The Saxons, being pagans, persecuted the Christians, and seem at length to have nearly extirpated their religion. The people then became worshippers of the false gods of the Saxons.

When the Romans possessed Britain they doubtless brought the intelligence of Christianity with them, and Christian converts must have been made in Britain, but how much this Christianity prevailed is not now known. The Saxon masters of Britain brought with them the tyranny of ignorance and of physical power; and Christianity was so little regarded after the time of the Saxon domination, that the popes of Rome considered Britain among the waste places of heathenism, and sent thither one of the first Christian missions upon record.

About the year 596 Pope Gregory I. sent St. Augustine, or Austin, with forty monks, to instruct the people of Britain in the Christian religion. England and Wales were divided into different principalities at that time. Ethelred, king of Kent, was among the first proselytes of Augustine, and became an important aid to his purposes. Augustine was a spiritual governor as well as teacher, and he baptized converts, and established churches and ministers from Kent to Northumberland; he also penetrated into Wales, where he found a form of Christianity more simple than the Romish faith. It had been learned in the second century after Christ from the Romans, and was still cherished.

Augustine expected to be acknowledged by all the inhabitants of Britain, as head of the English church under the pope. The Welsh, not comprehending the authority of the pope and Saint Austin, thought fit to reject it, and the saint denounced vengeance upon them. A king of Northumberland took upon himself the accomplishment of this prophecy, and without affording them time for defence, slaughtered about twelve hundred of the Welsh Christians. Fear, as well as confidence, served to establish the Catholic religion,

What was the state of Christianity under the Saxons in Britain, and who revived it?

Who was St. Augustine?

Did the Britons universally receive the Catholic doctrines?

and after the sixth century it was acknowledged in Britain, by the kings and the people.

The heptarchy was at last put an end to by Egbert, who is commonly considered the first king of all England': but, in fact, some of the kingdoms still remained, though he made them tributary. Towards the end of his reign, the Danes began to make irruptions into England; and during the reigns of Ethelwolf, the son, and Ethelred, the grandson, of Egbert, they came so frequently, and in such formidable numbers, that they nearly overran the whole kingdom. Ethelred was killed in a battle with them, and left his kingdom, in 871, to his brother Alfred, one of the best and greatest kings mentioned in history.

CHAP. III.

Among the best examples of virtue recorded in history, is the character of Alfred, one of the Saxon kings of England. This prince was born in 849, at a place called Wannating, which is supposed to have been that which at present bears the name of Wantage in Berkshire, England.

Alfred had two brothers older than himself, the elder of whom, according to the law and custom of that time in England, was entitled to become king on the death of his father; but king Ethelwolf, for that was, their father's name, disregarded the right of the eldest son, and determined, when he was no more than four years old, that Alfred should be his successor. As he was not the heir to the crown according to the law, King Ethelwolf did an act of injustice to the brothers of young Alfred when he allotted the crown to that prince.

Ethelwolf could not have declared this arbitrary intention, if there had not been another prince in Europe who

How did the heptarchy terminate?

What sort of man was the Saxon king Alfred ?

Did Alfred come to the crown of England by regular succession? By whose authority was Alfred made king?

paid no respect to the laws of any country, but gave kingdoms to whom he pleased, and the people of all civilized Europe submitted to his will. This was the Pope. Ethelwolf obtained the consent of the Pope to his project of setting aside the claim of his eldest son, and in order to engage the Pope's favour more particularly in Alfred's be half, in 853, sent that prince to Rome, where his Holiness, as the Pope is called, resided.

Alfred was anointed king of England by the Pope, and afterwards returned to his kingdom. Anointing is a ceremony performed upon kings, at the season of introducing them to their great office.

Two years after Alfred's first visit to Rome, he accompanied his father, and went thither a second time. A sensible person, who has written the history of Alfred, supposes that the public buildings, and other splendid and curious objects which he saw at Rome in this second visit, were ever after remembered by him, and that the remembrance of them inspired the designs which he afterwards in some measure effected, of improving his native country.

When the Saxons conquered Britain, after the Romans had left it, they were too ignorant, ferocious, and cruel, to regard the useful and comfortable arts of the Romans. They treated the Britons so ill, and kept them so constantly at war with one another, that, except roads and fortifications, they destroyed all which their predecessors had done; so that when Alfred was young the country was in a ruined

state.

Alfred's mother died when he was a very little child. On the return of Ethelwolf from Italy, he married Judith, daughter of Charles the Bald, then king of France. The Franks were originally a tribe of Germans, more improved and civilized than the other tribes; they established themselves in the ancient Gaul, and it received from them the modern name of France. Franks signifies freemen.

Some of Ethelwolf's subjects were offended by his injus tice in preferring the infant Alfred to the proper heir of the

What is anointing?

Where did Alfred form notions of improving England?
What was the condition of England in Alfred's youth?
Who was Alfred's step-mother, and who were the Franks?
Did the English people readily accept of Alfred for their king?

throne. While Ethelwolf was absent in Italy, these disaffected subjects proposed to make the prince Ethelbald king in his father's place; but others formed a plan to divide the kingdom between the father and son. Ethelbald did not discourage these projects, and when the king became acquainted with the undutiful conduct of his son, it is said to have afflicted him so much that he died soon after. Ethelbald survived his father but three years.

Alfred was twelve years of age at the death of his brother Ethelbald: his education had been so neglected that he did not know how to read; but though unable to read, he loved Saxon poetry, to which he always listened with eager attention when others read or recited it. One day, when Queen Judith was sitting in the midst of her family reading a Saxon poem, she observed that the young princes seemed greatly to enjoy it, and she offered to give the book to him who should soonest learn to read it.

The older princes did not think the reward equal to the trouble, but Alfred, after examining the book, resolved to make an attempt to possess it. He found a competent instructor, and applied himself to his work with such diligence, that he was soon able to read and recite the poem to the queen. She kept her promise, and Alfred no doubt valued her gift as it deserved.

Alfred had no sooner acquired the inestimable ability to read, than he found it—what every rational and cultivated person finds it--a source of unfailing occupation and delight, and he never again felt the fatigue of indolence. Alfred always continued to delight in the Saxon poetry, and made a collection of psalms and hymns for his own use. He kept this book in his bosom. Soon after Queen Judith had disposed Alfred to improve himself she returned to France, and left him to advance in learning as well as he was able.

Alfred's brothers did not act with more justice towards him than their father had done to themselves; for they allowed the young prince but a small maintenance out of

Was Alfred's education neglected?

From what beginning did Ålfred learn to read?

Did Alfred profit by the art of reading.

What made Alfred regardless of the neglect of his brothers?

C

the ample property left by Ethelwolf; however, Alfred was too deeply engaged in study to think with much pain of any thing, even the unkindness of his brothers. In the course of his studies, Alfred learned that there was other and far more desirable knowledge than any to be found in the scanty Saxon literature: he discovered that the finest books then in the world, were those written in the Greek and Latin languages.

Before Alfred could read those beautiful and precious books, it was necessary for him to learn Greek and Latin. He earnestly desired to become acquainted with poets, philosophers, and historians, whose thoughts were to him locked up in unknown tongues-but his wishes were in vain. To the royal Alfred, aids to learning that are now in every school-boy's hands, were utterly denied. He not only wanted grammars and dictionaries, but a master capable of teaching him, for not one could be found in the kingdom. He afterwards lamented, as his greatest misfortune, that when he had youth, and leisure, and permission to learn, he could not find a teacher.

From the time of his learning the art of reading to his nineteenth year, Alfred spent almost all his time at his studies. During this period two of Alfred's elder brothers died, and Ethelred, the third brother, came to the throne. Ethelred was not happy in his government, for large numbers of Danes crossed the North Sea, landed in England, and destroyed much of the property, and many of the lives of the English.

All the soldiers that Ethelred could command were notpowerful enough to defeat these cruel enemies. In his distress Ethelred called upon his brother Alfred to assist him. Alfred was mild and peaceable like his father, but he was grieved for the sufferings of the poor English. He resolved if he could, to punish the Danes, and he fought many battles with his brother. About this period he married Elswitha, the daughter of a British nobleman. Ethelred was wounded in battle, and died soon after, in the

year

Was learning easily obtained in England in the age of Alfred?

When did the Danes invade England?

871.

When was Alfred called to defend England?