The sun., 1895-01-20

According to tho hypothesis advocated by
Stubbs and Freeman. and until recently gem
orally accepted the English invaders or Britain
wiped away everything Celtic we'll as every
thing Roman as thoroughly as everything
Roman was wiped out of North Africa by tho
Saracen conquerors Of the seventh and eighth
centuries. There is some doubt as to the thor
oughness Of the extirpation of Roman cviliza-
tion In North Africa; but let that pass. For our
present purpose 1t sufiices to say that, to the
reading Of early English history commended by
Stubbs and Freeman. the advocates of the
continued existence Of Romano Celtic in
fuences give a fat denial. The evil
dence produced by them goes to rebut the
theory Of the exceptional character Of the Eng
lish invader OF Britain. They deny not only tho
possibility but the fact of the determination of
the Britons, and assert in most uncompromis-
Ing manner the unavoidable intermixture of the
Britons and their conQuerors, and the conse-
quent far-reaching effect of the Romanized in
stitutions of the former on whatever Teutonic
organization was brought In the keels of the in
vaders. The evidence is drawn from many
sources. OF these, the most direct is afforded
by the language of the invaders. Instead of tho
few Celtic and the still fewer Latin words"
which. it has been alleged. found their way
into English from the first days of the conquest"
and which formed two very small groups of ex-
ceptions to the purely Low Dutch character of
the English language, 1t Is now maintained that
hundreds Of common words" relating not
merely to domestic employments ts tsuch as would
bo transmitted by the female slaves. who alone
are generally allowed to have escaped exterm-
natton) but oven to government may still
be traced to the limited Anglo-Saxon and Welsh
vocabularies;" while rather moro than hun
dred Latin words, often to be found also in
Welsh, prove tho abiding influence of the Ro-
man tongue. The retention of Celtic words,
also, In relation to "the arts of weaving. boat
building. carpentry. and smiths work." would
seem to show that the invaders accepted the
teaching of their captives in some Of the
most skilful occupations. 1t should fur
ther be noticed that the Welsh poets
who chronicle the inyasions complain that "a
race OF Romanized Britons. whom they call
Loegrlans, took part with the invaders against
their Celtic kinsmen. Besides this practically
direct evidence, 1t has been argued that resist
ance which was sufficiently stubborn TO protract
the conquest for $50 years would tell In favor of
a compromise rather than wholesale ex' rmi.
nation. Christianity did not come to mitigate
tho fury OF the invaders until the conquest was
nearly accomplished; but the manner OF its in
PRODUCTION into Kent and its immediate success
seem to indicate that the ground had been pre-
pared by continued exercise OF tho rites of
worship in the old Church of st. Mar
tin, which was set aside for the use
of Ethelbert's Christian queen. 1t has
even been asserted that Celtic missionaries lent
their aid to Augustine and his followers in their
labor of conversion. II is we'll known that the
English OF Northumbra were converted by Gel
tic missionaries, but these seem to have come
from Ireland. Undoubtedly II continuity can
bo traced in the language, the religion, and the
arts OF the days Of the Roman occupation, 1t
may well be believed that the Roman organiza-
tion, both social and political, would not perish.
1t has been contended that Roman territorial,
which alphabetically followed the boundaries
Of the British tribal lands. were presided over
BY an official called the comes cipitdtts, and
that in these are 10 be found the origin
alike OF the small Kingdoms OF the Hep
tarchic period and ultimately OF tho English
shirss, together with that OF the Anglo
ealdorman. This still remains a mere asseT-
ton, but some evidence has been adduced in
favor OF the continued life OF lesser orRaniza-
tions, whether the Dlld private estate, culti-
waited by bailin and servils tenants, or the mu-
ntctptum COlOnid, with its cOllsJid, which be-
came the English burh with its 0lds. Under
these circumstances Il would almost naturally
follow that Roman law has formed the basis
Of the Saxon family system ana of the laws OF
property" while the only possible cohclusion
would DO with Mr.. Pearson that "the Saxon
conquest did not break up society II only add
ID new element 10 what II found. The Saxon
State vas built up on the ruins OF the past"
The ripsst conclusions regarding the evolution
Of the English Cabinet system will be read with
Interest by Americans for tho light they thro"