it is many a long year since ; my mother was mak ing a kettle of furmety* Gandelin. I pray thee, hold thy tongue, and let us eat our suppers. Alfred. How refreshing is this new milk, and this wholesome bread! Gubba. Eat heartily, friend. lodge him, Gandelin? Where shall we Gandelin. We have but one bed, you know; but there is fresh straw in the barn. Alfred, (aside.) If I shall not lodge like a king, at least, I shall lodge like a soldier. Alas! how many of my poor soldiers are stretched on the bare ground! Gandelin. What noise do I hear? It is the trampling of horses. Good husband, go and see what is the matter. Alfred. Heaven forbid my misfortunes should bring destruction on this simple family! I would rather have perished in the wood. GUBBA returns, followed by ELLA, with his sword drawn. Gandelin. Mercy defend us, a sword! Gubba. The Danes! the Danes! O do not kill us! Ella, (kneeling.) My liege, my lord, my sovereign; have I found you? Alfred, (embracing him.) My brave Ella! *A corrupt pronunciation of frumenty, which is food made of wheat, boiled in milk.-J. W. I. your troops, that were shut up in Kinwith Castle, made a desperate sally, and the Danes were slaughtered. The fierce Hubba* lies gasping on the plain. Alfred. Is it possible? Am I yet a king? Ella. Their famous standard, the Danish raven,† is taken; their troops are panic struck; the English soldiers call aloud for Alfred. Here is a letter, which will inform you of more particulars. (Gives a letter.) Gubba, (aside.) What will become of us! Ah, dame! that tongue of thine has undone us! Gandelin. O, my poor, dear husband! we shall all be hanged, that's certain. But who could have thought it was the King? Gubba. Why, Gandelin, do you see, we might have guessed he was born to be a king, or some such great man, because, you know, he was fit for nothing else. Alfred, (coming forward.) God be praised, for these tidings! Hope is sprung up out of the depths of despair. O, my friend! shall I again shine in arms,-again fight at the head of my brave Englishmen, and lead them on to victory? friends shall now lift their heads again. Our Ella. Yes, you have many friends, who have long been obliged, like their master, to skulk in deserts and caves, and wander from cottage to cottage. When they hear you are alive, and in * The Danish general. — J. W. I. + The standard of the Danes had a raven painted upon it. — J. W. I. arms again, they will leave their fastnesses, and flock to your standard. Alfred. I am impatient to meet them; my people shall be revenged. Gubba and Gandelin, (throwing themselves at the feet of ALFRED.) Oh my lord !— Gandelin. We hope your majesty will put us to a merciful death. Indeed, we did not know your majesty's grace. Gubba. If your majesty could but pardon my wife's tongue; she means no harm, poor woman ! Alfred. Pardon you, good people! I not only pardon you, but thank you. You have afforded me protection, in my distress; and if ever I am seated again on the throne of England, my first care shall be to reward your hospitality. I am now going to protect you. Come! my faithful Ella; to arms! to arnis! My bosom burns, to face once more the haughty Dane; and here I vow to Heaven, that I will never sheathe the sword against these robbers, till either I lose my life in this just cause, or Till dove-like Peace return to England's shore, HYMN. COME, let us go into the thick shade, for it is the noon of the day, and the Summer sun beats hot upon our heads. The shade is pleasant and cool; the branches meet above our heads, and shut out the sun, as with a green curtain; the grass is soft to our feet, and a clear brook washes the roots of the trees. The sloping bank is covered with flowers; let us lie down upon it; let us throw our limbs on the fresh grass, and sleep; for all things are still, and we are quite alone. The cattle lie down to sleep in the cool shade ; but we can do what is better; we can raise our voices to heaven; we can praise the great God who made us. He made the warm sun, and the cool shade; the trees that grow upwards, and the brooks that run murmuring along. All the things that we see are His work. Can we raise our voices up to the high heaven? Can we make Him hear, who is above the stars? Yes; for He heareth us when we only whisper; when we breathe out words, softly, with a low voice. He that filleth the heavens is here also. May we, that are so young, speak to Him that always was? May we, that can hardly speak plain, speak to God? We, that are so young, are but lately made alive; therefore, we should not forget His forming hand, who hath made us alive. We, that cannot speak plain, should lisp out praises to Him who teacheth us how to speak, and hath opened our dumb lips. When we could not think of Him, He thought of us; before we could ask Him to bless us, He had already given us many blessings. He fashioneth our tender limbs, and causeth them to grow; He maketh us strong, tall, and nimble. Every day we are more active than the former day; therefore, every day we ought to praise Him better than the former day. The buds spread into leaves, and the blossoms swell to fruit; but they know not how they grow, nor who causeth them to spring up from the bosom of the earth. Ask them, if they will tell thee; bid them break forth into singing, and fill the air with pleasant sounds. They smell sweet; they look beautiful; but they are quite silent; no sound is in the still air; no murmur of voices among the green leaves. The plants and trees are made to give fruit to man; but man is made to praise God who made him. We love to praise Him, because He loveth to bless us; we thank Him for life, because it is a pleasant thing to be alive. We love God, who hath created all beings; we love all beings, because they are the creatures of God. We cannot be good, as God is good to all persons every where; but we can rejoice, that every where there is a God to do them good. We will think of God when we play, and when we work; when we walk out, and when we come |