Simplify the following text for a Grade 5 native English-speaking person.
Original: In 1844 Fontane enlisted in the Prussian army and set out on the first of numerous journeys to England which fostered his interest in Old English ballads , a form he began to imitate .
Simplified: In 1844 Fontane enrolled in the Prussian army and set out on the first of many journeys to England . There he learned about old English ballads .