he town before
the pirates, and when the latter arrived they found a strong force
drawn up to give them battle. A short struggle took place. More
than half of the pirates were slain and the remainder were taken
prisoners.

After the prisoners had been secured the English ships that were
stationed on the coast attacked the pirate fleet and destroyed
it.

II

Edward took part in the events upon which Shakespeare, five hundred
years later, founded his famous tragedy of "Macbeth."

There lived in Scotland during his reign an ambitious nobleman
named Macbeth, who invited Duncan, the King of Scotland, to his
castle and murdered him. He tried to make it appear that the murder
had been committed by Duncan's attendants and he caused the king's
son and heir, Prince Malcolm, to flee from the land. He then made
himself king of Scotland.

Malcolm hastened to England and appealed to King Edward for help.

When the king was told the number of soldiers Malcolm would probably
need he gave orders for double that number to march into Scotland.
Malcolm with this support attacked Macbeth, and after several
well-fought battles drove the usurper from Scotland and took possession
of the throne.

Edward did a great deal during his reign to aid the cause of
Christianity. He rebuilt the ancient Westminster Abbey in London
and erected churches and monasteries in different parts of England.

Edward was long supposed to have made many just laws, and years after
his death the English people, when suffering from bad government,
would exclaim, "Oh, for the good laws and customs of Edward the
Confessor!" What he really did was to have the old laws faithfully
carried out.

He died in 1066 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

KING FROM 1066-1087

I

On the death of Edward the Confessor the throne of England was claimed
by William, Duke of Normandy.

When Edward took refuge in Normandy after the Danes conquered England,
he stayed at the palace of William. He was very kindly treated
there, and William said that Edward had promised in gratitude that
William should succeed him as king of England.

One day in the year 1066 when William was hunting with a party of
his courtiers in the woods near Rouen, a noble came riding rapidly
toward him shouting, "Your Highness, a messenger has just arrived
from England, bearing the news that King Edward is dead and that
Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, has been placed on