THE PBESIDENT's ADDRESS. 363 



The first arrival of the Jutes in Britain was in A.D. 447, 

 when invited by Yortigern, the British King to assist him 

 against their former confederates the Picts of Alba and the Scots 

 of Ireland. 



He no doubt considered this a clever move, but it proved 

 most disastrous. 



It is a mistake to suppose that the first arrival of the Saxons 

 was in 520. Even in the times of the Roman domination they 

 had been pressing in on the East and had colonised portions of 

 that coast ; and they had for long been in league with the Irish. 



It was not till 557, however, that the West Saxons set their 

 faces determinedly to the setting sun, and by the British defeat 

 of Deorham, the flourishing cities of Gloucester, Bath and of 

 Cirencester were lost to the Britons. The disaster was fatal to 

 the cause of the latter, for not only were these important towns 

 taken from them, but their line of defence was ruptured, and the 

 "Welsh and the Damnonii could no longer present to the enemy 

 an unbroken front. In 583, the Cornavii, who had been in 

 peaceable occupation of the Severn valley were harried by 

 Ceawlin, who thrust his way up the river, burning and slaying. 



He was, however, defeated at Faddiley and was forced to 

 retreat, and in 591 was utterly routed at Wanborough. In this 

 last struggle, the Britons assisted Ceol against his uncle. Feuds 

 now broke out among the barbarian invaders, and the Britons 

 were able to make terms with the Saxon kings. 



Cenwalch, however, resumed the conflict against the "West 

 Welsh, as those to the south of the Severn estuary were called, 

 and in 658 drove them across the Parret, which thenceforth for 

 a while constituted the boundary between the races. In 688, the 

 redoubted Ina was king, and in 710 he attacked the kingdom of 

 Dyfnaint or Damnonia. He was met by Geraint the king. A 

 battle was fought between Ina and Geraint on the northern 

 slope of the Blackdown hills, just above Taunton, and the 

 Britons were worsted. Ina then made Taunton a border fortress, 

 but in 722 it was retaken by the Britons. 



For a while the westward progress of the Saxons was not 

 military. By some means or other, probably by peaceful 

 compact made with the West Welsh princes, Saxons were 



