, 1875-01-03

Az 1s7zoDucs1oN THE STUDY OF EARLY Exc1r1
Hrronx. By JOHN PIX YEAr4Ax, of Linco rs IEa
Es4ulre BarEiater at Law, Author Of Tbs uistoE
Of the Common Law Of Great Br1tatn and G1.1r ETC.
etc: 11'no. pp- SO. London: Lonsmanr, Greek
It "a in condition Of numb smazemcn. tbs,
We conclude The perusal OF this very cx.raor.
dinary volume It's author is Z man OF c:,lorbt.
ed learning, and Of uncommonly deop research
in tho departments Of early English Law aad
English history; but. il be be not starE mad in
theory. then all the other writera who have at
tempted to deiineate the life and career OF En-
gland prior to the eleventh century must b
rated as lunatica or lars. Mr. Tcatman 6ces not
hesitate to declare them such in good roand
terms.-making single exception Ia fa7or of
tho Rev. William Whitaker, an able. though not
eminent. historian Of the past century.
Mr. Teatmsn ia = monomanac on the subject
of the Saxons. In hia study into the origin Of
tho English Law, ho has conceived series Of
startling hypotheses which totally annihilste tia
language, tho literature. the nnms,-nav, almcsi
the life, ,-of this people in England Ha broad
" nsserts that for many centuries previu5 70
the Christian era, the Eritons, the do,ninsnt ia
tho British Isle, ranked with the most cu isated
nations Of tho EARTH in all tho arts OF cr alton.
Ha thinka II not improbable that thc,r ancestry
may havo been traced back to tho scns Of
Japhet, and that their country was II iu-
postant settlement in tho age ot Noah h1!u-
selt Mems lives vera not limited to 1ou.-
score years in those days. Cpsa1'a acco.,nt OF
his victories in Britain, and Of tho condition Of
tha inhabitants at the timo OF tho invaaio7, Mr..
Yoatman regards as tissue Of falsehoo.Ia in-
vented to CONCEAL that Generals mo7tifcat On Al
finding his career Of military triumph uns1cces
edly stayed in an obscure and diminutive coun-
try. Britain finally becams d conquest o. ths
Roman arms but tho Imperial Government. was
engrafted upon the institutions Of the peopls
without dis2lacing their systems OF religion and
Of jurisprudence. During the soverat centuries
that Rome maintained m army in Bntain. har
relation toward that country uas rather thai o1
4 protector than Of eonqueror. and Romans
and B1itains intesuiugled upon terms of felfea
equality.
When tho standard Of Rome Was withdraw
from britain, in the fifth century, the Country
WAS speedily overfun by barba.ians, who 70"
duced it to dcploratlo state OF degradatioa1
but did not succeed in e.terminating the Brltoaa
or their civic institutions. The division OF ina
island into counties, tho trial by jury the com
mcn Law, and tho mercantile guilds, survived
through the $50 years Of the so-called Saxon
dominion, and wero adopted by the Nornsn
rulers when they camo into thsir Inheritance.
For the story that William tho First conquered
England il also myth, in our authors oplni@'.
Whilo tie Ieland Was suffering the horrors OF
spoIiation by succossive savage hordss. tho flower
Of the people fed to Wales aud Brittany. ann
kinrly returned to take possession Of what H1s
their Own, when William Of Normandy became
through his Danish ancestors, tho nghtfu1 bur
to tho Kingdom.
The Sa1ons wore 4 small tribe. sunk IN ths
groasest barbarism, rho settled in bat three ""
tia counties in England Their language rs'
never tho speech OF tho English people, Larn
dialect being the common Vcrnaeular througnou'
tho country during the dark ages Of its history
The Saxon Chronicle and Asser's Life OF Alfred,
With all other specimens Of Saxon Literature nos
e1tant, aro sirpiy forsesios- The sa1ons nao
no written language. and consequently no uteF"-
ture; and. except fsv b&rbArous s1preaaoas
thsk ~o1e Incorporated into tho EnFllah' essss
trace Of their tongcs Is lost. "Thst wEeeeae"
EibbsEiah .olopt Baxon, in the language Of ~
YAat,nAn "is treassd scientifically ~ IA orls7nA1
tkueuaau.--sn honox to whsna u has equal aAiess