degenerated; and sensuality intruded where grief and solemnity ought to have presided. In the country, it was perfectly excusable to furnish persons who had assembled from a considerable distance with a substantial meal; but the Londoners became sensible, in process of time, that indulgence on such occasions was almost impious; hence, cakes and wine now supply the place of the funeral baked meats."

Keeping of Wassel was another method of celebration, which, though more peculiar to a country life, must have been common, in early times, in London. Mr. Douce is of opinion, that the origin of the term belongs to the tale of Vortigern and Rowena. W. Cennius relates, that on the first introduction of that lady to Vortigern, she kneeled, and, presenting him a cup of wine, said, "Lord King, wacht heil;" health be to you. The king, ignorant of the Saxon language, enquired the purport of her words; was informed, and told to return the compliment with drinc heil, which he did, commanding Rowena to drink; he then took the cup, kissed, and pledged her. Robert of Gloucester says, this custom prevailed in the third century. At all events, Mr. Douce asserts, no word equivalent to our wassel is to be found in any of the Teutonic dialects. Steevens and Malone say, that the wassel bowl was more particularly in use at Christmas. The term was afterwards enlarged in its signification,

and

and implied general intemperance: when the common people were in the habit of carrying the bowl from house to house, in order to collect money: the materials which filled the bowl were spiced wine or ale, with roasted apples and sugar, mead or metheglin. A particular species of bread, called the wassel bread, was eaten with the above liquid, according to some antiquaries. Mr. Douce, however, quotes a statute, 51 Hen. III. which appears to establish the fact, that the white bread well baked, so termed, was in use at all seasons; and other reasons induce the same gentleman to suppose it was a kind of cake, or probably biscuit. There were also wassel songs sung at Christmas by itinerant minstrels. Drinking of healths, which is the only trace we have in London of the antient wassel, is but little practised at present; but in some parts of the country the custom bears a certain degree of resemblance to the original ceremony.

Very faint traces now exist of the antient practice of choosing Valentines; indeed, it is confined to the silly compositions of young people in the form of letters, many of which are known to be highly offensive to morality and decency; though the majority, it must be confessed, are equally unmeaning and absurd, and perfectly innocent. Antiquaries are inclined to imagine that this custom was derived from our Roman invaders, who practised the ceremony of drawing the names of

young

young females by young men from a box-part of the rites of the Lupercalia, celebrated in the month of February, in honour of Juno and Pan. It has been farther supposed, that the early Christians continued the custom through motives of policy, and fixed upon the day dedicated to St, Valentine merely because it happened to suit the time. If this conjecture be correct, the term of valentines may be readily accounted for. During a long period, the day produced much interest amongst the unmarried part of the community.

The Northern inhabitants of England, the Scots and the Picts, were continually making incursions on the territories of the provincials, or those under the Roman government in their neighbourhood; who consequently requested protection, which the Mistress of the world was then nearly incapable of affording them, through the irruption of the Goths into Italy. Vortigern, Governor in Chief of the British provinces, hopeless of any other succour, sent to Germany for auxiliary troops, which, composed of Saxons, Angles, Jutes, and the natives of Friesland, poured in to his assistance ostensibly, but, treacherously, for their own immediate advantage; as the Romans soon perceived by their entering into a treaty with the Picts. Thus united, they turned their forces against the original intruders, and fairly forced themselves into the exclusive government of the country, or the Hep

:

tarchy

tarchy of England. Selden was inclined to think, that though these people appear to have consisted of several nations, " yet, in very deed, they were all of them none other but Saxons; a name at that time of a large extent in Germany." The arrival of this army was in the year 428.

We are in this period of our research to conjecture, that the manners of the oppressed Britons were, partly through force and partly through inclination, a compound of British, Roman, and Saxon. For this reason it will be necessary to give some of the leading features of the regulations of society amongst the latter people.

The infant Saxon was under the immediate care of its mother, till it had reached the seventh year of its age. Circumstances might occur, which rendered a nurse, or foster-mother, necessary; and there cannot be a doubt that the transfer was allowed by the custom of their society. When the father of a child died, the mother received an allowance for its support; and it is to be feared the barbarous practice of exposing children sometimes took place; as Wilkins mentions the sums allowed for rearing those unfortunate foundlings. Infant baptism by immersion was customary; the names given to their children at this period of their life were derived from some expressive source descriptive of the expected qualities of the party, and sometimes from circumstances connected with the birth, or personal appearance of

the

the child. Surnames, or the appropriation of individuals to families or places, became absolutely necessary upon the increase of population: the Britons must have used them; we are certain the Romans did, and that the Saxons brought them into the country.

As to the general character of the Saxons, who invaded us through the folly already mentioned, it is said of them, that they were such adepts in the arts of plundering and devastation, that each individual possessed the qualities necessary for a chief or the common soldier; therefore, every man acting upon one principle of rapine, all their efforts were equally voluntary and irresistible. The ferocious courage which naturally attended a society thus constituted, has often been celebrated; and yet the Saxon disdained not to depredate in the night, and feast on his spoils by day: a conduct by no means consonant with the noble and manly form by which he was distinguished, and was anxious to preserve. The weapons used by them were long spears, or javelins, small shields, swords, and knives.

That the Military Lords were distinguished by manners most ferocious and cruel, seems to be established beyond contradiction. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, two brothers, Earls Harold and Tosto, had an altercation at Windsor which terminated in blows. Tosto was beaten, and immediately retired to the Marches of Wales,

where