indly, and told him all his dream, and the command of the
Apostles Peter and Paul, and ended with these words: "Now I have done
as the vision bade, and have fetched thee here: tell me, I pray, the
glad tidings which shall bring healing to my body and soul." When
Sylvester heard this speech he was filled with joy and wonder, and
thanked God for the vision He had sent to the emperor, and then he
began to preach to him the Christian faith: he told of the Fall of
Man, and the redemption of the world by the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, of the Ascension of Jesus and His return at the Day of
Judgment, of the justice of God, who will judge all men impartially
according to their works, good or bad, and of the life of joy or
misery to come. As Sylvester taught, the monarch listened and
believed, and, when the tale was ended, announced his conversion to
the true faith, and said he was ready, with his whole heart and soul,
to be baptized.

Constantine Baptized

At the emperor's command, they took the great vessel of silver which
had been made for the children's blood, and Sylvester bade them fill
it with pure water from the well. When that was done with all haste,
he bade Constantine stand therein, so that the water reached his chin.
As the holy rite began a great light like the sun's rays shone from
heaven into the place, and upon Constantine; and as the sacred words
were being read there fell now and again from his body scales like
those of a fish, till there was nothing left of his horrible disease;
and thus in baptism Constantine was purified in body and soul.

[Illustration: They filled the great vessel of silver with pure water]

CHAPTER V: HAVELOK THE DANE

The Origin of the Story

The Danish occupation of England has left a very strong mark on our
country in various ways--on its place-names, its racial
characteristics, its language, its literature, and, in part, on its
ideals. The legend of Havelok the Dane, with its popularity and
widespread influence, is one result of Danish supremacy. It is thought
that the origin of the legend, which contains a twofold version of the
common story of the cruel guardian and the persecuted heir, is to be
found in Wales; but, however that may be, it is certain that in the
continual rise and fall of small tribal kingdoms, Celtic or Teutonic,
English or Danish, the circumstances out of which the story grew must
have been common enough. Kings who died leaving helple