An abridgement of the history of England : from the invasion of Julius Cæsar to the death of George the Second

Chapter I

OF BRITAIN, FROM THE INVASION OF JULIUS CESAR, TO THE AB- DICATION OF THE ROMANS.

1 . Britain was but very little known to the rest of the world before the time of the Romans. The coasts opposite Gaul were frequented by merchants, who traded thither for such commodities as the natives were able to produce. These, it is thought, after a time, possessed themselves of all the maritime placei?^ where they had at first been permitted to reside. There, finding the country fertile, and commodiously situated for trade, they settled upon the sea side, and introduced the practice of agriculture. But it was very diflerent with the inland inhabitants of the country, who con;?idered themselves as the lawful possessors of the soil. These avoided all correspondence with the new comers, whom they considered as intruders upon their property.

2. The inland inhabitants are sepressnted as extremely numerous, living in cottages thatched with straw, and feeding large herds of cattle. They lived mostly upon milk, or llesh procured by the chase. What clothes they wore to cover any part of their bodies, were usually the skins of beasts ; but much of their bodies, as the arms, legs, and thighs, were left naked, and those parts were usually painted blue. Their hair, which was long, flowed down upon their backs and shoulders, while their beards were kept close shaven, except upon the uppei lip, where it was suffered to grow. The dress of savage nations is every where pretty much the same, being calculated rather to inspire terror than to excite love or respect.

3. As to their government, it consisted of several small principalities, each under its respective leader ; and this seems t© be the earliest mode of dominion with which mankind are acquainted, and deduced from the natural privileges of parental authority. Upon great, or uncommon dangers, a commander in chief was chosen by coa^on consent in a general assembly j-

HISTORY OF jfeNGLAND. Chap, i

and to tiim was committed the conduct of the general interest, the power of making peace, or of leading to M-^ar.

4. Their forces consisted chiefly of foot, and yet they could bring a considerable number of horse into the tield upon great occasions. They likewise used ciiariots in battle, which, with short scythes fastened to the end* of the axle trees, inflicted terrible wounds, spreading terroj^J and devastation wherever they drove. Nor, while the chafiots were thus destroying, were the warriors who conducted| them unemployed. These darted their javelins against the enemy, ran along the beam, leapt on the ground, resumed their seat, stopped, or turned their horses at full speed, and sometimes cunningly retreated, to draw the enemy into confusion.

5. The religion of the Britons was one of the most considerable parts of their government ; and the Druids, who were the guardians of it, possessed great authority among them. No species of superstition was ever more terrible than theirs ; besides the severe penalties, which they were permitted to inflict m this world, they inculcated the eternal transmigration of souls, and thus extended their authority as far as the fears of their votaries.

6. They sacrificed human victims, which they burned in large wicker idols, made so capacious as to contain a multitude of persons at once, who were thus consumed together. To these rites, tending to impress ignorance with awe, they added the austerity of their manners, and the simplicity of their lives. They lived in woods, caves, and hollow trees ; their food was acorns and berries, and their drink water ; by these arts they were not only respected, but almost adored by the people.

7. It may easily be supposed, that Uie manners of the people took a tmcture from the discipline of their teachers. Their lives were simple, but they were marked with cruelty and fierceness ; their courage was great, but neither dignified by mercy nor perseverance.

8. The Britons had long remained in this rude but independent state, when Caesar having overrun Gaul with his victories, and willing still further to extend his fame, determined upon the conquest of a country that seemed to promise an easy triumph. When the troops destined for the expedition were embarked, he set sail for Britain about midnight, and the next morning arrived on the coast near Dover, where he saw the rocks and cliffs covered with armed men to oppose his landing.

9. The Britons had chosen Cassibelaunus for their commander in chief, but the petty princes under his command, either desiring his station, or suspecting his fidehty, threw off t)\e;- •Ule^iaace. Some of them fled with their forces into the onap. 1. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 5

internal parts of the kingdom, others submitted to Caesar, till at length Cassibelaunus himself, weakened by so many desertions, resolved upon making what terms he was able, while he had the power to keep the field. The conditions offered b}^ Caesar, and accepted by him, were, that he should send to the continent double the number of hostages at first demanded, and that he should acknowledge subjection to the Romans. Caisar, however, was obliged to return once more to compel the Britons to complete their stipulated trGat}^

10. Upon ttie accession of Augustus, that emperor had formed the design of visiting Britain, but was diverted from it b}'- an unexpecterl revolt of the Fannonians.

1 1 . Tiberius wisely judging the empire already too extensive, made no attempt on Britain. From, that time the natives began to improve in all the arls which contribute to the advancement of human nature.

12. The wild extravagances of Caligula, by which he threatened Britain with an invasion, served rather to expose him to ridicule, than the island to danger. At length the Romans, in the reign of Claudius, began to think seriously of reducing them under their dominion. The expedition for ihis purpose was conducted in the beginning by Piautius and other commanders with that success which usually attended the Roman arms.

13. Caractacus was the first who seemed willing, by a vigorous effort, to rescue his country and repel its insulting and" rapacious conquerors. This rude soldier, though with inferior forces, continued for above nine years to oppose and harass the Romans ; till at length he was totally routed,' and taken prisoner by Ostorius Scapula, who sent him in triumph to Rome.

14. While Caractacus was leading through Rome, he appeared no way dejected at the amazing concourse of spectators, that were gathered upon this occasion, but casting his eyes on the splendours that surrounded him, " Alas," cried he, " how is it possible that a people possessed of such magnificence at home, could envy me an humble cottage in Britain ?" The emperor was affected with the British hero's misfortunes, and won by his address. He ordered him to be unchained upon the spot, and set at liberty, with the rest of the captives.

15. The ciruel treatment of Boadicea, queen of the Icfni, drove the Britons once more into open rebellion. Prasatai^us, king of the Iceni, at his death had bequeathed one half of hi? dominions to the Romans, and the other to his daughters, thus hoping by the sacrifice of a part to secure the rest in his family : bat it had a different effect, for the Roman procurator immediately took possession of the whole ; and when Boadicea, the widow of the deceased,, attempted to remonstrate,, he ordered

6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Chap, t

her to be scourged like a slave, and violated the chastity of her daughters.

16. These outrages were sufficient to produce a revolt throughout the island ; the Iceni, as being the most deeply interested in the quarrel, were the tirst to take arms ; all the other States soon followed the example ; and Boadicea, a woman of great beauty and masculine spirit, was appointed to head the cojimon forces, which amounted to two hundred and thirty thousand lighting men. These, exasperated by their wrongs, attacked several of the Roman settlements and colonies with success.

17. Paulinus, who commanded the Roman forces, hastened to relieve London, which was already a flourishing colony ; but found, on his arrival, that it would be requisite for the general safety, to abandon that place to the merciless fury of the enemj. London was soon therefore reduced to ashes ; such of the inhabitants as remained in it were massacred, and the Romans, with all other strangers, to the number of seventy thousand, were cruelly put to the sword.

18. Flushed with these successes, the Britons no longer sought to avoid the enemy, but boldi;y came to the place where '^aulinus awaited their arrival, posted in a very advantageous manner, with a body of ten thousand men. The battle was obstinate and bloody. Boadicea herself appeared in a chariot with her two daughters, and harangued her army with masculine intrepidity ; but the irregular and undisciplined bravery of her troops was unable to resist the cool intrepidity of the Romans. They were routed" with great slaughter, eighty thousand perished In the field, and an infinite number were made prisoners, while Boadicea herself, fearing to fdl into the hands of an enraged victor, put an end to her life by poison.

19. The general who tinally estpblished the dominion of the R-Omans in this island was Julius Agricola, who governed it during the reign of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, and distinguished himself as well by his courage as humanity.

20. For several years after the time of Agricola, a profound peace seems to have prevailed in Britain, and little mention is made of the affairs of the island by an}^ historian.

21. Rome, however, that had for ages given laws to nations, and diffused slavery and oppression over the known world, began at length to sink under her own magnificence. Mankind, as if by a general consent, rose up to vindicate their natural freedoni ; almost every nation asserting that independence which they had been long so unjustly deprived of.

22. During these struggles the British youth were frequently drawn away into Gaul, to ^ivc ineffcctal succour to the various

Chap. 2. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 7

contenders for the empire, who failing in every attempt, only left the name of tyrants behind them. In the mean time, as the Roman forces decreased in Britain, the Picts and Scot3 continued still more boldly to infest the nothern parts ; and crossing the friths, which the Romans could not guard, in little wicker boats covered with leather, filled the country, wherever they came, with slaughter and consternation.

23. The Romans, therefore, finding it impossible to stand their ground in Britain, in the reign of the emperor Valentinian took their last leave of this island, after being masters of it for near four hundred years, and now left the natives to the choice of their own goverment and kings. They gave them the best in* structions the calamitous times would permit, for exercising their arms and repairing their ramparts, and helped them to erect anew a wall of stone built by the emperor Severus across the island, which they had not at that time, artizans skilful enough among themselves to repair.

CHAPTER II.— The Saxons

1 . The Britons being now left to themselves, considered their new liberties as their greatest calamity.

2. The Picts and Scots uniting together, began to look upon Britain as their own, and attacked the northern wall, which the Romans had built to keep off their incursions, with success. Having thus opened to themselves a passage, they ravaged the whole country with impunity, while the Britons sought precarious shelter in their woods and mountains.

3. It was in this deplorable and enfeebled state that the Britons had recourse to the Saxons, a brave people ; who for their strength and valour were formidable to all the German nations around them, and supposed to be more than a match for the gods themselves. They were a people restless and bold, who considered war as their trade ; in consequence, taught to consider victory as a doubtful advantage, but courage as a certain good.

4. A nation, however, entirely addicted to war, has seldom wanted the imputation of cruelty, as those terrors which are op. posed without fear, are often inflicted without regret. The Saxons are represented as a very cruel nation ; but we must remember, that their enemies have drawn the picture.

5. It was no disagreeable circumstance to these ambitious people, to be invited into a country upon which they had, for ages before, been forming designs. In consequence therefore of Vortigern's solemn invitation, who was then king of Britain, they arrived with fifteen hundred men. under the command of lieugjst and Horsa, who were brothers, and landed on the Isle of Thanet. There they did not long remain inactive ; but being joined by the British forces, they boldly marched against the Picts and Scots, who had advanced as far as Lincolnshire, and soon gained a complete victory over them.

6. The Saxons however, being sensible of the fertility of the country to which they came, and the barrenness of that which they had left behind, invited over great numbers of their countrymen to become sharers in their new expedition. Aceordingly they received a fresh supply of five thousand men, who passed over in seventeen vessels, and soon made a permanent establishment, in the island.

7. The British historians, in order to account for the easy conquest of their country by the Saxons, assign their treachery, not less than their valour, as a principal cause. They allege that Vortigern was artfully inveigled into a passion for liowena, the daughter of Hengist, and in order to marry her, was induced to settle the fertile province of Kent upon her father, from whence the Saxonrs could never after be removed.

8. It is alleged also, that upon the death of Vortimer, which happened shortly after the victory he optained at Englesford, Vortigern, his father, was reinstated upon the throne. It is ad ded, that this weak monarch accepting an invitation to a festival from Hengi:.t, tliree hundred of his nobility were treacherously slaughtered, and himself detained as a captive.

9. After the death of Hengist, several other German tribes, allured by the success of their countrymen, went over in great numbers. A body of their countrymen, under the conduct of Ella and his three sons, had sometime before laid the foundation of the kingdom of the South Saxons, though not without great opposition and bloodshed. This new kingdom included Surry, Sussex, and the new Forest, and extended to the frontiers of Kent.

10. Another tribe of Saxons under the command of Cerdic, and his son Kenric, landed in the West, and from thence took the name of West Saxons. These met with a vigorous opposition from the natives, but being reinforced from Germany, and assisted by their countrymen on the island, they routed the Britons ; and although retarded in their progress by the celebrated king Arthur, they had strength enough to keep possession of the conquests they had already made. Cerdic, therefore, with his son Kenric, established the third Saxon kingdom in the island, namely, that of the West Saxon, including the counties of Hants, Dorset,Wilts, Berks, and the Isle of Wight.

1 1. It was in opposing this Saxon invader that the celebrated prince Arthur acquired his fame. Howsoever so unsuccessful f

Chap. 2. lltSTORY OF ENGLAND, 9

all his valour might have been in the end, yet his name makes so great a figure in the fabulous annals of the ti.ies, that some notice must be taken of him. This prince is of such obscure original, that some authors suppose him to be the son of king Ambrosius, and others only }iis nephew ; others again affirm that he WM a Cornish prince, and son of Gurlois, king of that province,

12. Hov/ever this be, it is certain he was a commander of great valour, and could courage alone have repaired tlie miserable state of the Britons, his might have been effectual. According to the most authentic historians, he is said to have worsted the Saxons, in twelve successive battles. In one of them, namely, that fought at Caerbadon, in Berks, it is asserted, that he killed no less than four hundred and forty of the enemy with his own hand.

13. But the Saxons were too numerous and powerful to be extirpated by the desultory efforts of single valour ; so that a peace, arid not conquest, was the immediate fruit of his victories. The eriemy, therefore, still gained ground, and this prince in the decline of life, had the mortification, from some domestic troubles of his own, to be a patient spectator of their encroachments.

14; His first wife had been carried off by Melnas, king of Somersetshire, who detained her a v/hoie year at Glastonbury, wntil Arthur, discovering the place of her retreat, advanced v/ith an army against the ravisher, and obliged him to give her back.

15. In his second wife, perhaps he might have been more fortunate, as we have no mention made of her ; but it was otlierwise with his third consort, who v/as debauched by his own nephew, Mordred. This produced a rebellion, in which the king and his traitorous kinsman, meeting in battle, slew each other.

16. In the mean time, while the Saxons were thus gaining ground in the West, their countrymen were not less active in other parts of the island. Adventurers still continued to pour over from Germany, one body of them under the command of Uffa, seized upon the counties of Cambridge, Suftblk and Norfolk, and gave their commander the title of king of the East Angles, whch was the fourth Saxon kingdom founded in Britain.

17. Another body of these adventurers formed a kingdom under the title of East Saxony, or Essex, comprehending Essex, Mid^ dlesex, and part of Hertfordshire. This kingdom, which was dismembered from that of Kent, formed the fifth Saxon principality founded in Britain.

18. The kingdom of Mercia was the sixth which was established by these fierce invaders, comprehending all the middle counties, from the banks of the Severn, to the frontiers of the two J"ast named kingdoms.

19. The seventh and last kins;dom which they obt«ined was that of Northumberland, one of the most powerful and extensive of them all. This was formed from the union of two smaller Saxon kingdoms, the one called Bernica, containing the present county of Northumberland, and the bishoprick of Durham ; the subjects of the other, called the Deiri, extending themselves over Lancashire and Yorkshire.

20. These kingdoms were united in the person of Ethelfred, king of Northumberland, hj the expulsion of Edwin, his brother-in-law, from the kingdom of of the Deiri, and the seizure of his dominions. In this manner, the natives being overpowered, or entirely expelled, seven kingdoms were established in Britain, which have been well known by the name of the Saxon Heptarchy.

21. The Saxons being thus established in all the desirable parts of the island, and having no longer the Britons to contend with, • 3gan to quarrel among themselves. A country divided into a number of petty independent principalities, must ever be subject to contention, as jcaloiis}'^ and ambition have more frequent incentives to operate.

22. After a series, therefore, of battles, treasons, and stratagems, all these petty principalities fell under the power of Egbert, king of Wessex, whose merit deserved dominion, and whose prudence secured his conquests.

23. By him all the kingdoms of the Heptarchy were united Under one common jurisdiction ; but to give splendour to his authority, a general council of the clergy and laity was summoned at Winchester, where he was solemnly crowned king of England, by which name the^united kingdom was thenceforward called.

24. Thus, about four hundred years after the first arrival of the Saxons in Britain, all their petty settlements were united into one great state, and nothing offered but prospects of peace, security, and increasing reiinement.

26. It was about this time that St. Gregory undertook to send missionaries among the Saxons, to convert them to Christianity. It is said, that before his elevation to the papal chair, he chanced one day to pass through the slave market at Rome, and perceiving some children of great beauty, who were set up for sale, he inquired about their country, and finding they were English pages, be is said to have cried ouf in ihe Latin language : JVoji A}igli, sed Angeli forcnt, si essent Christiani : They would not be English, but Angels, had they been christians. From that time he was struck with an ardent desire to co.^/ert that unenlightened nation, and ordered n monk, named Augustine, and others of the same fraternity, to undertake the mission into Britain.

26. This pious monk, upon his first landing in the isle of Thanet, sent one of his interpreters to Ethelbert the Kentish king,

Chap. 3. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. U

tleclaring he was come from Rome with offers of eternal salvation. The king immediately ordered them to be furnished with all necessaries, and even visited them, though without declaring himself as yet in their favour. Augustine, however, encouraged by this favourable reception, and now seeing a prospect of success, proceeded with redoubled zeal to preach the gospel.

27. The king openly espoused the christian religion, while his example wrought so successfully on his subjects, that numbers of them came voluntarily to be baptized, their missioner loudly declaring against any coercive means towards their conversion. In this manner, the other kingdoms, one after the other, embraced the faith ; and England was soon as famous for its superstition, as it had once been for its averseness to Christianity.

CHAPTER III.— The Invasion of the Danes

1 . Peace and unanimity had been scarcely established in England, when a mighty swarm of those nations called Danes, who had possessed the countries bordering on the Baltic, began to leval their fury against England. A small body of them first landed on the coasts, with a view to learn the state of the country ; and having committed some small depredations, iled to their ships for safety.

2. About seven years after this first attempt, they made a descent upon the kingdom of Northumberland, where they pillaged a monastery ; but their fleet being shattered by a storm, they were defeated by the inhabitants, and put to the sword. It was not till about five years after the accession of Egbert, that their invasions became truly formidable. From that time they continued with unceasing ferocity, until the whole kingdom was reduced to a state of the most distressful bondage.

3. Though often repulsed, they always obtained their end, of spoiling the country, and carrying the plunder away. It was their method to avoid coming, if possible, to a general engagement, but scattering themselves over the face of the country, they carried away indiscriminately, as well the inhabitants themselves, as all their moveable possessions.

4. At length, however, they resolved upon making a settlement in the country, and landing on the isle of Tlianet stationed tliemselves there. In this place they kept their groimd, notwithstanding a bloody victory gained over them by Ethel wolf. The reign of Ethelbald, his successor, was of no long continuance ; however, in so short a space, he crowded a number of Tices sufficient to render his name odious to posterity.

J 2 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Chap. 3.

5. This prince was succeeded by his brother Ethelred, a brave comniander, but whose valour was insufficient to repress the Danish incursions. In these exploits he was always assisted by his younger brother, Alfred, afterwards surnamed the great, who sacriliced all private resentment to the pubUc good, liaving been deprived by the king of a large patrimony. It was during Ethelred's reign, that the Danes, penetrating into Mercia, took up their winter quarters at Nottingham ; from whence the king attempting to dislodge them, received a wound in the battle, of which he died, leaving his brother Alfred to the inheritance of a kingdom that was now reduced to the brink of ruin.

6. The Danes had already subdued Northumberland and East Anglia, and had penetrated into the very heart of Wessex. The Mercians were united against Alfred ; the dependence upon the other provinces of the empire was but precarious ; the lands lay uncultivated, through fears of continual incursions : and all the churches and monasteries were burned to the ground. In this terrible situation of afl'airs, nothing appeared but objects of terror, and every hope was lost in despair. The wisdom and virtues of one man alone were found sufficient to bring back happiness, security and order ; and all the calamities of the times found redress from Alfred.

6. This prince seemed born not only to defend his bleeding country, but even to adorn humanity. He had given very early instances of those great virtues which afterwards gave splendour to his reign ; and was annointed by pope Leo, a future king, %vhen he was sent by his father for his education to Rome. On his return from thence, he became every day more the object of his father's fond affections, and that, perhaps, was the reason why his education was first neglected.

7. He had attained the age of twelve, before he was made acquainted with the lowest elements of literature ; but heariiig some Saxon poems read, which recounted the praise of heroes, his whole mind was roused not only to obtain a similitude of glory, but also to be able to transmit that glory to posterity. Encouraged by the queen his mother, and assisted by a penetrative genius, he soon learned to read these compositions, and proceeded from thence to a knowledge of Latin authors, who directed his taste, and rectified his ambition.

8. He was scarce come to the crown, when he was obliged lO oppose the Danes, who had seized Wilton, and were exercising their usual ravages on the country around. He marched against them witti the few troops he could assemble on a sudden, and a desperate battle was fought to the disadvantage of the English. But it was not in the power of misfortune to abato Uie king's diligence, though it repressed his power to do ^ood.

Chap. 3. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 13

9. He was in a little time enabled to hazard another engagement ; so that the enemy dreading his courage and activity, proposed terms of peace, which he did not think proper to reiuse. They, by this treaty, agreed to relinquish the kingdom ; but instead of. complying with their engagements, they only removed from one place to another, burning and destroying wherever they came.

10. Alfred, thus opposed to an enemy whom no stationary force could resist, nor no treaty could bind, found himself unable to repel the force of those ravagers, who from all quarters invaded him. New swarms of the enemy arrived every year upon the coast, and fresh invasions were still projected. Some of his subjects therefore left their country, and retired into Wales, or fled to the continent. Others submitted to the conquerors, and purchased their lives by their freedom.

11. In this universal detection, Alfred vainly attempted to remind them of the duty they owed their country and their king ; but finding his remonstrances ineil'ectual, he was obliged to give way to the wretched necessity of the times. Accordingly, relinquishing the ensigns of his dignity, and dismissing his servants, he dressed himself in the habit of a peasant, and lived for some time in the house of an herdsman, who had been entrusted with the care of his cattle.

12. In this manner, though abandoned by the world, and fearing an enemy in every quarter, still he resolved to continue in his country, to catch the slightest occasions for bringing it relief, in his solitary retreat, which was in the county of Somerset, at the confluence of the rivers Parret and Thone, he amused himself with music, and supported his humble lot with the hopes of better fortune.

13. It is said, that one day being commanded, by the herdsman's wife, who was ignorant of his quality, to take care of some cakes, which were baking by the fire, he happened to let them burn, for which neglect she severely upbraided him.

14. Previous to his retirement, Alfred had concerted measures for assembling a few trusty friends, whenever an opportunity should offer of annoying the enemy, who were now in possession of all the country. This chosen band, still faithful to their monarch, took shelter in the forests and marshes of Somerset, and from thence made occasional irruptions upon straggling parties of the enemy.

15. Their success, in this rapacious and dreary method of Jiving, encouraged many more to join their society, till at length sufficiently augmented, they repaired to their monarch, who had by that time been reduced by famine to the last extremity.

1^ Meanwhil© Ubba, the chief of the Danish cammanders> carried terror over the whole land, and now ravaged the country of Wales without opposition ; the only place where he found resistance was, in his return, from the castle of Kenwith, into which the earl of Devonshire had retired with a small body of troops.

17. This gallant soldier finding himself unable to sustain a siege, and knowing the danger of surrendering to so perfidious an enemy, was resolved, by one desperate effort, to sally out and force his way through the besiegers, sword in hand. The proposal was embraced by all his followers, while the Danes, secure in their numbers, and in their contempt of the enemy, were not only routed with great slaughter, but Ubba, their general, was slain.

18. This victory once more restored courage to the dispirited Saxons; and Alfred, taking advantage of their favourable disposition, prepared to animate them to a vigorous exertion of their superiority. He soon, therefore, apprised them of the place of his retreat, and instructed them to be ready, with all their strength, at a minute's warning.