The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-03-17

| anu nction In which we place the seoe
v i''y ana the early Roman kings The beant;fol
.o"ahces and songs which treat of Prince Ar,b,r
isn nero and the Knights of the Round Ia
."'e n''ie or no basis in history. This much ia
'nat the contest was long and desperate and
"e Cei's disputed every foot of ground with de-
o'"'ery IL was not till six generations had
'hat the saxons succeeded in driving the
Celtic aborigines into Wales and Brittanv .nd s,t
stltuted their plan energetic language for -.
welsh, spoken by the Britons
Scarcely had the Saxons become ror,;,.,,
least. converted to Christianity and begun 70 -.
some advance in civilization, when a second s,,,
OF pirate OF the same Germanic stock descended
norway and Denmark upon the English coast They
were daring seamen, of great physical prowess and
seemed TO consider homicide and arson the chief
eno Oh man Such was the terror they inspired that
In the daily church service was inserted the praver
From the fury of the Mortimer, good Lord deliver
US lney were pagans as late the eleventh GEN.
tury. For three hundred years they occupied all
North OF England, including Northumberland Dur
ham, Yorkshire, Cumberland and westmoreland
Under Canute the Great they conquered the whole of
England and united the crowns of England, Scotland
Denmark and Norway in monarchy Thisdvnastv.
however, lasted only thirty years. and the Saxon line
was restored IN the person of Edward the Confessor
been blended together to considerable extent, as
were their languages, which in fact but different
dialects of one widespread language The traces of
the Danes Northmen are chiefly found In local
names, and in the Scotch dialect. For example, the
termination by in names of places is Danish and
means town, Derby being Deer-tow Whitby, White
town, &C. Now the distribution of these names ON
the opposite shores of England and ON its northern
extremity, shows how the stream of northern migra-
ton went round the island rather than across it,
This is one example out of many to show the light
which the study of language throws on history.
During this turbulent period, Saxon literature was
much flourishing than might be expected from
the rude and literate condition of the people This
literature consists of poems. chronicles, religious
treatises and translatons of the Bible Does it not
speak volumes in honor of that people, that they |
translated the Bible into the vernacular, fire.
quently and fully than any other nation of that day
long afterwards The great Alfred himself, who,
take him all in all, the noblest monarch that ever
sat upon the throne of England, translated into the
Saxon many works of Christian or pagan wisdom |
The writings of the.venerable Bede OF Aelfric the
poet Caedmon and others, exhibit love of truth as
well spirit of freedom and independence of which
we may Justly be proud
But Providence preparing PROSTATE both !
Saxon and Dane at the feet of third branch of the
same Germanic family, and thus nfuse a new and |
aspiring element into the blood and language of Eng
and.
just one hundred and sixty years before, body of
Norwegian freebooters had intimidated the feeble
French monarch into treaty by which Neustria and
Brittany, henceforth known as Normandy, ceded
to them, on condition that Rolo, their leader,
should be baptized and become feudal vassal of
the king They had embraced Christianity, and
fha
barbarous Latin, which was spoken by the Franks
And by their spiritual guides, and which forms
the basis of modern French. With the language, they
had learned all and than all the civilization of
the continent.
They we're at this time the bravest and most
eetic people in Europe. a handful of NOrmans had
lust conquered Naples and founded the kingdom Of
the two Sicilies and later period they bore off
the palm for valor and chivary in the first Crusade
Tancrei the hero of Tassos Jerusalem Delivered,
and Richard of the Lion Heart, both Normans ln
all cbiyaIrous qualities says Prof Greasy III his
Fifteen Decisive Battles Of the World. ''in almost
idolatrous respect ladies of gentle birth, III fond
ness for the rising poetry of the time IN architectural
magnifcence and in all courtly refinement and spen-
dor the Normans the foremost III the world
But these high qualities were darkened Dy prie cru
city and brutal contempt tor the rights ana Ieei
ines of all whom they considered the lower classes
William the CoEaueror, seventh duke OF Normandy,
now laid claim English crown, by virtue oil the
will of his uncle Edward the Confessor, hing oil
ENGLAND in which. alleged, he had Deeil nom
,IeI as his successor, and also by virtae OF SOL
amn Judgment by his Holiness, the Pope Having
assembled an army of sixty thousand picked men, c
composed not merely Of Normans. out9t military aal
,h. channel and landed at Hastings IN the year
1O66. A ID. The superiority of the Normans Ill arms
and discipline added the good fortune OF the great
ard decisive victory Hastings, the Enghsh water
io soon laid England the feet OF the Conqueror;
Never has history recorded a more complete ana
,nerciless subjugation of one nation 10 ano'hel man
foIIowed the conquest. The whole land was oi'i"e
,,o Kino Williams followers, without reserve oi
go of the estates of Saxon mobiles or freemen' whiie
ali even the most petty offices, were hiieu oy W.
mans The Saxon clergy did not escape .ne .ss SIied
srl;ation. but every abbey and bishopric were neu
LII French diguitares- Insult and cruei,y "eie =
aided to oppression, the very name OF ~
ras trfrued into a reprcach, and centuries eaP' -.
fore q single family Oh oiAon O''
title even of baron. A., .r,;no
+ dveII ON this period because 1t Is the turnins
LINT in English history and because IL was the uiu
IF these two races and languages that Prouun.
r,;.b nation and language, properly 50 called
I ;,e of the regrets of eminent a historian %
sp'; :; sn;te of the degradation and misery wnicn
the conquest brought upon the oaAon ~ Fnaiand It
sns Jadced that it was the making OF Englanu'
:: sa5 INTO the duller Saxon race a new nie an1
nwer As Campbell says of the Normans' iney
h;gb mettled the blood Of our VEINS IL h
"1 e. a long time the two languages h'eo sue
.;s the one the language of the masters al
81 ,be other the language OF the serf anu ou'i"'
snoken only in the lowly hut the saxon r,o,;.h
Few Of rs realize that for centuries the H"s'''"
frorsrnment was entirely French -. ho-, Z
The English kings for four generations ch wesg was
II as,ucafed in France. their ordinary speesvmn
nuu =. - all offices in their gift were nleu ny
rns the ec,ai language Of Engandp01ps%w powsG
king, bishops, mobiles and gentlemen 70 SUP C
at weaItb influence, fashion, all consPred ,.s
.ass the tongue of the conquered race The .era
the romance of the period were in Norman.
French The laws and the pleading IN the s.n,n'
,;n,,ed 10 be ia French for more than four CENT
o; Tn fact parliamentary formulas still preserve
the ;dom of the conquest. The royal assent oa s
f nj passed pariiaiheh' %