THE SAXONS IN BRITAIIC. 07 



The Roman power being withdrawn from them, 

 and the number of effective men amongst themselves 

 lessened at the departure of the Romans, they lost 

 their friends and supporters, and were left to the 

 ravages of their northern enemies ; the Caledonians 

 broke down the wall built by Severus, and subdued 

 and destroyed the northern part of the country, as 

 far as the banks of the Humber. Being thus dis- 

 tressed and driven to the last extremity of despair, 

 they invited over the Saxons to their assistance, 

 who came to their help and subdued their enemies : 

 after having enjoyed the blessings of this delightful 

 and fruitful land, they were unwilling to return ; 

 and having augmented their force, turned upon the 

 natives and finally subdued them, which introduces 

 the Saxon period in the English history. 



Ida, a Saxon prince, in the year 547, with a nu- 

 merous host of his countrymen landed at Flam bo- 

 rough head, extended his conquest to the north, and 

 having subdued Northumberland, Durham, and the 

 south-east part of Scotland, assumed the title of 

 Bernicia. Soon after Ella, another Saxon prince, 

 overcame Lancashire, and th greatest part of York- 

 shire, and received the appellation of King of Deira. 

 The river Tees was the boundary between, these 

 two kingdoms. 



About the year 550, the Saxons had conquered 

 the whole of south Britain, with the exception of 

 Wales, which they divided into seven kingdoms, 

 called the Heptarchy ; many of the original inhabi- 

 tants took refuge in the mountains of Wales, and 



others became servants to the conquerors. The 



T 9 

 t. & 



