Introduction
King Edgar ruled England from 959-975, following his uncle Edred and his brother Edwy. Edgar styled himself ‘Sovereign of all Albion, and of the Sea or Island kings dwelling around the same’; from his people he earned the nickname ‘the Peaceful’ for securing the borders of his kingdom, striking terror into evildoers, and bringing harmony between Englishman and Dane.
IN order to preserve his kingdom from external enemies, Edgar assembled every summer his fleets on each coast of the island. His force consisted of 360 sail, forming three divisions.* With the eastern squadron he moved along the southern coasts to the west: then, dismissing that armament, he proceeded with the western squadron up the Irish channel to the north, where a third division awaited him, with which he coasted the eastern side of the island. The sea-kings were careful to avoid an encounter with this formidable force, and during the reign of Edgar, England remained entirely free from their depredations.
In the winter and spring the king was continually traversing the various provinces of his realm, watching and controlling his great officers, and endeavouring, by punishments of terrible severity, to eradicate crime from the land. “Let this ordinance,” said Edgar to the Danish Witan at York,* “be common to all my people, English, Danes, and Britons, on every side of my dominions, — that both rich and poor possess in peace whatever they lawfully acquire; and that no thief shall know where to secure the property which he has stolen.”
* Doyle’s account follows the testimony of Florence of Worcester (?-1118), though Florence gave ten times the number of ships.
* These ordinances were laid down in the Laws of Edgar, which were taken up by subsequent English law codes. Edgar delivered them to the Danish council (Witan) in person at York (Doyle’s text unexpectedly gives ‘Edwin’ at this point, evidently a misprint). The punishments handed out to wrongdoers were utterly inhumane, and it is perhaps not surprising that once the heavy hand of the the King was taken away at his death in 975, the superficial ‘peace’ of his realm relapsed into chaos. See John Adams on A Moral and Religious People.
Précis
Edgar, the tenth-century King of England, earned the nickname ‘the Peaceful’ by taking his responsibilities seriously. He secured the borders by ceremonially patrolling the coast of Great Britain once every year, and struck fear into the lawless by touring the interior to hear grievances, mete out stern justice, and ensure that English and Danes were governed as one nation. (59 / 60 words)
Edgar, the tenth-century King of England, earned the nickname ‘the Peaceful’ by taking his responsibilities seriously. He secured the borders by ceremonially patrolling the coast of Great Britain once every year, and struck fear into the lawless by touring the interior to hear grievances, mete out stern justice, and ensure that English and Danes were governed as one nation.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: if, must, not, or, otherwise, whereas, whether, who.
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Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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 During. People. Rich.
2 Avoid. Have. My.
3 Assemble. Every. Fleet.
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.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
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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