and the foot to follow-the soldiers being scarce able to hold their hands above water to carry their arms. The attack was made with such resolution that the Britons at length were forced to quit their post, and leave the Romans a free passage. Rapin, page 11. CÆSAR'S DEPARTURE FROM BRITAIN. Cæsar, after various fortunes, carried back his soldiers in the same year (B.c. 54) to Gaul. He set sail by night, in fear, he says, of the equinoctial gales. He left no body of men behind him—he erected no fortress. It is probable that he took back captives to adorn his triumph. But the Romans, with all their national pride, did not, in a succeeding age, hold Cæsar's expedition to be a conquest. Tacitus says, "He did not conquer Britain, but only shewed it to the Romans.' "" Horace, calling upon Augustus to achieve the conquest, speaks of Britain as "intactus (untouched): and Propertius, in the same spirit, describes her as "invictus' (unconquered). Knight's Old England, page 26. BOADICEA. She was of the largest size, most terrible of aspect, most savage of countenance, and harsh of voice; having a profusion of yellow hair, which fell down to her hips, and wearing a large golden collar. She had on a party-coloured floating vest, drawn close about her bosom, and over this she wore a thick mantle, connected by a clasp. Such was her usual dress, but at this time she also bore a spear, that thus she might appear more formidable to all. Monumenta Historica Britannica. FINAL RETIREMENT OF THE ROMANS. The Romans bid a final adieu to Britain about the year 448, after being masters of the most considerable part of it during the course of nearly four centuries.* Hume, p. 13. HENGIST AND HORSA. Hengist and Horsa, two brothers, possessed great credit among the Saxons, and were much celebrated for their valour and nobility. They were reputed, as most of the Saxon princes, to be sprung from Woden, who was worshipped as a god among those nations; and they are said to be his great grandsons. They landed in the island of Thanet, about the year 449, with sixteen hundred men. Hume, p. 19. ' * Rapin says it was in the year 426 or 427; Stillingfleet, in 418. imperfect acquaintance with the country and with the coast, determined the invader to winter in Gaul. It is a remarkable fact that Cæsar was ignorant of the height to which the tide rises in these narrow seas. A heavy spring tide came, and his transports, which lay at anchor, were dashed to pieces, and his lighter galleys, drawn upon the beach, were swamped with the rising waves. This second disaster occurred within a few hours after the conclusion of a peace between the invader and the invaded. That very night, according to Cæsar, it happened to be a full moon, when the tides always rise highest-a fact at the time wholly unknown to the Romans. The Britons, with a breach of confidence that may almost be justified in the case of the irruption of a foreign power into a peaceful land, broke the treaty. Cæsar writes that they were signally defeated; but the invader hastily repaired to his ships, and set sail (about the 20th September), even without his hostages, for the opposite shores, where his power was better established. Knight's Old England, page 26. CESAR'S SECOND INVASION. Cæsar, according to his custom, went and passed part of the winter in Italy, leaving orders with his officers to repair the old, and build some new ships. When he received advice that his orders were executed he came to Portus Itius, where he found six hundred ships, and twenty-eight galleys, on board of which he put five legions (about thirty thousand men) and two thousand horse. He conducts this numerous fleet to a place on the British coast marked by him the summer before, and lands his forces without opposition.* Rapin, page 11. CESAR'S PASSAGE OF THE THAMES. Cæsar marches towards the Thames, with intent to penetrate into Cassibellanus's dominions; when he comes to the river side, at a very difficult ford, he sees the enemy drawn up on the opposite bank; besides their great numbers they had fortified that part of the river with sharp stakes,† driven so deep that some of them did not appear above the water. Notwithstanding these obstacles, Cæsar resolves to attack them, and orders the horse to ride in, *He landed at the same place as before, no one daring to resist him, both on account of the multitude of the ships and because they reached the shore on so many points at once. Dion Cassius. †These stakes are just above Walton, in Surrey, and the meadow facing them is called Coway. They are, even now, to be seen at low water mark, and one of them was pulled out of the Thames last year, but with great difficulty. They are of oak, and though they have lain in the water so long, are as hard as Brazil, and as black as jet. At Shepperton, they have several knife handles made of them. Rapin, page 11. Cæsar does not mention a stratagem he is said to make use of on this occasion. He caused an elephant, well fenced with iron, with a wooden tower on his back, full of men, to be forced into the river; the sight of which monstrous creature, that looked like a walking battery, did not a little contribute to frighten the Britons from the opposite shore. Polyænus Stratag, vol. i., p. 8. and the foot to follow-the soldiers being scarce able to hold their hands above water to carry their arms. The attack was made with such resolution that the Britons at length were forced to quit their post, and leave the Romans a free passage. Rapin, page 11. CÆSAR'S DEPARTURE FROM BRITAIN. Cæsar, after various fortunes, carried back his soldiers in the same year (B.c. 54) to Gaul. He set sail by night, in fear, he says, of the equinoctial gales. He left no body of men behind him-he erected no fortress. It is probable that he took back captives to adorn his triumph. But the Romans, with all their national pride, did not, in a succeeding age, hold Cæsar's expedition to be a conquest. Tacitus says, "He did not conquer Britain, but only shewed it to the Romans.' Horace, calling upon Augustus to achieve the conquest, speaks of Britain as "intactus" (untouched): and Propertius, in the same spirit, describes her as "invictus (unconquered). Knight's Old England, page 26. BOADICEA. She was of the largest size, most terrible of aspect, most savage of countenance, and harsh of voice; having a profusion of yellow hair, which fell down to her hips, and wearing a large golden collar. She had on a party-coloured floating vest, drawn close about her bosom, and over this she wore a thick mantle, connected by a clasp. Such was her usual dress, but at this time she also bore a spear, that thus she might appear more formidable to all. Monumenta Historica Britannica. FINAL RETIREMENT OF THE ROMANS. The Romans bid a final adieu to Britain about the year 448, after being masters of the most considerable part of it during the course of nearly four centuries.* Hume, p. 13. HENGIST AND HORSA. Hengist and Horsa, two brothers, possessed great credit among the Saxons, and were much celebrated for their valour and nobility. They were reputed, as most of the Saxon princes, to be sprung from Woden, who was worshipped as a god among those nations; and they are said to be his great grandsons. They landed in the island of Thanet, about the year 449, with sixteen hundred men. Hume, p. 19. * Rapin says it was in the year 426 or 427; Stillingfleet, in 418. THE SAXON HEPTARCHY. 4 FROM 455 TO 827-372 YEARS. THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. The seven English kingdoms existing between the fifth and ninth centuries, were those of Kent, South Saxons, or Sussex, West Saxons, or Wessex, East Saxons, or Essex, Northumberland, East Angleland, and Mercia. In 827, Egbert, King of Wessex, by a combination of events was enabled to assume the title of King of England. During the existence, however, of the Heptarchy, it appears, there was generally one king, who, for a time, was supreme. But Egbert was solemnly crowned at Winchester, with the concurrence of a general council of the clergy and laity. He died in 837. Raymond's Metrical Chronicle, p. 21. ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRISTIANITY. About eighteen or twenty years before the arrival of the Roman missionaries, in the reign of Alla, King of Deira, some young children were sent from thence to Rome to be sold. That sort of trade was then commonly done by the English, who made no scruple of selling their children when overstocked. These young slaves being exposed for sale in the public market, drew the eyes of vast numbers of people upon them, who could not admire them enough. Among the rest, Gregory, Archdeacon of Rome, beheld them very attentively. He inquired particularly after the place of their birth, and the religion there professed. As soon as he knew they were English,* and born of idolatrous parents, he resolved to go and preach the gospel to that nation. Being unable from his duties in Rome (having become pope) to carry out his good intention in person, he sent those whom he thought capable of inspiring the people with a relish for the gospel. He chose for this purpose forty Benedictine monks, with Austin (St. Augustin) at their head, in quality of abbot. Austin and his companions having passed through France, arrived at the Isle of Thanet in the year of our Lord 597. As soon as they were landed, he sent the king word that he was come into his dominions with a company of very honest men, to bring him a message of the greatest importance, and instruct him in what would procure him everlasting happiness. Upon this information Ethelbert ordered them to stay where they were, designing to go himself and hear from their own mouths the occasion of their journey. Some few days after he went to the Isle of Thanet, in company with the queen, who in all likelihood was Bede has either invented, or else heard, that Pope Gregory made divers Latin allusions upon answers to his questions concerning those boys, particularly on being told they were angli, he replied "Benè nam angelicam habent faciem;" or as most historians have it, "Non angli sed angeli forent si fuissent christiani.", |