Introduction
In the reign of Ethelred the Unready (r. 978-1016) Viking raiders harassed the people of eastern and southern England so cruelly that the King bribed them to stop. In a verse contribution to CRL Fletcher’s A School History of England (1911), Rudyard Kipling drew the moral for any nation listless enough to buy a quiet life.
Dane-Geld
A.D. 980-1016
It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say:—
“We invaded you last night — we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away.”
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you’ve only to pay ’em the Dane-geld
And then you’ll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:—
“Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away.”
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we’ve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:—
“We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!”
Précis
In 1911, Rudyard Kipling wrote a short poem about the Danegeld, a bribe paid by Ethelred the Unready, King of England, to the Viking raiders who threatened his realm. Kipling warned that however tempting it might be to buy off one’s enemies like this, one payment was never enough, and only defiance would save the country. (56 / 60 words)
In 1911, Rudyard Kipling wrote a short poem about the Danegeld, a bribe paid by Ethelred the Unready, King of England, to the Viking raiders who threatened his realm. Kipling warned that however tempting it might be to buy off one’s enemies like this, one payment was never enough, and only defiance would save the country.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, if, may, must, or, ought, unless.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Fear. Succumb. Unless.
2 Cash. Game. Path.
3 Fight. Have. Lose.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Found. 2. Rich. 3. Well. 4. Last. 5. Arm.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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