“To my country do I consecrate this weapon,” said he solemnly. “May God judge me if it be lifted other than in her service.”
“May He help you to keep that vow, my son,” said Alfred.
And the years have proven how nobly the boy fulfilled his oath.
[CHAPTER XVIII—PEACE]
By the treaty of peace between Alfred and Athelstan drawn up by the witanagemot or the Saxon parliament which convened at Wedmore after the baptism of the Danes, the boundaries of the two kingdoms were defined. A line beginning at the mouth of the Thames, and running along the river Lea to its source, and turning at Bedford to the right along the Ouse as far as Watling street was to make the division. The part which was north of the line being the Danish kingdom and called Danelagh, while all south of the line was the kingdom of the Saxons. According to this arrangement a large portion 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; although in their own kingdom the Danes were to be governed by their own laws.
Athelstan was to remain king of the Danes but to Alfred tribute was to be paid as over lord. As soon as peace had been concluded, Alfred turned his attention to the internal affairs of his kingdom. The lessons of the invasion had not been lost, and he proceeded at once to put the country into a complete state of defence. Old fortifications were repaired and new ones raised in suitable localities. Flocks and herds again grazed in the pastures, herds of swine roamed in the woods, fields were cultivated, houses rebuilt, and the country entered upon an era of unprecedented prosperity.
The fleet was brought into a state of great efficiency, and it was Alfred who at this time laid the foundation for England’s future supremacy on the seas. The land had been infested by robbers, but the king cleared the land of these by stringent laws which forced them either to leave the country or become peaceful and law-abiding citizens.
The laws were not neglected, and the indefatigable king revised the code, striking out those which availed not for the time, and adding others; the whole approved by his witan. He exerted the utmost care that justice should be administered to all impartially. He encouraged commerce, and took a lively interest in geographical discovery.
The king’s heart had been grieved at the depth of the popular ignorance, and to the mitigation of this dark feature of his country did he also direct his attention. It had been his testimony that south of the Thames not even the priests understood the ritual of the church, or the meaning of the prayers which they repeated. It was one of his strongest and most cherished desires that every free-born youth should qualify himself to read English correctly.