Alfred the Great

The histories, in fact, of all nations, ancient and modern, run back always into misty regions of romance and fable. Before arts and letters arrived at such a state of progress as that public events could be recorded in writing, tradition was the only means of handing down the memory of events from generation to generation; and tradition, among semi-savages, changes every thing it touches into romantic and marvelous fiction. The stories connected with the earliest discovery and settlement of Great Britain afford very good illustrations of the nature of these fabulous tales.

- Taken from "Alfred the Great" written by Jacob Abbott