True Stories of Wonderful Deeds | Page 9

day they shall be taught to know God, and then indeed they
shall be angels," said Gregory.

Now Gregory did not go away and forget this. When he became a great
man and Bishop of Rome, he sent a good preacher, named Augustine,
to England, to preach to the people there, and to teach them to be
Christians.
[Illustration: THE ENGLISH PRISONERS AT ROME]

=Hereward the Wake=
When William of Normandy came over the sea, and took the crown of
England, many English people would not call him king. The young lord
Hereward was one of these. He and his men made for themselves a
"Camp of Refuge" among the reeds and rushes on the marshes. All day
they lay there, hidden from view by the mists which rose from the
watery ground, and at night they came out, and attacked the Normans
in their tents, and burned their towns.
Hereward was called "the Wake" because he was so watchful and
wide-awake that the Normans could not catch him. They were always
trying to find him, but they did not know the safe paths over the
marshes which he and his men used, and when they tried to cross, they
sank with their horses in the soft muddy ground, and had to turn back.
But at last a false friend of the English showed them the way to the
"Camp of Refuge", and then Hereward had to flee to save his life. He
went with a few friends to the sea-shore, and there he found some
fishermen who were going to sell fish to the Norman guards in an
English town.
The fishermen took Hereward and his men into their boats, and covered
them with straw; then they set sail. The Norman guards bought the fish
as usual, and had it served for dinner. While they were eating it, the
English soldiers came quietly from the boats, and killed most of them
before they could get their swords to defend themselves. When the
English people in the place saw this, they gladly joined Hereward and
made him master of their town.

[Illustration: HEREWARD AND HIS MEN ATTACK THE
NORMANS]

=Canute=
There was once a king of England, named Canute, who was a brave and
clever man. But he had many lords in his court who were very foolish.
They feared their master, and wished to please him, and because they
knew that he was somewhat vain of his strength and cleverness, they
thought he would like to be told that he was great, and wise, and
powerful.
So they praised him every day, and told him that all he did and all he
said was good. They said he was the greatest king on earth, and there
was nothing in the world too hard for him to do if he chose. At last
King Canute tired of their vain words.
One day, as he walked with his lords on the sea-shore, one of them told
him that even the waves would obey him.
"Bring a chair," said Canute, "and place it close to the water."
The chair was brought, and set upon the sand, and the king sat down
and spoke to the waves.
"I command you to come no farther," cried he.
But the waves came on and on, until they wetted Canute's feet, and
splashed his chair.
Then the king rose and went to his lords, who were standing a little
way off, staring at their master, and talking in low tones about his
strange conduct.
"Learn from this to keep your tongues from idle praise," said he sternly.
"No king is great and powerful but God. He only can say to the sea:
'Thus far shalt thou come, and no farther.'"

[Illustration: CANUTE ORDERS THE TIDE TO STOP]

=The Brave Men of Calais=
Many years ago, King Edward III of England took the town of Calais
from the French king. He could not take it by force, for the walls were
very strong, but he succeeded by another plan. He placed his soldiers
all round the walls, and would let no one go into the town to take food
to the people. Inside the walls, the people waited bravely, but at last all
their food was eaten, and then they knew that if they tried to hold the
town any longer they would starve.
So the governor sent word to King Edward that he would give up the
city, and begged him to have mercy on the people.
But Edward was angry. "Tell your masters," said he to the messenger,
"that I will not spare the people unless six of the chief men come out to
me, with their feet bare, and ropes around their necks."
At this sad news, the poor starving people cried aloud. But