nothing similar appears to have happened in Britain. It is certain that no native of Britain, under the Roman domination, rose to eminence as an author. The earliest we hear of, connected with our island, is Gildas, who lived and wrote after the Romans had abandoned it, but he was not a man to be proud of. It may, I think, then be assumed as certain that the first prominent appearance of the Saxons in English history may be fixed for the middle of the fifth century. Before that time the barbarian invaders of Britain were the Picts and Scots, who entered it from the north, from beyond the "Wall." The Saxons had been known previously as pirates but not as settlers. In so far the common tradition may be considered as truthful. It is not so, however, with the facts in which this tradition has ordinarily been clothed. The names of Hengist and Horsa can hardly be deemed historic. They are said, like Romulus and Remus, to have been brothers, but their names, both meaning "horse" in certain Low German dialects, could hardly have co-existed in the same family. These names might have had reference to the symbolic horse, so well known among the tribes of Northern Germany, and still retained in the armorial bearings of our county. It is impossible to fix upon the time when the vaguest reports respecting the Saxon invasion were gathered into a more connected body of tradition, and that again into history more or less authentic. We may approximately fix the period between the middle of the fifth and the middle of the sixth century, for the first category; and that between the middle of the sixth and the early part of the seventh century for the second. With the Saxon Chronicle, and the works of Bele, we soon after glide into the light of day, as respects the most important facts of our annals.

It may be impossible to follow out, in detail, the various events which occurred in our island during the early part of what we call the Heptarchy, but which in truth was an Octarchy, and probably indeed comprehended at one time more principalities than eight. We may, however, sketch out, with a very reasonable degree of probability, the great facts which characterized the Saxon invasion.

Consider the condition of England after the year 800.

We know that the population of the whole of southern Britain, excepting Wales, Cornwall, Cumberland and Westmoreland, was Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Danish. The whole population had embraced Christianity, and was governed by laws, many of which have been preserved to our days. In the various monastic establishments Latin literature was cultivated, and there was also a vernacular literature comprehending annals and poetry.

If now we knew exactly what was the condition of Roman Britain, more especially its condition when the western Emperors abandoned it, we should know exactly the changes that had occurred between the middle of the fifth century and the conclusion of the Heptarchal government. But of Roman Britain our knowledge is most imperfect. Let us however form to ourselves as correct a picture as the means in our power permit us to obtain.

When Britain first became known to the Romans it was inhabited by many tribes of a purely Celtic character, but by at least one tribe, the Belgo, who are supposed to have contained a mixture of Teutonic blood. They had emigrated, not long before, from Gaul and Belgium, where kindred tribes were to be found. It does not seem however that the Belgæ could be considered as other than Celts, slightly modified by German influence. The invasion of Julius Cæsar produced no permanent influence on Britain; but in the reign of Claudius, which began A.D. 43, a serious attempt at conquest was made, and in that of Domitian about A.D. 79, Agricola, the father-in-law of the historian Tacitus, appears to have completed the conquest of the country as far as the Grampians. By his directions a Roman fleet circumnavigated the island and discovered, or at any rate revisited, the Orkneys and Hebrides.

The northern frontier of the Roman province frequently varied, but on the whole it receded, first to the line between the Firths of Forth and Clyde, and ultimately to the valley of the Tyne and the Solway Firth, which was defended by a wall strengthened at short intervals by a system of forts. It seems remarkable that a few half-naked barbarians, for

such the inhabitants of Northern Scotland-then called Caledonians-must have been, could arrest the flight of the Roman Eagles. It was not from simple contempt nor from the absence of an effort to subdue them. The Emperor Severus (A.D. 208), a general and a statesman, led a mighty host against them, and was compelled to retreat, after losing a great part of his army, which perished, not from the sword of the enemy, but from famine and disease. A country almost uncultivated, roadless, composed of mountains, forests and marshes, and inhabited by a brave though rude people, defied all the efforts of Roman power. About one thousand years afterwards the attempts of our Edwards were baffled by similar causes. It may perhaps however be more correct to say, that in the second century of our era, the conquering impulses of Rome had ceased to exist. The Emperors strove to protect the provinces they already possessed, rather than to add to their dominions; especially was this their policy when additional conquests could add nothing to their revenues, but might act as a drain upon their exchequer, and demand an increase in their military establishments.

South-Britain, however, was traversed in all directions by roads, furnished with post stations. A number of cities, and of considerable towns, studded the face of the country, and possessed splendid temples, theatres, and other indications of wealth and civilization. These cities contained a large Latin-speaking population, and were the seats of an extensive commerce. The legislation was Roman, and an army, in early times of three legions or nearly 40,000 men, occupied the fortresses and camps, scattered over the face of the land. In later times the military force was diminished. In the fourth century it consisted of only 20,000 men.

These troops, originally all foreigners, remaining as they did for many years at the same stations, must have degenerated into an unwarlike militia, and hence one cause of the feeble resistance which they opposed to the inroads of the barbarians.

Roman civilization however was not confined to the

towns and cities. Scattered over the country were extensive mansions, with fine rooms, fountains, baths, and tesselated pavements, of which remains are found in many parts of England. These imply the existence of a class of wealthy proprietors possessed of taste and refinement.

We know little about the original religion of the Britons, the stories told us of Druids and their rites being in a high degree apocryphal. Whatever it may have been, the Romans either modified, or replaced it, by the introduction of their own mythology. Temples erected for the worship of Jupiter, Diana, and oth. rd ities existed in the British cities.

There can be no dub that Christianity in its steady progress over the Roman world found its way to our shores. We know little as to its influence over the population at large, but at any rate British Bishops are named as attendants at councils held in Gaul.

One remarkable effect of the Roman government, in the provinces, was the utter extinction of the military spirit, and of any sentiment of patriotism among the mass of the population. The system of rule was deadening and oppressive, the financial exactions most severe, and the general result of these causes is to be found in the fact that the barbarians after the defeat or collapse of the imperial armies, although few in number, were allowed to lay waste and finally to establish themselves in Gaul, Spain, and Italy, without any serious attempt on the part of the provincials to resist them. In fact it would seem that any change was regarded by them as likely to be for the better.

The little we know as to the state of our country at the downfall of the Roman dominion evinces, at least, that all military feeling had ceased to exist among the population. What precedes will enable us to form an idea, sufficiently clear, however imperfect, of the state of Britain in the middle of the fifth century.

There was a considerable Latin-speaking population in the towns, but even in them it is probable that British was the ordinary language, and that this language in some of its dialects was generally that of the people, and particularly in the rural districts. Had Latin more generally prevailed,

we should find more traces of it in the Welsh and Cornish. The former of these is a living descendant of the British of Roman times, while the latter has only expired within the last two centuries. The state of civilization, in Roman Britain, was probably inferior to that which existed in the neighbouring countries, on the continent, as has been already observed. The latter produced many distinguished writers, whose names, and in some cases their works, have descended to modern times. Not even the name of any Roman Briton of literary celebrity has survived, if any such ever existed.

Now let us compare the above picture with what we know to have existed after the establishment of the Saxons on our soil. Almost all territorial divisions and their names had been changed. The ancient religions, both idolatrous and Christian, were replaced by the Odinic mythology. We find new laws, new languages, in short every thing new. What does this altered state of things evince ? First, that the Saxon invasion was marked by ravages and massacres of the most horrible character. The old inhabitants, speaking generally, were either slaughtered, reduced to slavery, or driven into flight. All property belonging to them was seized by the invader. The cities, towns, and scattered dwellings in rural districts were laid waste, being generally destroyed by fire, of which traces are almost universally found in their remains. Some of the cities thus destroyed, such as Uriconium, now Wroxeter, Cavella, now Silchester, and Anderida, Pevensey, have never been rebuilt. Others, usually marked by names ending in "Chester" or "Eter," still exist, or like "Sarum" have been replaced by towns growing up in their immediate vicinity. Secondly, the Saxon invasion ought to be regarded as an immigration. The invaders must have brought many women with them. Had they depended for wives on native women, the children would have adopted the language of their mothers and nurses, and the Anglo-Saxon language, if retained, would have contained a large proportion of British or Latin words, which does not appear to be the case. It is this circumstance, the complete adoption of a pure Teutonic language in England, which has induced some writers