New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-04
ANCIENT ENGLAND.
FROM WATTLED HUT TO NORMAN CAS-
TIE.


SOCIAL ENGLAnA ReGol. OF the lros'e, sc, Ct
Industry. Commerce. Science. Literature ana
n s By va ahS Wr Eea by +
Train, p. {. l.. Sometime Fellow of st. john
lines 10 o1 sbe Accessom Of EdWad the FIST
Up wi, SOL G. p. Putnams Sons
Collaboration has not hitherto been usual with
writers Of English history 1t seems to be sue
cessful, however. in the case Of those who to-
gether composed this volume. Though the sue
cessive chapters are each from many hands
there is no such startling change Of style upon
a change OF author as might be anticipated.
There is. of course. some repetition One writer
is unable to pass from one item to another Of
his own special theme without passing over
points already discussed by another Some
times there has evidently been stern uphold
ing OF principle in small matter as when
a fervent disciple Of Vigfusson insists on saying
"Wicking," when the rule Of the book appears
to be "Viking." Small discrepancies will be
found in the names of the Roman legons that
constituted the army of occupation when Britain
was province of the empire. There is down.
right contradiction upon the point whether In
certain mosaic OF the Roman period which has
been recovered, the figure Of a with cocks
head is intended for a Celtic god or only as an
obvious symbol Of daybreak He who looks upon
1t merely a mark of the hour has a little sly
fun at the expense of those who have put deep
meanings into the bit Of mosaic, and that is all.
These little differences good thing in their
way They keep the reader alert 10 the fact
that almost nothing is settled to the satisfaction
of everybody. From the perusal of a single his
toran working by himself this division of opin-
ION is not made so evident. His text agrees with
itself in a wonderful way. while adverse views
are apt to be confined within the narrow durance
Of a footnote which the reader may not even
take the trouble to peruse. In the present case
what differences exist may be said to thrust
themselves on the readers attention.
There is almost chapter Of English history
which reveals a greater improvement as the
result of modern methods of research and induc-
ton than the first. There was formerly little TO
say about Roman times and far less about the
times which preceded. A crowd of savages clad
In skins and streaked with blue paint. few
grand but barbaric figures like B0adcea (Boudic-
ca) or Cymbeline (Cunoben) or Casibelan Cast
velaunus) and host of chariots armed with
scythe- blades-these filled up the picture. There
was no historical perspective. 1t was glimpse
with the eyes of Caesar at scene which one
was at liberty TO suppose never changed. But
now, thanks mainly 10 the study of cave floors
and kitchen middens and heaps of flint stones
full preservation of curious things which were
once thrown away or destroyed. the aspect Of
primitive Britain has been made an important
part of the islands history. Though it is not |
at all certain what the various antique popula- !
tons called themselves each other, the mod |
ern student has names for them which serve |
his purpose. and he begins to have far-reaching |
conjectures TO origins which link remote |
parts Of the earth together in the strangest way.
Suppose il were shown to be true that the So
called Iberians, the pioneers of English invasion. |
belonged at the outset among the races figured |
on the monuments of the Euphrates Valley and !
the Nile, that they were related to the Babylon
ians, to the Egyptians and perhaps to the
Etruscans and Basques and that their march from
the East was by way of the Mediterranean Sea
or whatever represented that sea in the dismal
past The fact once settled would surely clear
up many puzzling things about civilization
among people whose only implements were OF
stone We must remember that even these are |
not supposed to be the first inhabitants Of the
island But Palaeolithic man yet smallva
in the story OF the race, for it is still impossible |
to bridge the chasm between him and his Neo-
lithc successor, while the latter hardly has time
to get old before the Bronze Age is upon him.
The Iberians of the British Isles were still using
tools and weapons of stone and so were their
conquerors, the Cets, at first; but long before
the primitive invasons from the Continent were
over bronze and then iron had come into use.
Some Of the social practices of these earliest
races. durable their flints, are deserted
now in the life Of Modern England. The village
as an organism still betrays marks Of its Iberian
origin. while the great rural boundaries began to
be laid by the Celts DIALECTS and traditions
still show that the division into shres and do
ceses is based upon the old division (of the Celts)
into tribes" Even the tradition Of royalty be-
gan with these early races BY a very natural
process the subjUgated Iberans fell rather TO
the command Of the Celtic chieftain than to his
clan. AS villagers they could be dealt with in
q body. and they naturally sought safety in serv-
Ing the most powerful Of their new neighbors.
Thus the Celtic cheftan became king on
small scale and successive waves Of invasion
raised a sort Of hierarchy of chief and over
chief, until. on the eve Of the Roman Conquest.
there seemed a possibility Of uniting a large
part Of the island under a single ruler. Thus
these primitive peoples have left deeper trace
in the life Of Great Britain than was made by
the Romans in centuries of occupation. They
had become numerous in Caesars time-a sure
mark Of advance in civilization. They were in
deed far from being savages. Those in the south
western part Of the island had been mining and
smelling tin for centuries. Their harvests were
large and they exported tin, corn and hides. They
had iron-workers, too. and iron mines. and some
Of the kings coined their own money in the later
days Of Celtic supremacy. They were good SOL
liers individually and might easily have beaten
back the Romai is. If they could have agreed
among themselves. But this they could not do. |
In this particular also they were true ancestors
If the Celts and Celto-Iberans Of to-day.
In comparison with these ruder races the
Roman. as remarked. left little trace of himself
instead Of teaching the natives how TO make
var in the Roman fashion for their own de-
ence. he carried off their young men to legions
n distant parts Of the Empire He gave them .
ome tastes for the luxurious life which he HIM
elf led when he could And he taught them
o mix up their religion with his. so that to this
lay ancient Celtic beliefs are hopelessly be-