of ETHELWULF, and his sons, ETHELBALD, ETHELBERT, and ETHELRED,
they came back, over and over again, burning and plundering, and laying
England waste. In the last-mentioned reign, they seized EDMUND, King of
East England, and bound him to a tree. Then, they proposed to him that
he should change his religion; but he, being a good Christian, steadily
refused. Upon that, they beat him, made cowardly jests upon him, all
defenceless as he was, shot arrows at him, and, finally, struck off his
head. It is impossible to say whose head they might have struck off
next, but for the death of KING ETHELRED from a wound he had received in
fighting against them, and the succession to his throne of the best and
wisest king that ever lived in England.

CHAPTER III--ENGLAND UNDER THE GOOD SAXON, ALFRED

Alfred the Great was a young man, three-and-twenty years of age, when he
became king. Twice in his childhood, he had been taken to Rome, where
the Saxon nobles were in the habit of going on journeys which they
supposed to be religious; and, once, he had stayed for some time in
Paris. Learning, however, was so little cared for, then, that at twelve
years old he had not been taught to read; although, of the sons of KING
ETHELWULF, he, the youngest, was the favourite. But he had--as most men
who grow up to be great and good are generally found to have had--an
excellent mother; and, one day, this lady, whose name was OSBURGA,
happened, as she was sitting among her sons, to read a book of Saxon
poetry. The art of printing was not known until long and long after that
period, and the book, which was written, was what is called
'illuminated,' with beautiful bright letters, richly painted. The
brothers admiring it very much, their mother said, 'I will give it to
that one of you four princes who first learns to read.' ALFRED sought
out 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 with
the Danes. He made some treaties with them too, by which the false Danes
swore they would quit the country. They pretended to consider that they
had taken a very solemn oath, in swearing this upon the holy bracelets
that they wore, and which were always buried with them when they died;
but they cared little for it, for they thought nothing of breaking oaths
and treaties too, as soon as it suited