The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3) by G. A. Henty (e book reading free TXT) 📕

East Anglia Into A Settled And Christian Country,  And

Enabled King Alfred To Frame The Wise Laws And Statutes And

To Establish On A Firm Basis The Institutions Which Raised Saxon

England Vastly In The Scale Of Civilization,  And Have In No

Small Degree Affected The Whole Course Of Life Of The English

People.

Seven Weeks Afterwards Guthorn,  Accompanied By Thirty

Of His Noblest Warriors,  Entered Alfred's Camp,  Which Was

Pitched At Aller,  A Place Not Far From Athelney.

An Altar Was Erected And A Solemn Service Performed,

And Guthorn And His Companions Were All Baptized,  Alfred

Himself Becoming Sponsor For Guthorn,  Whose Name

Was Changed To Athelstan. The Danes Remained For Twelve

Days In The Saxon Camp. For The First Eight They Wore,  In

Accordance With The Custom Of The Times,  The Chrismal,  A White

Linen Cloth Put On The Head When The Rite Of Baptism Was

Performed; On The Eighth Day The Solemn Ceremony Known

As The Chrism,  The Loosing Or Removal Of The Cloths,  Took Place

At Wedmore. This Was Performed By The Ealdorman

Ethelnoth.

During These Twelve Days Many Conferences Were Held

Between Alfred And Athelstan As To The Future Of The Two

Kingdoms. While The Danes Were Still In The Camp A

Witenagemot Or Saxon Parliament Was Held At Wedmore. At

This Athelstan And Many Of The Nobles And Inhabitants Of

East Anglia Were Present,  And The Boundary Of The Two Kingdoms

Was Settled. It Was To Commence At The Mouth Of The

Thames,  To Run Along The River Lea To Its Source,  And At

Bedford Turn To The Right Along The Ouse As Far As Watling

Street. According To This Arrangement A Considerable Portion

Of The Kingdom Of Mercia Fell To Alfred's Share.

The Treaty Comprehended Various Rules For The Conduct

Of Commerce,  And Courts Were Instituted For The Trial Of

Disputes And Crimes. The Danes Did Not At Once Leave Mercia,

But For A Considerable Time Lay In Camp At Cirencester; But All

Who Refused To Become Christians Were Ordered To Depart

Beyond The Seas,  And The Danes Gradually Withdrew Within

Their Boundary.

Guthorn's Conversion,  Although No Doubt Brought About

At The Moment By His Admiration Of The Clemency Of Alfred,

Had Probably Been For Some Time Projected By Him. Mingling

As His People Did In East Anglia With The Christian Saxons

There,  He Must Have Had Opportunities For Learning The

Nature Of Their Tenets,  And Of Contrasting Its Mild And

Beneficent Teaching With The Savage Worship Of The Pagan Gods.

By Far The Greater Proportion Of His People Followed Their King's

Example; But The Wilder Spirits Quitted The Country,  And Under

Their Renowned Leader Hasting Sailed To Harry The Shores

Of France. The Departure Of The More Turbulent Portion Of

His Followers Rendered It More Easy For The Danish King To

Carry His Plans Into Effect.

After The Holding Of The Witan Edmund And Egbert At

Once Left The Army With Their Followers,  And For Some Months

The Young Ealdorman Devoted Himself To The Work Of Restoring

The Shattered Homes Of His People,  Aiding Them With Loans

From The Plunder He Had Gained On The Seas,  Alfred Having

At Once Repaid Him The Sums Which He Had Lent At Athelney.

As So Many Of His Followers Had Also Brought Home Money

After Their Voyage,  The Work Of Rebuilding And Restoration Went

On Rapidly,  And In A Few Months The Marks Left Of The Ravages

By The Danes Had Been Well-Nigh Effaced.

Flocks And Herds Again Grazed In The Pastures,  Herds Of

Swine Roamed In The Woods,  The Fields Were Cultivated,  And

The Houses Rebuilt. In No Part Of Wessex Was Prosperity So

Speedily Re-Established As In The District Round Sherborne

Governed By Edmund. The Dragon Was Thoroughly Overhauled

And Repaired,  For None Could Say How Soon Fresh Fleets Of The

Northmen Might Make Their Appearance Upon The Southern

Shores Of England. It Was Not Long,  Indeed,  Before The

Northmen Reappeared,  A Great Fleet Sailing Up The Thames

At The Beginning Of The Winter. It Ascended As High As Fulham,

Where A Great Camp Was Formed. Seeing That The Saxons And

East Anglians Would Unite Against Them Did They Advance

Further,  The Danes Remained Quietly In Their Encampment

During The Winter,  And In The Spring Again Took Ship And Sailed

For France.

For The Next Two Years England Enjoyed Comparative

Quiet,  The Danes Turning Their Attention To France And Holland,

Sailing Up The Maas,  Scheldt,  Somme,  And Seine. Spreading

From These Rivers They Carried Fire And Sword Over A Great

Extent Of Country. The Franks Resisted Bravely,  And In Two

Pitched Battles Defeated Their Invaders With Great Loss. The

Struggle Going On Across The Channel Was Watched With Great

Interest By The Saxons,  Who At First Hoped To See The Danes

Completely Crushed By The Franks.

The Ease,  However,  With Which The Northmen Moved

From Point To Point In Their Ships Gave Them Such Immense

Advantage That Their Defeats At Hasle And Saucourt In No Way

Checked Their Depredations. Appearing Suddenly Off The

Coast,  Or Penetrating Into The Interior By A River,  Their Hordes

Would Land,  Ravage The Country,  Slay All Who Opposed Them,

And Carry Off The Women And Children Captives,  And Would

Then Take To Their Ships Again Before The Leaders Of The Franks

Could Assemble An Army.

Alfred Spent This Time Of Repose In Restoring As Far As

Possible The Loss And Damage Which His Kingdom Had

Suffered. Many Wise Laws Were Passed,  Churches Were Rebuilt,

And Order Restored; Great Numbers Of The Monks And Wealthier

People Who Had Fled To France In The Days Of The Danish

Supremacy Now Returned To England,  Which Was For The Time

Freer From Danger Than The Land In Which They Had Sought

Refuge; And Many Franks From The Districts Exposed To The

Danish Ravages Came Over And Settled In England.

Gradually The Greater Part Of England Acknowledged

The Rule Of Alfred. The Kingdom Of Kent Was Again United To

That Of Wessex; While Mercia,  Which Extended Across The

Centre Of England From Anglia To Wales,  Was Governed For Alfred

By Ethelred The Ealdorman,  Who Was The Head Of The Powerful

Family Of The Hwiccas,  And Had Received The Hand Of

Alfred's Daughter Ethelfleda. He Ruled Mercia According To

Its Own Laws And Customs,  Which Differed Materially From Those

Of The West Saxons,  And Which Prevented A More Perfect Union

Of The Two Kingdoms Until William The Conqueror Welded

The Whole Country Into A Single Whole. But Ethelred

Acknowledged The Supremacy Of Alfred,  Consulted Him Upon All

Occasions Of Importance,  And Issued All His Edicts And Orders

In The King's Name. He Was Ably Assisted By Werfrith,  The Bishop

Of Worcester. The Energy And Activity Of These Leaders Enabled

Mercia To Keep Abreast Of Wessex In The Onward Progress

Which Alfred Laboured So Indefatigably To Promote.

Edmund,  When Not Occupied With The Affairs Of His Earldom,

Spent Much Of His Time With The King,  Who Saw In Him A

Spirit Of Intelligence And Activity Which Resembled His Own.

Edmund Was,  However,  Of A Less Studious Disposition Than His

Royal Master; And Though He So Far Improved His Education

As To Be Able To Read And Write Well,  Alfred Could Not Persuade

Him To Undertake The Study Of Latin,  Being,  As He Said,

Well Content To Master Some Of The Learning Of That People By

Means Of The King's Translations.

At The End Of Another Two Years Of Peace Edmund Was

Again Called Upon To Take Up Arms. Although The Danes

Attempted No Fresh Invasion Some Of Their Ships Hung Around

The English Coast,  Capturing Vessels,  Interfering With Trade,

And Committing Other Acts Of Piracy.

Great Complaints Were Made By The Inhabitants Of The

Seaports To Alfred. The King At Once Begged Edmund To Fit

Out The Dragon,  And Collecting A Few Other Smaller Ships He

Took His Place On Edmund's Ship And Sailed In Search Of The

Danes. After Some Search They Came Upon The Four Large

Ships Of The Northmen Which Had Been A Scourge To The Coast.

The Saxons At Once Engaged Them,  And A Desperate Fight

Took Place. The Dragon Was Laid Alongside The Largest Of The

Danish Vessels; And The King,  With Edmund And Egbert By His

Side,  Leapt On To The Deck Of The Danish Vessel,  Followed By

The Crew Of The Dragon. The Danish Ship Was Crowded With

Men Who Fought Desperately,  But The Discipline Even More

Than The Courage Of Edmund's Crew Secured For Them The

Victory. For A Time Each Fought For Himself; And Although

Inspired By The Presence Of The King They Were Able To Gain

No Advantage,  Being Much Out-Numbered By The Northmen.

Edmund,  Seeing This,  Sounded On His Horn The Signal

With Which In Battle He Ordered The Men To Form Their Wedge.

The Signal Was Instantly Obeyed. The Saxons Were All Fighting

With Boarding-Pikes Against The Northmen's Swords And

Axes,  For They Had Become Used To These Weapons And

Preferred Them To Any Other.

The Instant Edmund's Horn Was Heard,  Each Man Desisted

From Fighting And Rushed To Their Leader,  Around Whom

They Instantly Formed In Their Accustomed Order. The Danes,

Astonished At The Sudden Cessation Of