The Early Naval History of England Author:Robert Southey Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ' NAVAL HISTORY ENGLAND, INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I. BRITISH SHIPS AT THE TIME OP CjESAR'S INVASION.—CARAU. SIUS.—SAXON PIRATES IN THE FOURTH CENTURY.—... more »SAXON CONQUEST.—SYSTEM OP NORTHERN PIRACY.—NAVAL FORCE ESTABLISHED BY ALFRED. The first inhabitants of Great Britain were a maritime people, a branch of those whom the Greeks called Kimme- rioi, and the Latins Cimbri; a name which the Cambrians, or, more properly the Cymry, retain in their own tongue to this day. According to tradition, which there is no cause for impugning, they came from Asia, or the Summer Country, but by way of the Hazy, or German Ocean. The Kelts, a kindred people, came next, from the opposite coast of France; and it is probable that the Phenicians at an early age did more than visit this island, otherwise there would not have remained so many vestiges of their language, their mythology, and their superstitions. Caesar could obtain no information either concerning the extent of the land or the condition of its inhabitants, for none but merchants were allowed to enter the ports ; and these, as it appears, the ports only. A country could hardly have been thus jealously defended without some maritime force ; but when Csesar determined upon invading the Britons, he had previously destroyed their fleet in the great naval victory which he obtained over them and their allies, the Veneti. The description of the Gallic ships which he encountered in that action must be understood as describing the British also. Their bottoms were natter than those of the Roman vessels, that they might be the better accommodated to tide harboursand to a shoal coast; and they were elevated both at the prow and the poop, because that mode of building was then deemed best adapted to our stormy seas. They were constructed wholly...« less