the country. At last a woman helped them to take Caractacus. They then bound him in chains, and sent him to Rome. When taken before Claudius, he looked so noble and so brave, that the Emperor was quite pleased with him, and spared his life.

On one occasion, some of the Roman soldiers behaved violently to Boadicea, queen over the people called Iceni. She was very angry, and vowed vengeance against them. She roused the Britons to arms, and burnt all the cities where the Romans dwelt. But in a short time her troops were defeated, and in her grief and despair she poisoned herself.

There were none now to hinder the

progress of the Romans. They built many cities, the names of some of which you know, such as London, and York, and Bath. They taught the people how to plough the fields and to sow corn, that

they might have bread to eat. They brought to the country many fruits and vegetables which were quite new to the poor Britons. They showed them how to spin and to weave, and soon they left off dyeing their skins, and began to clothe themselves like their masters; and when they saw the houses which were built by the Romans, they left their dark caves and their rude huts. The Britons were also taught to read and to write, and to speak the Roman language. Nor should I forget to tell you, that the cruel Druids were all destroyed by one of the Roman generals. And though the Romans worshipped idols, they were not so cruel as the Druids, and they induced the Christians of those days to come to the country in such numbers, that the Britons were early made acquainted with the religion of CHRIST, and taught to believe in the one true God.

C

THE SAXONS.

A.D. 449-827.

FOR upwards of three hundred years the Romans remained in the land; and during all that time the Britons dwelt in peace and safety. At length the country of the Romans themselves was attacked by enemies, and they were obliged to take away their soldiers from Britain.

Then the SAXONS, the JUTES, and the ANGLES, came over from the part of Europe called Germany, and seized on a large portion of the land. From the Angles our country received its present name, Angleland, or ENGland.

They divided the part of the country which they had conquered into seven parts, or kingdoms, called the Heptarchy, and over each of these was placed a king; the chief

king had greater power than the others, and was called Bretwalda, or Lord of Britain.

The Saxons were worshippers of idols. They bowed down to figures of wood and stone which were called Wodin and Thor ; and you cannot forget these words, as the names of Wednesday and Thursday come from them. They did all they could to destroy the Christian religion. They pulled down the churches, and drove the priests out of the land, so that the Britons were again in the same sad state as they were when the Romans came to them.

One day, a good priest named Gregory, passing through the market-place of Rome, saw some little children standing there to be sold. They were very different from the dark-eyed children of that land; they had blue eyes and fair hair. He asked who they were, and where they came from; ne was told that they were Angles, but not