SPECTATOR'S LIBRARY.

HISTORY,

History of the Ancient Britons, from Earliest Period to the Invasion of the Rax- ons. Compiled from the Original Authorities. By the Reverend J. A. Giles, D.C.L., late Fellow of C. C. C., Oxford ; Author of" The Life and Letters of Tho- mas a Becket," and Editor of "nitres Eccleshe Anglicante." Bele,

BIOGRAPHY,

Memoir of William Yates, D.D., of Calcutta. With an Abridgment of his Life of

W. H. Pearce. By James Hoby, D.D Horatian and Sioninnan.

FICTION,

Mark's Reef, or the Crater ; a Tale of the Pacific. By the Author of .• The Prairie," "The Red Rover," "The Pilot," Soc. In three volumes Bentley.

GILES'S HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT BRITONS.

DR. Grzss is already known to a certain portion of the world as editor of the "Patres Ecclesite Anglieanm," and author of the useful "Life and Letters of Thomas it Becket." Both these works were labours of anti- quarian love, to which he must have been urged by a peculiar kind of reading prompted by a natural taste. The studies necessary for the above-mentioned works introduced him to the national antiquities of his country, and to many of the writers upon the subject, at least in Norman and Saxon times. The step was easy to the Britons before the advent of the Saxons. To a classical and antiquarian scholar, the research, though tedious as carried out by Dr. Giles, was not difficult ; seeing that the original writers were the Greek and Latin classics, or monkish chro- niclers already familiar. Hence the History of the Ancient Britons; which is a work of a peculiar character, founded on apeculiar principle.

According to Dr. Giles, it is wrong in a writer to give "colouring or life to those facts of which the contemporary historians have left us only a bare skeleton or an inanimate sketch. In regard to a mere fancy picture, such as some authors with an imagination overriding their reason present to the world as history, Dr. Giles is clearly right ; but not where the colouring or life is a legitimate deduction capable, if challenged, of being supported by reasons as valid as those of the challenger. The exact words of the original writers are, no doubt, the best authority for the facts; but even when they happen to be contemporary, those writers are rarely eye-witnesses of what they relate, so that their representations are often at second hand; it not unfrequently happens that, from va- rious causes, the modern historian must sit in judgment upon the ancient chronicler, to allow for bias, imperfect information, or ignorance, even supposing their natural abilities equal. Then, a history to be generally read must be a continuous and uniform narrative, fusing the story into a single whole, as varied as you please, yet homogeneous : and it must be done, too, in the mental fashion of the writer's age. After all, the mere words of original authorities are not always sufficient. There is some- thing in the context as well as the text. Frequently the general charac- ter of a writer and his age must be understood before we can critically understand a particular narrative; special learning is sometimes necessary to penetrate a writer's meaning, so much having to be considered beyond particular passages or even his entire book. Waive these cir- cumstances, and there is the translation from one language into another, and the necessity, as Dr. Giles has found, of connecting together the in- ferences from scattered passages, or of saying there is nothing to be said; as well as disquisitions on certain disputed points, where we must have the deductions of the writer. Conceding fully to Dr. Giles the propriety of only relying upon original authorities, and not permitting imagination or speculation to add or alter anything they narrate, unless for reasons distinctly assigned, we cannot agree with him in the idea, specious as it. seems, that "To avoid this departure from historic truth, no plan seems so successful as to introduce all important parts of the narrative an the words of the contemporary writer, and, if possible, of one who has been an eye-witness of the facts winch he records. What account of the invasion of Britain by Caesar, and of the adven- ture which befel him during his short stay in the island, can be so interesting, or so authentic, as that which Caesar himself has left in his own Commentariee? Consistently with this principle, the reader will find that I have related the want of Caesar, of Claudius, Agricola, Severus, Carausius, and others, in the very words of the historian who then lived, or who came nearest to their times."

Yet Ctesar, the first of military historians, had unquestionably a bias to cover a failure:

"Ask why from Britain Caesar would retreat ? Caesar himself might whisper, he was beat."

Besides which, there are various details necessary to Cremes narrative, but not to the history of Britain. In fine, a history is a work of at From the very nature of the case, all cannot be presented : even the best of original authorities, putting bias aside, must take parts, and present them as they see them. Hence selection becomes an essential principle ; and this once conceded, two things follow,—that the materials must be assimilated to the historian's mind, and the work animated by the histo- rian's genius.

But though we differ from the theory of Dr. Giles, we readily allow that he has chosen a good subject for his experiment, and treated it hap- pily. From the invasion of Casar -to the withdrawal of the Roman power from Britain and the coming of the Saxons, the original authori- ties are not bulky, and are mostly classics. In the case of Cmsar and Tacitus they are of the first rank ; others are writers of merit in their line; while the monkish historians who can make any claim to being originals, or to deriving their materials from original authorities, are few in number. Hence, the longer and more important passages are full and close in matter, always well presented, often in a masterly mode ; so that though some things are not in strictness necessary to the history of Bri- tain, yet the reader is not wearied by trivialities.

As we already intimated, Dr. Giles, however, has not been able fully to carry out his own theory. The scattered notices in upwards of a hundred Greek and Latin authors, from a passing word in Herodotus to passages in the Byzantine writers, cannot be presented as mere quotations : it becomes necessary sometimes to express a doubt or to apply a cor- rective even upon the statements of the greater classics : in discussing the mooted question of the introduction of Christianity into Britain, the

Acts of the Apostles and the Fathers have to be gone over to show what original evidence exists for the story of missions by the Apostles or their immediate successors. In many cases, Dr. Giles, therefore, has been compelled to write a history, though of a minute and peculiar kind ; his narrative being constructed to bring in the letter of his authorities, rather than to convey their spirit. This may induce length, but not tediousness. Dr. Giles is in thorough possession of his materials, and of his own intention,—which produces the clearness that arises from mas- tery; and he exhibits the same genial bonhommie, and chronicler dispo- sition for minute and picturesque narrative, which we noted in his Life and Letters of 77tornas a Becket, mingled with more of a critical spirit. Hence, the present work is not only a "History of the Ancient Britons," presenting all that is known in the words of the original au- thorities, but a very readable history to boot. From it the reader will obtain particulars of the greater events, accounts of many lesser circum- stances that are passed over altogether, and those details of knowledge which are only generalized in more extensive histories. He will also have leading circumstances more distinctly impressed upon his memory; as, for example, the long and steady resistance offered by the Britons to the Roman arms, and the length of time and numerous attempts it required to subdue them. In all that relates to geographical (not topographical) knowledge, and facts connected with commerce and the condition of the people, as alluded to in ancient writers, the reader will also have more distinct and fuller information. The inductions to be drawn front coins, architectural remains, and other antiquities, do not fall within the scope of the author's design. "It is very uncertain," says Dr. Giles, "by whom such coins were struck, or who were the builders of the monu- ments in question." He therefore refers the reader to other works where such matters are specifically treated, as they would lead the Doctor into that region of "construction" and "imagination" which he abhors.

As curious a passage, perhaps, as any in the work, is the picture of ancient Britain, which Dr. Giles has drawn from Diodorus, Strabo, and Pomponius Mela, with a slight allusion, by no means complimentary, to the sister isle.

"There are four ports at which voyagers generally cross from the mainland to the island; those are at the months of the river Rhine, the Seine, the Loire, and the Garonne: but those who cross from the country about the Rhine do not sail from the very months of the river, but from the Morini who border on the Mena- piens, where also is Mum, which the divine Caesar used for a port when he crossed into the island. He set sail by night, and reached his destination the next day about ten o'clock, having accomplished a voyage of three hundred and twenty furlongs. He found the corn still in the fields on his arrival. The island is for the most part flat and woody, but there are many strong places on bills. It is said to be very populous, and the climate everywhere cold, as lying so far towards the North Pole. It prouces corn, cattle, gold, silver, and iron ; which also form its exports, together with skins, slaves, and dogs of a superior breed for the chase. The Gauls use these dogs in war, as well as others of their own breed. Britain is said to be inhabited by indigenous tribes, who retain traces of ancient man- ners. In some respects they are similar to the Gauls, but more simple and bar- barous, far removed from the cunning and vice of men of the present day: their food is plain and inexpensive, and very unlike the luxury which wealth creates. The men are taller than the Gauls, and not so yellow-haired, but more corpulent. And this is an instance of their stature: I saw at Rome some young men who were six inches taller than the tallest natives; but they were distorted in their feet, and not of a good figure. Though the country abounds in milk, there are some among the natives who do not know how to make cheese; and they are nei- ther acquainted with the use of gardens, nor understand other branches of agri- culture. In gathering in the produce of their corn-fields, they cut off the stalks of corn, and store them up in thatched houses; and out of these they pluck the old ears from day to day, and use them to make their food. They have several kings and chieftains amongst them, and are in general peaceably disposed towards one another. They mostly use chariots in war; as some of the Gauls also do, and as the ancient Grecian heroes are said to have done at the siege of Troy. "Their towns are the hills, on the tops of which they enclose a large space with felled trees; and within this fence they make for themselves huts composed mostly of reeds and logs, and sheds fur their cattle: but these establishments are not permanent. The sky is rather stormy than cloudy; and in fine weather there is a mist which lasts some time' so that the sun is only seen for about three or four hours in the middle of the day. But this is also the case with the Morini and the Menapii, and other tribes in their neighbourhood. "The divine Caesar crossed over twice into the island; but he speedily returned, without effecting anything of consequence, or penetrating far into the country; for he WU prevented by disaffection and quarrels among the GAuls, and also his own soldiers; besides which, he lost many of his ships by the high tides which prevail there at the full of the moon. He defeated the Britons in two or three battles, though he carried over only two divisions of his army; and he brought away hostages and slaves, besides other booty in abundance. At present, how- ever, sonic of their princes have sent ambassadors to cultivate the friendship of Augustus Caesar, and deposited offerings in the Capitol, and so brought the whole island to be in friendly connexion with the Romans. They pay tolls of a trifling value on all exports to Gaul and imports from thence: these are in general ivory bracelets, necklaces, glass vessels, and such like small wares. Thus there is no necessity for garrisoning the island ; for it would require at least one legion and some cavalry in order to gather tribute from it, and so the expense of the army would be equal to the income; for the tolls must be lessened if taxes were added, besides the dangers which would be encountered if force were u-ed. "Let us now speak of the tin which it produces. The inhabitants of Britain, who live near the Belerian promontory, are peculiarly hospitable, and, from the great resort of foreigners, more polished in manners. They prepare the tin, and show much skill in working the earth which produces it. This being of a stony nature, and having earthy veins in every direction, they work their way into these veins' and so by means of water separate the fragments. These they bruise into small pieces, and convey to an island which lies in front of Britain, called Idle ; for at the great ebbs of the tide the channel becomes dry, and they carry over the tin in large quantities on waggons. There is a singular circumstance connected with all the neighbouring islauds which lie between Britain and the continent of Europe. At high tide they are islands, because the intervening channel is full of water; but at the ebb the sea withdraws, and a large space is left uncovered, so that they look like peninsulas. From let's the tin is purchased by native mer- chants, and transported to Gaul; and finally it is carried by land through Gaul, a journey of thirty days, on pack-horses, to the mouth of the Rhone. This account of the tin may suffice at presentt "There are also some smaller islands in the neighbourhood of Britain, and a large one called 'erne, which runs parallel to it on the North, and extends to a

• Yectls—the Isle of Wight.

t The present breadth or the channel between the coast of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, as compared with this account, would lead us to tufbr that the sea, in the 'UFA or ages, has made great havoc with the whole of the South coast of England. greater width. We have no certain information about this island, except that its inhabitants are wilder than the Britons, and very voracious; they are cannibals and hold it right to eat their fathers when they die; their customs as regards women affect publicity, nor is incest illegal among them. "The climate is unfavourable to the ripening of grain, but so luxuriant ia herbage, which is very rich and sweet, that the cattle very soon fill themselves, and if they were not driven off would over-feed themselves and burst. Its inhabit- ants are uncivilized and ignorant of every virtue; to the social affections they are utter strangers. "But we give even these statements with hesitation, as depending on no cer- tain testimony. As to their cannibalism, however, that custom prevails among the Scythians; and, under the restraints of a siege, the Gauls, Iberians, and many other nations, are said to do the same.

"There are thirty islands called Orcades, [Orkneys,] a short distance apart from one another: the Thernodae [Hebrides] are seven in number, and lie towards Germany."

Dr. Giles's History is confined to the first volume. The second ex- hibits his authorities in their original language and form. It contains "all the contemporary written documents which have come down to us concerning the ancient Britons, together with all the Roman inscriptions which have been found on ancient coins and monuments relating to the same subject." The Greek and Latin classics have been carefully perused, and extracts made of every passage in which the slightest notice of Bri- tain or the British Isles is to be found. These authors are one hundred and twenty-four in number; they extend from the poems that pass under the name of Orpheus to Nicephorus, [A.D. 1333,] though substantially closing with the age of Procopius, towards the end of the sixth century ; and the extracts vary from a few sentences in Herodotus and Aristotle, to the full narratives of User and Tacitus. These extracts are followed by the work of Gildas "de Excidio Britannite "; the " Eulogium Bri- tannite," ascribed to Nennius ; some excerpts from Bede, and several smaller tracts. The inscriptions from coins and monuments, with a co- pious geographical index in six divisions, complete the work ; which in singleness of purpose, and painstaking devotion apart from ideas of profit, may be classed in the same category as Sir John Graham Dalyelfs Rare and .Remarkable Animals of Scotland, however widely the subjects may differ.