Historical Tales, Vol. 4

Historical Tales, Vol. 4

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Title: Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15) The Romance of Reality
Author: Charles Morris
Release Date: June 5, 2006 [EBook #18511]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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��dition d'��lite
Historical Tales
The Romance of Reality
By
CHARLES MORRIS
Author of "Half-Hours with the Best American Authors," "Tales from the Dramatists," etc.

IN FIFTEEN VOLUMES
Volume IV
English

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
Copyright, 1893, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. Copyright, 1904, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. Copyright, 1908, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.
[Illustration: WARWICK CASTLE.]
CONTENTS PAGE
HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN 9
KING ALFRED AND THE DANES 19
THE WOOING OF ELFRIDA 35
THE END OF SAXON ENGLAND 49
HEREWARD THE WAKE 62
THE DEATH OF THE RED KING 77
HOW THE WHITE SHIP SAILED 86
A CONTEST FOR A CROWN 93
THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION 107
ROBIN HOOD AND THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE 121
WALLACE, THE HERO OF SCOTLAND 136
BRUCE AT BANNOCKBURN 149
THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 162
THE BLACK PRINCE AT POITIERS 174
WAT TYLER AND THE MEN OF KENT 185
THE WHITE ROSE OF ENGLAND 196
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD 213
THE STORY OF ARABELLA STUART 228
LOVE'S KNIGHT-ERRANT 241
THE TAKING OF PONTEFRACT CASTLE 262
THE ADVENTURES OF A ROYAL FUGITIVE 276
CROMWELL AND THE PARLIAMENT 297
THE RELIEF OF LONDONDERRY 305
THE HUNTING OF BRAEMAR 315
THE FLIGHT OF PRINCE CHARLES 324
TRAFALGAR AND THE DEATH OF NELSON 339
THE MASSACRE OF AN ARMY 349
THE JUBILEES OF QUEEN VICTORIA 358

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
ENGLISH.
PAGE
WARWICK CASTLE Frontispiece.
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL 12
AN ANGLO-SAXON KING 19
ELY CATHEDRAL 66
STATUE OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION 116
ROBIN HOOD'S WOODS 123
THE WALLACE MONUMENT, STIRLING 141
STIRLING CASTLE 153
THE PORT OF CALAIS 162
CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME, POITIERS 177
WAT TYLER'S COTTAGE 188
BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES 196
HENRY THE EIGHTH 218
ROTTEN ROW, LONDON 235
THE ROYAL PALACE, MADRID 251
SCENE ON THE RIVER AVON 286
OLIVER CROMWELL 298
EDINBURGH CASTLE 319
THE OLD TEMERAIRE 340
NORTH FRONT OF WINDSOR CASTLE 362

HOW ENGLAND BECAME CHRISTIAN.
One day, in the far-off sixth century, a youthful deacon of the Roman Church walked into the slave-market of Rome, situated at one extremity of the ancient Forum. Gregory, his name; his origin from an ancient noble family, whose genealogy could be traced back to the days of the early C?sars. A youth was this of imperial powers of mind, one who, had he lived when Rome was mistress of the physical world, might have become emperor; but who, living when Rome had risen to lordship over the spiritual world, became pope,--the famous Gregory the Great.
In the Forum the young deacon saw that which touched his sympathetic soul. Here cattle were being sold; there, men. His eyes were specially attracted by a group of youthful slaves, of aspect such as he had never seen before. They were bright of complexion, their hair long and golden, their expression of touching innocence. Their fair faces were strangely unlike the embrowned complexions to which he had been accustomed, and he stood looking at them in admiration, while the slave-dealers extolled their beauty of face and figure.
"From what country do these young men come?" asked Gregory.
"They are English, Angles," answered the dealers.
"Not Angles, but angels," said the deacon, with a feeling of poetic sentiment, "for they have angel-like faces. From what country come they?" he repeated.
"They come from Deira," said the merchants.
"De ira" he rejoined, fervently; "ay, plucked from God's ire and called to Christ's mercy. And what is the name of their king?"
"Ella," was the answer.
"Alleluia shall be sung there!" cried the enthusiastic young monk, his imagination touched by the significance of these answers. He passed on, musing on the incident which had deeply stirred his sympathies, and considering how the light of Christianity could be shed upon the pagan lands whence these fair strangers came.
It was a striking picture which surrounded that slave-market. From where the young deacon stood could be seen the capitol of ancient Rome and the grand proportions of its mighty Coliseum; not far away the temple of Jupiter Stator displayed its magnificent columns, and other stately edifices of the imperial city came within the circle of vision. Rome had ceased to be the mistress of the world, but it was not yet in ruins, and many of its noble edifices still stood almost in perfection. But paganism had vanished. The cross of Christ was the dominant symbol. The march of the warriors of the legions was replaced by long processions of cowled and solemn monks. The temporal imperialism of Rome had ceased, the spiritual had begun; instead of