tack in me, attacked the character of those who were related to me, I should have challenged them to produce a single pas. sage, in which I had made any personal attack on the defor. mities, morals, or hearts of those whom I criticized. Political stricture is another thing; and to be bitterly severe on men who grow wealthy and wanton in the lavishment of English blood, requires nothing but to be commonly virtuous. But I have heard that even some of our present rulers cut a very good figure at their fire-sides, and I have no doubt that our bad writers cut much better. So far from meddling with either of them there, who would not wish them there, wrapped up for ever in social enjoyment? The dramatists would at once make the proper use of their talents by fitting up baby. theatres for their children; and Mr. PERCEVAL, instead of sending his countrymen to prisons and graves, would hit the exact pitch of his genius in the forging of cherry.stone chains and the blowing of bubbles. But as criticism is not to invade the privacies of men, so private considerations are never to issue out upon and obstruct public criticism; still less are they to be sacred in the defence of political character, when they are so continually brought into play by the politicians themselves, and elevated to the room and to the rank of public virtue. As I began therefore, I shall proceed. I am not conscious of ever having given praise for policy's sake, or blame for malignity's; and I never will. A strict adherence to truth, and a recurrence to first principles, are the only things calculated to bring back the happier times of our literature and constitution; and however humble as an individual, I have found myself formidable as a lover of truth, and shall never cease to exert myself in its cause, as long as the sensible will endure my writings, and the honest appreciate my intentions.

Yours, my dear Sir, very sincerely,

LEIGH HUNT.

ENGLAND DURING THE ROMAN, SAXON, DANISH, AND NORMAN CONQUESTS.

BY THE REV. MARK NOBLE, F. A. s. of L. AND E.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MIRROR.

I

Sir,

PROPOSE, in this paper, to ascertain what effects the various conquests of Romans, Saxons, Danes, and Normans, have had on the kingdom of England, relative to population, the commixture of the inhabitants, and their wealth. The subjects are in themselves not only curious, but they are such as must interest every considerate mind.

It is by all agreed that Britain had been known to, and tra ded with, by the Phoenicians, and afterward the Greeks, particularly for tin, a metal little found in the rest of the world, but every where prized. At this time the Britons were a rude unlettered people, divided into various petty tribes, or nations, though all perhaps deriving their origin from Gaul, whose language, with some peculiarities, they spoke, for, even in Gaul, there were various dialects. These restless natives of the island, ever at war with each other, were all in what might be called a rude state; yet they admitted of various degrees of faint civilization. Such of the coast nations, who kept up a correspondence with the Phoenicians in very remote times, and with Greece, or Greek colonies, at later ones, were far more enlightened than others. In general they were in much the same situation as their common ancestors the Gauls. What has been a great detriment to their character with the Romans, and with the moderns, is their having laws that were not written; and a religion whose dogmas were not promulgated to any, but by oral means, and tenets, which, forbidding image, worship, left no marks of the arts in temples, or other public structures. Indeed temples, properly speaking, were prohi bited; a circle of stones only marked the spot for sacrifice, prayers, and thanksgiving. Nations, who erect no temples I I-VOL. VII.*

will build no palaces. A mound of earth, or an unsculptured stone, is consecrated to mark the spot where reposes a beloved chieftain, or where a victory has been gained, or a treaty has been made. Commerce is the great leading feature to distinguish the degrees of civilization; that of Britain was confined chiefly to the now Scilly Islands, and the western coast; so that it made but little impression on the island in general. Religion did more, perhaps, by keeping up a constant intercourse with Gaul; for Britain, the chief seat, the very sanctuary of druidism, brought hither the youths of Gaul for edu

cation.

Such I suppose Britain to have been at Cæsar's first inva sion. The people, though divided, were brave. They well knew the character of Rome by the cruel wars she had so long, and so cruelly waged in Gaul. They, therefore, opposed the illustrious general. He gained but few laurels by his landing on the hostile shore. His second attempt redounded more to his glory. The Britons agreed to pay a small acknowledge. ment to a people as rapacious as ambitious.

The intercourse between Britain and Italy from the time of Cæsar's leaving us until the third invasion, in the year of Christ, under Claudius, had undoubtedly made a wonderful change in the situation of the islanders. The reason, I suspect was this: the trade carried on to Britain had always been in a confined manner. The Phoenicians long kept secret the situation of Britain, then unknown to Asia, and even to Europe, except Gaul, and perhaps Germany, countries themselves not then distinctly known to the civilized world; and when the Greeks, or their colonies, obtained the commerce of Britain, the situation was kept as secret as possible : but Gaul conquered, Marsailes, the principal Greek city, which had the trade of tin, becoming also subject to Rome, the intercourse by traffic became open to merchants of Italy, as well as Gaul, and probably to various other nations who were subject to Rome. This will account for the quantity of money coined by the British prince Cunoboline, not only in brass, but in the precious metals. The people were making rapid

improvements in arts; for the very conquest of Gaul, now be came a Roman province, would tend to this; the arts the Ro mans taught the Gauls, the Gauls would teach the Britons; perhaps too, many illustrious Gauls, at the same time hating the Romans as masters, and as enemies to their religion, might retire to Britain, at once to secure their persons, their properties, and the enjoyment of their religion, amongst the sacred oaks of a land consecrated to their own mode of divine worship.

It is in vain to expect to ascertain the population of Britain at this third invasion, before the Romans had made any settle ment. I suppose it was not less full of inhabitants than prior to Cæsar's coming hither; the slaughter he made having been fully repaired by the influx of strangers, and the peace with all external foes. It is allowed that the whole island was peopled, and that they had no colonization of any foreign nation, all speaking, like the people of Gaul, the same language, but varying in dialect only. I think then that we may safely estimate the population at about two millions of Britons. This indeed is but a few considering the space for them to cover; but then it must be recollected that their roving habits of hunting required much room, and that there were very extensive forests in all directions; they even preferred to reside in their woods, partly from sanctity, venerating the oaks, and partly from defence against the neighbouring clans, with which they were ever in a state of warfare; beside too they used little land for agriculture; milk, and the flesh of their tame animals, and still more those of the chase being their principal food. Though surrounded with a prolific sea, and as fine rivers as could water their plains, yet they were strangers to the taste of fish.

It is probable that by the conquest of the southern part of Britain, and the repulsion and slaughter of the northern, the British nations lost at least 150,000 of their inhabitants, chiefly the men in the prime of their lives; this must have been a very great loss, as checking population in future. To make up for this deficiency the Romans brought hither not only a very large body of soldiers, who were stationed here, but

many of their great men settled in Britain; and persons of all descriptions, after the final subjugation by Agricola, came hither. It was rendered so delightful a province, that here were seated, at times, not only the Roman eagles, but the imperial court. The whole country bore a new face; regular walled cities, towns, sea-ports, stations, castles,villas, were built, and it was adorned not only with public structures, temples, afterwards Christian churches, bridges, aqueducts, and public paved roads in all directions, but porticos, galleries, and baths, all magnificent in their kind. Commerce flourished, and. so enriched the country, that it is supposed that the Roman part of the island yielded at least two millions of money. It is undoubted that, besides finding herself in provisions, she was enabled to export cattle, hides, corn, and the precious me tals, gold and silver, but in a small degree. I believe the more profitable ones were tin, lead, copper, and iron; pearls too were one of the favourite exports; another was, shame to say, slaves;-unfortunate persons taken in war, or condemned for crimes this horrid traffic remained many centuries after the Romans had left the island.

There must have been a very great improvement in civilization, in wealth, and also in population, in the latter part of four centuries the Romans resided in Britain, though there were circumstances which were constant checks to British population:―the severity of the conquerors, the constant drafts. for their armies, and this nefarious trade in human creatures. It may well be asked did the Romans mix in blood with the British, as the Spaniards do with their native American sub jects? Yes, undoubtedly; we have even Roman emperors, whose mothers were British ladies. The British youth strove to imitate the manners of their masters, as well as their dress; but this was only those of the higher orders: so also they often spoke not only the British, but Roman language. The matter will next be to ascertain what quantity of Roman blood the Britons had during the time of their subjection to the haughty conquerors of the world. I do not suspect that it was very much. My reasons are, that for a length of years all