44

THE DANES RENEW THEIR INCURSIONS.-A. D. 980.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Danes renew their Incursions.—They are bribed with money to depart, but appear again the next year.-Peace at length made

with them.

1. It was now a long time since England had been troubled by incursions of the Danes. This was in part owing to the good state of preparation for defence in which the kingdom had been kept, and in part to the fact that the Danes found sufficient employment in another quarter.

2. A body of them, under the command of Rollo, had gained a settlement in France. They were called Northmen, or Normans, by the French, and the district of France in which they settled was hence called Normandy. This settlement employed all their superfluous population for many years.

3. In 980, a small band of adventurers landed upon the coast of England, and, after ravaging the country for some extent, escaped with their booty. These piratical incursions were continued for several years.

4. Emboldened by their success, and encouraged by the distracted state of England, if not by the direct invitation of Dunstan, or of his partisans the monks, for he himself died in 988, the Danes came in 991 with a great force. Ethelred had sufficient warning, and ample time to prepare, but yet had made no provision for defence. Hence he has been called Ethelred the Unready.

5. The Danes advanced into the heart of the country, and Ethelred was obliged to resort to the disgraceful expedient of paying them a large sum of money to go away. This, to be sure, at that time they did; but it was only to return again the next year, in hopes of being again bribed.

6. Ethelred was now better prepared, and would have destroyed their whole fleet, but for the treachery of one of his nobles, who deserted to the enemy, and gave them such information of the plans of the English as enabled them to escape with the loss of only one ship.

7. In their next expedition, the Danes were commanded by Sweyn, their king. They remained two years, pillaging the country in various parts. They were at length induced to depart, by the gift of a very large sum of money. But the kingdom gained only one year's rest from these marauders, for they again returned, and were again bribed to leave the country.

8. Sweyn had a sister named Gunilda, who was a woman of great virtue and abilities. She was married to an English nobleman, and

XXI.-1. What of the Danes? 2. How had they been occupied? 3. When did they reappear in England? 4. When did Dunstan die What was Ethelred called? Why? 5. Ilow were the Danes induced to depart? 6. What was their success the next year!

MASSACRE OF THE DANES IN ENGLAND.-A. I 1002. 45

had become a Christian. She had long beheld with grief and horror the devastations committed by her countrymen.

9. By her intercession, a treaty of peace was made between the English and the Danes. She offered herself, her husband, and her only son, as sureties for the fidelity of the Danes, whose repeated breaches of faith had rendered the English completely distrustful of them.

10. As an additional protection, Ethelred married Emma, daugh ter of Richard, Duke of Normandy, a descendant of Rollo. He was one of the most powerful princes of the time, and, besides, he was himself of Danish origin. There was no hardship in this, for Emma was the most beautiful princess in Europe.

CHAPTER XXII.

Massacre of the Danes in England.—Their death avenged by Sweyn.— Reign of Edmund Ironside.-Canute the Dane conquers England.

1. I CANNOT give you a better account of the condition of England than in the words of a report made to Sweyn by one of his officers: "A country naturally powerful; a king asleep, solicitous only about his pleasures, and trembling at the name of war; hated by his people, and laughed at by strangers. Generals envious of each other; and governors ready to fly at the first shout of battle."

2. But still the measures which had been adopted might have secured peace to England, but for an act of barbarity, as unwise as it was wicked. In the year 1002, the king was persuaded by his counsellors to issue secret orders to his officers, that on the 13th of November, which is the Feast of St. Brice, all the Danes in England should be murdered. The order was barbarously executed. Men, women, and children, fell indiscriminately in the general slaughter.

3. Amongst the victims was the generous Gunilda. The monster, to whose custody she and her family had been committed, first caused her husband and son, though they were English, to be murdered before her eyes.

4. When the assassins approached her, she calmly represented to them the consequences of their conduct. She foretold the total ruin of England, from the vengeance which her brother, who was a great and powerful prince, and to whom she was very dear, would not fail to take. Never was prophecy better fulfilled. A few young Danes were fortunate enough to get on board a vessel, and, setting sail, soon reached their native country.

7. Who commanded the next expedition? 8. What of Gunilda? 9. Who procured peace? Whom did Ethelred marry? What of the Duke of Normandy?

XXII-1. What of England in the time of Ethelred? 2. What barbarous act did the king order? When was it executed? 3, 4. What of Gunilda? 5. What did Sweyn do?

46 DRESS AND AMUSEMENTS OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS.-1006.

5. Sweyn, who had given up all thoughts of making further expeditions, was roused to fury by the news of his sister's death, so faithlessly and ignominiously slain. Collecting a large army, he invaded England. After several years he succeeded in getting entire possession of the country, and was acknowledged as king. Ethelred, with his wife and two young sons, took refuge in Normandy.

6. Sweyn died in 1013. As soon as Ethelred heard of his death, he went back to England, and conducted himself with such unexpected activity and courage, that he compelled the Danes, with their young king, Canute, to return home. If Ethelred had been wise and prudent, he might now have re-established himself upon the throne, but his conduct was such as to alienate the affection of his adherents.

7. Canute now returned, and after the death of Ethelred, in 1016, compelled Edmund, his eldest son and successor, to divide the kingdom with him. Edmund survived this division only one month, when he was murdered by one of his own nobles, and Canute became sole king of England. The great personal courage and hardi hood of Edmund have obtained for him the surname of Ironside.

CHAPTER XXIII.

About the Dress and Amusements of the Anglo-Saxons.-The Gleemen.

1. I WILL now tell you something about the dress and amusements of the Anglo-Saxons. The tunic which they wore very much resembled in its shape the frock worn by our farmers and draymen. These tunics were bound in round the waist with a belt, and usually came no lower than the knee; only kings and nobles wore them down to the feet.

2. People of rank wore, over the other, a short tunic, or surcoat, made of silk, and richly embroidered and ornamented; a linen shirt, shaped much like a modern shirt, was now an indispensable part of the dress of the rich. The poor wore no shirt, and had only a tunic made of coarse cloth. The slaves wore an iron collar round the neck, and were clad in tunics open at the sides.

3. To judge by the pictures we have of the Anglo-Saxons, they appear generally to have gone bareheaded; though they occasionally wore fur caps. The hair was parted in the middle, and hung down on the shoulders in waving ringlets. The beard was shaven on the upper lip, and top of the chin; the rest grew long, was kept very smooth, and was usually divided in the middle and hung down in two points.

What became of Ethelred?

6. When did Sweyn die? What did Ethelred then do? 7. When did Ethelred die? Who succeeded him? What of the kingdom? How did Ed mund die? What is he surnamed? Who was now king of England?

XXIII.-1, 2. Describe the dress of the Anglo-Saxon men. 3. What of the hair and

THE GLEEMEN.-1006.

47

4. The ladies wore a linen under-dress, with long tight sleeves; and over that a wide robe or gown, fastened round the waist by a belt, and long enough to conceal the feet. Their head-dress was a square piece of linen, or silk, so put on as to conceal the hair and neck, and showing only the face.

5. Historians talk of their curls and crisping-pins; but their pictures show us nothing but the face peeping through the folds of their cover-chief; and it ought to be remembered to the honor of the Saxon ladies, that while the men were continually adopting new fashions in dress, there was in three hundred years little or no change in that of the women.

6. Both sexes wore mantles, more or less splendid, according to their rank, and a profusion of gold ornaments, fringes, and bracelets. I had almost forgotten to mention the stockings of the Saxon beaux. They were of gay colors, often red and blue; at one time they crossgartered their legs, as the Highlanders in Scotland still do.

7. The Anglo-Saxon nobles spent most of their revenues in giving great feasts to their friends and followers. These feasts were more remarkable for their abundance than for their elegance. The meat was generally dressed by boiling. It would seem that they had no grates or fire-places, but made a fire on the ground, and placed the kettle over it.

8. At these feasts they sat on long benches, at large square tables, and every person took his place according to his rank. But if any one took a higher place than he was entitled to, he was degraded to the bottom of the table, and all the company had a right to pelt him with bones.

9. These tables were set out with great nicety, and were covered with clean table-linen, and every person had a separate drinkinghorn, for there were no such things as glasses, and his own mess of broth to himself. They had knives and wooden spoons, but the luxury of forks was unknown.

10. We have already told you that the Anglo-Saxons were very ignorant, and could neither read nor write. So you may suppose a great deal of their time hung heavily on their hands; for of feasting, hunting, and fighting, there must be sometimes a cessation. In rainy weather, and winter evenings, when they had played with their dogs, and sharpened their arrows, and brightened their spears, you may suppose they often did not know what to do with themselves.

11. Anybody who could sing a song, or play on the harp, or tell an amusing story, was therefore much courted and valued; and this occasioned some persons to make it their business to learn all these accomplishments. These persons, whom they called gleemen, but who are now usually called minstrels, used to rove about the country, from house to house, and from castle to castle, singing their songs, and telling their stories, which were commonly in verse, and everybody made them welcome, and was glad to see them.

beard? 4, 5. What of the ladies' dress? 6. What of mantles? Stockings? 7, 8, 9. De scribe their feasts, and manners at table. 10. Occupation. 11, 12. Who were gleemen! What made their company acceptable? 13. Whence the name backgammon?

48

ABOUT CANUTE THE GREAT.

12. Even in times of war, when it was dangerous for other people to travel, they went everywhere without molestation; for no one would hurt a poor gleeman, who was always so pleasant and so entertaining a guest. It was in the character of a gleeman that Alfred visited the Danish camp.

13. Sometimes the Saxons amused themselves by playing backgammon, which was invented by the Welsh, and called by them from two words in their language, back cammon, or little battle.

CHAPTER XXIV.

About Canute the Great.-His Rebuke of his Courtiers.

1. THE English showed, at first, some repugnance to accept for their king a foreigner and an enemy; but Canute, who was a wise and powerful prince, reconciled all their differences, and peaceably ascended the throne. The two little sons of Edmund were sent into Hungary, where the eldest died; but the younger, named Edward, lived to grow up, and married Agatha, sister of the Queen of Hungary; you will hear of him again.

2. To show his confidence in his new subjects, Canute sent almost all his Danish troops back to Denmark. He secured himself from

XXIV.-1. What became of the sons of Edmund? 2. How did Canute show his con.