9. THE SECOND SAXON SETTLEMENT.

~Pagan~: heathen, not yet converted to Christianity.

~King Alfred~, called the Great, was king of England from 871-901 A.D.

~Alderman~ in early England meant the ruler of a large district, such as
a shire or kingdom. When Mercia became subject to Wessex it was ruled by
an alderman.

~Benfleet~: a place in Essex, on the north bank of the Thames, not far
from Southend.

~Brunanburgh~ was the scene of a defeat of the Danes by Athelstan in 937
A.D.; the place cannot now be identified.

~Sweyn~, King of Denmark, invaded England with his son Canute in 1013
A.D.

~Redriff~ is now called Rotherhithe, south of the Thames.

~King Ethelred II.~, called the Unredig, or lacking in counsel, reigned
979-1013 A.D.

~Olave~ or ~Olaf~ and ~Magnus~ are Scandinavian names: there were early
kings of Norway so called.

~The Portreeve~: the reeve or governor of London was a chief magistrate
or mayor of the City.

~The 'Staller'~ or ~Marshal~ led the men of London to battle.

~The Knighten Guild~ was the ruling council of London: they were not
chosen by election, but were the chief owners of property, and, like
their land, the office was handed down from father to son.

~mote~: meeting.

~hustings~: a general meeting of the citizens held every week; later on
the word came to mean the platform whence candidates for parliament
addressed their constituents.

10. THE ANGLO-SAXON CITIZEN.

~Athelstan~ (925-940), the grandson of Alfred the Great, and ~Etheldred
II.~ (979-1013) were kings of England.

~earl~ or ~eorl~ was what we should now call a gentleman of good family;
~thanes~: nobles who for the most part acquired their titles from the
king as rewards for services.

~municipal~: having to do with the municipality or city.

~French~: Norman-French was the language spoken by the Normans.

~the meat and fish were salted~: in the absence of root-crops it was
found difficult to keep animals through the winter. Hence much salt meat
and fish were stored up.

~embroidery~: the art of working designs on cloth in needlework.

~spinster~: an unmarried woman; so called because unmarried daughters
worked at spinning and weaving for the household, making 'homespun'
cloth for them.

~marauding~: roving about for plunder.

~solar~: in early houses the chamber over the hall, used as the bedroom
for the master and mistress of the house. (See picture on p. 73.)

~tapestry~: thick hangings or