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94
Läsebok. iS:o 94.
the name of Hastings, who had the boldness to sail up the
Thames to Gravesend, with eighty ships. For three years,
there was a war with these Danes; and there was a famine
in the country, tooj and a plague, both upon human
creatures and beasts. But King Alfred, whose mighty heart
never failed him, built large ships nevertheless, with which to
pursue the pirates on the sea; and he encouraged his
soldiers, by his brave example, to fight valiantly against them
on the shore. At last, lie drove 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 Alfred never rested from his labours to improve
his people. He loved to talk with clever men, and with
travellers from foreign countries, and to write down what they
told him, for his people to read. He had studied Latin after
learning to read English, and now another of his labours was,
to translate Latin books into the English-Saxon tongue,
that his people might be interested, and improved by their
contents. He made just laws, that they might live more
happily and freely: he turned away all partial judges, that no
wrong might be done them; he was so careful of their
property. and punished robbers so severely, that it was a
common thing to say that under the great King Alfred, garlands
of golden chains and jewels might have hung across the
streets, and no man would have touched one. He founded
schools; he patiently heard causes himself in his court of
Justice, the great desires of his heart, were to do right to
all his subjects, and to leave England better, wiser, happier
in all ways than he found it. His industry in these efforts
was quite astonishing. Every day he divided into certain
portions, and in each portion devoted himself to a certain
pursuit. That he might divide his time exactly, he had wax
torches or candles made, which were all of the same size,
were notched across at regular distances, and were always
kept burning. Thus, as the candles burnt down, he divided
the clay into notches, almost as accurately as we now divide
it into hours upon the clock. But, when the candles were
first invented, it was found that the wind and draughts of
air, blowing into the palace through the doors and windows,
and through the chinks in the walls; caused them to gutter
and burn unequally. To prevent this, the king had them put
into cases formed of wood and white horn. And these were
the first lanterns ever made in England.
All this time, he was afflicted with a terrible unknown
disease, which caused him violent and frequent pain that
nothing could relieve. He bore it, 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 thirty years, he
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