9. Nothing is more interesting in the story we have to tell than the daring exploits of our seamen, by which we have risen to the command of the seas, and are able to sing _Rule Britannia_ with the proud happy feeling that Britannia does indeed still rule the waves, and that as far as in us lies it shall never cease to do so, since it is only by thus "ruling the waves" that we can look to the sea as a friend that unites the whole family of English-speaking peoples, and enables them to aid one another. 10. But we need something warmer than sea-water to unite us all, and make us in heart and mind one people, in whatever quarter of the globe we live, and that is the spirit and sentiment that spring from the fact that we are of kindred race, that we all speak the same language, read the same books, enjoy the same freedom, make our own laws, and passionately love justice and fair-play. We have recently had striking evidence of the warm feeling that pervades the whole empire, and welds its several parts into one. When the Boer war broke out and the British arms met with reverses, the whole empire throbbed with one heart and kindled with one spirit, revealing to ourselves and the whole world that though the British Empire is widely scattered, it is in heart and mind closely united. 11. As a symbol of that unity we have one king, one flag. The king, indeed, is more than a symbol of unity, he is a link, a living link, that actually binds the parts together. Every true Briton, throughout the empire, looks to the sovereign as the head and centre of the national life, from whom all who administer the laws, or exercise command in the army or navy, derive their authority. Whilst the king takes a personal share in the government in the homeland only, he has his representatives who act as governors, in his name, in every province of the empire. The king, therefore, may be regarded as the living link which unites the sundry and sundered parts of his mighty empire. 12. The relation of King Edward to the different portions of his realm is thus expressed in the title which he has assumed: _Edward the Seventh, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King; Defender of the Faith; Emperor of India_. CHAPTER I. England Preparing for Empire (1475-1603). (1) INVENTION OF PRINTING. 1. We will begin our "Story of the Making of the Empire" with that of the _Making of England_, the centre around which the whole empire has grown, and try to show how she was shaped and prepared to be the mother of nations. To become fit for her high calling, it was essential for her to become wise and powerful. And as nothing has contributed more to this end than the spread of knowledge, we will start with the brighter day that dawned upon our land when printing was invented.