seem to support his view. And for a period of sixteen years, the theory, though so beautiful, was held in suspense. In 1682, however, it was proved by Picard, a French philosopher, that the belief that had obtained up to that date as to the exact shape of the earth, and the length of its diameters was incorrect; and he supplied proof of the accuracy of his new figures. These having been an element in Newton's calculations, he started afresh, taking the more accurate data. As he proceeded, the issue seemed so promising, that at last he became too excited to complete his calculations, and a friend was called in to put the finishing stroke to this proof of the theory of Universal Gravitation, the doctrine of Newton's "Principia."

It would take long to tell the labours of this prince of English philosophers and the honours to which he attained. Suffice it here to say that he held the office of President of the Royal Society in 1703, and was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705. He also held the post of Master of the Mint from 1699 to his death, which took place in 1726, Sir Isaac being then in the 85th year of his age. His remains were buried in Westminster Abbey.

EXERCISES.-I. Define,-Pursued, calculation, discoveries, familiar, philosopher, uniform, and gravitation. 2. Write out the incident by which Newton's attention was called to the law of gravitation. 3. Give an account of some piece of handiwork that you have ever made.

Having rapidly glanced at a few of the leading links in the chain of our past history, we will now start from the earliest known times, and give, in their direct or onward order, some account of our country, its people and their doings, in the successive periods down to the present day.

During the remote ages which succeeded the Christian era, very little indeed was known of this western island. Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia, Syria and Palestine, India, Persia, and Greece, had become great and enlightened nations, and some of them had also sunk into weakness and decay. Later on, the Roman Empire had gradually acquired world-wide dominion; when in 55 B.C., Julius Cæsar, one of the most renowned of the Roman generals, having reduced Gaul, or ancient France, to submission, allowed his ambition to stretch across to this island, of which he had heard, and whose white cliffs gleamed across the English Channel.

The native population, the Ancient Britons, as we call them, were a very primitive, and in some respects a very barbarous race. They were destitute of any written language, and had made but little advance in the

useful arts, as building, the use of metals, and such like. They neither wrote their history in books, nor in the more enduring monuments of science and art, so that we can learn very little of what they were from themselves. A few rude monoliths and stone circles, as at Stonehenge, Kit's Coty House, and Avebury, form well-nigh the only self-made mementoes left of these people.

This being so, some of you may be disposed to ask,— How then do we know so much as we do about them? You will remember that we have already spoken of Roman invaders. These were a highly-civilized and lettered people, and long before any attempt at conquest was made, Phoenician and other foreign traders had visited our shores. As Gaul became more Roman, so the trade with our island increased; and hence arose the desire to make these "Tin Islands," as they were called, a part of their great empire. And so in course of time our tin was used in their bronze coinage, oysters from our coasts were eaten at the feasts held at their villas on the Tiber, and at some of those feasts the guests were served by strong and active boys from Britain.

With this view Julius Cæsar collected an army of 12,000 men, all well armed and disciplined; and having placed them on a flotilla of eighty vessels, he set sail from the opposite coast; and very soon the white sails of this squadron were seen by the astonished Britons from the high chalk cliffs of our Kentish coast. All doubts as to the intentions of the visitors were soon at an end; their numbers and the gleam of their bright metal armour put all ideas of simple commerce out of the question. The coast tribes mustered in force, and rushed pell-mell upon the invaders as they landed upon

the beach. But rude strength and indomitable courage were no match for the superior arms and discipline of an army used to conquest. Many were cut down, and the rest retreated inland to warn and arouse their neighbouring kinsmen. In several engagements the Britons were worsted, but every step in advance only found a fresh enemy ready to dispute the progress of the victorious army. Cæsar, like a wise general, ere long thought it prudent to retire; and so he re-embarked his army, determining to bring a still larger force next year, and then reduce the island to his authority.

This he did in the summer (54 B.C.), when he carried a more numerous army as far as the banks of the Thames; but then he again bade farewell to the white cliffs of Albion, this time to return no more. And for nearly a hundred years the Britons saw no more of the Roman eagles. Of this first invasion, therefore, we may say that although Cæsar gained several victories over the rude southern tribes of the Britons, he failed to make

it a component part of the Roman empire. This remained to be done at a later period, as we shall see.

As Cæsar thus "came, saw, and conquered," so he wrote what he saw, and how he conquered; and it is chiefly from his account that our ideas of this early period are obtained.

The Britons, then, were a strong and hardy people; in person, not unlike the modern Welsh, who are, to a large extent, their descendants. They wore only the rudely dressed skins of animals, and many painted or dyed their skins with woad. A large part of the country was covered with dense forests, interspersed with large swamps on the margin of these forests most of their towns and villages were built. These consisted of

groups of straw-covered mud huts, around which ran a protecting shallow ditch and low mud wall.

They had few arts; that in which they most excelled was basket-making. Roads and bridges were unknown; but, as they often wanted to cross the rivers and streams, they found their basket-making stand them in good stead; for they made light coracles, or boats, so that they could easily carry them overland, and then, on coming to a river, would launch their basket-boats, and paddle across. They were expert hunters and fishers, and as they gave but little time to tillage, they depended mainly for their food on their speed and skill in the chase. When they caught but little, as sometimes happened, they were mainly dependent on such wild fruits and roots as they could find.

Their most valuable domestic animal was the horse; which, though of a small breed, was highly trained both for purposes of war and peace. In battle, they often fought in low, open chariots, or cars, to the axles of which were fastened large blades; and so driving furiously into the enemy's ranks, they mowed them down, and threw them. into disorder; the warriors themselves, from time to time, leaping down and attacking such as came within reach.

These people were greatly under the influence of their priests, called Druids, who taught and performed the rites of a primitive form of religion, called after them, Druidism. The stone circles, already mentioned, were their temples, and once had huge altars in the middle, upon which, on extraordinary occasions, they offered human sacrifices. Groves, especially of oak, were also held sacred, and the mistletoe was a plant highly revered by these ignorant and superstitious people. The isle of