only holes dug in the ground, or wooden huts. As for dress, that was no expense whatever; for the people wore no clothes. Some, indeed, who had a love for smartness, dyed their bodies blue. The children's schooling was learning to hunt or fish. There was very little work to be done in the fields; for Britain was nearly all one big forest, where wild beasts prowled about. And as for shops, there were none; and there would have been nothing to put in them if there had been any. Sundays never came at all, or rather, nobody was the wiser for their coming; for the inhabitants of Britain were heathens. Some of the people, however, were wiser than the rest. They were the priests; they physicked the people when they were ill, and told them long stories when they were dull, and taught them how to worship the gods.

Now, dear children, remember, if you ever want to quarrel, be idle, and you will be sure to do so; and as the Britons could not hunt or fish all day long, and must have often found time hang heavy on their hands, they were constantly quarrelling and fighting. Like all heathens, they were cruel; and when prisoners were taken in war, they were often burned alive as sacrifices to the gods.

But, while Britain was in such a wild and savage state, other countries in Europe were inhabited by clever, intelligent, industrious people. About fifty-five years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the most powerful nation in Europe was the Roman. Rome was then governed by a very clever, ambitious man, named Julius Cæsar; but the more power he had, the more he wanted. When

children are covetous, they long to take other children's toys; when grown-up people are covetous, they very often want to take other folk's money and Julius Cæsar seems to have wanted more countries, and more power. He must have been very like little Dick, who said,

"I want them every day,

And I want them every one."

Cæsar had conquered France: and one clear day he saw from its shores the dazzling white chalky cliffs of Britain. "I want that country too," cried he, and off he set with his soldiers. The Britons made some resistance, but could not stand against well-drilled troops. However, when Cæsar had got his toy, he did not care about it, and went back to Rome. Of course the Britons were then much in the same state as before the Roman invasion. But when nearly a hundred years had rolled away, and Cæsar's ambitious life had been ended by his being murdered, and the Britons who had seen his landing were dead and buried, the Romans came again to Britain. Numbers settled there, and it became a Roman colony. The Romans taught the Britons many useful things, how to make capital roads, how to till the ground, and a great deal besides.

It is not known how the Britons first became Christians. Probably in some way through the Romans, or the French, for one of the Apostles had undoubtedly preached in Gaul, as France was then called. Indeed some people think that one of them also preached in England. We cannot tell if this is true, but it is certain that in the second century there were many Christians in Britain.

CHAPTER II.

THE SAXONS AND DANES. A.D. 409-1066.

THE Romans, after many years, began to lose much of their power, and wanted all their soldiers at home. So the emperor of Rome called them all away from Britain. You might think that the Britons were pleased to have the place to themselves: but they were not. The north of Britain, the part which we now call Scotland, was inhabited by a wild sort of people. Whenever the folks who lived near the border land, that is, the part bordering on Scotland, had a good harvest, or some specially nice cattle, or anything else that was tempting, in rushed the Picts and Scots to steal. The poor Southerners had a hard life. It was no good running after the robbers, for they were capital climbers, and could easily get up the hills and hide themselves. So the Britons sent a piteous letter to Rome, called the 66 groans of the Britons."

The emperor sent off some soldiers to Britain, who built a good high wall between England and Scotland, believing that separation might produce peace. So it did, just as long as there was nothing to steal. But the next good harvest, over tumbled the Picts and Scots, caring nothing for the wall; while the poor disappointed Britons wrung their hands in vain. Again and again they asked for Roman soldiers, but at last the Romans said they really could not do anything more for them, and in the year 409 left Britain for ever. Poor Britons! they had been so much helped by their neighbours that

they had forgotten how to help themselves, and as begging in one place did not answer, like most beggars they resolved to try somewhere else: anything, rather than depend on themselves.

Now in the north of Germany lived a nation called Saxons. Great, tall, fair-haired, powerful men, who got what they wanted more by foul means than fair. In fact, they were pirates or sea robbers. For my part, I should never think it wise to "set a thief to catch a thief." However, the Britons were not of my opinion: so they asked the Saxons to come and drive out the Scots. The Saxons were only too willing. Off they set, landed in England, hunted out the Picts and Scots, but then they said to the Britons "Thank you. : We came for your pleasure; we will remain for our own." Truly," thought they, "England is a nicer land than the wet, nasty bit of ground we have left."

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So they settled themselves quite comfortably, dividing the country amongst them, as they thought fit. There were many Saxon kings who ruled over England, or part of England, one after the other. The Saxons were converted to Christianity in the year 597, by the preaching of Augustine, a Roman missionary. He found the Saxons in England, heathens; but the Britons were Christians. The most famous Saxon king was Alfred the Great, who was a very clever, good man. He had a troublesome reign though, having hard work to keep his kingdom from the Danes, who invaded it over and over again. Though they did not succeed in turning out Alfred, they conquered one of his successors (Ethelred), and in the year 1014 a Danish king reigned over England.

The Danes were rather cruel and severe, but otherwise did not rule badly. Three Danish princes reigned in turn, but upon the death of the last, from over-eating at a wedding-feast, a Saxon prince named Edward received the crown. Edward was good, but somewhat weakminded. He died in the year 1066, and was succeeded by another Saxon, named Harold, whose reign. was short, as you will see in the next chapter..

CHAPTER III.

NORMAN LINE..

WILLIAM I. (Surnamed the Conqueror.)
Died, 1087.

Came to the Throne, 1066.

Married Matilda of Flanders.

Had four sons, Robert, Richard, William, and Henry, and

five daughters.

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR was Duke of Normandy. Normandy is a county,. or province, as the French say, in the north-west of France..

The Normans are a clever, ambitious set of people, and William, their duke, was a remarkably quick-witted, sharp man.. If ever a man knew how to look out for himself, and understood the art of losing nothing for want of asking, that man was William.. You can tell, without looking at your map, that Normandy is much smaller than England; and William thought that he would rather rule over a big country than a little one, and that it was better to be a king than a duke. First to wish something, next to plan it, and then to get it, was