  | CHAPTER I. | | THE DAWN OF HISTORY. | | Obscurity of early history—Our ancient monuments a mystery—The Welsh Triads—Language of the first inhabitants of Britain unknown—Wonders of the ancient world | p.5 | | CHAPTER II. | | THE ANCIENT BRITONS. | | The Celtic Tribes—Britain known to the Phoenicians and Greeks—The ancient Cymry—Different classes of the early Britons—Their personal appearance—Description of their forest-towns—A British hunter—Interior of an ancient hut—Costume of the old Cymry—Ancient armour and weapons—British war-chariots—The fearful havoc they made in battle | p.12 | | CHAPTER III. | | THE DRUIDS. | | Interior of an old British forest—Druidical sacrifice—Their treasures—Their mysterious rites and ceremonies—The power they possessed—Their belief in a future state—Their wild superstitions—An arch-Druid described—Their veneration for the mistletoe—Description of the Druids offering up sacrifice—The gloomy grandeur of their ancient groves—Contrast between the idols of the Druids and the heathen gods of the Romans | p.17 | | CHAPTER IV. | | LANDING OF JULIUS CÆSAR. | | CÆsar's reasons for invading Britain—Despatches Volusenus from Gaul to reconnoitre the island—Is intimidated by the force he finds arranged along the cliffs of Dover—Lands near Sandwich—Courage of the Roman Standard-bearer—Combat between the Britons and Romans—Defeat and submission of the Britons—Wreck of the Roman galleys—Perilous position of the invaders—Roman soldiers attacked in a corn-field, rescued by the arrival of their general—Britons attack the Roman encampment, are again defeated, and pursued by the Roman cavalry—CÆsar's hasty departure from Britain—Return of the Romans at spring—Description of their armed galleys—Determination of CÆsar to conquer Britain—Picturesque description of the night march of the Roman legions into Kent—Battle beside a river—Difficulties the Romans encounter in their marches through the ancient British forests—CÆsar's hasty retreat to his encampment—The Roman galleys again wrecked—Cessation of hostilities—Cassivellaunus assumes the command of the Britons—His skill as a general—Obtains an advantage over the Romans with his war-chariots—Attacks the Roman encampment by night and slays the outer guard—Defeats the two cohorts that advance to their rescue, and slays a Roman tribune—Renewal of the battle on the following day—CÆsar compelled to call in the foragers to strengthen his army—Splendid charge of the Roman cavalry—Overthrow and retreat of the Britons—CÆsar marches through Kent and Surrey in pursuit of the British army—Crosses the Thames near Chertsey—Retreat of the British general—Cuts off the supplies of the Romans, and harasses the army with his war-chariots—Stratagems adopted by the Britons—Cassivellaunus betrayed by his countrymen—His fortress attacked in the forest—Contemplates the destruction of the Roman fleet—Attack of the Kentish men on the encampment of the invaders—The Romans again victorious—Cassivellaunus sues for peace—Final departure of CÆsar from Britain | p.30 | | CHAPTER V. | | CARACTACUS, BOADICEA, AND AGRICOLA. | | State of Britain after the departure of CÆsar—Landing of Plautius—His skirmishes with the Britons in the marshes beside the Thames—Arrival of the Roman emperor Claudius—Ostorius conquers and disarms the Britons—Rise of Caractacus—British encampment in Wales—Caractacus defeated, betrayed by his step-mother, and carried captive to Rome—Death of the Roman general Ostorius—Retreat of the Druids to the Isle of Anglesey—Suetonius attacks the island—Consternation of the Roman soldiers on landing—Massacre of the Druids, and destruction of their groves and altars—Boadicea, queen of the Iceni, assumes the command of the Britons—Her sufferings—She prepares for battle, attacks the Roman colony of Camaladonum—Her terrible vengeance—Her march into London, and destruction of the Romans—Picturesque description of Boadicea and her daughters in her ancient British war-chariot—Harangues her soldiers—Is defeated by Suetonius, and destroys herself—Agricola lands in Britain—His mild measures—Instructs the islanders in agriculture and architecture—Leads the Roman legions into Caledonia, and attacks the men of the woods—Bravery of Galgacus, the Caledonian chief—Agricola sails round the coast of Scotland—Erects a Roman rampart to prevent the Caledonians from invading Britain | p.40 | | CHAPTER VI. | | DEPARTURE OF THE ROMANS. | | Adrian strengthens and extends the Roman fortifications—Description of these ancient barriers, and the combats that took place before them—Wall erected by the emperor Severus—He marches into Caledonia, reaches the Frith of Moray—Great mortality amongst the Roman legions—Severus dies at York—Picturesque description of the Roman sentinels guarding the ancient fortresses—Attack of the northern barbarians—Peace of Britain under the government of Caracalla—Arrival of the Saxon and Scandinavian pirates—The British Channel protected by the naval commander, Carausius—His assassination at York—Constantine the Great—Theodosius conquers the Saxons—Rebellion of the Roman soldiers; they elect their own general—Alaric, the Goth, overruns the Roman territories—British soldiers sent abroad to strengthen the Roman ranks—Decline of the Roman power in Britain—Ravages of the Picts, Scots, and Saxons—The Britons apply in vain for assistance from Rome—Miserable condition in which they are left on the departure of the Romans—War between the Britons and the remnant of the invaders—Vortigern, king of the Britons—A league with the Saxons | p.50 | | CHAPTER VII. | | BRITAIN AFTER THE ROMAN PERIOD. | | Great change produced in Britain by the Romans—Its an
osition attained by Athelstan—Otho the Great marries Athelstan's sister—The Saxon monarch forms an alliance with the emperor of Germany and the king of Norway—Harold of Norway suppresses piracy—Sends his son Haco to be educated at the Saxon court—Presents a beautiful ship to Athelstan—Death of Harold, king of Norway—List of the kings who were established on their thrones by Athelstan—His presents to the monasteries—His charity and laws for the relief of the poor—Cruelty to his brother Edwin—Death of Athelstan | p.212 | | CHAPTER XXVI. | | THE REIGNS OF EDMUND AND EDRED. | | Accession of Edmund the Elder—Anlaf, the Dane, invades Mercia, and defeats the Saxons—Edmund treats with Anlaf, and divides England with the Danes—Perilous state of the Saxon succession prevented by the death of Anlaf—Change in Edmund's character—His brilliant victories—Cruelty to the British princes—Edmund assassinated while celebrating the feast of St. Augustin, by Leof, the robber—Mystery that surrounds the murder of Edmund the Elder—Edred ascends the Saxon throne—Eric, the sea-king—His daring deeds on the ocean—Description of his wild life—Edred invades Northumbria—Eric attacks his own subjects—Edred's victory over the Danes—Scandinavian war-song on the death of Eric—Death of Edred | p.218 | | CHAPTER XXVII. | | EDWIN AND ELGIVA. | | Edwin's marriage with Elgiva—Odo, the Danish archbishop—St. Dunstan—His early life—He becomes delirious—His intellectual attainments—His persecution—He falls in love—Is dissuaded from marriage by the bishop, Ælfheag—He is again attacked with sickness—Recovers, and becomes a monk—Lives in a narrow cell—Absurdity of his rumoured interviews with the Evil One—His high connexions—Analysis of his character—Dunstan's rude attack upon King Edwin, after the banquet—Dunstan again driven from court—Remarks on his conduct—Elgiva is cruelly tortured, and savagely murdered by the command of Odo, the archbishop of Canterbury—Dunstan recalled from his banishment—Supposed murder of Edwin | p.227 | | CHAPTER XXVIII. | | THE REIGN OF EDGAR. | | Power of Dunstan—He is made Archbishop of Canterbury—He appoints his own friends counsellors to the young king—His encouragement of the fine arts—Enforces the Benedictine rules upon the monks—Speech of Edgar in favour of Dunstan's reformation in the monasteries—Romantic adventure of Elfrida, daughter of the Earl of Devonshire—Death of Athelwold—Personal courage of Edgar—His love of pomp, and generosity—His encouragement of foreign artificers—His tribute of wolves' heads—England infested with wolves long after the commencement of the Saxon period—Many of the Saxon names derived from the wolf—Death of Edgar—Elfric's sketch of his character—Changes wrought by Edgar | p.233 | | CHAPTER XXIX. | | EDWARD THE MARTYR. | | Dunstan still triumphant—Is opposed by the dowager-queen Elfrida—Her attempts to place her son, Ethelred, upon the throne, frustrated by Dunstan—Contest between the monks and the secular clergy—The Benedictine monks driven out of Mercia—The Synod of Winchester—Dunstan's pretended miracle doubted—The council of Calne—William of Malmesbury's description of the assembly—Dunstan's threat—Falling in of that portion of the floor on which Dunstan's opponents stood—Reasons for supposing that the floor was undermined by the command of Dunstan—Death of his enemies, and triumph of the archbishop—Edward's visit to Corfe Castle—He is stabbed in the back while pledging his stepmother, Elfrida, at the gate—His dreadful death—Character of Elfrida | p.238 | | CHAPTER XXX. | | ETHELRED THE UNREADY. | | Elfrida still opposed by Dunstan—Ethelred crowned by the archbishop of Canterbury—His malediction at the coronation—Dislike of the Saxons to Ethelred—Dunstan's power on the wane—Insurrection of the Danes—The Danish pirates again ravage England—Courageous reply of the Saxon governor of Essex—Single combat between the Saxon governor, and one of the sea-kings—Cowardly conduct of Ethelred—He pays tribute, and makes peace with the Danes—Alfric the Mercian governor, turns traitor, and joins the Danes with his Saxon ships—The Saxon army again commanded by the Danes, and defeated—Olaf, the Norwegian, and Swein, king of Denmark, invade and take formal possession of England—Ethelred again exhausts his exchequer, to purchase peace—Swein's second invasion of England—Cruel massacre of the Danes by the Saxons—Murder of Gunhilda, the sister of Swein, king of Denmark—Swein prepares to revenge the death of his countrymen—Description of his soldiers—Splendour of his ships—His magical banner described—His landing in England—Alfric again betrays the Saxons—Destruction of Norwich—Ethelred once more purchases peace of the Danes—-Ælfeg, archbishop of Canterbury, made prisoner by the sea-kings—He refuses to pay a ransom—Is summoned to appear before the sea-kings while they are feasting, and beaten to death by the bones of the oxen the pirates had feasted upon—Ethelred lays an oppressive tax upon the land—He raises a large fleet—Is again betrayed by his commanders—Sixteen counties are given up to the Danes—Ethelred deserted by his subjects—Escapes to the Isle of Wight, and from thence to Normandy—Swein, king of Denmark, becomes the monarch of England—Death of Swein—His son Canute claims the crown—Is opposed by Edmund Ironside—Canute's cruelty to the Saxon hostages—Miserable state of England at this period, as described by a Saxon bishop | p.249 | | CHAPTER XXXI. | | EDMUND, SURNAMED IRONSIDE. | | Courageous character of Edmund Ironside—His gallant defence of London—His prowess at the battle of Scearston—Obstinacy of the combat which is only terminated by the approach of night—Renewal of the battle in the morning—Narrow escape of Canute, the Dane, from the two-handed sword of Edmund Ironside—Conduct of the traitor Edric—Retreat of the Danes
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