is thought by many antiquarians to have been one of the temples of the Druids. The priests, in addition to their sacerdotal functions, acted as judges and legislators; and by them the medicinal art, so far as it was then understood, was exercised.

The people in the southern districts resided in houses built of timber and reeds, clothed themselves in simple garments of their own manufacture, and lived on a diet partly animal and partly vegetable. They understood the value of marl as a manure, and grew corn, which they preserved for subsequent use in the hollows of rocks. The inhabitants of the inland districts did not cultivate the soil, lived on milk and flesh, and clothed themselves in skins. All, however, punctured their bodies, and stained them with a dye obtained from woad, which gave them a blue tinge, and made them appear terrible in battle. Their chief weapons were daggers and large pointless spears; and they had war chariots, in the management of which they showed considerable skill. Scythes were fastened to the axle-trees of the wheels; and as the charioteers could drive at full speed, however irregular the ground, great destruction was often inflicted on the foe.

Though an insular people, the Britons evinced no predilection for the sea; and the only boats and vessels which they used were constructed of wicker-work covered with leather, or of a tree hollowed out like an Indian canoe.

For nearly a century after the invasion of Cæsar no further attempt was make to subjugate Britain. But two years after the accession of the Emperor Claudius, Aulus Plautius landed an army in the country and defeated Caractacus, the principal British commander (A.D. 43). Claudius himself came with additional forces, and captured the town of Camulodunum (Colchester), the royal seat of Cunobelin, the father of Caractacus. By virtue of this achievement the emperor took upon himself the surname of Britannicus. Plautius and his colleague, Vespasian, gradually reduced the southern portions of the

country; and Ostorius Scapula, the next proprætor, vanquished Caractacus and afterwards made him his prisoner (51). The heroic warrior was sent to Rome and led in triumph; but Claudius was so struck with the dignity of his demeanour that, contrary to the usual custom, he restored him to liberty. It is even conjectured that he entrusted to him the government of a part of the subjugated territory.

During the government of the Proprætor Suetonius Paulinus, many of the vanquished tribes, headed by Boadicea, the Queen of the Iceni, rose in insurrection: they put to the flames Camulodunum, Londinium (London), and Verulamium, (St. Alban's), and slaughtered an immense number of the Roman colonists; but at last the insurgents were overthrown in a great battle, and Boadicea, unwilling to survive the defeat, ended her life by poison (61).

To Julius Agricola, who landed in 78, the effectual conquest of Britain must be ascribed. He was both a skilful general and a discerning statesman. Having by judicious measures pacified South Britain, he advanced into Caledonia (Scotland), and built a line of forts between the firths of Forth and Clyde (81); three years later he defeated a famous chieftain named Galgacus, at the foot of the Grampians (84). Such was the moderation and wisdom of his government, that the natives became reconciled to the Roman sway, and to some extent adopted the language, manners, and customs of their conquerors. In the year 120 the Emperor Hadrian visited the island, and caused a wall to be built between the Solway Frith and the mouth of the Tyne, to prevent the unsubdued tribes of the north from entering the Roman province; and in 139, Lollius Urbicus, having driven back the barbarians, constructed a rampart on the site of Agricola's forts, which, in honour of the emperor, was called the wall of Antoninus.

The renewed inroads of the northern tribes (the Caledonians and the Mæate) induced the Emperor Severus to repair hither (208); and proceeding into the heart of their country, he com

pelled them to sue for peace, and afterwards employed his soldiery in building a wall near the fortifications of Hadrian (210). He died at Eboracum (York) in the following year.

For a considerable time after these events, nothing of importance occurred in Britain; and even the names of many of the governors are not preserved. When Diocletian was emperor, Carausius, a Roman admiral who had the title of Count of the Saxon shore, usurped the government (286), and reigned till 294, when he was slain by his minister Allectus. The latter assumed the purple, but was overthrown and killed by Constantius Chlorus (296). Constantius subsequently became Emperor of Rome, and died at Eboracum (306). His son was Constantine the Great.

The gradual decay of the Roman power partially diverted the attention of the emperors from Britain, which was now exposed, not merely to the raids of the Picts and Scots (the former descendants of the Caledonians and Mæata; the latter, immigrants from Ireland), but also to the piratical inroads of the Saxons. To restore order and security, Theodosius, by the direction of the Emperor Valentinian, took the command in the island; and he drove back the northern tribes as far as the wall of Antoninus (368). About forty years later the empire had become so weakened by the descent of the Goths, Alans, and other tribes upon the fair plains of Italy, that Honorius wrote letters to the British cities, exhorting them to provide for their own security; and thus the island became practically independent (410).

The authentic history of Britain, for more than half a century after, is entirely wanting; but it is said that the people in the south were divided into two leading factionsthe one headed by Aurelius Ambrosius, the other by Vortigern -and that intestine disturbances, and the ravages of the Picts and Scots, led the last-named chieftain to call to his aid some Saxon pirates who were cruising in the channel (449).

Before narrating the important result of this alliance, we

may pause a moment to point out some of the changes which occurred in the country while it was under the Roman sway.

The Britons appear to have made great advances in civilization; and, instructed and aided by their conquerors, they largely cultivated the soil, and also carried on some manufacturing operations. Among the articles exported from the country were corn, iron, lead, and tin.

The Romans, of whom a considerable number resided in the island, caused excellent roads to be constructed, and erected or rebuilt many cities and towns. These towns were surrounded with walls, some of which were so massive that they have partially survived the wear and tear of sixteen centuries. Those of Colchester may be advantageously compared with any similar remains in Britain, or even on the continent.

Politically the country was divided into five provinces :

I. BRITANNIA PRIMA, the district south of the Thames and the Bristol Channel.

II. BRITANNIA SECUNDA, the present principality of Wales. III. FLAVIA CESARIENSIS, the district north of the Thames and south of the Humber and Mersey.

IV. MAXIMA CESARIENSIS, the district northward to the wall of Severus.

V. VALENTIA, the district between the wall of Severus and the rampart of Antoninus.

The time at which the Britons first heard the tidings of salvation through faith in the crucified Saviour, cannot be certainly ascertained; but it is generally believed that at an early date the truth was widely diffused; and many of the professors of Christianity, in the days of the Diocletian persecution, suffered torture and death rather than abjure their religion. The names of Aaron and Julius of Caerleon-upon-Usk are preserved; but the first and most renowned martyr was Alban of Verulam, who, being a pagan at the time when the persecution commenced, was induced by the example of a minister who had taken refuge in his house, to become a Christian. He

boldly acknowledged his conversion, and being put to death,. received the crown of life which God hath promised to those who love him (304). Nearly five hundred years after his death, Offa, King of Mercia, founded St. Alban's Abbey in order to commemorate his piety.

[Crucifixion of Christ, A.D. 33. Capture of Jerusalem by Titus, 70. Destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii by an eruption of Vesuvius, 79. Rome sacked by Alaric, 410.]

THE ANGLO-SAXONS,

FROM A.D. 449 TO 1066.

THE Saxon, or rather Jutish, leaders, Hengist and Horsa, whose aid Vortigern had solicited, easily vanquished the Picts and Scots; and, as a reward for their services, the grateful Briton bestowed on them the Isle of Thanet. Like many military chiefs, they became desirous of augmenting their dominions; and, allying themselves with their late foes, they wrested from the Britons the district now called Kent, which they formed into a kingdom. The renown of their achievements reaching the continental Saxon tribes, other leaders emulated their example; and ultimately eight kingdoms were formed, known collectively as the SAXON OCTARCHY. They were:

I. KENT, embracing the modern county, founded by Hengist in 457.

II. SUSSEX, embracing Sussex and a part of Surrey, founded by Ella in 490.

III. WESSEX, embracing Hampshire, Berkshire, Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, and Devon, founded by Ceraic in 519.

IV. ESSEX, embracing Essex, Middlesex, and part of Hertfordshire, founded by Erkenwin in 527.