them on a piece of firm ground in the midst of a bog in Somersetshire; and prepared for a great attempt for the deliverance of his oppressed people.

6. But, first, as it was important to know how numerous the Danes were, and how they were fortified, King Alfred, being a good musician, disguised himself as a gleeman or minstrel, and went, with his harp, to the Danish camp. He played and sang in the very tent of Guthrum, the Danish leader, and entertained the Danes as they caroused. While he seemed to think of nothing but his music, he was watchful of their tents, their arms, their discipline, every thing that he desired to know.

7. And right soon did this great king entertain them to a different tune; for, summoning all his true followers to meet him at an appointed place, where they received him with joyful shouts and tears, as the monarch whom many of them had given up for lost or dead, he put himself at their head, marched on the Danish camp, defeated the Danes with great slaughter, and besieged them for fourteen days to prevent their escape.

8. But, being as merciful as he was brave, he then, instead of killing them, proposed peace: on condition that they should altogether depart from that Western part of England, and settle in the East; and that Guthrum should become a Christian. At his baptism, King Alfred was his godfather. And Guthrum was an honorable chief, who well deserved that clemency; for ever afterwards he was loyal and faithful to the king. The Danes under him were faithful too. They plundered and burnt no more, but worked like honest men.

9. As great in peace as he was great in war, King Alfred never rested from his labors to improve his people. He loved to talk with clever men, and with travelers from foreign countries, and to write down what they told him, for his people to read. He had studied Latin after learning

to read English, and now another of his labors was, to translate Latin books into the English-Saxon tongue, that his. people might be interested, and improved by their contents.

10. He made just laws, that they might live more happily and freely; he turned away all partial judges, that no wrong might be done them; he was so careful of their property, and punished robbers so severely, that it was a common thing to say that under the great King Alfred garlands of golden chains and jewels might have hung across the streets, and no man would have touched one.

11. He founded schools; he patiently heard causes himself in his Court of Justice; the great desires of his heart were, to do right to all his subjects, and to leave England better, wiser, happier in all ways, than he found it. His industry in these efforts was quite astonishing. Every day he divided into certain portions, and in each portion devoted himself to a certain pursuit.

12. All this time, he was afflicted with a terrible unknown disease, which caused him violent and frequent pain that nothing could relieve. He bore it, as he had borne all the troubles of his life, until he was fifty-three years old; and then, having reigned thirty years, he died. He died in the year nine hundred and one; but, long ago as that is, his fame, and the love and gratitude with which his subjects regarded him are freshly remembered to the present hour.

Charles Dickens.

LVIII. LAWRENCE'S LESSON.

PART I.

at'-tic, a garret; Dachgeschoß.
flag, a marsh plant; Schwertlilie.
per-form'-ance, execution; Verrichtung.
ex-per-i-ment, practical test; Versuch.
meth'-od, manner; Art und Weise.

prac ́-ti-cal, relating to practice, angewandt.

1. It was June when Lawrence came to the pond-side to live. His uncle's house stood on a high green bank; and his aunt gave him an attic room with a window that looked out upon the water. The winding shores were fringed with flags and willows, or overhung by shady groves; and all around were orchards and gardens and meadows.

2. A happy boy was Lawrence, for he was passionately fond of the water, and he had never lived so near a pond before. The scene from his window was never twice the same. Sometimes the pond was like glass, mirroring the sky and the still trees. Sometimes light breezes swept over it, and sailboats rode the dancing waves. Then there were the evenings, when clouds of the loveliest colors floated over it, and the moon rose and silvered it; and the mornings, when all the splendors of the new risen sun were reflecting into Lawrence's chamber.

3. Whenever he had a leisure hour-for he went to school, and worked in the garden-he was to be seen rambling by the shore, or rowing away in his uncle's boat; and he found that the faithful performance of his tasks made his sports all the sweeter for him.

4. As children who play about the water are always in more or less danger of falling into it, Lawrence's uncle had lost no time in teaching him to swim. "The first thing for you to learn," said the doctor-for his uncle was a physician-"is confidence. Plunge your head under water.”

Lawrence did so, and came up with dripping hair and face, gasping. The doctor made him repeat the exercise until he neither gasped nor choked.

5. "That does not hurt you, does it? No. Neither will it hurt you if you sink to the bottom, for you can hold your breath; the water is shallow, and, besides, I am here to help you. Now try to take a single stroke, just as the frogs do. Throw yourself boldly off your feet, and don't be afraid of sinking."

Lawrence, after considerable hesitation, tried the experiment, and found that he could swim a single stroke, and come down upon his feet again without drowning. He tried it again and again, delighted at his success.

6. "That will do for this lesson," said his uncle. You have been long enough in the water. Swimming is a fine exercise for boys, and the bathing is good for them; but they often make the mistake of staying too long in the water. Especially at first you must be careful; after you get used to it, you can stay in longer. Never go in when you are overheated; or if you do, come out again immediately, and continue exercising, so as to keep the pores of your skin open."

7. Lawrence learned, in his next lesson, to swim two strokes, and in a few days he could swim a rod. His uncle then taught him how to dive.

"You must avoid falling flat on the water; for if you do so, from any great height, it will beat the breath out of your body almost as suddenly as if you struck a board. Learn to keep your eyes open under the water. Some people's nostrils are so large that the water gets into their heads when they dive; if that is the case with yours, it will be well to stuff a little cotton into it."

8. Lawrence found no trouble of that kind. He was soon able to dive, and pick up pebbles, and to swim beneath the surface. His uncle then taught him how to save a drowning person.

"If he is still struggling, you must not let him get hold of you, or he will very likely cause you to drown with him. The safest and readiest method is to pull him up by his hair. Be sure and keep behind him as you bring him to the surface. Do not try to do more than to lift his face out of water, as you swim with him to the shore. The human body is so light in the water that it may be supported at the surface by a very slight effort; but it is hard to keep any portion of it much above the surface."

9. "But what shall I do after I get him to the shore?" asked Lawrence.

"That is something very important to learn, which you will very likely find useful some day, if you live near this pond. Three young people have been drowned in it within five years, two of whom at least might have been saved from death, had the persons with them known how to get them out of the water, or what to do with them after they had got them out."

10. "I wish you would teach me that," said the boy. "Very well; I'll give you a practical lesson before long.” Accordingly, a few days afterwards, the doctor met Lawrence and his companions as they were coming up from the water, and, seizing his nephew, exclaimed, "You have been drowned, have you?"

"Not to my knowledge," said Lawrence laughing.

11. "Yes; you fell from the boat just now, getting water-lilies. You know how to swim, but you got tangled among the weeds, and were three minutes under water. You have just been fished out, and brought to shore. Lie down, sir, for a drowned boy has no business on his feet."

LIX.-LAWRENCE'S LESSON.

PART II.

cir-cu-la-tion, act of moving in a circle; Umlauf.

im-pede', to hinder; hindern.

car'-bon, pure charcoal; Kohlenstoff.

ox'-y-gen, a gaseous element; Sauerstoff.

swoon, a fainting fit; Ohnmacht.

stim'-u-late, to rouse; anreizen.

sen'-si-tive-ness, ability of feeling; Empfindungsfähigkeit.

charge, to load; füllen; beladen.

com-press', to press together; zusammendrücken.

ar-ti-fi'-cial, caused by human skill and labor; künstlich.

prompt'-i-tude, quickness of decision and action; Raschheit. pre-vent', to hinder; abwenden; vorbeugen.