38. The Romans conquered Britain, and had possession of it more than four hundred years. During this time, they protected the Britons from their enemies the Scots and Picts. When the Roman troops had left the isle, the Britons were greatly harrasssed by their enemies, and sent to the continent to invite the Saxons to come to their assistance. The first body of Saxons arrived in three ships, under Hengist and Horsa, in the year 449. They were received with joy by the Britons; and uniting with them, marched against the Picts and Scots, and defeated them in a bloody battle.

The

39. Settlement of the Saxons in England. Saxons, being pleased with the country, soon formed the design of taking possession of it for their permanent residence. They then made a proposal, to which the Britons consented, that a re-enforcement should be invited from the continent. Accordingly Hengist and Horsa sent for additional troops, which came to the number of five thousand.

40. Alarm of the Britons. With this army the Saxon chiefs determined on seizing a part of the territory of England. They made peace with the Picts, and began to quarrel with the Britons, about their provisions and promised rewards; and enforced their threats by fire and sword. The Britons, now awakened from their delusion, found that they had enemies instead of friends in the Saxon auxiliaries. Filled with consternation, some of the Britons fled to Gaul and settled in Britanny, in the north-western part of that country, now France; others took shelter in the woods, and others submitted to slavery.

41. War between the Britons and Saxons. Notwithstanding the cowardice and submission of many of the Britons, there were many who determined to resist the Saxons, and for this purpose put themselves under Vortimer, a son of Vortigern, their chief whom they despised. Many battles were fought between the Britons and Saxons; in one of which Hor

sa was slain, and Hengist became sole commander of the Saxons. This illustrious chief gained a great victory over the Britons, at Crayford, which gave him possession of Kent, of which he assumed the title of King. This was the first Saxon Kingdom in England.

42. Conquest of the north of England. Hengist with a view to strengthen his power, invited his son Octo from the continent. This chief collected a body of men, and sailed for England; and plundering the Orkneys on his way, he arrived on the coast of Northumberland, of which he took possession, together with all the country to the frith of Forth. Hengist gained several victories over the Britons; and the last victory at Wippidfleet struck such terror into the Britons, that they gave him little further disturbance. He died in the year 488.

43. Kingdom of Sussex. The Kings who succeeded Hengist maintained their dominion, not without some reverses. But Ethelbert, in a long and prosperous reign, gained many victories and enlarged his dominions. The success of these chiefs encouraged other Saxon chiefs to pass over to England. A body of Saxons arrived, and landed at Cymenshore and defeated the Britons in a great battle, near Wittering. These successes enabled their leader Alla to take the title of King, and found the Kingdom of Sussex.

44. Kingdom of Wessex. Cerdic, another Saxon chief, with a band of warriors, arrived in Britain in the year 495, and landed in the west. On the day of landing he engaged and defeated an army of Britons, and from that time he was engaged in a war with them, without intermission for twenty years, and with various success. But receiving re-enforcements from the continent, he prosecuted the war, gaining many victories, till he had established a petty Kingdom, called Wessex, that is, the Kingdom of the West-Saxons. He died in the year 534.

45. Kingdom of East Saxons, &c. Encouraged by these successes, other bodies of Saxons passed over to Britain, at different times, and established the kingdom of the East-Saxons, consisting of what are now the counties of Essex, Middlesex, and part of Hertfordshire. They also founded the kingdom of the East Angles, in the territory, now Cambridge, Suffolk and Norfolk; also the kingdom of the Mercians, comprehending the middle counties from the river Severn to Yorkshire and Lancashire. Other bodies of adventurers landed in the north, and founded the kingdom of Northumberland, which included the southern part of Scotland.

The seven petty states or kingdoms before named have been called the heptarchy. These kingdoms, after a series of wars and revolutions, which lasted two hundred years, were united under Egbert, in the year 827,

46. Of the Danes. Not many years after Egbert came into possession of England, the country began to be harassed by the invasion and depredations of the Danes. It was during this period that the brave and humane King Alfred distinguished himself. He defended his country with great ability; but at last his forces were so weakened and dispirited, that he was abandoned, and he found it necessary to disguise himself as a rustic and take refuge in a cottage. On one occasion, the good woman of the house, who did not know the character of her guest, scolded him severely, for not turning some cakes baking before the fire; telling him he would be ready enough to eat them, though he would not take the pains to turn them.

47. Success of Alfred. King Alfred did not continue long in this disguise. He left the cottage, collected a few of the nobles, and erected a fort for his residence and protection. Hearing of the success of the earl of Devonshire over a party of Danes, he resolved to make a vigorous effort to recover his crown. For this purpose he collected his forces; but before

hazarding a battle, he disguised himself and entered the camp of the Danes, as a harper, and spent several days in amusing them with his music and pleasantries. Having obtained a perfect knowledge of their camp, and observed their unguarded state, he left them, summoned the nobility with their men, attacked the Danes by surprise, and gained a complete victory. He then proposed to their chief, Guthrum, that he and his followers should embrace the christian religion, and join the English in opposing the ravages of the Danes. This proposition was accepted; Guthrum and his men were baptized and settled in England, AD. 880.

48. Conquest of England by the Danes. After Alfred's treaty with the Danes, the kingdom enjoyed a few years of peace. But the Danes renewed their invasions, and harassed the kingdom for a long series of years. At length in the year 993, Swein, king of Denmark, and Olave, king of Norway, invaded England with a great fleet, passed the winter in Northumberland, and in the spring invested London. Ethelred, the king, purchased their departure with a large sum of money. But peace was of short continuance. In the years 997 and 998, armies of Danes again invaded and made dreadful devastations, and Ethelred again bribed them to depart. But in the year 1002, great numbers of the Danes were massacred by the English, and to revenge this horrid cruelty, Swein again attacked England with a powerful army, and spread desolation on all sides. After a series of struggles, the English were finally conquered, and submitted to the Danish King Canute. AD.

1017.

49. Events under the Danes. Canute died in 1035, and the kingdom was divided between two sons, Harold and Hardicnute. Alfred and Edward, sons of Ethelred, English heirs to the throne, were on the continent. Emma, their mother, invited Alfred to her court, where he was seized by Harold, his eyes

put out, and he was confined in a monastery in Ely, where he died. Harold died soon after, AD. 1039. He was called Harefoot, for his swiftness in running.

50. Hardicnute. Conquest by the Normans. Hardicnute king of Denmark, was invited to England by the nobility; but his oppressions disgusted the English. He died in the year 1041. The kingdom then returned to the lawful heir, Edward. After being an exile in Hungary for forty years, he returned to England, but died within a month. The kingdom afterwards fell to Edward, the Confessor, but he died in the year 1066, and Harold, of the Godwin family, was crowned king of England. In this year William, duke of Normandy, invaded England with an army of sixty thousand men; and after a desperate battle at Hastings, in which Harold was defeated, obtained possession of the crown, which was continued in his family.

51. Summary of revolutions in England. The Romans found the inhabitants of Briton in a barbarous state; they conquered them, and governed them more than four hundred years. Most of the Britons were driven into Wales by the Saxons, and the Welsh are their descendants. The dominion of England was in the Saxon conquerors for five hundred years; it then passed to the Danes, for a short period; from the Danes to the English and from the English to the Normans. William, the Norman, disposed of the baronies chiefly to Normans, and from them have descended many of the modern families of the Nobilty. But the great body of the English nation are the descendants of the Saxons and Danes; chiefly of the Saxons; and from them have descended a large portion of the inhabitants of these United States. The common popular language of this country is of Saxon original, with a mixture of Danish and Welsh.

52. Christian Religion. It is uncertain when the Christian religion was introduced into Britain. There is however some evidence that it was intro