Royal Children of English History

Trouble, thought, and hard work are the only three spells the fairies have left us, so of course he had to use them.

Like most great men, this King Alfred had a good mother. She used to read to him, when he was little, out of a great book with gold and precious stones on the cover, and inside beautiful songs and poetry. And one day she said to the young princes, who were all very fond of being read to out of this splendid book — "Since you like the book so much, I will give it to the one who is first able to read it, and to say all the poetry in it by heart."