The Saxons settling over all _England_, maintained an uniform Language, onely diversified in Dialect, Idioms, and minor differences, according to their different Nations which came in to the common Conquest, which may yet be a cause of the variation in the speech and words of several parts of _England_, where different Nations most abode or settled, and having expelled the Britanes, their Wars were chiefly among themselves, with little action with foreign Nations untill the union of the Heptarchy under _Egbert_; after which time although the Danes infested this Land and scarce left any part free, yet their incursions made more havock in Buildings, Churches and Cities, than the Language of the Country, because their Language was in effect the same, and such as whereby they might easily understand one another. And if the Normans, which came into _Neustria_ or _Normandy_ with _Rollo_ the Dane, had preserved their Language in their new acquists, the succeeding Conquest of _England_, by Duke _William_ of his race, had not begot among us such notable alterations; but having lost their Language in their abode in _Normandy_ before they adventured upon _England_, they confounded the English with their French, and made the grand mutation, which was successively encreased by our possessions in _Normandy_, _Guien_ and _Aquitain_, by our long Wars in France, by frequent resort of the French, who to the number of some thousands came over with _Isabel_ Queen to _Edward_ the Second, and the several Matches of _England_ with the Daughters of _France_ before and since that time. But this commixture, though sufficient to confuse, proved not of ability to abolish the Saxon words; for from the French we have borrowed many Substantives, Adjectives and some Verbs, but the great Body of Numerals, auxiliary Verbs, Articles, Pronouns, Adverbs, Conjunctions and Prepositions, which are the distinguishing and lasting part of a Language, remain with us from the Saxon, which, having suffered no great alteration for many hundred years, may probably still remain, though the English swell with the inmates of Italian, French and Latin. An Example whereof may be observ'd in this following. _English_ I. The first and formost step to all good Works is the dread and fear of the Lord of Heaven and Earth, which thorough the Holy Ghost enlightneth the blindness of our sinfull hearts to tread the ways of wisedom, and leads our feet into the Land of Blessing. _Saxon_ I. The erst and fyrmost stæp to eal gode Weorka is the dræd and feurt of the Lauord of Heofan and Eorth, whilc thurh the Heilig Gast onlihtneth the blindnesse of ure sinfull heorte to træd the wæg of wisdome, and thone læd ure fet into the Land of Blessung. _English_ II.