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Matres," or beneficent local presiding deities, who were 
supposed to bring good fortune to those that honoured 
them. This piece of sculpture was found in Ancaster 
church-yard, with a small incense altar before it, just as 
it was left by the Romans. Through Ancaster and over 
the Heath hurried the Emperor Constantine on his way to 
York, for the purpose of joining his father, Constantius 
Chlorus, in that city, then called Eboracum, and either 
then or on his return a complimentary inscription was set 
up by the way side, just as we now erect arches of ever- 
greens to celebrate the advent of royal or other popular 
personages to our respective localities or towns. But at 
length the power of the Roman Empire was shaken, and 
all its life's blood was, as it were, forced to retire from its 
extremities to sustain its central vitality ; and Britain, feeling 
her weakness when deprived of her bold and hardy masters, 
saw the last Roman Legion leave her shores with regret, 
knowing that other invaders were ready to pour in upon 
her soil, with whom our next incident is connected, viz., 
" the Saxons. " They had circled away from Asia like the 
Celts, but took chiefly a more central course, thus peopling 
Germany, until they - arrived on the shores of the German 
Ocean and the Baltic. Thence three tribes, the Angles, the 
Jutes, and the Saxons, made incursions upon our shores before 
the departure of the Romans, and after that event gradually 
got possession of nearly the whole of England, carrying on 
a war of eradication against the poor Britons, who at length 
were alone to be found in the hills of Cumberland, the 
fastnesses of Wales, and the wilds of Cornwall. Of these 
the Angles possessed themselves of Lincolnshire, and their 
traces are still revealed both at Lincoln and about Sleaford 
and Ancaster : no doubt then but what the Heath witnessed 
the marchings and countermarch ings of that people many 
a time, although I am not aware that any of their traces 
