ready for battle. He spoke, and told them what he had seen and heard
in his dream; and when he had fin-ished, they all cheered loudly, and
said that they would follow him and fight for him so long as they had
strength.

So they went out bravely to battle; and they beat the Danes, and drove
them back into their own place. And King Alfred ruled wisely and well
over all his people for the rest of his days.




KING CANUTE ON THE SEASHORE.


A hundred years or more after the time of Alfred the Great there was a
king of England named Ca-nuté. King Canute was a Dane; but the Danes
were not so fierce and cruel then as they had been when they were at
war with King Alfred.

The great men and of-fi-cers who were around King Canute were always
praising him.

"You are the greatest man that ever lived," one would say.

Then an-oth-er would say, "O king! there can never be an-oth-er man so
mighty as you."

And another would say, "Great Canute, there is nothing in the world
that dares to dis-o-bey you."