a desolate island full of fens and brambles; and the church was built, like the British houses, of wicker-work, or rods wattled and interwoven. It was sixty feet long and twenty-five broad. In this the early Christians "watched, fasted, prayed, and preached; having," says Fuller, "high meditations under a low roof, and large hearts within narrow walls."

17. Though the Roman government was generally so tolerant of other religions, they began after a time to persecute the Christians. The reason seems to have been, that though Persecution. they were quite willing to admit other gods side by side with their own, it was only on the supposition that the old gods did not lose their worship. But Christianity could not be received on those terms. The early Christians and Fathers of the Church did not even look on the heathen deities as mere fables and shadows; they believed that they really existed, but were devils, and they taught that the gods of Rome and of all other nations must be utterly renounced. Thus Christianity came to be looked on as dangerous to the established order of things and to the empire.

St. Alban.

18. The heaviest and worst of the persecutions was under the Emperor Diocletian, and this was the first one that reached Britain. This lecture cannot end better than with 304. Fuller's account of the first Christian martyr in our country. "The first Briton which to heaven led the van of the noble army of martyrs was Alban, a wealthy inhabitant of Verolam-cestre. . . . His conversion happened on this manner: Amphibalus, a Christian preacher of Caer-leon, in Wales, was fain to fly from persecution into the eastern parts of this island, and was entertained by Alban in his house in Verulam. Soon did the sparks of this guest's zeal catch hold on his host, and inflamed him with love to the Christian religion. Not long after, a search being made for Amphibalus, Alban secretly and safely conveyed him away, and, exchanging clothes with him, offered himself for his guest to the pagan officers, who at that instant were a-sacrificing to their devil-gods; where not only Alban, being required, refused to sacrifice, but also he reproved others for so doing, and thereupon was condemned to most cruel torments. But he conquered their cruelty with his patience; and though they tortured their brains to invent tortures for him, he endured all with cheerfulness, till rather their weariness than pity made them desist. And here we must bewail that we want the true story of this man's martyrdom, which impudent monks have mixed with so many improbable

tales that it is a torture to a discreet ear to hear them.

How

ever, we will set them down as we find them. . . . Alban being sentenced to be beheaded, much people flocked to the place of his execution, which was on a hill called Holm-hurst; to which they were to go over a river, where the narrow passage admitted of very few abreast. Alban being to follow after all the multitude, and perceiving it would be very late before he could act his part, and counting every delay half a denial (who will blame one for longing to have a crown?), by his prayer obtained that the river, parting asunder, afforded free passage for many together... The sight hereof so wrought with him who was appointed to be his executioner, that he utterly refused the employment, desiring rather to die with him, or for him, than to offer him any violence. Yet soon was another substituted in his place, for some cruel Doeg will quickly be found to do that office which more merciful men decline.

'Alban, at the last, being come to the top of the hill, was very dry, and desirous to drink. Wonder not that he, being presently to taste of joys for evermore, should wish for fading water. Sure he thirsted most for God's glory, and did it only to catch hold of the handle of an occasion to work a miracle for the good of the beholders. For presently, by his prayer, he summoned up a spring to come forth on the top of the hill, to the amazement of all that saw it. Yet it moistened not his executioner's heart with any pity, who, notwithstanding, struck off the head of that worthy saint, and instantly his own eyes fell out of his head, so that he could not see the villany which he had done. Presently after the former convert executioner, who refused to put Alban to death, was put to death himself— baptized, no doubt, though not with water, in his own blood."

The stately abbey of St. Alban's marks the spot were his martyrdom took place.

LECTURE V.-THE TEUTONS.

The decay of the Roman empire. Origin of the English people. The Germans, or Teutons-their laws, manners, language, and religion.

1. As the Roman empire seemed now to have become too large to be conveniently governed by one man living at Rome, it was divided by Diocletian into four parts, which we may call provinces, each of which had its own sub-emperor, though all were still considered as one empire, and there was one chief or supreme emperor. One of the provinces consisted of Britain, Gaul, and Spain; and the governor or sub-emperor (Cæsar, as ne was called) lived very often at York.

2. The great Constantine, who was the first Christian emperor, was for a long time sub-emperor of this western province, and lived at York. Afterwards the whole empire was 323. joined into one again under his rule, and it was he who founded as its capital the beautiful city of Constantinople, or city of Constantine.

3. But we are now coming to the time when great disasters befell this mighty empire; when it met with its strongest enemies, who finally broke it to pieces and planted themselves on its ruins. And these enemies, whom Rome could never conquer, but who conquered Rome, were our forefathers-the true forefathers of the English people. Though there is reason to believe that we are in some small part descended from the prehistoric men, and from the Celts or Britons, yet the main stock from which we spring, and from whom we have our language, our manners, and our government, are these people, with whom this lecture will be concerned. So if we were interested in the other nations of which we have heard, we ought to be still more so in this one.

4. This which is called the Teutonic race was a branch, and one of the greatest branches, of the Aryan family. At the time we first hear of them they were, like most other nations in the beginning of their history, wild and barbarous people. They were living north of the

The Teutons.

Danube, east of the Rhine, in Denmark, and in other northern parts. We know that they were all one race, though separated into many tribes, by their language. Just as we judge the Indians, Greeks, Romans, and others to be of one original race by their having certain words and grammatical forms in common, so we can judge the different families into which these larger ones broke up to belong to each other, by their languages being still more like each other, by their having more of the same words, and their grammar being still more similar.

5. The principal Teutonic nations are now called the German, Dutch, English, American, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. In old times the principal tribes were called, Goths, Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, Saxons, and Angles. Tacitus says that "Germany" was a name newly invented in his time.

6. The word "Teuton is believed by some authorities to mean "speaking plain." These rough, wild people thought just as most other uncultivated people do, that their language was the only plain one, and they seem to have looked upon all others as mere gibberish. Even now we may sometimes find English people tempted to talk of other people's language as "gabble" or chatter."

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The syllable "Teut" or "Deut" meant clear; as we may see in the German word "deutlich," plain or evident. "Ish" is a mere termination, which we still use in fool-ish, Eng-lish, Dan-ish. So they would say Deut-ish=Deutsch or Dutch.

7. These people then who talked plain, the Teutons or Dutch, began about the time of the birth of Christ to be very troublesome to the Romans; and so they continued, very often being beaten, but never being conquered, until the time at which we have now arrived; and it was owing to them that the Romans went away from our island at last, leaving room for them to come afterwards and turn Britain into England.

8. The man who tells us most about them at first was the one already mentioned, who wrote the life of Agricola — Tacitus. He, who evidently took a great interest in the different nations the Romans had to do with (for we saw that he wrote about the Jews and the Britons), wrote also a long and very interesting description of the Germans, little thinking that these wild people, whom he as a philosopher looked upon with curiosity and interest, would after a time be the conquerors and successors of his own great nation.

9. Tacitus had complained a good deal about our climate, as being so dull, damp, and hazy. Now see what he says about

Germany. "Besides the dangers from a sea tempestuous, horrid, and unknown, who would relinquish Asia, Africa, or Italy to repair to Germany-a region hideous and rude, under a rigorous climate, dismal to behold or to cultivate, unless the same were his native country? Their land, taken altogether, consists of horrid forests and nasty marshes."

Their appearance.

10. The Germans, or Teutons, were in appearance much like the Celts, being descendants from the same Aryan stock; he says they all "had eyes stern and blue, yellow hair, and huge bodies." Both the Gauls and the Germans were superior to the Romans in one point, namely, the use of soap, though it does not seem quite clear whether they employed it for cleanliness, or for the purpose of reddening their hair. A strong soap, with plenty of lime or soda in it, reddens the hair, and they appear to have thought it made them look more fierce and terrible. However, they certainly cared something about cleanliness also; for Tacitus tells us, in another place, that "the moment they rise from sleep they bathe; most frequently in warm water, as in a country where the winter is very long and severe."

The women.

11. One very great and good point of the German character was the honour they paid to women. They were almost the only barbarians who were content with one wife; though even with them the kings or chiefs had more, as a dignity. They respected their women extremely, and were very careful of the honour and virtue of their wives and daughters; so much so, that it was found by the Romans to be the greatest safeguard to take hostages from among their daughters.

When they went to battle their wives and children were lodged near to the field, and to each man "these are the witnesses whom he most reverences and dreads; these yield him the praises which affect him most. Their wounds or maims they carry to their mothers or to their wives; and these administer to their husbands and sons, whilst engaged in battle, meat and encouragement. Some armies, yielding and ready to fly, have been by the women restored through their inflexible importunities and entreaties. Captivity is far more dreaded by the Germans when it befalls their women.'

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12. If the women had to be so courageous, we may suppose what sort of fighters the men would be. Many who have escaped in the day of battle have hanged themselves to put an end to their infamy. . . . In the day of battle

The warriors.