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claim, right. real, true.
commerce, trade. refuge, shelter.
league, union. swamps, mashy land; bog.
nearly related, of the same kindred. voyages, journeys by sea.
1. For the next two hundred years, the English were at war with the Norsemen, or Danes, whose dragon-shaped galleys had been the terror of their coasts for forty years. The Danes were nearly related to the English. If we call the Angles and the Saxons brothers, we may call the Danes their cousins.
2. The Kings who fought best with the Danes were Alfred the Great and Æthelstan. Alfred was twenty-one when he became King. The first seven years of his reign were spent in fighting with the Danes. They pressed him so hard that he was at last forced, with a few followers, to take refuge in the island of Athelney,
amid the swamps of Somersetshire. There he lived in the cottage of a shepherd. The shepherd's wife did not know who he was, and one day she scolded him for allowing some cakes to burn which she had set him to watch.
ALFRED THE GREAT.
3. After a time, more of his own people joined him, and he began to take heart again. He resolved to gather all the forces he could, and to attack the Danes. In order to find out the strength of the enemy and their plans, he is said to have gone into their camp at Ethandune,
dressed like a harper. Returning to his own men, he attacked the Danes, and smote them so sorely that they were glad to yield.
4. Æthelstan was Alfred's grandson. In his reign the Danes formed a league with the King of Scots and some Welsh princes who were alarmed at Æthelstan's growing power. Æthelstan met them at Brunanburh,
and gained a great victory.
5. Thereafter AEthelstan reigned in peace. He was one of the ablest and wisest of the early English princes, and he was the fi rst who had any real claim to the title of King of all England. He also encouraged commerce by granting the title of Thane (or noble) to every merchant who had made three voyages in his own ships.
中文阅读
1. 在接下来的两百年里，英国人几乎都在与古挪威人或者说丹麦人打仗，他们的龙形战舰在长达四十年的时间里一直是英国海岸的最大边患。丹麦人可以说是英国人的亲戚。如果把盎格鲁人和撒克逊人比作亲兄弟的话，丹麦人就可以算是咱们的表亲了。
2. 抗击丹麦人最不遗余力的两位国王分别是阿尔弗雷德大帝和埃塞斯坦国王。阿尔弗雷德登基时才21岁，其当政的前七年全在抗击丹麦人。但由于丹麦人的攻势很凌厉，阿尔弗雷德实在无力支撑。公元871年，他不得不跟着一帮人到阿塞尔内岛
暂时躲避，隐藏在萨默塞特郡的无边沼泽之中。在那里，他住在一个放牛人的小木屋里，牧人的老婆完全不知道他是谁。有一天，她让他负责看管正在烤制的面包，结果烤糊了，她把他狠狠臭骂了一顿。
3. 一段时间以后，跟从他的人逐渐多了起来，他也便重拾信心，全力整合他能调动的所有资源，准备与丹麦人一决雌雄。据说他为了刺探敌人的作战计划和兵力优势，还专门装扮成一个竖琴师潜入位于艾珊顿
的敌营，回来之后便立即对丹麦人发动了进攻，丹麦人一溃千里，只得乖乖投降。
4. 埃塞斯坦是阿尔弗雷德的孙子。他在位期间，丹麦人与苏格兰国王及一些威尔士王族结成联盟，向他正在壮大中的权力进行无情挑衅。于是埃塞斯坦与他们在布鲁南博
打了一仗，并大获全胜。
5. 从此之后，埃塞斯坦在位期间一直天下承平，国泰民安。他是英国早期君主中最能干且最贤明的一位，也是第一位名副其实的英国国王。埃塞斯坦曾大力鼓励商业贸易，如果商人能驾驶自己的船舶出海进行三次贸易航行，他便会授予其爵位，以表彰其商业贡献。