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Who wanted souls to tell them each proud

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Responded to the feelings of a King.

Let not the nicely scrupulous exclaim,
"The subtle spy obscures the soldier's fame!"
By art, as well as arms, his foes succeed,
Through foreign art his native subjects bleed.
And, when to bring the Dane to open strife,
For England's welfare, ALFRED risks his life,
The noble issue, and the glorious end,
To which his perilous adventures tend,
Made, in a cause for which he wou'd have died,
The means he used his glory and his pride.

Those means with most deserv'd success were bless'd;

GUTHRUM, in turn, discomfited, distrest,
At EDDINGTON beholds his army beat,
And sues for mercy at the MINSTREL's feet.
Hunted, pursued, by youths whose earlier age
Had seen their parents fall by Danish rage,
The Danes, now suppliant for British grace,
Renounce their Pagan gods, and heathen race;

And

And humbly seek permission to reside

In peace with those whom lately they defied.

"Ye who have view'd, in pleasure's choicest hour,

"The earth embellished on the banks of STOUR; "Where, with pure love of smiling nature warm'd,

"A second Paradise the founder form'd*."

You've seen (not far from where embower'd round, The river's source first glides with trilling sound) On terraced lawn majestically high,

Great ALFRED's Tow's, arrest the wond'ring eye;

Inscribed by truth, a modern race to shew
What solid blessings to his reign we owe.
His first-built NAVY taught us how to sweep,
With flag triumphant, the subservient deep;
His ENGLISH JURY, form'd in happiest hour,
Still guards the innocent from lawless pow'r;
His battles were, as our traditions fix,

(Successful most) in number fifty-six.

Wilts.

Hayley's epitaph on Henry Hoare, Esq. in Stourton church,

VOL. I.

E

Yet

Yet let not here our admiration cease,

Tho' fam'd in war, he lov'd and cherish'd peace.
His aim in battle sought no other plan

But to convince, then bless, his fellow man!
Thy venerable turrets, OXFORD, rose,
From him, who, unsubdued by fiercest foes,
Was great alike in danger and repose.
Philosophy and Christian worth combined
Their vast effects in one capacious mind.
Replete with soUL, the Monarch stood alone,
And built, on freedom's basis, England's throne.
A legislator,* parent,† warrior, sage,
He died " THE LIGHT OF À BENIGHTED AGE."
BEDE and OROSIUS, historians grave,

A Saxon dress the studious Sov’reign gave;

* A very singular circumstance occurs in those laws which the great Alfred formed for the regulation of the English Church. The introduction produces a copy of the Ten Commandments, in which the second has only these words, "Make not thou gods of gold and silver." This alteration was certainly made to favor the literal adoration of paintings and images.

ANDREWS, from SPELMAN.

So little was learning attended to by the great, that Asser, the biographer of Alfred, mentions with amazement, the King having taught his youngest son, Ethelward, to read before he made him acquainted with hunting.

ELFREDI.

BOETHIUS

.

BOETHIUS too, our tongue he taught to speak, And sop's morals, from their native Greek.* Of thirty years in which the land he sway'd, Not one elaps'd but some good laws he made; And proved, as grateful pens record,

There never yet was Britain's lord

Who better knew to rule, or better was obey'd.

* He also rendered the Holy Gospels into the Saxon tongue, in which the Lord's Prayer, (which is inserted here as a specimen of the language of Alfred's day,) stands as follows;

Fæder ure thu the earth on heafenum, si thin nama gehalgod, to be cume thin rice, Gewurthe thin willa on eorthan swa swa on heafenum, urne ge dægwanlican hlaf syle us to dæg; and for gyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgivath urum gyltendum, and ne gelædde thu us on cosenung ac alyse us of yfle. (Si it swa.)

MEDULLA HISTORIE ANGLICANA.

SUMMARY

SUMMARY OF THE REIGN OF

EDWARD SURNAMED THE ELDER.

Born, A. D. 872. Crowned at Kingston-on-Thames, 900-1 Married thrice to English Ladies, first to Edgwina,* by whom he had Athelstan, who succeeded him; Elfred, who died during his father's reign; and Editha, a nun. By Elfleda, or Alfreda, his second Queen, he had Eswald, Edwin, and six daughters. By his third wife, Edgiva, he had Edmund, Edred, and a daughter named Edgina. He reigned 24 years, and was buried at Winchester, 925.

PRINCIPAL EVENTS. Scotland sued to Edward for peace. was obliged to return to allegiance. Ethelbert, repulsed, in attempting to Thurktill, the Dane, subdued.

EMINENT PERSONS.

Wales revolted, and Ethelward, son of obtain the crown.

Ethelflida, sister of Edward, a great warrior, and very instrumental in assisting to gain her brother's victories. Atholme, Archbishop of Canterbury.

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Of the West.-Lewis III. 899. Conrade I. 912. Henry I. 919.

Kings.

Of France.-Charles III. 898. Robert I. 922. Raoul J. 923. Of Scotland.-Donald VI. 898. Constantine III. 909.

* Some historians deny his being legally united to this lady.

EDWARD

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