Search -
The history of the British empire from the accession of James the First
The history of the British empire from the accession of James the First Author:John Macgregor 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: HISTORY THE BRITISH EMPIRE. A REVIEW OF THE PROGRESS OF ENGLAND FROM THE SAXON PERIOD TO THE LAST YEAR OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH, A.d. 450 To A.d. 16... more »03—1153 Tears. CHAPTER I. A XON PEBIOD OF ENGLISH HISTOBY. If any history can teach us, by examples, to avoid errors,—to act wisely,—and to judge soundly, that of England and the British Empire affords the most ample lessons. A careful examination of our annals reveals authentic facts—so extraordinary regarding the condition of the country, that we are left in amazement with respect to the means by which our achievements have been accomplished, and by which an expenditure, unexampled in the history of any other country, has been provided. In order to trace the rise, growth, and structure of the constitution of England, we have no occasion to go back to any doubtful period of British or Saxon history,—nor to refute the fallacies of monastic chronicles. But we must take into account the fiscal poverty of all, but the three first, of the Norman kings and their successors; and we must briefly state the means by which the landed property of the realm became possessed by the Church, barons, and knights. We may previously observe, that the Romans found Britain inhabited by savage tribes, speaking a language similar to that of the Gauls, and professing the same barbarous religion with its priests or druids,—that the Romans extirpated that horrible worship and its terrible human sacrifices—and that there is no doubt of great improvements in agriculture and architecture having been introduced and extended by the Romans, who had established their posts from Exeter to Inverness,—who had embanked the Thames,'—who built luxurious villas, as the vestiges still existing prove, —and who first walled London. On the depart...« less