Ontario High School History of England . 28 HISTORY OF ENGLAND had few to help him, he worked on without ceasing. Hehad shown himself a soldier; now he showed himself agreat statesman. He framed new laws and saw that theywere enforced; he founded schools; he saw that priests weretrained to teach his people. Since both priests and peoplehad almost lost the knowledge of Latin, he became thefounder of English prose by translating Latin books intoEnglish for their use, among them Bedes historj^, thatthey might know something of their own past. Alfredsdays were very busy, and all his work is pervad
Ontario High School History of England . 28 HISTORY OF ENGLAND had few to help him, he worked on without ceasing. Hehad shown himself a soldier; now he showed himself agreat statesman. He framed new laws and saw that theywere enforced; he founded schools; he saw that priests weretrained to teach his people. Since both priests and peoplehad almost lost the knowledge of Latin, he became thefounder of English prose by translating Latin books intoEnglish for their use, among them Bedes historj^, thatthey might know something of their own past. Alfredsdays were very busy, and all his work is pervaded by thespirit of a true Christian. His laws are mild, in contrastwith the savagery of earlier codes. He was always patientand just. In the annals of mankind there is no nobler figurethan this hard-worked king, whom later Englishmen proud-ly called the Danish, or Viking, Boat AKred was not left to do his work in peace. Danesagain attacked Wessex, but not the Danes who had foundhomes in the north. These, now Christian and owners of agoodly land, had very quickly become one with the was fresh Danish hordes from the wild north-land whocame to attack Alfred, hordes pagan and savage. ThenAlfred saw that he must do more than fight on land, thathe must meet the Danes on the sea. So he planned tobuild a fleet. The Danes came in great open boats, built ona plan which they never thought of changing. Alfred now BRITAIN BEFORE THE CONQUEST 29 did what England has done so often since: he led in buildingboats of a new model. His ships were longer, higher, swifter,than those of the Danes, and he defeated them on the land, too, he made himself strong. The old Englisharmy, known as the fynl, consisted of the freemen, called toarms as need arose. The men left their work to fight, andwhen the fighting ended they went back to their fa
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