do it "to stain the pride of her glory, and to bring 110 contempt all the honourable of the earth." If such people as these came over to the British Isles, they would not only wish to establish their religion: but their claim to antiquity-to science and the arts, would enable them to do so. And with this sentiment, Sir Isaac Newton seems to concur; for he says, "With these Phoenicians came a sort of men skilled in religious mysteries."

The "sort of men" here alluded to were the Druids, or the Priests of Britain, who remained in this island after the Phoenician commerce ceased, on the downfall of their nation and the destruction of their chief cities, Tyre and Sidon. And in further evidence of the whole. and particularly of the latter position, we will add, the identity of the customs of the Phoenicians and Britons. Were the Phoenicians accustomed to erect pillars of stone as memorials and objects of worship? So were the Britons. Did the Phoenicians gather heaps of stones for certain purposes? So, in the isles of Britain we find these heaps, or carns. Had they their altars of rough, unhewn stones? So had the Britons. Did the Phoenicians sacrifice to the Sun under the name of Baal? The same Deity was worshipped in Britain, under the name of Bel, Beal, Belinus, and Apollo. Did they cause human beings to pass through the fire to their gods; and did they offer human sacrifices? So did the inhabitants of these isles. Were their assemblages of stones placed in a circular form for sacred purposes in that country? So they were in these Britannic Isles, and such circles remain unto this day. Did they in that country venerate, as sacred, the oak, and worship in groves? It was the same here. Was Tyre famed for its "harps" and its "songs?" So were the ancient Britons, and so are the Welsh, their descendants to this day. Did the Phoenicians and the people of the East, reckon the day from evening to morning? So did the Druids. Did they measure by the cubit? So did the Druids. Had they castles? They were common among the ancient Britons. Did they carry on their war with chariots? So did the ancient Britons."4

3 See Moore, p. 13. Note.

4 Weaver's Monumenta Antiqua, p. 93.

The offering of the cake is another ceremony in which the Britons

After the destruction of Tyre and Sidon, and the withdrawal of the Tyrian commerce from the British Isles, its civilization began to take a retrogade movement, and the barbarous condition in which it was found by the Romans, proves, that the words which the prophet Jeremiah pronounced against Tyre and Sidon, and the kings of the isles beyond the sea, were words full of truth and weighty import, and were literally fulfilled in the humiliation and punishment of our own island as well as the overthrow of the Phoenician cities.

The former history of the world is a history of the rise and fall of empires and nations, and the changes and vicissitudes. connected therewith. The ten tribes of Israel were carried away into Babylonish captivity, and their name is no more heard among the history of nations. The Babylonians in their turn shared a similar fate, for the King of Assyria, lifted up with human pride, turned his arms against the Medes and Persians, and invaded their country. The Persians sent Cyrus at the head of a powerful army, who repelled the Assyrians, invaded their country, killed their king, took Babylon, and reduced the whole empire to subjection.

The Persian empire was greatly extended under Darius and his son Xerxes, but it was ultimately subdued and conquered by the confederated Greeks, under Alexander, King of Macedon, commonly called Alexander the Great. The origin of the Grecian nation may be traced to a few small tribes located on the isles and coasts of Greece and Asia Minor, who, beholding the growing power of the Persians, and their ambitious projects, united their forces against the world's conquerors,

resembled the Phoenicians and the idolatrous Hebrews, as learning from them. Indeed, the word "sacrifice," in Gaelic, is composed of two words, which signify, "the offering of the cake." This offering consists of a quantity of flour, milk, and eggs, and some few herbs and simples. It has still existence in several parts of North Britain. How forcibly does this remind us of the practice of the Jews in Jeremiah's time:-"Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drinkofferings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." Jer. vii. 17. 18. And in chap. xliv. 19. the women themselves say that it was to "worship her."

and wrested from its trembling grasp the destinies of mankind, on the ever memorable plains of Marathon.

The Greeks in their turn gave way to Roman valour, and Rome having diffused among the Celtic nations of Western Europe the germs of civilization grounded on municipal freedom, degenerated into imperial despotism, from which she was aroused by the hardy tribes of the Teutonic race, issuing from the forests of Germania, and diffusing that spirit of independence which is the peculiar characteristic of their tribe.

Since this period we find, that the Celtic or Teutonic race have singly or conjointly, swayed the destinies of mankind. If we turn our attention to our island-home, formed as it has been by the blending of Saxon and Scandinavian tribes, we behold it arrived at a position of commercial prosperity and maritime greatness hitherto unparalleled. England is now in the possession of that heritage, whose succession we have briefly traced through cognate races. The civilization which germinated on the plains of the Ganges, about four thousand years ago, has been transmitted westward from race to race, -from the Israelites to the Babylonians-from the Babylonians to the Persians,-from the Persians to the Greeks,— from the Greeks to the Romans, till at length we find ourselves, the elements that constitute its essence.

among

When Julius Cæsar first invaded Britain, before Christ about 55 years, he found the inhabitants in a wretched state of barbarism. He represents them as being very numerous, and a warlike race of men, divided into chieftains or principalities, and governed by their own kings or leaders. They had inured themselves to hardship and fatigue, and chiefly subsisted by hunting and the milk from their flocks. Both men and women went naked, or nearly so. They wore a collar round their necks and another round their loins, as a badge of distinction. Their hair grew long and flowed down their backs without any fastenings. Cæsar says they painted their bodies blue, which rendered them frightful in battle. The men, he says, had their breasts and bodies disfigured with ugly beasts, serpents, ravenous birds, scales and fins of fishes. The married women were known by having pictured on their shoulders, elbows and knees, the heads of some fierce beasts; as lions, gryphons, &c.,

on their body the sun spreading his beams, on their breasts moons and stars, and on their arms, thighs, and legs, some other fancies of their own choice. Their virgins were garnished over with the shapes of all the fairest kinds of flowers and herbs. But this system of nudity and tatooing only prevailed among the uncivilized part of the Britons. It is true, they were not much encumbered with dress, but the ladies of Bri tain in the time of Queen Boadicea were skilled in needlework, and wore handsome dresses of their own manufacture, which they dyed various colours. The dress of the men was a sort of tunick which covered a great part of their bodies, and reached down to their knees. The rest of their bodies were uncovered.

The ancient Britons generally dwelt in villages surrounded by a rampart of wood and earth to keep off the wild beasts, and as a kind of defence in case of the approach of an enemy. Their weapons, says Herodian, were narrow shields and short spears, at the end whereof, says Dio, was a little bell like a ball, which they shook at their first encounter in war to terrify the enemy's cavalry. Swords also they had, but short ones, hanging at their naked sides; but helmet and corslet they used none, considering them as burdens rather than helps to war. Their manner of fighting as well as their arms were much in accordance with the Grecians as described by Homer. Strabo declares, and Diodorus Siculus saith, that the Britons lived after the first ages of the world, using chariots in their fight as the Greeks did at the Trojan war. These chariots had short scythes fastened to the ends of the axle-trees, which inflicted terrible wounds when they came in contact with the enemy. The chariots contained about a dozen warriors who darted their

javelins against the enemy, as they drove furiously about. And such was their dexterity that they would run along the beam or shaft of the chariot, leap on the ground, resume their seat, and turn their horses at full gallop down a hill in a very short space.

The nation was then divided into minor kingdoms each governed by its own king. A table of them is given by Ptolemy, the principal of which were the Trinobantes, the Iceni, Ordovices, the Silures, the Caledoni, but the most powerful of these

nations was the Brigantes, which comprehended the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Richmondshire, Durham, Westmoreland, and Cumberland, and the Capital or chief city of their kingdom was Isurium Brigantium, now an inconsiderable village called Aldburgh, eight miles from Easingwold.

Venutius was the famous king of the Brigantes at the period of the Roman invasion. He is represented by Tacitus as being expert above the rest of the ancient Britons in military affairs, born under the state of the Brigantes, and having to wife Cartismandua, a noble born British lady for his Queen.

The Romans in their conquest of Britain, experienced some signal defeats. Tacitus saith that Agricola drove the intractable Britons into the interior parts of the country, and that the Brigantes sent forth an army against Severus, and in one expedition the Romans lost seventy thousand men. But the conquerors of the world ultimately prevailed. State after state was subdued, and the last great battle fought between the contending powers, the Romans and the ancient Britons was led on by that most valiant British lady, Boadicea, queen of the Iceni. This brave and courageous woman marshalled all the forces that flocked to her standard,-encountered the forces of Petrilius Cereales,put them to flight,-sacked one of their fortresses,-reduced London to ashes, and massacred of the Romans and other strangers to the number of 70,000.

A fresh supply of Roman soldiers was immediately despatched to Britain, and Suetonius encamped his forces upon a plain, enclosed with woods, having a narrow entrance. Boadicea drew up her army in battalia, near to the spot,-drove her chariot from troop to troop to commend their valour; and dismounting, attended by her two daughters and two hundred and thirty thousand resolute Britons, got her to a seat made of turf, apparelled in a loose gown of changeable colours, wearing a kirtle thereunder very thickly plaited, the tresses of her yellow hair hanging down to her skirts. About her neck was a chain of gold, and in her hand she held a light spear.

By stratagem, the Romans gained the victory, and eighty thousand of the Britons were slain. Queen Boadicea seeing her army thus vanquished and scorning in her noble spirit to be a spectacle in their triumphs or a vassal to their wills, after