ORIGIN OF OUR RACK 253 



Conquest, and the interval of time which elapsed 

 before the necessities of our Angevin kings compelled 

 them to restore to the Anglo-Saxon element in the 

 nation its original supremacy, social, religious, and 

 linguistic. 



According to this view we are a nation descended 

 from conquering races. Our imperial instinct, which 

 is, of course, a very fine thing now, though of old 

 somewhat tainted with rapacity and brutality, has 

 descended to us very naturally. And even if we would, 

 even though we began in these later times to doubt 

 whether the tendencies we inherit from brutal Saxon 

 and fiery Norman are altogether the noblest qualities 

 a great nation can possess, we should not be able to 

 help ourselves. A nation can no more leap over its 

 own shadow than a man can ; and the old hopeless 

 proverb says no man can do so, meaning that no man 

 need hope to eradicate his innate evil tendencies. Let 

 the few among us who have nobler and purer aspirations 

 say what they will, a race sprung from the followers of 

 Hengist and Horsa, JElla, Cerdic, and Cynric, a race 

 strengthened by the alliances of Danish and Norman 

 conquerors, must of necessity make a fighting people. 

 Trade and its developments may occupy us for a while. 

 But from time to time we must engage in the pastime 

 of our ancestors. * War was the Englishman's " shield 

 play " and " sword game," ' says Green ; * the gleeman's 

 verse took fresh fire as he sang of the rush of the host 

 and the crash of its shieldline ; their arms and weapons, 

 helmet and mailshirt, tall spear and javelin, sword and 



