A LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE SAXON CHRONICLE. [Illustration] NORWICH: PRINTED BY STEVENSON, MATCHETT, AND STEVENSON; FOR JOHN AND ARTHUR ARCH, CORNHILL, LONDON. 1819. The following version of the Saxon Chronicle was undertaken by a Lady in the Country, who had only access to the printed Texts. It was far advanced towards its completion before she was informed, that the Public was speedily to be indebted to the Rev. Mr. Ingram, for a Collated Edition of these singularly valuable Annals, accompanied by a Translation and Notes. Under the expectation of the appearance of a work so much more complete in all its circumstances, the present very limited impression is intended for private circulation, and executed in a form, which, it is conceived, may render it convenient for reference. THE SAXON CHRONICLE. The island Britain is 800 miles long, and 200 broad, and there are in this island five nations, English, Britons or Welch, Scots, Picts, and Romans. The Britons were the first inhabitants of the land; they came from Armenia, and first settled in the south of Britain; afterwards it fell out that the Picts came from the south of Scythia, with long ships, but not many, and they first landed in the north of Ireland, and they entreated the Scots that they might abide there, and they would not permit them; but the Scots said to them, We may nevertheless give you counsel; we know another island eastward of this, there you may live if you will, and if any withstand you, we will aid you that you may conquer it. Then the Picts departed, and came to the northern part of this land, for southward the Britons possessed it, as we said before. And the Picts took wives of the Scots, on condition that they should always choose their Royal lineage on the woman’s side, and they observed this custom long after. And it happened, in the course of years, that a division of the Scots passed from Ireland into Britain, and conquered some part of this land, and their leader was called Reoda; from him they are named the Dælreodi. Sixty years before Christ was born, Caius Julius, the Roman Emperor, came to Britain with 80 ships. He was at first overcome in a terrible battle, and lost great part of his army, and he left the remainder of his forces to abide with the Scots, and went into Gaul, and there he collected 600 ships, with which he returned to Britain, and at the first onset Cæsar’s lieutenant, named Labienus, was slain. Then the Britons took large and sharp stakes, and drove them into the fording place of a certain river, under the water; this river was called the Thames. When the Romans discovered this, they would not go over the ford: then the Britons fled to the wood fastnesses, and the Emperor conquered very many of their chief towns by great battles, and he passed again into Gaul. 1.