Essay Introductory to the Archeology of the fVest of England. 133 



The Romans achieved less towards the civilisation of Britain than of any 

 of their other conquests, owing probably to the disturbed state of the coun- 

 try, and its distance from the seat of empire j circumstances which led 

 necessarily to the delegation of great irresponsible power to the generals, 

 and to their abuse of it. Britain became proverbial as " fertile in usurp- 

 ers," and was oppressed by a series of petty tyrants, who took advantage 

 of any irregularity in the government at home, to act as independent 

 sovereigns abroad. 



The occupation of the country by the Romans must however, though un- 

 settled, have been tolerably complete, since as we shall hereafter shew, 

 they very materially affected the vocabulary of the British language. 



But the time approached when the conquerors of the world were them- 

 selves to be conquered ; and the shock that finally destroyed the great 

 centre of empire, was felt first at the circumference. Various nations hitherto 

 unheard of or repressed, began to occupy a place in history. Before the 

 third century the Roman policy had become infirm and vacillalory, and 

 during the joint reign of Valerian and his son Galienus, the Germanic na- 

 tions crossed the Rhine in great numbers as Franks or free men ; by degrees 

 they traversed Gaul, crossed the Pyrhenean boundary, overran Tarragonia, 

 and extended their ravages to Catalonia and the south-west of Spain, 

 pointing out an easy way to the Burgundian and other Teutonic tribes, who 

 were not slow to avail themselves of the example. 



But Britain was threatened from a different quarter. The root of the 

 Cimbric Chersonese, now Holstein, was inhabited by the Saxons, a tribe of 

 barbarians mentioned by Ptolemy as existing there in the second century, 

 and who at a subsequent period gave name to the country between the 

 Rhine and the Oder. 



Their neighbours on the north were the Angles and the Jutes, like them- 

 selves fierce and warlike, and from their maritime situation much given to 

 piracy. 



At this period also the Picts and Scots made their appearance, so that 

 when, about the middle of the fourth century, the Roman forces were formally 

 withdrawn from Britain, the natives were attacked on all quarters — on the 

 north by the Picts and Scots, on the south and south-east by the Saxons. 



Britain, at this period, was ruled or rather misruled by a number of 

 turbulent persons, partly of British and partly of Roman origin, by whom 

 the force of the country was reduced to so miserable a condition, that in 

 order to defend themselves from the Picts, they were glad to call in the 

 Saxons, who under the guidance of Hengist and Horsa landed in Kent, 

 A. D. 449. 



The Scottish marauders confined their ravages to tlic northern provinces, 

 and possessed themselves of the kingdom of Dcira, or Northumberland. 

 The Saxons iiaving once obtained a firm footing in the country, never left 

 it, and by the help of their allies, the Angles and the Jutes, they drove 



