Comic History of England

fifteen years. His step-mother, Elfrida, opposed him, and favored her own son, Ethelred. Edward wa

ling, and Edward would no doubt have been deposed

, his own eyes still wet with sorrow over the cruel death of Edward. He foretold that

, as it were, stood between the usurper and the peo

say that it was an allopathic pillage would not be an extravagant statement. They were extremely rude people, like all the n

lds of merry England looking like a base-ball ground. So wicked and warlike were they that the s

ut firearms had not been invented at the time of his death. He led the civili

gians against England,

e Danes used to eve

rybody out of house an

ver as the pr

rochet and tat in time of war. He gave these invaders ten thousand pounds of silver at the first,

ting as a business, leaving the ring entirely to Sweyn, his form

Indians of North America. A king who would permit such cruel cuttings-up as these wicked animals were guilty of on the fair face of old E

he Danes continued to make night hideous and elope with ladies whom they had never met before. It was a sad time in the history of England, and po

ian who pens these lines, he would kick the foot-board ou

. Brice, 1002, he gave it out that he would massacre these people, among them the sister of the Danish king, a noble woman

on: ETHELRE

and never yielded till he was, in fact, king of England, while the royal intellectual po

privileges as king, and that, although it was a life job during good behavior, the privilege of beheading him from time to time was and is vested in the people; and even to-day there is not a crowned head

the king can do no wrong." But where education is not repressed, and where that Christianit

ve the Danes, under Canute, back to their own shores. But they got restless in Denm

im. He was called by Dunstan "Ethelred the Unready," and ha

her tardy funeral, the people took oath, som

ting Canute at any place where they could avoid police interference, but Canute

SONS OF EDMUN

on south of the Thames; but very shortly afterwards he was murdered at th

, Canute sent the two sons of Edmund to Olaf, requesting him to put them to death; but Olaf, the king of Sweden, had scruples, and i

iving to the harassed people more comfort than they had experienced

prosperity followed. He was fond of old ballads, and encouraged the wandering minstrels, who entertained the king with topical songs till a late

THE SEA "GOES B

ap for Canute, and thus it happened that her sons again b

asteries, and even went on a pilgrimage to Rome, which i

e approaching tide, and as the water crept up into his lap, he showed them how weak must be a mortal king in the presence of Omnipotence. H

trouble with Malcolm, King of Scotland, but subdued him promptly, and died in 1035,

e English throne, Swey

to the thron

ell-chosen remarks will be made