West-Saxons. The winter was passed in peace, but on the arrival of the spring, in 876, the Danes suddenly left their quarters. They stole away by night, and, boarding their ships, which were always ready for service, they landed in Dorset.

Their coming, as usual, was quite unexpected, and so they were able to seize Wareham, which was well adapted for their purpose, as it was situated between two rivers and was not far from the sea. They at once proceeded to ravage the surrounding district, and met with little resistance. Alfred, in the

previous year, had met the Danes on sea, and with a small fleet he had defeated them, taking as a prize one of their seven ships. But now he felt quite unable to engage the large fleet which had come under the command of three sea-kings. So, very reluctantly, he made peace with them by giving them large sums of money.

According to their custom, they left hostages with Alfred, and promised to take their departure. But so frequently had they broken their promises that Alfred determined to submit them to a very solemn ordeal. First of all he caused them to swear on the relics of the saints; and this was an oath which Alfred held in the highest reverence. Fearing that this would not be sufficient, he made them perform a more impressive ceremony, and one by which they had never allowed themselves to be pledged before. He made them swear, the second time, on a holy ring or bracelet, which had been smeared with the blood of some sacred animals. This was the highest and holiest form of oath used among northern nations.

But Alfred must have known that very little reliance could be placed on any promises made by his enemies. Even after this double oath, and this most solemn ceremony, they stole away the same night in large numbers and attacked a body of English horsemen. They captured the horses, and after a hasty ride they reached Devonshire, and made themselves masters of the city of Exeter. As this place was on a river and not far from the sea, it was exactly suited to their mode of warfare. Here they rested the whole of the winter, and it is said that Rollo, the great sea-rover and future Duke of Normandy, came to their assistance.

CHAPTER XIV.

ENGLAND WHEN ALFRED WAS KING.

WHEN Alfred began to reign, the Romans had left England more than 450 years. In that interval much had happened, for the original inhabitants, the Celts, had been driven into Wales and Cornwall, while the Teutons had peopled the main part of England. During the English conquest, we know that there were many conflicts between the Celts and the conquerors; but by Alfred's time the two races were mixing together, and the consequence was a great change in the English people. With the fancy and wit of the Celt mingling with the energy and earnestness of the Teuton, there was in process of formation a more complex character.

With this change in the people, there had also been a change in the appearance of the country. Probably in Alfred's day not half the soil was cultivated, and means of communication between different parts of the country were not good. The Romans had made some excellent roads, but it does not appear that, in the meantime, these had been improved or increased. As the traveller passed along these roads, the main landscape before him would consist of large forests and vast tracts of moor and of fen. Even the settled districts were surrounded by woods and thickets, whence the farmer obtained wood for his household fire, his fences, and his house-building.

The harbours around the coast were becoming the centres of population and much industry, for the fishers were busy with their nets. Inland, the pastures stretched along the lower slopes of the moorland and formed grazing grounds for the cattle of the people. Near stream and river ran the meadow lands of the homesteads, which for safety were surrounded by ditch and fence. At this time English farmers were common owners of all the meadow and pasture land, as well as of the arable and waste land. Round the homesteads stretched broad acres of corn-land ploughed with teams of

oxen.

There was indeed much life in the little townships the mills were grinding; the hammer was ringing in the smithy from morn till eve; the hall of the lord was in the midst of his demesne, and was known to all the townsfolk; while the little church,

with its parish priest, was constantly calling men to think of higher things.

Not only had the character and mode of life of the people changed in Alfred's time, but a great change had taken place in the moral life of the people. Slavery had once been an institution, now it was declared an evil; once drunkenness and gluttony were praised, now they were denounced. It was formerly the right thing to hate an enemy, now revenge was declared a sin. The influence of the Church and Christianity had made this revolution, and they now sought to control every circumstance of one's life from the cradle to the grave. The church was the scene of the christening, the marriage, and the funeral. No longer was the warrior buried on some lonely hill, but he took his last sleep in the lowly grave beneath the shadow of his village

church.

In some places, however, the old heathenism still cast its blighting influence. The sun, the moon, fire and rivers, wells and great stones were looked upon with reverence almost amounting to idolatry. Witchcraft was not yet dead, for witches and diviners still used their spells. Some of the old heathen ceremonies survived, or were altered to adapt them to the seasons of the Christian Church. Thus the pagan festivals connected with May-games and Whitsun-ales, the bringing in of the boar's head at Yule-tide, were still kept. Such old customs as

whipping the fruit trees in

spring, of eating the

"Easter-hare," and those connected

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with the

Epiphany-fires" were also celebrated. The names

of the days of the week and the names of many places all show that paganism had not lost all its power.

When Christianity was first introduced into our land, the people were preached to and converted by monks or missionaries from the monasteries.

But

after a time each parish came to have its own resident priest, who thus came into touch with all classes of society. To support the church and its priest, the great landowner of the place often set