The Mark System. 45 



to the land tenure of Anglo-Saxon times, there is one other 

 point which we must not overlook. 



Tacitus represents the Germans at a more advanced stage 

 of civilisation than Csesar ; ^ but he does more — he represents 

 particular tribes as further advanced than others. Some he 

 describes as having attained to the dignity of separate mon- 

 archies. Others, like the jEstii, cramped for room, were forced 

 by stern necessity into a more advanced stage of agriculture 

 than those whose wide extent of ground facilitated a less in- 

 dustrious system ; and we might no doubt multiply the ex- 

 amples where remarks of this author directly or indirectly 

 point to a higher or lower stage of civilisation in various parts 

 of Germany. Unfortunately we are left in ignorance regard- 

 ing that particular stage to which the tribes in which we are 

 most interested had attained when they sailed forth to conquer 

 this country. 



' Tacitus, Germania, chap. 2G, and chai). 45. 



