themselves, nor taken any notice of it; but, no doubt, many of the Roman soldiers and colonists who had been converted brought it with them. It is generally thought that a British lady is mentioned in the Bible-Claudia, in 2 Tim. 4:21. It is even supposed that she may have been one of the family of Caradoc, who had been taken prisoners to Rome. It is known that a Roman gentleman, Pudens, had married a British woman named Claudia, and both are mentioned by Martial, a Roman poet.

The first Christian church in our country was built at Glastonbury (the tale was that Joseph of Arimathæa built it, directed by the angel Gabriel). Glastonbury was at that time a desolate island, full of fens and brambles; and the church was built, like the British houses, of wicker-work, or rods wattled and interwoven. It was sixty feet long and twenty-five broad. In this the early Christians "watched, fasted, prayed, and preached; having," says Fuller, "high meditations under a low roof, and large hearts within narrow walls."

Though the Roman authorities were generally so tolerant

tion.

of other religions, they began after a time to persePersecu- cute the Christians. The reason seems to have been, that though they were quite willing to admit other gods side by side with their own, it was only on the supposition that the old gods did not lose their worship. But Christianity could not be received on those terms. The early Christians and Fathers of the Church did not look on the heathen deities as mere fables and shadows; they believed that they really existed, but were devils, and they taught that the gods of Rome and of all other nations must be utterly renounced. Thus Christianity came to be looked on as dangerous to the established order of things and to the empire. The heaviest and worst of the persecutions was under the Emperor Diocletian, and this was the first one 304. that reached Britain. This chapter may end with Fuller's account of the first Christian martyr in "The England. It is a pity that it is so mixed with fables. first Briton which to heaven led the van of the noble army of martyrs was Alban, a wealthy inhabitant of VerulamHis conversion happened on this manner: Am phibalus, a Christian preacher of Caerleon, in Wales, was fain to fly from persecution into the eastern part of this island, and was entertained by Alban in his house in Verulam. Soon

St. Alban.

cestre.

did the sparks of this guest's zeal catch hold on his host, and inflamed him with love to the Christian religion. . . Not long after, a search being made for Amphibalus, Alban secretly and safely conveyed him away, and, exchanging clothes with him, offered himself for his guest to the pagan officers, who at that instant were a-sacrificing to their devilgods; where not only Alban, being required, refused to sacrifice, but also he reproved others for so doing, and thereupon was condemned to most cruel torments. But he conquered their cruelty with his patience; and though they tortured their brains to invent tortures for him, he endured all with cheerfulness, till rather their weariness than pity made them desist. And here we must bewail that we want the true story of this man's martyrdom, which impudent monks have mixed with so many improbable tales that it is a torture to a discreet ear to hear them. However, we will set them down as we find them. Alban being sentenced to be beheaded, much people flocked to the place of his execution, which was on a hill called Holm-hurst; to which they were to go over a river, where the narrow passage admitted of very few abreast. Alban being to follow after all the multitude, and perceiving it would be very late before he could act his part, and counting every delay half a denial (who will blame one for longing to have a crown?), by his prayer obtained that the river, parting asunder, afforded free passage for many together.... The sight hereof so wrought with him who was appointed to be his executioner, that he utterly refused the employment, desiring rather to die with him, or for him, than to offer him any violence. Yet soon was another substituted in his place, for some cruel Doeg will quickly be found to do that office which more merciful men decline.

the top of the hill, was Wonder not that he, evermore, should wish more for God's glory,

Alban, at the last, being come to very dry, and desirous to drink. being presently to taste of joys for for fading water. Sure he thirsted and did it only to catch hold of the handle of an occasion to work a miracle for the good of the beholders. For presently, by his prayer, he summoned up a spring to come forth on the top of the hill, to the amazement of all that saw it. Yet it moistened not his executioner's heart with any pity, who, notwithstanding, struck off the head of that worthy saint, and instantly his own eyes fell out of his head, so that

he could not see the villainy which he had done. Presently after, the former convert executioner, who refused to put Alban to death, was put to death himself - baptized, no doubt, though not with water, in his own blood."

The stately abbey of St. Alban's marks the spot where his martyrdom took place.

CHAPTER V.

THE TEUTONS.

The decay of the Roman empire. Origin of the English people. The Germans, or Teutons- their laws, manners, language, and religion.

As the Roman empire seemed to have become too large to be conveniently governed by one man living at Rome, it was divided by Diocletian into four parts, which we may call provinces, each of which had its own sub-emperor, though all were still considered as one empire, and there was one chief or supreme emperor. One of the provinces consisted of Britain, Gaul, and Spain; and the governor or sub-emperor (Cæsar, as he was called) lived very often at York, then called Eboracum.

323.

Constantine the Great, who was the first Christian emperor, was for a long time sub-emperor of this western province, and lived at York. Afterwards the whole empire was joined into one again under his rule, and it was he who founded as its capital the beautiful city of Constantinople, or city of Constantine.

But we are now coming to the time when great disasters befell this mighty empire; when it met with its strongest enemies, who finally broke it to pieces and planted themselves on its ruins. And among these enemies, whom Rome could never conquer, but who conquered Rome, were our forefathers the true forefathers of the English people. Though there is reason to believe that we are in some small part descended from the pre-historic men of the stone or bronze age, and from the Celts or Britons, yet the main stock from which we spring, and from whom we have our language, our manners, and our government, are the people whom we are now about to consider.

This, which is called the Teutonic race, was a branch, and one of the greatest branches, of the Aryan family.

The

At the time we first hear of them they were, like Teutons.

other nations in the beginning of their history, wild and barbarous people. They came into Europe some time after the Celts. They were living north of the Danube, east of the Rhine, in Denmark, and in other northern parts. We know by their language that they were all one race, though separated into many tribes.

The principal Teutonic nations are now called the German, Dutch, English, American, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. In old times the principal tribes were called Goths, Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, Saxons, and Angles. Tacitus says that " Germany" was a name newly

invented in his time.

The word "Teuton" is believed by some authorities to mean "speaking plain." These rough, wild people thought, as other uncultivated people do, that their language was the only plain one, and all others were gibberish. Even now we may find English people calling other languages "chatter."

or

66

gabble" The syllable "Teut” or "Deut" meant clear; as we may see in the German word "deutlich," plain or evident. "Ish is a mere termination, which we still use in fool-ish, Eng-lish, Dan-ish. So they would say Deut-ish - Deutsch or Dutch.

وو

These people, then, who talked plain, the Teutons or Dutch, began about the time of the birth of Christ to be very troublesome to the Romans; and so they continued, very often being beaten, but never being conquered, until the time at which we have now arrived; and it was owing to them that the Romans went away from the island at last, leaving room for them to come afterwards and turn Britain into England.

We learn most about them from Tacitus, who wrote the life of Agricola. He, who evidently took a great interest in the different nations the Romans had to do with, wrote, also, a long and very interesting description of the Germans, little thinking that these wild people, whom he, as a philosopher, looked upon with curiosity and interest, would after a time be the conquerors and successors of his own great nation.

Tacitus had complained a good deal of the climate of Briton as being dull, damp, and hazy. But the climate of Germany did not please him any better. "Besides the dangers from a sea tempestuous, horrid, and unknown, who would relinquish Asia, Africa, or Italy to repair to Germany

a region hideous and rude, under a rigorous climate, dismal to behold or to cultivate, unless the same were his native