An Island Story, H. E. Marshall [learn to read books txt] 📗
- Author: H. E. Marshall
- Performer: -
Book online «An Island Story, H. E. Marshall [learn to read books txt] 📗». Author H. E. Marshall
An Island Story
A History of England
for Boys and Girls
By H. E. Marshall
New York
Frederick A. Stokes Company
Publishers
copyright, 1920, by
Frederick A. Stokes Company
All Rights Reserved
TO
SPEN AND VEDA
HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE WRITTEN
“WHAT a funny letter, Daddy,” said Spen, as he looked at the narrow envelope which had just arrived, and listened to the crackle of the thin paper.
“Do you think so?” said Daddy. “It is from home.”
“From home!” said Spen, laughing, “why, Daddy, this is home.”
“I mean from the old country, Spen.”
“The old country, Daddy?” said Veda, leaving her dolls and coming to lean against her father’s knee, “the old country? What do you mean?”
“I mean, ‘the little island in the west’ to which we belong, and where I used to live,” said Daddy.
“But this is an island, a great big one, Mother says, so how can we belong to a little island?” asked Spen.
“Well, we do—at least, the big island and the little island belong to each other.”
“Oh, Daddy, do ‘splain yourself, you are not ‘splaining yourself at all,” said Veda.
“Well,” said Daddy with a sigh, “long, long ago—”
“Oh!” said Spen, “it’s a story,” and he settled himself to listen.
“Yes,” said Daddy, “it’s a story, and a very long one, too. I think I must ask some one else to tell it to you.”
And Daddy did ask some one else, and here is the story as it was told to Spen and Veda. I hope it will interest not only the children in this big island, but some of the children in “the little island in the west,” too.
I must tell you, though, that this is not a history lesson, but a story-book. There are many facts in school histories, that seem to children to belong to lessons only. Some of these you will not find here. But you will find some stories that are not to be found in your school books,—stories which wise people say are only fairy tales and not history. But it seems to me that they are part of Our Island Story, and ought not to be forgotten, any more than those stories about which there is no doubt.
So, although I hope you will not put this book beside your school books, but quite at the other end of the shelf, beside Robinson Crusoe and A Noah’s Ark Geography, I hope, too, that it will help you to like your school history books better than ever, and that, when you grow up, you will want to read for yourselves the beautiful big histories which have helped me to write this little book for little people.
Then, when you find out how much has been left untold in this little book, do not be cross, but remember that, when you were very small, you would not have been able to understand things that seem quite simple and very interesting to you as you grow older. Remember, too, that I was not trying to teach you, but only to tell a story.
H. E. MARSHALL.
AN ISLAND STORY
THE STORIES OF ALBION AND BRUTUS
ONCE upon a time there was a giant called Neptune. When he was quite a tiny boy, Neptune loved the sea. All day long he played in it, swimming, diving, and laughing gleefully as the waves dashed over him.
As he grew older he came to know and love the sea so well that the sea and the waves loved him too, and acknowledged him to be their king. At last people said he was not only king of the waves, but god of the sea.
Neptune had a very beautiful wife who was called Amphitrite. He had also many sons. As each son became old enough to reign, Neptune made him king over an island.
Neptune’s fourth son was called Albion. When it came to his turn to receive a kingdom, a great council was called to decide upon an island for him.
Now Neptune and Amphitrite loved Albion more than any of their other children. This made it very difficult to chose which island should be his.
The mermaids and mermen, as the wonderful people who live in the sea are called, came from all parts of the world with news of beautiful islands. But after hearing about them, Neptune and Amphitrite would shake their heads and say, “No, that is not good enough for Albion.”
At last a little mermaid swam into the pink and white coral cave in which the council was held. She was more beautiful than any mermaid who had yet come to the council. Her eyes were merry and honest, and they were blue as the sky and the sea. Her hair was as yellow as fine gold, and in her cheeks a lovely pink came and went. When she spoke, her voice sounded as clear as a bell and as soft as the whisper of the waves, as they ripple upon the shore.
“O Father Neptune,” she said, “let Albion come to my island. It is a beautiful little island. It lies like a gem in the bluest of waters. There the trees and the grass are green, the cliffs are white and the sands are golden. There the sun shines and the birds sing. It is a land of beauty. Mountains and valleys, broad lakes and swift-flowing rivers, all are there. Let Albion come to my island.”
“Where is this island?” said Neptune and Amphitrite both at once. They thought it must indeed be a beautiful land if it were only half as lovely as the little mermaid said.
“Oh, come, and I will show it to you,” replied she. Then she swam away in a great hurry to show her beautiful island, and Neptune, Amphitrite, and all the mermaids and mermen followed.
It was a wonderful sight to see them as they swam along. Their white arms gleamed in the sunshine, and their golden hair floated out over the water like seaweed. Never before had so many of the sea-folk been gathered together at one place, and the noise of their tails flapping through the water brought all the little fishes and great sea monsters out, eager to know what was happening. They swam and swam until they came to the little green island with the white cliffs and yellow sands.
As soon as it came in sight, Neptune raised himself on a big wave, and when he saw the little island lying before him, like a beautiful gem in the blue water, just as the mermaid had said, he cried out in joy, “This is the island of my love. Albion shall rule it and Albion it shall be called.”
So Albion took possession of the little island, which until then had been called Samothea, and he changed its name to Albion, as Neptune had said should be done.
For seven years Albion reigned over his little island. At the end of that time he was killed in a fight with the hero Hercules. This was a great grief to Neptune and Amphitrite. But because of the love they bore to their son Albion, they continued to love and watch over the little green island which was called by his name.
For many years after the death of Albion the little island had no ruler. At last, one day there came sailing from the far-off city of Troy a prince called Brutus. He, seeing the fair island, with white cliffs and golden sands, landed with all his mighty men of war. There were many giants in the land in those days, but Brutus fought and conquered them. He made himself king, not only over Albion, but over all the islands which lay around. He called them the kingdom of Britain or Britannia after his own name, Brutus, and Albion he called Great Britain because it was the largest of the islands.
Although after this the little island was no longer called Albion, Neptune still loved it. When he grew old and had no more strength to rule, he gave his scepter to the islands called Britannia, for we know—
“Britannia rules the waves.”
This is a story of many thousand years ago. Some people think it is only a fairy tale. But however that may be, the little island is still sometimes called Albion, although it is nearly always called Britain.
In this book you will find the story of the people of Britain. The story tells how they grew to be a great people, till the little green island set in the lonely sea was no longer large enough to contain them all. Then they sailed away over the blue waves to far-distant countries. Now the people of the little island possess lands all over the world. These lands form the empire of Greater Britain.
Many of these lands are far, far larger than the little island itself. Yet the people who live in them still look back lovingly to the little island, from which they or their fathers came, and call it “Home.”
HUNDREDS of years passed after Brutus conquered Albion and changed its name to Britain, during which time many kings and queens reigned over the island. Our great poet Shakespeare has written about one of these kings who was called King Lear. Some day you must read his story.
There were many good and wise rulers among these ancient British kings. But it would take too long to tell of them, so we must pass on to the time when another great warrior heard of the little lonely island and came to conquer it.
The name of this great warrior was Julius C�sar. He was a Roman. At that time the Romans were a very powerful people. They called themselves the masters of the world.
It is true they were very clever. They had taught themselves how to fight, how to make swords and armor, and how to build fortresses, better than any of the peoples who lived then. So it happened that the Romans generally won the victory over all who fought against them.
But they were a very greedy people and, as soon as they heard of a new country, they wanted to conquer it and call it part of the Roman Empire.
Julius C�sar had been fighting in Gaul, or France as we now call it. While there, he heard of the little island with white cliffs over the sea. He was told that the people were very big and brave and fierce. He also heard that it was a rich land full of tin, lead, and other useful metals, and that the shores were strewn with precious pearls. So he resolved to conquer this land and add it to the Roman Empire.
C�sar gathered together about eighty ships, twelve thousand men, and a great many horses. These he thought would be enough with which to conquer the wild men of Britain. One fine day he set sail from France and soon came in sight of the island. The Britons in some way or other had heard of his coming and had gathered to meet him. As he drew near, C�sar saw with surprise that the whole shore was covered with men ready for battle. He also saw that
Comments (0)