A brief Chronological Table. In the earliest period this country was peopled by a branch of Japheth's family, who worshipped God in truth. (See page 2.) A period of darkness intervened. About 600 before Christ the Druidical priests came from Gaul (France); at first their doctrines were very similar to those of the first inhabitants, and they taught the truth, but afterwards got power and became corrupted. 55 years before Christ the Romans invaded the country, and put down the Druidical priesthood. 70. The Gospel brought to this country by St. Paul, or his disciples, from Rome. 303. Diocletian, the Roman Emperor, endeavoured to abolish Christianity, but did not succeed. 306. Constantius Chlorus, the Roman Emperor, favoured the Christians; he died at York. Constantine, his son, made Christianity the religion of the Roman empire, including Britain. 409. The departure of the Romans, from which time Christianty became 457. Saxon invasion; Saxon heathen worship established. 704. Paper first made from cotton. ,,800. Egbert unites the Saxon kingdom, and is the first to ussume the title of King of England. 838. Ethelwolt. 857. Ethelbald. 860. Ethelbert. 866. Ethelred I. 872. Alfred the Great. Danish invasion and expulsion; Oxford Univer- Dunstan, the notorious Roman Catholic archbishop 959. King Edgar 975. King Edward the martyr 978. King Ethelred II. The Danes return and burn the churches and 1016. Edmund Ironside II. 1017. King Canute. 1036. King Harold I. 1039. Harticanute 1041. Edward the Confessor. Roman Catholicism again predominant. 1066. Harold 11., son of Godwin, earl of Kent. 1066. William the Conqueror came from Normandy, and ascends the throne, bringing a hair out of St. Peter's beard, which the Pope had given him to ensure success; Tournaments legally regulated; Domes-day book finished. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. A.D. 1087. William II. Clocks with wheels. 1100. Henry I. 1135. Stephen. 1155. Henry II. bury. 1198. Richard I. The notorious Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canter 1199. John. Grants Magna Charta, and makes over the kingdom to the Pope, as his vassal. 1216. Henry III. 1272. Edward I. The first House of Commons. Striking clocks invented. 1307. Edward II. Wickliffe, the first to attempt a reformation in religion, -great effects produced in England, but the priesthood were too powerful for its success, until Henry the Eighth came forward as the patron of the Reformation on his wanting a divorce from his wife. Mariner's compass introduced-Paper first made from rags. 1327. Edward III. Gunpowder and cannons invented. 1377. Richard II. English language first used in courts of adjudicature. Borough Knights sent to parliament. Spiritous liquors introduced. 1399. Henry IV. 1419 Henry V. 1422. Henry VI. 1461. Edward IV. 1483. Edward V. 1485. Henry VII. Hats and coaches introduced. Printing invented. 1483. Richard III. America, and passage by sea to East Indies, discovered. 1509. Henry VIII. The reformed protestant church established A.D. 1535. Many burnt to death by Cranmer and his brother Bishops during this and the following reign for that faith which is now held by all true christians. Watches first introduced. 1547. Edward VI-died young. 1553. Mary re-establishes popery: numbers burnt to death for differing with the Roman Catholic Bishops in doctrine. 1558. Elizabeth restores the protestant religion: some still burnt to death by the Protestant Bishops for difference of opinion with them.Stocking machines-pendulums-newspapers-telescopes. 1603. James I. Steam engines-circulation of blood. 1625. Charles I. beheaded. 1629. Cromwell abolished the Liturgy, and encouraged the Puritans, or dissenters. Post-office-thermometer-Bank of England-national 1661. Charles II. restored the Liturgy. [debt. 1685. James II. attempts to restore popery, and is driven from the throne. 1692. William III. 1702. Anne. 1714, George I. 1727. George 11. Religious revival: Whitefield, Wesley, and others. 1760. George III., a sound protestant, and encourager of good men of every denomination. Steam boats, A.D. 1812. [Railway, opened. 1820. George IV. 1830. William IV Manchester and Liverpool, the first 1837 to 1854. Victoria. Roman Catholicism again gaining ground in the Church of England, and openly countenanced and encouraged by some of its bishops, and many of the clergy. Candles and flowers allowed on the communion table; private confession, &c., &c. (A full and more extended Chronological Table will be given SECOND DIVISION. ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH SAXONS, And a more particular account of the State and History of Introduction. HERE appears to be a serious error in most author's accounts of the times and transactions treated of in the following pages, calculated to lead casual readers to form a very erroneons estimate of the real nature of the so-called conversion by St. Augustine of our ancestors the Saxons, in Britain, to the Christian faith; the blessings of the Gospel which it is said he and his followers brought, are highly magnified and spoken of as if the pure apostolical truth had by them been first introduced into this country; the Church of England in her Calendar sets a day apart for his Saintship (26th May) and in her Homilies, &c., appeals to the authority and teaching of Augustine. It should, however, be borne in mind that the Christianity Augustine brought and established in Britain was ROMAN CATHOLICISM, with its gross corruptions of relics, holy water, image worship, purgatory, penances, celibacy, absolution, indulgences, confession, and most of the system of deceptions we now see practiced in modern Romanism; as opposite to the pure Christianity introduced and practiced in Britain in the first centuries of the Christian era, as light from darkness. It is true that after the second century, and soon after the introduction of pilgrimages, relics, &c., into the Christian Church on the Continent, some Romish superstitions were introduced here, the ancient British Church however long preserved a purity far superior to Rome; and when Augustine came to convert the inhabitants of Britain, A.D. 599, he found a Christian church community with its Bishops, and ecclesiastical constitution, although not free from some serious errors, Bangor being one of their two great seminaries for the education and training of the priesthood. It will be seen by the following quotations that Augustine proposed to unite with these British Christians, but in consequence of their refusal to acknowledge the absolute authority of the Pope of Rome, and to join with him and his brother missionaries in deluding and debasing the people for their own selfish purposes, he threatened them with extermination by the hands of the Saxon invaders, which, it is said, at his instigation shortly after came to pass, and twelve hundred of them were slain in one day, near Bangor, and their houses destroyed.* After this there are no records of the British Church ever appearing again as an independent Church, nor in any way having a hold in the country. The modern Church of England not liking the idea of their parentage *See authorities further on. INTRODUCTION. from the Roman Catholic Church, often assert the independency of their Church in former times; but there is not the slightest authority for any connection between the ancient British Church and Augustine's Church, which is the foundation of the present English Church. The quotations in this work will show this from authentic history; and though it is too well known to historical readers to need repetition, it requires no argument to prove the improbability of two opposing Church establishments existing at the same time in Britain, after Augustine and his fellows had, as the following history will show, the sole sway in ecclesiastical affairs; and which their descendants retained up to the time of Henry the VIII. A good deal of the first part of the following extracts are verbatim from the celebrated " Bede, Fuller," &c., and as far as possible all the quotations are given in the authors own words, that the reader may not have unfair constructions put upon them. VERITAS EST MAGNA ET PREVALEBIT. "TRUTH IS GREAT AND WILL PREVAIL." When this compilation was commenced the intention was only to give a slight sketch in the form of a tract, and for this purpose the first thirty-two pages were printed. In those pages will be found some notice of the Saxons; but the following will give, from the best authorities, some more interesting particulars of the origin of our forefathers previous to their arrival in Britain and their final possession of England. After the following short digression on the origin of the Saxons, I will proceed to the extracts from Bede, Fuller, &c., in corroboration of my previous remarks. ORIGIN OF THE SAXON ENGLISH. Ptolemy mentions the Saxons, A.D. 141, as inhabiting the north side of the river Elbe in Germany, and three small islands at the mouth of that river. They were evidently a branch of the great Scythian or Gothic family, the Cymri, or Kymri, or the first race. They extended their dominion over the countries now known as Westphalia, Saxony, East and West Friesland, Holland, and Zealand, prior to their permanent settlement in Britain.† Their extensive line of sea coast accus* "Between Holstein and the Chersonesus, or Jutland, dwelt a people, known even in Tacitus's time, by the name of Angles. According to this account, which we have taken from Bede, the Angles inhabited that small province in the kingdom of Denmark, and duchy of Sleswick, which is called at this day Angel, and of which the city of Flensburgh is the metropolis. Lindebergius, in his epistles, styles this Little England; and Ethelward, who wrote about the year 950, speaking of the ancient habitation of the Angles, 'Old Anglia,' says he, 'lies between the Saxons and Giots: the metropolis of this country is, by the Saxons, called Sleswick; but, by the Danes, Haithby. Britain took the name of those by whom it was conquered, and is, therefore, now called Anglia.' The same writer adds, that Hengist and Horsa came from the country of the Angles into Britain. When the Saxons first came out of the Chersonesus, going in quest of new settlements, the Angles joined them; and, in process of time, became one united nation. Hence they are, by most authors, comprised under the general name of SAXONS; though some distinguish them under the compound name of Anglo-Saxons."-Ancient Universal History, vol. xvii. p. 110. + Turner's History of the Anglo-Saxons, vol. 1, p. 89. |