no man could come there save by water, and the pilgrim had no boat. And the king greatly wondered also. And at the ninth hour came back the folk who had gone to fish; and they had three boats full of fish. And they said, "Lo, we have caught more fish this day than in all the three years that we have tarried in this island."

3. And the king was glad, and he and his folk were merry; yet he pondered much upon that which had come to pass. And when night came, the king went to his bed with Elizabeth, his wife. And the lady slept, but the king lay awake and thought of all that had come to pass that day. And presently he saw a great light, like the brightness of the sun, and he saw an old

man with black hair, clothed in priest's garments, and with a mitre on his head, and holding in his right hand a book of the Gospels, adorned with gold and gems.

66

4. And the old man blessed the king, and the king said unto him, "Who art thou?" And he answered, Alfred, my son, rejoice; for I am he to whom thou didst this day give thine alms, and I am called Cuthberht, the soldier of Christ. Now be strong and very courageous, and be of joyful heart, and hearken diligently to the things which I say unto thee; for hence forth I will be thy shield and thy friend, and I will watch over thee and over thy sons after thee.

5. "And now I will tell thee what thou must do. Rise up early in the morning, and blow thine horn thrice, that thine enemies may hear it and fear, and by the ninth hour thou shalt have around thee five hundred men harnessed for the battle. And this shall be a sign unto thee that thou mayest believe. And after seven days thou shalt have, by God's gift and my help, all the folk of this land gathered unto thee upon the mount that is called Assandun. And thus shalt thou fight against thine enemies, and doubt not that thou shalt overcome them.

6. "Be thou therefore glad of heart, and be strong and very courageous, and fear not, for God hath given thine enemies into thine hand. And He hath given thee, also, all this land and the kingdom of thy fathers to thee and to thy sons and to thy sons' sons after

thee. Be thou faithful to me and to my folk, because that unto thee is given all the land of Albion. Be thou righteous, because thou art chosen to be the king of all Britain. So may God be merciful unto thee, and I will be thy friend, and none of thine enemies shall ever be able to overcome thee."

7. Then was king Alfred glad at heart; and he was strong and very courageous, for that he knew that he would overcome his enemies by the help of God and Saint Cuthberht, his patron. So in the morning he arose, sailed to the land, and blew his horn three times, and when his friends heard it they rejoiced, and when his enemies heard it they feared. And by the ninth hour, according to the word of the Lord, there were gathered unto him five hundred of the bravest and dearest of his friends.

8. And he spake unto them and told them all that God had said unto him by the mouth of his servant Cuthberht, and he told them that, by the gift of God and by the help of Saint Cuthberht, they would overcome their enemies and win back their own land. And he bade them, as Saint Cuthberht had taught him, to be pious toward God and righteous toward men. Aud he bade his son Edward, who was by him, to be faithful to God and Saint Cuthberht, and so he should always have the victory over his enemies. So they went forth to battle and smote their enemies, and overcame them; then king Alfred took the kingdom of all