Horsa. Old writers say that Vortigern married Rowena, the daughter of Hengist; and that soon after his marriage, having been invited by his father-in-law to a peaceful banquet, he himself was taken prisoner and the chief British nobles present were all treacherously massacred. But this story is highly improbable. An ancient British poet, in alluding to these events, says: "After overthrowing our enemies they joined with us in the rejoicings of victory, and we rivalled one another to give them welcome. But woe to the day when we loved them! woe to Vortigern and his cowardly advisers!"

The names Hengist and Horsa appear to have been epithets derived from the White Horse, which was depicted on their standards; Hengist meaning a horse, and Horsa a mare. In connection with this it should be noticed that the White Horse is still the ensign of Kent, which was the first Saxon kingdom founded in Britain.

3. The Saxon conquest of England was, from this time, carried on by successive invasions of that people for about a hundred and fifty years (A.D. 450-600). During this period nearly the whole of what we now call England was subdued, and divided into petty states. These were originally eight in number, but were afterwards reduced to seven. Hence the AngloSaxon kingdoms have generally been called the Heptarchy.

This term is not strictly correct; for, by the time that the two northern provinces were united into one, some of the southern ones could scarely be said to exist. A more proper name for these kingdoms, after they were regularly consolidated, would be Triarchy; Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria alone remaining of the original eight.

The various Saxon kingdoms were founded in the following order :

KENT (A.D. 450, by Hengist], including the modern county of Kent.

SUSSEX [A.D. 480, by Ella], including the modern county of Sussex.

WESSEX [A.D. 500-520, by Cerdic, and Kenric his son], including the modern counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Devonshire, Wilts, Gloucester, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Bucks.

ESSEX [A.D. 530-550], including Essex, Middlesex, and part of Herts.

BERNICIA [A.D. 550, by Ida], including Northumberland and Durham.

DEIRA [A.D. 550], including Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Bernicia and Deira were united into one province about A.D. 600, and were afterwards known under the single name of Northumbria.

EAST ANGLIA [A.D. 570], including Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Fen District.

MERCIA [established as a kingdom by Penda A.D. 626], including all the midland counties.

The Saxons who invaded Britain belonged to different tribes, but were all of the great Teutonic stock. The chief of these tribes were the Jutes from the northern part of Denmark; the Angles from the southern part; the Saxons Proper, who inhabited portions of the modern countries of Belgium, Holland, and Hanover; and the Frisians, who lived between the Saxons Proper and the sea. The name England is most probably a corruption of Angle-land, the Angles being the most numerous of the Saxon immigrants. In such numbers did they come over, that Bede the historian tells us their fatherland remained a desert for centuries afterwards.

The Britons were driven into the mountainous parts of Wales and Cornwall, and many of them fled to Brittany. From this time they are always spoken of in History under the Saxon name of Welsh, which means strange or foreign.

Similarly Germans still call Italy Welsch-land, that is, the land of foreigners.

4. Memorable Events. In 597 Ethelbert, king of Kent, together with a number of his subjects, was baptized by Augustin, a Roman missionary, sent over to England by Pope Gregory.

It is said that Gregory, having seen some young Angles exposed for sale in the city of Rome, was so struck with their beauty that he determined on converting their countrymen to Christianity as soon as it should lie in his power. He inquired the name of their nation, and was told that they were Angles. He replied, "Rightly are they so called, for they have an

angelic face, and it becomes such to be the heirs of heaven." He was also informed that they were from the province of Deira, and in allusion to this observed, "Truly are they de irâ, withdrawn from wrath to the mercy of Christ."

5. ETHELBERT'S queen was a Christain princess, and, through her influence, Augustin and his monks were very successful in their missionary labours. Sebert, king of Essex, followed his uncle Ethelbert in embracing Christianity, and founded churches on sites afterwards chosen for Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. Most of the cities founded by the Romans now fell into decay, being deserted by their old residents, and neglected by the roving Saxons, who were far behind the Romanized Britons in the arts of civilization. Architecture began to revive towards the close of the 7th century; and the timber-built, thatchcovered churches, which had been erected by the first Saxon converts, were now superseded by edifices of stone. In the year 700 the tax called Peter's Pence was established by Ina, king of Wessex.

Pilgrimages to Rome were at this time very frequent. On one of these Ina erected a school there for the education of Saxon scholars; and, after his return, he raised a tax of one penny on every house in his dominions for its support. Ethelwulf (840) extended the tax all over England; and, as it was paid on St. Peter's day, it was called Peter's Pence. This tax, continued to be paid, with some few intermissions, until it was abolished by Henry VIII. A.D. 1534.

6. To prevent the inroads of the Welsh, a rampart was erected by Offa the Terrible (757-796), king of Mercia, from the mouth of the Dee to that of the Severn. But continual irruptions were made in spite of this, and the border counties of Wales were the scene of incessant warfare and bloodshed.

7. Eminent Men.-Cadmon, a monk of Whitby (80), the author of several great poems. Theodore, of Canterbury (670), the founder of an English school, in which Greek and Latin were taught. Bede (672735), a monk of Bishop Wearmouth, the author of a Church History of England, and the translator of St. John's Gospel into Saxon.

IV. BRITAIN UNDER THE SAXONS AND DANES. From Accession of Egbert to Death of Harold. A.D. 800 to A.D. 1066.

1. EGBERT.-By marriage, conquest, and hereditary right, the kingdoms of the Heptarchy gradually became fused into one; and in 827 we find Egbert, king of Wessex, acknowledged as liege lord over the whole of England, with the exception of Cumbria.

Egbert is generally spoken of as the first king of England, but this is scarcely true. He always styled himself King of the West Saxons; and the kingdoms which he subdued were allowed to retain their own sovereigns and local governments. Athelstan has most right to the title of first king of England.

This reign is chiefly remarkable for the commencement of the ravages of the Norsemen. They first visited the coast of England in 787, but in small numbers. In the reign of Egbert, they came over in large hosts, and continued to do so for about two centuries afterwards. That monarch successfully repulsed them, and gave them a severe defeat at Hengesdown, Cornwall, A.D. 835. He died the year after, and was succeeded by Ethelwulf.

The Norse were nearly allied to the Anglo-Saxons. They consisted of three great peoples-the Danes, who came from the peninsula which now bears the name of Jutland, the Norse Proper, or Norwegians, and the Swedes. Of these, the Danes were the chief invaders of England.

2. ETHELWULF (836-858) was the eldest surviving son of Egbert. He had been educated for the church, and was ill-suited for the office of king. The Northmen now invaded the kingdom annually, and in 851 they wintered here. Canterbury and London were plundered by them; but a disastrous defeat, which they soon after suffered, again checked them for a short time. Ethelwulf married Osberga, a descendant of Cerdic, and had four sons by her, Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred, and Alfred. To the last of these he destined the succession to the throne; and, when only five years of age, the young prince was sent to Rome to be

anointed by the pope. Ethelwulf himself went on a pilgrimage to Rome shortly after, and stayed there ten months. On his way home he married Judith, daughter of the celebrated French king Charles the Bold. At this time she was only twelve years of age. This marriage greatly offended his subjects; and the preference shown to Alfred led the elder brothers to revolt against their father, who was compelled to purchase peace by resigning Wessex to his eldest son. He died A.D. 858.

Ethelwulf rebuilt the School of Ina, which had been burnt down, extended the tax of Peter's Pence all through his dominions, and confirmed the payment of tithes to the clergy.

He was a

3. ETHELBALD succeeded his father. brave prince, and in the late reign_had greatly distinguished himself. He married Judith, his stepmother, but, advised by Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, afterwards separated from her.

Swithun had been tutor and chancellor to Ethelwulf. According to tradition he gave orders before his death that his body should not be buried in the cathedral among the rich, but in the churchyard among the poor. His wish was complied with, but at his canonization it was proposed to remove his body, and bury it under the high altar; and a day (July 15th) was fixed on for the purpose. When the day arrived a tremendous storm commenced, which did not cease for forty days. The design of removing the body was consequently abandoned, but the circumstance gave rise to a foolish belief, still held amongst the ignorant, that if it rains on St. Swithun's day there will be bad weather for the ensuing forty days.

4. ETHELBERT ascended the throne on the death of his brother, A.D. 860, and reigned six years, during which period he was perpetually engaged in struggling with the Danes.

In 864 Regnar Lodbrog, a famous Norse pirate, was wrecked off Northumbria, and captured by the people who lived on the coast. He was cruelly tortured by them, and then put to death. News of this event soon reached his countrymen, and hosts of them prepared to avenge his fate. They sailed under the command of Lodbrog's three sons, and landed in East Anglia. From thence they departed to Northumbria, where,