=303. What Alfred Did for England.= It is difficult to know what the law is if it is not written, and injustice is often done to the people. Alfred now began the work of collecting and changing the laws of England. It is interesting to know what he thought of his work, as shown in his writing: "I, Alfred, gathered these laws together, and commanded many of them to be written which our forefathers held, those which seemed to me good. And many of those which seemed to me not good, I rejected, and in other wise commanded them to be held. For I durst not venture to set down in writing much of my own, for it was unknown to me what if it would please those who should come after us." [Sidenote: =Advances learning=] In those far-away days learning and schools were found in monasteries and in the churches. When the Danes came they destroyed most of these buildings. The people, therefore, were growing up in ignorance. Alfred felt then, as we feel now, that the people should be educated. So he invited wise men from other countries to come to England to teach his people. He built many churches and monasteries, and set up schools where the people might go to learn. But there must be books for them to read. The learning of that day was mostly in Latin. Besides the priests and monks very few could read that language. "I wondered extremely," said Alfred, "that the good and wise men who were formerly all over England, and had perfectly learned all the books, did not wish to translate them into their own tongue." [Sidenote: =Translates Latin books into English=] He now began earnestly the work of making English books for his people. He translated a book containing a history of the world, and an account of two voyages to the north seas. He then put into English the famous book _Bede's History of England_. A book on religion by Pope Gregory the Great, and another of wise sayings, were soon after translated into English. In this way Alfred helped his people to learn to read, and to read good books. The English people have saved these works that their children for many generations to come might learn good things from them. Now, however, they must be translated into the English of our day before most of us can read them, for our language has changed greatly since Alfred's time. Alfred also helped his people to learn new trades, and to do their work better in those trades they already knew. He had skilled workers from other countries come to England to help his people. [Sidenote: =King Alfred's purpose=] Alfred was a true and good man. He loved his home and his people. He said: "To sum up all, it has ever been my desire to live worthily while I was alive, and after my death to leave to those that should come after me my memory in good works." [Sidenote: =His time well-ordered=]