removed. It is alledged alfo, that upon the death of Vortimer, which fhortly happened after the victory he obtained at Eglesford, Vortigern his father was reinstated upon the throne. It is added, that this weak monarch, accepting of a festival from Hengift, three hundred of his nobility were treacherously flaughtered, and himself detained as a captive.

After the death of Hengist, several other German tribes, allured by the fuccefs of their countrymen, went over in great numbers. A body of Saxons, under the conduct of Ella and his three fons, had fome time before laid the foundation of the kingdom of the South Saxons, though not without great op-pofition and bloodfhed. This new kingdom included Surry, Suffex, and the New Foreft; and extended to the frontiers of Kent.

Another tribe of Saxons, under the command of Cerdic and his fon Kenric, landed in the Weft, and from thence took the name of Weft Saxons. These met with a very vigorous oppofition from the natives, but being reinforced from Germany, and affifted by their countrymen on the ifland, they routed the Britons; and although retarded in their progrefs by the celebrated King Arthur, they had strength enough to keep poffeffion of the conquests they had already made. Cerdic, therefore, with his fon Kenric, eftablished the third Saxon kingdom in the. ifland, namely, that of the Weft Saxons, including the counties of Hants, Dorfet, Wilts, Berks, and the Ifle of Wight..

It was in oppofing this Saxon invader that the ce-lebrated prince Arthur acquired his fame. Howfoever unfuccefsful all his valour might have been in the end, yet his name made fo great a figure in the fabulous annals of the times, that fome notice must be taken of him. This prince is of fuch obfcure origin, that fome authors fuppofe him to be the fon of King Ambrofius, and others only, his nephew;

B 5

others.

others again affirm that he was a Cornifh prince, and fon of Gurlois, king of that province. However this be, it is certain he was a commander of great valour, and could courage alone repair the miferable ftate of the Britons, his might have been effectual. According to the moft authentic hiftorians, he is faid to have worsted the Saxons in twelve fucceffive battles. In one of thefe, namely, that fought at Caerbadon, in Berks, it is afferted that he killed no less than four hundred and forty of the enemy with his own hard. But the Saxons were too numerous and powerful to be extirpated by the defultory efforts of fingle valour; fo that a peace, and not conqueft, was the immediate fruit of his victories. The enemy therefore, ftill gained ground; and this prince, in the decline of life, had the mortification, from fome domeftic troubles of his own, to be a patient fpectator of their encroachments, His first wife had been carried off by Melnas, king of Somerfetfhire, who detained her a whole year at Glaftonbury, until Arthur, difcovering the place of her retreat, advanced with an army against the ravifher, and obliged him to give her back. In his fecond wife, perhaps, he might have been more fortunate, as we have no mention made of her, but it was otherwife with his third confort, who was debauched by his own nephew, Mordred. This produced a rebellion, in which the king and his traiterous kinfman meeting in battle, flew each other.

In the mean time, while the Saxons were thus gaining ground in the Weft, their countrymen were not lefs active in other parts of the ifland. Adventurers ftill continuing to pour over from Germany, one body of them, under the command of Uffa, feized upon the counties of Cambridge, Suffolk, and Norfolk, and gave their commander the title of King of the Eaft Angles, which was the fourth Saxon kingdom founded in Britain.

Another

Another body of these adventurers formed a kingdom under the title of Eaft Saxony, or Effex, comprehending Effex, Middlefex, and part of Hertford fhire. This kingdom, which was difmembered from that of Kent, formed the fifth Saxon principality founded in Britain.

The kingdom of Mercia was the fixth which was eftablished by thefe fierce invaders, comprehending all the middle counties, from the banks of the Severn to the frontiers of the two laft named kingdoms.

The feventh and laft kingdom which they obtained was that of Northumberland, one of the most powerful and extenfive of them all. This was formed from the union of two smaller Saxon kingdoms, the one called Bernicia, containing the prefent county of Northumberland and bilhopric of Durham; the fubjects of the other, called the Deiri, extending themfelves over Lancashire and Yorkfhire. These kingdoms were united in the perfon of Ethelfrid, king of Northumberland, by the expulfion of Edwin, his brother-in-law, from the kingdom of the Deiri, and the feizure of his dominions. In this manner, the natives being overpowered, or entirely expelled, feven kingdoms were eftablished in Britain, which have been fince well known by the name of the Saxon Heptarchy.

The Saxons being thus eftablished in all the defirable parts of the island, and having no longer the Britons to contend with, began to quarrel among themselves. A country divided into a number of petty independent principalities, muft ever be fubject to contention, as jealoufy and ambition have more frequent incentives to operate. After a feries, therefore, of battles, treafons, and ftratagems, all these petty principalities fell under the power of Egbert, king of Weffex, whofe merits deferved dominion, and whofe prudence fecured his conquefts. By him all the kingdoms of the Heptarchy were united un

der

der one common jurifdiction; but to give fplendour to his authority, a general council of the clergy and laity was fummoned at Winchefter, where he was folemnly crowned king of England, by which name the united kingdom was thenceforward called.

Thus, about four hundred years after the first arrival of the Saxons in Britain, all the petty fettlements were united into one great ftate, and nothing offered but projects of peace, fecurity, and increafing refinement.

It was about this period that St. Gregory undertook to fend miffionaries among the Saxons, to convert them to Christianity. It is faid, that before his elevation to the papal chair, he chanced one day to pafs through the flave-market at Rome, and perceiving fome children of great beauty who were fet up for fale, he enquired about their country, and finding they were English Pagans, he is faid to have cried out, in the Latin language, Non Angli, fed Angeli, forent, fi effent Chriftiani. They would not be English, but Angels, had they been Chriftians. From that time he was ftruck with an ardent defire to convert that unenlightened nation, and ordered a monk, named Auguftine, and others of the fane fraternity, to undertake the miffion into Britain.

This pious monk, upon his first landing in the ifle of Thanet, fent one of his interpreters to Ethelbert, the Kentish king, declaring he was come from Rome with offers of eternal falvation. The king immediately ordered them to be furnished with all neceffaries, and even vifited them, though without declaring himself as yet in their favour. Auguftine, however, encouraged by this favourable reception, and now feeing a profpect of fuccefs, proceeded with redoubled zeal to preach the gofpel. The king openly efpoufed the Chriftian religion, while his example wrought fo fuccefsfully on his fubjects, that numbers of them came voluntarily to be baptized, their miffi

oner loudly declaring against any coercive means towards their converfion. In this manner the other kingdoms, one after the other, embraced the faith; and England was foon as famous for its fuperftition as it had once been for its averfenefs to Chriftianity.

CHA P. III.

THE INVASION OF THE DANES.

PEACE and unanimity had been scarcely eftablished in England when a mighty fwarm of those nations called Danes, who had poffeffed the countries bordering on the Baltic, began to level their fury against England. A fmall body of them at firft landed on the coafts, with a view to learn the ftate of the country; and having committed fome fmall depredations, fled to their fhips for fafety. About feven years after this firft attempt, they made a defcent upon the kingdom of Northumberland, where they pillaged a monaftery; but their fleet being fhattered by a ftorm, they were defeated by the inhabitants, and put to the fword. It was not till about five years after the acceffion of Egbert, that their invafions became truly formidable. From that time they continued with uneeafing ferocity, until the whole kingdom was reduced to a state of the moft diftrefsful bondage.

Though often repulfed, they always obtained their end, of fpoiling the country, and carrying the plunder away. It was their method to avoid coming, if poffible, to a general engagement; but fcattering themselves over the face of the country, they carried away, indifcriminately, as well the inhabitants themselves as all their moveable poffeffions.

At length, however, they refolved upon making a fettlement in the country, and landing on the ifle

of