historic girls-第4节

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HELENA　OF　BRITAIN：



THE　GIRL　OF　THE　ESSEX　FELLS。



＇Afterward　known　as　〃St。　Helena；〃　the　mother　of　Constantine。＇

A。D。　255。



Ever　since　that　far…off　day　in　the　infancy　of　the　world；　when

lands　began　to　form　and　rivers　to　flow　seaward；　the　little　river

Colne　has　wound　its　crooked　way　through　the　fertile　fields　of

Essex　eastward　to　the　broad　North　Sea。



Through　hill…land　and　through　moor…land；　past　Moyns　and　Great

Yeldham；　past　Halstead　and　Chappel　and　the　walls　of　Colchester；

turning　now　this　way　and　now　that　until　it　comes　to　Mersea　Island

and　the　sea；　the　little　river　flows　to…day　even　as　it　sped　along

one　pleasant　summer　morning　sixteen　hundred　and　forty　years　ago；

when　a　little　British　princess；　only　fairly　in　her　teens；

reclined　in　comfortable　contentment　in　her　gilded　barge　and

floated　down　the　river　from　her　father's　palace　at　Colchester　to

the　strand　at　Wivanloe。



For　this　little　girl　of　fourteen；　Helena；　the　princess；　was　a

king's　daughter；　and；　according　to　all　accounts；　a　very　bright

and　charming　girl　besideswhich　all　princesses　have　not　been。

Her　father　was　Coel；　second　prince　of　Britain　and　king　of　that

part　of　ancient　England；　which　includes　the　present　shires　of

Essex　and　of　Suffolk；　about　the　river　Colne。



Not　a　very　large　kingdom　this；　but　even　as　small　as　it　was；　King

Coel　did　not　hold　it　in　undisputed　sway。　For　he　was　one　of　the

tributary　princes　of　Britain；　in　the　days　when　Roman　arms；　and

Roman　law；　and　Roman　dress；　and　Roman　manners；　had　place　and

power　throughout　England；　from　the　Isle　of　Wight；　to　the　Northern

highlands；　behind　whose　forest…crowned　hills　those　savage　natives

known　as　the　Picts〃the　tattooed　folk〃held　possession　of

ancient　Scotland；　and　defied　the　eagles　of　Rome。



The　monotonous　song　of　the　rowers；　keeping　time　with　each　dip　of

the　broad…bladed　oars；　rose　and　fell　in　answer　to　the　beats　of

the　master's　silver　baton；　and　Helena　too　followed　the　measure

with　the　tap；　tap；　of　her　sandaled　foot。



Suddenly　there　shot　out　around　one　of　the　frequent　turns　in　the

river；　the　gleam　of　other　oars；　the　high　prow　of　a　larger　galley；

and　across　the　water　came　the　oar…song　of　a　larger　company　of

rowers。　Helena　started　to　her　feet。



〃Look；　Cleon；〃　she　cried；　pointing；　eagerly　towards　the

approaching　boat；　〃　't　is　my　father's　own　trireme。　Why　this　haste

to　return；　think'st　thou？〃



〃I　cannot　tell；　little　mistress；〃　replied　the　freedman　Cleon；　her

galley…master；　〃the　king　thy　father　must　have　urgent　tidings；　to

make　him　return　thus　quickly　to　Camalodunum。〃



Both　the　girl　and　the　galley…master　spoke　in　Latin；　for　the

language　of　the　Empire　was　the　language　of　those　in　authority　or

in　official　life　even　in　its　remotest　provinces；　and　the

galley…master　did　but　use　the　name　which　the　Roman　lords　of

Britain　had　given　to　the　prosperous　city　on　the　Colne；　in　which

the　native　Prince；　King　Coel；　had　his　courtthe　city　which

to…day　is　known　under　its　later　Saxon　name　of　Colchester。



It　was；　indeed；　a　curious　state　of　affairs　in　England。　I　doubt　if

many　of　my　girl　and　boy　readers；　no　matter　how；　well　they　may

stand　in　their　history　classes；　have　ever　thought　of　the　England

of　Hereward　and　Ivanhoe；　of　Paul　Dombey　and　Tom　Brown；　as　a　Roman

land。



And　yet　at　the　time　when　this　little　Flavia　Julia　Helena　was

sailing　down　the　river　Colne；　the　island　of　Britain；　in　its

southern　section　at　least；　was　almost　as　Roman　in　manner；　custom；

and　speech　as　was　Rome　itself。





For　nearly　five　hundred　years；　from　the　days　of　Caesar　the

conqueror；　to　those　of　Honorius　the　unfortunate；　was　England；　or

Britain　as　it　was　called；　a　Roman　province；　broken　only　in　its

allegiance　by　the　early　revolts　of　the　conquered　people　or　by　the

later　usurpations　of　ambitious　and　unpincipled　governors。



And；　at　the　date　of　our　story；　in　the　year　255　A。D。；　the

beautiful　island　had　so　far　grown　out　of　the　barbarisms　of

ancient　Britain　as　to　have　long　since　forgotten　the　gloomy　rites

and　open…air　altars　of　the　Druids；　and　all　the　half…savage

surroundings　of　those　stern　old　priests。



Everywhere　Roman　temples　testified　to　the　acceptance　by　the

people　of　the　gods　of　Rome；　and　little　Helena　herself　each

morning　hung　the　altar　of　the　emperor…god　Claudius　with　garlands

in　the　stately　temple　which　had　been　built　in　his　honor　in　her

father's　palace　town；　asked　the　protection　of　Cybele；　〃the

Heavenly　Virgin；〃　and　performed　the　rites　that　the　Empire

demanded　for　〃the　thousand　gods　of　Rome。〃



Throughout　the　land；　south　of　the　massive　wall　which　the　great

Emperor　Hadrian　had　stretched　across　the　island　from　the　mouth　of

the　Solway　to　the　mouth　of　the　Tyne；　the　people　themselves　who

had　gathered　into　or　about　the　thirty　growing　Roman　cities　which

the　conquerors　had　founded　and　beautified；　had　become　Roman　in

language；　religion；　dress；　and　ways；　while　the　educational

influences　of　Rome；　always　following　the　course　of　her　conquering

eagles；　had　planted　schools　and　colleges　throughout　the　land；　and

laid　the　foundation　for　that　native　learning　which　in　later　years

was　to　make　the　English　nation　so　great　and　powerful。



And　what　a　mighty　empire　must　have　been　that　of　Rome　that；　in

those　far…off　days；　when　rapid　transit　was　unknown；　and　steam　and

electricity　both　lay　dormant；　could　have　entered　into　the　lives

of　two　bright　young　maidens　so　many　leagues　removed　from　one

anotherZenobia；　the　dusky　Palmyrean　of　the　East；　and　Helena；

the　fresh…faced　English　girl　of　the　West。



But　to　such　distant　and　widely　separated　confines　had　this　power

of　the　vast　Empire　extended；　and　to　this　thoughtful　young

princess；　drifting　down　the　winding　English　river；　the　sense　of

Roman　supremacy　and　power　would　come　again　and　again。



For　this　charming　young　girlsaid；　later；　to　have　been　the　most

beautiful　woman　of　her　time　in　Englandthough　reared　to　Roman

ways　and　Roman　speech；　had　too　well　furnished　a　mind　not　to　think

for　herself。　〃She　spake；〃　so　says　the　record；　〃many　tongues　and

was　replete　with　piety。〃　The　only　child　of　King　Coel；　her　doting

old　father　had　given　her　the　finest　education　that　Rome　could

offer。　She　was；　even　before　she　grew　to　womanhood；　so　we　are

told；　a　fine　musician；　a　marvellous　worker　in　tapestry；　in

hammered　brass　and　pottery；　and　was　altogether　as　wise　and

wonderful　a　young　woman　as　even　these　later　centuries　can　show。



But；　for　all　this　grand　education；　she　loved　to　hear　the　legends

and　stories　of　her　people　that　in　various　ways　would　come　to　her

ears；　either　as　the　simple　tales　of　her　British　nurse；　or　in　the

wild　songs　of　the　wandering　bards；　or　singers。



As　she　listened　to　these　she　thought　less　of　those　crude　and

barbaric　ways　of　her　ancestors　that　Rome　had　so　vastly　bettered

than　of　their　national　independence　and　freedom　from　the　galling

yoke　of　Rome；　and；　as　was　natural；　she　cherished　the　memory　of

Boadicea；　the　warrior　queen；　and　made　a　hero　of　the　fiery　young

Caractacus。



It　is　always　so；　you　know。　Every　bright　young　imagination　is　apt

to　find　greater　glories　in　the　misty　past；　or　grander

possibilities　in　a　still　more　misty　future　than　in　the　too

practical　and　prosaic　present　in　which　both　duty　and　destiny　lie。

And　so　Helena　the　princess；　Leaning　against　the　soft　cushions　of

her　gilded　barge；　had　sighed　for　the　days　of　the　old…time　British

valor　and　freedom；　and；　even　as　she　looked　off　toward　the

approaching　triareme；　she　was　wondering　how　she　could　awake　to

thoughts　of　British　glory　her　rather　heavy…witted　father；　Coel

the　Kingan　hereditary　prince　of　that　ancient　Britain　in　which

he　was　now；　alas；　but　a　tributary　prince　of　the　all　too　powerful

Rome。



Now；　〃old　King　Cole；〃　as　Mother　Goose　tells　usfor　young

Helena's　father　was　none　other　than　the　veritable　〃old　King　Cole〃

of　our　nursery　jinglewas　a　〃jolly　old　soul；〃　and　a　jolly　old

soul　is　very　rarely　an　independent　or　ambitious　one。　So　long　as

he　could　have　〃his　pipe　and　his　bowl〃　not；　of　course；　his　long

pipe　of　tobacco　that　all　the　Mother　Goose　artists　insist　upon

giving　himbut　the　reed　pipe　upon　which　his　musicians　playedso

long；　in　other　words；　as　he　could　live　in　ease　and　comfort；

undisturbed　in　his　enjoyment　of　the　good　things　of　life　by　his

Roman　over…lords；　he　cared　for　no　change。　Rome　took　the

responsibility　and　he　took　things　easily。　But　this　very　day；

while　his　daughter　Helena　was　floating　down　the　river　to　meet　him

on　the　strand　at　Wivanloe；　he　was　returning　from　an　unsuccessful

boar…hunt　in　the　Essex　woods；　very　much　out　of　sortscross

because　he　had　not　captured　the　big　boar　he　had　hoped　to　kill；

cross　because　his　favorite　musicians　had　been　〃confiscated〃　by

the　Roman　governor　or　propraetor　at　Londinium　（as　London　was　then

called）；　and　still　more　cross　because　he　had　that　day　received

dispatches　from　Rome　demanding　a　special　and　unexpected　tax　levy；

or　tribute；　to　meet　the　necessary　expenses　of