The Dragon And The Raven: Or The Days Of King Alfred(Fiscle Part-3), G. A. Henty [top business books of all time .txt] 📗
- Author: G. A. Henty
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Although They Were Ten To One Against Us, And They Would
Never Have Triumphed Even Then Had Our Men Listened To Their
Leaders And Kept Their Ranks. I Do Not Believe That Even
The West Saxons Could Have Fought More Bravely Than Did Our
Men On That Day; But They Are Better Organized, Their King
Is Energetic And Determined, And When The Danes Invade Wessex
They Will Find Themselves Opposed By The Whole People Instead
Of Merely A Hastily Raised Assemblage Gathered In The
Neighbourhood."
They Presently Approached Reading, Where There Was A
Royal Fortress, In Which King Ethelred And His Brother Alfred
Were Residing.
"It Is Truly A Fine City," Edmund Said As He Approached It;
"Its Walls Are Strong And High, And The Royal Palace, Which
Rises Above Them, Is Indeed A Stately Building."
They Crossed The River And Entered The Gates Of The Town.
There Was Great Bustle And Traffic In The Streets, Cynings, Or
Nobles, Passed Along Accompanied By Parties Of Thanes, Serfs
Laden With Fuel Or Provisions Made Their Way In From The
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 28Surrounding Country, While Freemen, With Their Shields Flung
Across Their Shoulders And Their Swords By Their Sides, Stalked
With An Independent Air Down The Streets.
The Travellers Approached The Royal Residence. The Gates
Were Open, And None Hindered Their Entrance, For All Who
Had Business Were Free To Enter The Royal Presence And To Lay
Their Complaints Or Petitions Before The King.
Entering They Found Themselves In A Large Hall. The Lower
End Of This Was Occupied By Many People, Who Conversed
Together In Little Groups Or Awaited The Summons Of The King.
Across The Upper End Of The Room Was A Raised Dais, And In
The Centre Of This Was A Wide Chair Capable Of Holding Three
Persons. The Back And Sides Were High And Richly Carved. A
Table Supported By Four Carved And Gilded Legs Stood Before
It. Two Persons Were Seated In The Chair.
One Was A Man Of Three Or Four And Twenty, The Other
Was His Junior By Some Two Years. Both Wore Light Crowns Of
Gold Somewhat Different In Their Fashion. Before The Younger
Was A Parchment, An Inkhorn, And Pens. King Ethelred Was
A Man Of A Pleasant Face, But Marked By Care And By Long
Vigils And Rigorous Fastings. Alfred Was A Singularly Handsome
Young Prince, With An Earnest And Intellectual Face. Both
Had Their Faces Shaven Smooth. Ethelred Wore His Hair Parted
In The Middle, And Falling Low On Each Side Of The Face, But
Alfred's Was Closely Cut. On The Table Near The Younger
Brother Stood A Silver Harp.
Edmund Looked With Great Curiosity And Interest On The
Young Prince, Who Was Famous Throughout England For His
Great Learning, His Wisdom, And Sweetness Of Temper. Although
The Youngest Of The King's Brothers, He Had Always
Been Regarded As The Future King Of England, And Had His
Father Survived Until He Reached The Age Of Manhood, He
Would Probably Have Succeeded Directly To The Throne. The
Law Of Primogeniture Was By No Means Strictly Observed
Among The Saxons, A Younger Brother Of Marked Ability Or Of
Distinguished Prowess In War Being Often Chosen By A Father
To Succeed Him In Place Of His Elder Brothers.
Alfred Had Been His Father's Favourite Son. He Had When
A Child Been Consecrated By The Pope As Future King Of
England; And His Two Journeys To Rome, And His Residence At
The Court Of The Frankish King Had, With His Own Great Learning
And Study, Given Him A High Prestige And Reputation Among
His People As One Learned In The Ways Of The World. Although
But A Prince, His Authority In The Kingdom Nearly Equalled
That Of His Brother, And It Was He Rather Than Ethelred Whom
Men Regarded As The Prop And Stay Of The Saxons In The Perils
Which Were Now Threatening Them.
One After Another, Persons Advanced To The Table And
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 29Laid Their Complaints Before The King; In Cases Of Dispute
Both Parties Were Present And Were Often Accompanied By
Witnesses. Ethelred And Alfred Listened Attentively To All That
Was Said On Both Sides, And Then Gave Their Judgment. An
Hour Passed, And Then Seeing That No One Else Approached
The Table, Egbert, Taking Edmund By The Hand, Led Him Forward
And Knelt Before The Royal Table.
"Whom Have We Here?" The King Said. "This Youth Is By
His Attire One Of Noble Race, But I Know Not His Face."
"We Have Come, Sir King," Egbert Said, "As Fugitives And
Suppliants To You. This Is Edmund, The Son Of Ealdorman
Eldred, A Valiant Cyning Of East Anglia, Who, After Fighting
Bravely Against The Danes Near Thetford, Joined Earl Algar,
And Died By His Side On The Fatal Field Of Kesteven. He Had
Himself Purposed To Come Hither To You And To Ask You To
Accept Him As Your Thane, And On The Morn Of The Battle He
Charged Me If He Fell To Bring Hither His Son To You; And We
Pray You To Accept, In Token Of Our Homage To You, These
Vessels."
And Here He Placed Two Handsome Goblets Of Silver Gilt
Upon The Table.
"I Pray You Rise," The King Said. "I Have Assuredly Heard
Of The Brave Eldred, And Will Gladly Receive His Son As My
Thane. I Had Not Heard Of Eldred's Death, Though Two Days
Since The Rumour Of A Heavy Defeat Of The East Angles At
Kesteven, And The Sacrilegious Destruction Of The Holy Houses
Of Bardenay, Croyland, And Medeshamsted Reached Our Ears.
Were You Present At The Battle?"
"I Was, Sir King," Egbert Said, "And Fought Beside Earl
Algar And My Kinsman The Ealdorman Eldred Until Both Were
Slain By The Danes, And I With Difficulty Cut My Way Through
Them And Escaped To Carry Out My Kinsman's Orders Regarding
His Son."
"You Are A Stout Champion Yourself," The King Said,
Regarding With Admiration Egbert's Huge Proportions; "But Tell
Us The Story Of This Battle, Of Which At Present But Vague
Rumours Have Reached Us." Egbert Related The Incidents Of
The Battle Of Kesteven. "It Was Bravely Fought," The King Said
When He Had Concluded; "Right Well And Bravely, And Better
Fortune Should Have Attended Such Valour. Truly The Brave
Algar Has Shown That We Saxons Have Not Lost The Bravery
Which Distinguished Our Ancestors, And That, Man For Man,
We Are Equal To These Heathen Danes."
"But Methinks," Prince Alfred Said, "That The Brave Algar
And His Valiant Companions Did Wrong To Throw Away Their
Lives When All Was Lost. So Long As There Is The Remotest Chance
Of Victory It Is The Duty Of A Leader To Set An Example Of Valour
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 30To His Followers, But When All Is Lost He Should Think Of His
Country. What Though The Brave Thanes Slew Each A Score Of
Danes Before They Died, Their Death Has Left Their Countrymen
Without A Leader, And By That One Battle The Danes Have
Made Themselves Masters Of The North Of East Anglia. Better
Far Had They, When The Day Was Lost, Retreated, To Gather The
People Together When A Better Opportunity Presented Itself,
And Again To Make Head Against The Invaders. It Is Heathen
Rather Than Christian Warfare Thus To Throw Away Their Lives
Rather Than To Retreat And Wait For God's Time To Come Again.
To Stake All On One Throw, Which If Lost Loses A Whole People,
Seems To Me The Act Of A Gamester. I Trust That, Should The
Time Ever Come, As It Is Too Much To Be Feared It Will Ere Long,
That The Danes Invade My Brother's Kingdom Of Wessex, I
Shall Not Be Found Wanting In Courage; But Assuredly When
Defeated In Battle I Would Not Throw Away My Life, For That
Belongs To Our People Rather Than To Myself, But Would Retire
To Some Refuge Until I Could Again Gather The Saxons Around
Me And Attack The Invaders. I Like The Face Of The Young
Ealdorman, And Doubt Not That He Will Prove A Valiant Warrior
Like His Father. My Brother Will Doubtless Assign Him
Lands For His Maintenance And Yours; But If He Will Let Me I
Will Attach Him To My Person, And Will Be At Once A Master
And A Friend To Him. Wouldst Thou Like This, Young Edmund?"
The Lad, Greatly Pleased At The Young Prince's Kindness
Of Speech And Manner, Replied Enthusiastically That He Would
Follow Him To The Death If He Would Accept Him As His Faithful
Thane.
"Had The Times Been More Peaceful, Edmund," Alfred
Said, "I Would Fain Have Imparted To You Some Of The Little
Knowledge That I Have Gained, For I See An Intelligence In Your
Face Which Tells Me That You Would Have Proved An Apt And
Eager Pupil; But, Alas, In The Days That Are Coming It Is The
Sword Rather Than The Book Which Will Prevail, And The Cares
Of State, And The Defence Of The Country, Will Shortly Engross
All My Time And Leave Me But Little Leisure For The Studies I
Love So Well."
"There Are The Lands," The King Said, "Of Eabald,
Ealdorman Of Sherborne, In Dorset. He Died But Last Week
And Has Left No Children. These Lands I Will Grant To Edmund
In Return For Liege And True Service." The Lad Knelt Before
The King, And, Kissing His Hand, Swore To Be His True And
Faithful Thane, And To Spend Land, Goods, And Life In
His Service.
"And Now," The King Said, "Since The Audience Is Over,
And None Other Comes Before Us With Petitions, We Will Retire
To Our Private Apartments, And There My Brother Alfred Will
Present You To The Fair Elswitha, His Wife."
The Room Into Which Egbert And Edmund Followed The
Part 3 Chapter 3 (The Massacre At Croyland) Pg 31
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