A beginner's history

by William H. Mace

Makes a treaty with the Danes

The next spring Alfred raised a large army, drove the Danes back, and forced them to make peace. By this treaty, and another later one, the Danes were given that part of England north and west of the river Thames. Alfred and his people ruled over the country south of them. The land of the Danes was called "Danelagh." They soon settled down to till the soil. Years later they became Christians and intermarried with the English.

STATUE OF ALFRED AT WINCHESTER

To protect England from other sea-rovers, Alfred now built many ships, and thus became the father of the English navy. The army was also made larger. Later, Vikings again reached the shores of England, but Alfred's navy beat them off. Peaceful times now gave Alfred a chance to help his people in other ways.

303. What Alfred Did for England. It is difficult to know what the law is if it is not written, and injustice is often done to the people. Alfred now began the work of collecting and changing the laws of England. It is interesting to know what he thought of his work, as shown in his writing: "I, Alfred, gathered these laws together, and commanded many of them to be written which our forefathers held, those which seemed to me good. And many of those which seemed to me not good, I rejected, and in other wise commanded them to be held. For I durst not venture to set down in writing much of my own, for it was unknown to me what if it would please those who should come after us."

Advances learning

In those far-away days learning and schools were found in monasteries and in the churches. When the Danes came they destroyed most of these buildings. The people, therefore, were growing up in ignorance. Alfred felt then, as we feel now, that the people should be educated. So he invited wise men from other countries to come to England to teach his people. He built many churches and monasteries, and set up schools where the people might go to learn. But there must be books for them to read.

The learning of that day was mostly in Latin. Besides the priests and monks very few could read that language. "I wondered extremely," said Alfred, "that the good and wise men who were formerly all over England, and had perfectly learned all the books, did not wish to translate them into their own tongue."