First steps in the history of England

Front matter

FIRST- STEPS INTH HISTORY- OF

"l S

HflHHUlP 1 '''

Preface

In writing this book the author has followed the same plan as in " First Steps in the History of Our Country," and, as in that book the history of the United States is told by relating the life-stories of the men who made that history, so in this volume the events of English history are described by making prominent the men who best represent their periods. In English history, however, it is impossible to make the stories strictly biographical, because of the extent of time covered and the necessity for giving a continued narrative in order to bring out clearly the cause and effect of the steps taken by the people to enlarge their liberties.

At the close of each chapter are suggestions for topical study, which will be helpful in preventing close repetition of the text in recitations. These topics are followed by thought questions, which are designed to bring out some hidden truth contained in the chapters, and to promote discussion and individual thought. These questions are in no sense ""seek further" questions, for nearly all can be answered after a thoughtful study of the text. It is believed that teachers and pupils will find pleasure and profit by thus searching below the covering of words and grammatical phrases.

The book is sent out into the world in the hope that the lives of these patriotic Englishmen may inspire boys and girls to higher ideals of citizenship, and to a greater desire to help the unfortunate and the oppressed. Thus not only all classes of people, but all nations, will be brought into a closer bond of brotherhood, and injustice and discontent will pass away.

Hyde Park, Massachusetts, 1902.

Key to Pronunciation.

When the simple division of a word into syllables and proper accentuation make the pronunciation evident, diacritical marks are omitted.

a as in ale. e as in yet. tl as in use.

a, as in am. I as in ice. li as in up.

a as in father. i as in ill. do as in moon.

e as in eve. 6 as in no/r. do as in foot.

6 as in not.

I. — Caradoc, II. — King Arthur, III.— B^da, ....

IV. — Alfred the Great, V. — William the Conqueror, VI. — Thomas a Becket, VII. — Richard Lion-heart, VIII.— John, .

IX. — Simon de Montfort, X. — Robert Bruce, XI. — The Black Prince, XII.— Wat Tyler, .

XIII.— Prince Hal, .

XIV. — Warwick the King-Maker, XV. — John Cabot, XVI. — Cardinal Wolsey, .

XVII. — Francis Drake, XVIII. — William Shakespeare, XIX. — John Hampden, XX. — Oliver Cromwell, XXI. — Isaac Newton,

PAGE

22 28 38

*3&

156 166

175 187 197 208

8 CONTENTS.

CHATTER PAGE

XXII. — Lord Chatham, . . . . „ . . .219

XXIII. — Robert Clive, „ . .231

XXIV. — Wellington, 241

XXV. — William Wilberforce, 249

XXVI. — Daniel O'Connell, 259

XXVII.— Robert Peel, 268

XXVIII. — William Ewart Gladstone, 278

XXIX.— Cecil Rhodes, 289

Chronology of Events in English History, .... 303 Genealogy of the English Sovereigns from William the Conqueror to Edward VII. . „ . . . following 312 Index, . . . .313

" England expects Every Man to do his Duty."

Frontispiece.

Julius Caesar 13

Roman Soldier with Standard . 13

Britons 13

The Landing of Caesar .... 15

Dover Cliffs 16

Ruins of the Roman Wall ... 19 A British Scythed Chariot . . .21

Knight of King Arthur's Time . 22

Harper 22

Pirate Ship 22

The Barbarians Driven to their

Ships by Vortigern .... 23

A Jutish Coat of Mail .... 25

Statue of King Arthur .... 26

An Old English Spoon .... 27

York Cathedral 28

Monks Preaching 28

Captive Angles in Rome ■ • ■ 33 St. Augustine Preaching to Ethel-

bert 34

Ruins of the Monastery at Jarrow yj

Book-making 38

Soldiers, Ninth Century ... 38

A Monk Making a Book ... 41

Alfred and the Burning Cakes . 44

The Statue of Alfred .... 46

Alfred's Jewel 48

Normans Landing 49

Norman Soldiers 51

The Battle of Hastings .... 53

Rochester Castle 56

A Norman Galley 58

Henry II 59

Canterbury Pilgrims .... 59

The Saracen Maiden in London . 63

Canterbury Cathedral .... 66 The Attack on Archbishop

Becket 68

The Sign of a Canterbury Pilgrim 69

A Spray of the Broom-Plant . . 70

Richard 1 71

Saracens 7 l

Saladin 75

Richard at the Siege of Acre . . 77

The Royal Arms of England

from Richard I. to Edward III. 81

IO

ILLUSTRATIONS.

King John 82

Slinger . 82

King John and the Barons . . 82

Prince Arthur and the Ruffian . 84

King John Signing Magna Carta. 87 Fac-simile Extract from Magna

Carta 88

Sword and Helmet 89

Henry III 90

Earl Simon de Montfort ... 90 The Castle of an English Baron . 92 The Royal Standard Bearer . . 94 The Capture of Richard of Cornwall 95

The Seal of Simon de Montfort . 97

Battle of Bannockburn .... 98

Bruce and his Followers ... 98

The Coronation Chair .... 101

William Wallace 103

Bruce and the Loyal Scotch

Dame 105

Scottish Armor 106

Edward III 107

Battle of Crecy 107

An English Archer no

A Genoese Crossbowman . . .111 Philippa Pleading for the Burghers of Calais 113

Cannon in the Battle of Crecy . 116

Richard II 117

London Street, 1380 117

Peasants Marching to London . 117

A Fourteenth Century Gallant . 119 A Merchant's House, Fifteenth

Century 123

King Richard II. Addressing the

Mob 125

PAGE

Henry V 128

Westminster Abbey 130

The English Standard . . . .132 Joan of Arc's Victorious Entry

into Orleans 135

The Saddle of Henry V. . . . 137

Henry VI 138

In the Tower of London . . .138 The Earl of Warwick .... 138

Warwick Castle 139

The Tower of London .... 142 The Young Princes in the Tower 145

Temple Gardens 147

Henry VII 148

Cabot's Ship 148

Caxton Printing 148

The First Sheet from the Printing Press 149

An Early English Grammar

School 151

The Cabot Memorial Tower at

Bristol • . . 153

Caxton's Advertisement . . .155

The Field of Cloth of Gold . .156 Cardinal Wolsey and his Suite . 159

Henry VIII 161

The Trial of Queen Katharine . 162

Knights in Tourney 165

Sir Francis Drake 166

Queen Elizabeth Knighting Francis Drake 166

The Armada 166

The Home of Sir Francis Drake 168 Queen Elizabeth 171

ILLUSTRATIONS.

II The Fight against the Spanish Armada

Queen Elizabeth's Autograph .

Shakespeare

Street Costume

May Day

The Grammar School at Stratford

A Horn Book

The Birthplace of Shakespeare

The Globe Theater

The Theater in Shakespeare's Time

Boys' Sports

John Hampden

The Parliament

The King

James I

A Gold Coin of James I. . . .

A Cavalier's Tale of the Battle of Edgehill

Signature of King James I. . .

Roundheads

Cromwell Dissolving Parliament

Charles I

The Children of Charles I. . .

Cromwell Refusing the Crown of England

The Commonwealth Flag . .

Sir Isaac Newton

Musketeer, 1660

Sedan, Seventeenth Century . .

Dr. Harvey Demonstrating the Circulation of the Blood to Charles I

A Sun-Dial

The Great Fire of London . .

The Royal Observatory at Green-

173 wich

174 The Birthplace of Newton . .

175 The Young Pretender . . . .

175 The Stamp Act in America . .

A Cornet of Horse

176 A Knight of the Order of the

179 Garter

181 George III

183 American Colonists Burning the

Stamp Seller in Effigy . . .

185 British Stamps for America . .

187 Clive in India

187 Court Dress, 1750

187 Clive Leading a Charge in India 189 The Rock of Trichinopoli . . . 192 An East India Steamship . . .

195 Napoleon

196 Lord Nelson

197 Wellington Leading the Decisive 197 Charge at Waterloo .... 197 A Soldier and a Sailor, 1800 .

199 Wilberforce

200 Slave Ship

At Work in the Coal Mines . .

St. John's College, Cambridge .

Chimney Sweeps

Mrs. Fry Reading to the Prisoners in Newgate

A King's Ship Chasing a Slaver

Irish Chieftain, Twelfth Century

O'Connell Speaking

An Irish Peasant's Home . . . 215 George IV

205 207 208 208 208

216 218 219 219 219 221

246 248

249 249

25'

256 258

259 259 259 261 263

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

The Trial of O'Connell . . . .264 The Banner of the Royal Arms . 267

Sir Robert Peel 268

Town Watchman, 1820 . . . 268 Steamship and Man of War,

1840 268

Stamping Calico 269

Victoria Taking the Oath . . . 272 An English Country Home . . 275 The Birthplace of Sir Robert

Peel, Sr 277

Gladstone 278

The School, 1825 278

The Newspaper, 1825 .... 278

PAGE

The Houses of Parliament . . 280 " London's Gazette here " . . . 282

Hawarden Castle 285

Queen Victoria 287

Windsor Castle 288

View in Egypt 289

View in South Africa .... 289 An Australian Sheep Farm . . 292 Open Workings in the Kimberley

Diamond Mines 297

King Edward VII. and Queen

Alexandra 299

The Evolution of the Union Flag 301

Maps.

PAGE PAGE

The Home of the Anglo-Saxons 30 English Possessions in France

England in 600 31 under Edward III 109

England after the Treaty of Wed- Territorial Possessions in Amer-

more 45 ica 224

English Possessions under Henry India in the Time of Robert

II 61 Give 239

The Route of the Third Crusade 74 The British Empire 295

Caradoc.

FIRST CENTURY.

The history of England! We need not ask where or what England is. Every boy and girl can tell us that England is the largest of the three part^ of the island lying west of the continent of Europe, called Great Britain. Everyone knows that England is the center of that great empire upon whose territory the sun never sets. Agriculture and manufactures flourish there; good roads, schoolhouses, churches, and hospitals abound. England is a civilized, a Christian nation. Once England was far different. Centuries ago the Christian religion had not reached its shores; the signs of civilization did not exist; hunting and fighting were the most common employments of its people. Indeed, it was not England; the inhabitants were not Englishmen, nor did they speak a language at all like English. The island then had the name of Britain, and the people were called Britons. The story of the wonderful changes that have made early Britain the England of to-day is the history of England.

In very ancient times we read of Egyptians and Israelites and Phoenicians (Fe-nish'-ans); but these people knew little, if anything, of the small island near the edge of the continent of Europe. Twenty-five hundred years ago Greece Was the center of the civilized world ; but its historians do not mention the island of Britain. Twenty centuries ago Rome was becoming the great power of the world, and still the island remained almost unknown. It was not until about fifty years before the birth of Christ that the first account of the isle of Britain and its inhabitants, the Britons, was written.

After four years of hard fighting, Julius Cresar, the Roman general, had conquered the province of Gaul, now called France. At last he reached the shores of the English Channel, and saw the white cliffs of Britain across the water. With the soldier's desire to conquer more territory and with the student's eagerness to learn unknown things, Caesar decided to cross the channel and visit the island. Me prepared vessels for the voyage, and set sail about the middle of August, B.C. 55. This is the first date in English history — the first event to which any definite date can be given.

In a few hours Caesar's vessels approached the shore near Dover and anchored not far from land. The cliffs were lined with Britons watching the boats draw near. They had heard from the Gauls something of the ever-conquering Caesar, and were determined to keep the Romans from landing on their shores. Therefore their warriors had been summoned from far and near. Strange-looking soldiers were they, with their flowing hair and long, heavy mustaches that nearly covered mouth and chin. Their bodies, naked to the waist, were freshly daubed with blue paint, and were protected by shields, necklaces, and arm-pieces of wicker-work covered with a thin plate of metal. How could they expect to withstand the powerful Roman, whose very name was enough to strike fear in the

CARADOC.

hearts of his enemies ? But they were tall and muscular; they had fought with one another and with wild beasts from childhood ; and their strong right arms knew how to wield the sword and the javelin with deadly force. They were not afraid.

As the ships neared the shore, they were greeted with a

From the fainting by Blakey.

THE LANDING OK C.1SAK.

flight of arrows tipped with bronze or flint. The water was too shallow for the boats to land, so it became necessary for the Romans to wade ashore. The Britons, some on the beach and some in the water, stood with their daggers, short swords, and heavy clubs ready to resist the landing.

No wonder that the Romans, always victorious though they had been, hesitated to leap from their boats. They had fought i6

FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

foes under almost every circumstance, but never before had they met desperate savages in the waves and on slippery sand. An eagle-bearer set the example. He jumped into the water, shouting, " Leap down, men, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy." To lose the standard was the worst disgrace a Roman soldier could suffer. The army to a man sprang from the boats, swam to the shallow water, and attacked the

DOVER CLIFFS.

enemy. A long struggle followed, but the invaders reached the shore and drew up in line of battle.

It was an undisciplined, helter-skelter army that was opposed to the Romans. There seemed to be no general plan of battle, and each warrior apparently fought for himself. Most of the Britons were on foot, though a few rode on horseback. The infantry and cavalry were aided by war chariots, to which were harnessed horses trained by their rash drivers to instant obedience. With tremendous speed they were driven through the opposing lines, while a curved scythe, fastened to each wheel, mowed the enemy down like grass. Suddenly the horses were halted in their mad rush, and the drivers leaped down and fought in hand-to-hand encounter. Their foe slain, they mounted the waiting chariots, which plunged ahead once more. Such was the army that Csesar fought. But the Britons could not hold their own against the steady onward march of the Roman legions, and the battle was soon lost.

Caesar spent only two weeks in Britain, and then returned to Gaul. The next year he came again, won victories, and made a treaty with the king, Caswallon (Kas-wal'-lon). He then left the island, and for a hundred years it was undisturbed. Caesar's visit, however, brought Britain to the attention of the world. A small commerce sprang up between Gaul and Britain; the inhabitants began to come in contact with civilization, and they lost something of their barbarous nature. When the Romans came again; they found the islanders less fiercely brave, perhaps, but with better weapons and a disciplined army.

The Britons made no resistance to the landing of the army sent by the Emperor Claudius, but gathered their forces and took a stand on the north bank of the Thames, where the Romans defeated them in battle, though at great loss. Claudius himself now arrived from Rome. He captured the British capital, defeated a large army, and returned to Rome to receive a splendid triumph.

Britain was not conquered, however. For eight years a desperate resistance was made by the king, Caradoc (Ka-ra'-dok). Step by step he was driven inland, until he took his last position on a hill near the border of what is now Wales. Here he fortified himself and awaited the Romans. Caradoc hastened here and there cheering his men. ' To-day," he said, " will decide whether Britain shall remain free or be subject to Rome." 2

Caradoc had chosen his position so well that the Roman general hesitated to order an attack. Crossing a deep river, the army began the march up the hill, while the Britons showered missiles upon them. Holding shields over their heads for shelter, the Romans proceeded steadily upwards, until they met their foe. As usual, the Britons could not hold their own, and they lost the battle. The queen and the princes were taken captive, and the king's brother surrendered. Caradoc escaped, but was soon captured, and the royal family was sent to Rome.

As Caradoc passed through the streets of Rome in the procession formed to gratify the populace, who were anxious to see the king that had so long resisted the Roman legions, he noted the costly palaces and temples. " Strange," he exclaimed, " that those who own possessions, so many and so splendid, should envy us our poor huts." Slowly the procession moved into the field of Mars, where the Emperor Claudius and the Empress Agrippina (A-grip-pi'-na) sat upon two thrones surrounded by their household troops. Weeping and imploring mercy, the captives prostrated themselves at the feet of the emperor — all but Caradoc. He stood in haughty pride before the ruler of the world.

Briton," said Claudius, " knowest thou not that thou must die ? All who bear arms against Rome, as thou hast done, are doomed to death."

The heroic Briton replied: " Had my moderation in prosperity been equal to my noble birth, I should have entered this city as your friend rather than as your prisoner; and you would not have declined to welcome as an ally a king of illustrious descent who ruled many nations. My present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to myself. Had I surrendered to your power, neither my fall nor your triumph would have been as great as now. Put me to death, and my story will be forgotten. Spare me, and your mercy will be remembered forever.

CARADOC.

As for me, I have nothing to live for; I fear death no more here than on the field of battle."

This noble speech and the dignified bearing of the captive king appealed to the emperor's sense of justice. He at once ordered that he be set at liberty. Whether Caradoc ever returned to Britain is not known, but we may be sure that this country-loving patriot spent the rest of his life in sadness, as he watched the complete subjection of his native race.

Not many years passed before the Romans were in firm possession of Britain. In the north of Scotland some unconquered natives called Picts still remained in arms against the Romans, but elsewhere the island was practically at peace. As a protection from the northern savages, a wall was built across the island

from sea to sea. This so-called wall consisted of a trench thirtysix feet wide and fifteen deep ; a wall built of stone seventy-three miles long, eight feet wide, and fifteen feet high; and a road parallel to the trench and wall. Beyond were military camps four miles apart, each with its own wall and trench, while on the main wall were castles a mile apart, with watchtowers every three hundred feet. So firmly was the wall built that portions of it stand to-day after all these centuries. What terrible warriors these Picts must have been, to inspire such fear in the hearts of Roman soldiers!

RUINS OF THE ROMAN WALL.

For three or four centuries the Romans ruled Britain, and the island became a Roman province like Gaul and Spain. In many ways the conquest seems to have been of advantage to the Britons. They were taught to keep peace among themselves, and to settle disputes by law instead of by fighting. Good roads were constructed, and travel from one part of the island to another was made easy; towns were established, country villas were built, and the inhabitants were brought into frequent contact with the civilized world. Agriculture and manufactures were encouraged, until Britain produced more than was needed at home. In fact, the Roman occupation, to a considerable extent, made civilized beings out of barbarians; and with civilization, Christianity also came.

Nevertheless there was much discontent. To make these changes money was needed. Taxation was heavy, and this seemed a great burden to people who had never known what taxation was. That the Romans compelled their young men to be soldiers, and employed them in distant lands, was a serious grievance. Men were forced, against their will, to work on the roads and in mines. In fact, the Britons suffered the usual evils of a subject race ruled by those who thought only of their own interests. Still, all remained quiet until the Romans were compelled to abandon the province.

Name some of the changes that have made the England of to-day. State the circumstances which caused Caesar to visit England. Describe the appearance of an early British soldier, (live an account of the battle when Caesar first landed in Britain. Describe a British war chariot and how it was used. Give an account of Caradoc's resistance to the Romans; his battle on the hills; his visit to Rome.

Describe the great Roman wall.

Tell what were the advantages and the evils of Roman rule in Britain.

Why did the ancients know so little of Britain? How many years

CARADOC.

have passed since Caesar landed at Dover? What was a Roman eagle-bearer? What was the important quality in a Roman army that made it victorious? Did the Romans envy the Britons their huts? What did Caradoc mean by his expression " moderation in prosperity " ? What is taxation? Why were British soldiers in the Roman army sent to other countries?

->.£3-

Draitinfrom an old print.

A BRITISH SCYTHED CHARIOT,

King Arthur.

SIXTH CENTURY.

Nearly fifteen hundred years have passed since the last Roman soldiers sailed away from the isle of Britain. Doubtless the Britons watched their departure with great pleasure. At last they were free from heavy taxation ; no longer were they a subject race ; they were at liberty to govern themselves. But it was not long before they wished the Romans back again ; they even sent messengers to Rome beseeching them to return.

The Roman conquerors had not taught the Britons the art of self-protection. Large armies of Roman soldiers had been stationed in different parts of the island, and these had furnished complete security to the natives. If their young men showed themselves soldiers by nature, they were at once drafted into the Roman army. But the British legions thus formed were never employed at home; they were sent to perform military service in other parts of the great Roman Empire, where they often proved themselves the bravest of the brave.

When the Romans were gone, the warlike Picts, who had

KING ARTHUR.

been kept back so long, swarmed across the wall and fiercely attacked the Britons from the north. The barbarous Scots crossed the Irish Sea and drove the Britons inland from the west. Bands of roving pirates ravaged the east and south coasts, plundering and burning wherever they went. ' The barbarians drive us to the sea; the sea throws us back on the barbarians. Thus two

From an old engraving.

THE BARBARIANS DRIVEN TO THEIR SHIPS BY VORTIGERN.

modes of death await us, we are either slain or drowned," the Britons cried. Sorely pressed, they fought the invaders as best they could, but they were not such warriors as their ancestors had been, and they were seldom victorious.

At last the leading king of the Britons, Vortigern (Vor'-tigern), asked certain of the barbarians to assist him in conquering the others. He offered to give a part of Kent to Hengist and Horsa, leaders of a band of Jutes (Juts), if they would defeat the Picts. This the Jutes quickly did, and then, turning on the Britons, they drove them from the whole of Kent.

Emboldened by the success of the Jutes, another band of barbarians, called Saxons, landed on the south coast west of Kent, forced the natives inland, and settled there. A third tribe, called Angles (An'-g'lz), came also and captured a portion of the eastern coast. Thus the Britons, though obtaining temporary freedom from the barbarians of the north, found that they had welcomed an enemy far more dangerous. Little by little the foreigners pressed inland, driving the Britons before them and destroying the signs of Roman civilization.

" And still from time to time the heathen host Swarmed over seas, and harried what was left. And so there grew great tracts of wilderness, Wherein the beast was ever more and more, But man was less and less, till Arthur came.

And through the puissance of his Table Round,

Drew all their petty princedoms under him,

Their king and head, and made a realm, and reigned."

" Till Arthur came ! " Finally a leader arose, worthy of the name of Briton. Unfortunately we know with certainty very little about King Arthur, though many are the tales that are told of him. No history was written by the Britons, and the Saxons in their Chronicles made little mention of their own defeats. Therefore only the most general facts can be told.

It was Arthur's first task to make himself king. The Britons were looking for a leader, and Arthur's deeds of skill and valor easily placed him at their head. Other British chieftains attacked him, but his victories over them won their followers to his. ranks. At last he deemed himself strong enough to encounter the Saxons as they pressed inward from the coast. After a

KING ARTHUR.

fierce and long-contested battle he won a lasting victory, completely routing the enemy. Arthur was now truly king; none dared to oppose him, and all yielded obedience. The Saxons remained quiet within their borders, and the Picts and Scots for the first time dreaded to make attack. For many years Arthur and his people were left in comparative peace.

But at length Arthur died, and his warriors died also. The Angles and the Saxons took up arms again, and little by little the Britons gave way before them.

A century had hardly passed after Arthur's great victory, before the intruders obtained possession of the greater part of England. The Britons were confined to the coast districts along the Irish Sea, in what was known as Wales, Cornwall, and Strathclyde (Strathklld'). They were called Welsh, or foreigners, by the victorious barbarian invaders, and so hereafter we must call them.

Would you know more of King Arthur and his Round Table? Then read Tennyson's" Idyls of the King," or that popular book for boys, Malory's" King Arthur." Do you wonder where Tennyson and Malory obtained their stories ? They are simply English versions of the songs the Welsh bards used to sing during the long winter evenings in the highlands of Wales; they are English forms of the stories that the early British story-tellers used to repeat in the coast districts of Cornwall.

Shall we accept all the stories of King Arthur and his Round Table ? No boy of to-day would believe that an arm, stretched

A JUTISH COAT OF MAIL.

FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

out of the sea, handed to Arthur his wonderful sword, Excalibur. But are none of the reasonable tales true ? Very likely, but we do not know which ones. In ancient times, before the art of printing was known, poems were read or sung by traveling bards as they spent the night in village or palace hall. Most of these songs were probably based upon some incident, some heroic act, that had really happened ; but as they were sung over and over again, they came to vary more and more from the original and truthful account. Still more changes would be made by younger bards as they sang the poems which they had heard the old bards sing. In time little resemblance remained between the story as sung and the incident as it happened, yet there was always something of truth in the most improbable story.

So it was with the legends about King Arthur. Though there is more fiction than truth in these tales, still they teach us much about the character and deeds of the heroic British king. Arthur was a Christian fighting with success against the heathen ; he contended for God and native land ; he represented civilization holding barbarians at bay. Arthur was the last of the great Britons, a worthy representative of the noblest characteristics of the people that dwelt so long in old England.

Describe what happened in Britain after the Romans left. State how and why the barbarians settled in Britain. Tell what is known of King Arthur.

STATUE OF KING ARTHUR.

KING ARTHUR.

Give an account of what took place in Britain after Arthur's death. Explain how stories of real incidents lost their truthfulness by constant repetition.

Should the United States employ Porto Rican soldiers to protect that island? What is a pirate? Ought Vortigern to have expected the result that followed his invitation? Why was Arthur victorious? Why did the Britons fail after Arthur's death? What was the Round Table ?

AN OLD ENGLISH SPOON.

CHAPTER III. Basda

672 (?)-735 (?).

The Britons had been driven from their native land, and their places had been taken by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. These people had come across the English Channel from the continent of Europe. The Angles and the Saxons came from the country near the mouths of the great rivers of northern Germany; the Jutes lived further north in Jutland, now called Denmark. These three tribes spoke the same language, had similar habits and customs, and were considered very much the same people.