his followers—Battle of Churdfrid, and death of the British king Natanleod—Arrival of Cerdric's kinsmen—The Britons again defeated—Arthur, the British king, arms in defence of his country—His adventures described—Numbers of battles in which he fought—Death of king Arthur in the field of Camlan—Discovery of his remains in the abbey of Glastonbury

p. 83 CHAPTER XI. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAXON OCTARCHY. Landing of Erkenwin—The establishment of the kingdom of Wessex—Description of London—Arrival of Ida and his twelve sons—The British chiefs make a bold stand against Ida—Bravery of Urien—Description of the battle of the pleasant valley, by Taliesin, the British bard—Llywarch's elegy on the death of Urien—Beautiful description of the battle of Cattraeth by Anenrin, the Welsh bard—Establishment of the kingdom of Mercia—Description of the divisions of England which formed the Saxon Octarchy—Amalgamation of the British and Saxon population—Retirement of the unconquered remnant of the ancient Cymry into Wales p. 90 CHAPTER XII. CONVERSION OF ETHELBERT. Commencement of the civil war amongst the Saxons—Struggle between Ethelbert, king of Kent, and Ceawlin, king of Wessex, for the title of Bretwalda—Description of the slave-market of Rome—Monk Gregory's admiration of the British captives—Gregory becomes pontiff, and despatches Augustin with fifty monks to convert the inhabitants of Britain—Picturesque description of the landing of the Christian missionaries in the Isle of Thanet—Intercession of Bertha—Ethelbert's interview with Augustin and his followers—The missionaries take up their residence in Canterbury—Conversion of Ethelbert—Augustin is made Archbishop, by Pope Gregory—The rich presents sent to Britain by the Pope—Character of the Roman pontiff—His wise policy in not abolishing at once all outward forms of heathen worship—Eadbald ascends the throne of Kent—Marries his stepmother, and is denounced by the priests—He renounces the Christian faith—The monks are driven out of Essex—Eadbald again acknowledges the true faith, and the persecuted priests find shelter in the kingdom of Kent p. 99 CHAPTER XIII. EDWIN, KING OF THE DEIRI AND BERNICIA. Adventures of Edwin, king of the Deiri—His residence in Wales with Cadvan, one of the ancient British kings—Ethelfrith having deprived him of his kingdom, seeks his life—Edwin flies from Wales, and seeks the protection of Redwald, king of East Anglia—Edwin's dream—The queen of East Anglia intercedes in behalf of Edwin—Redwald prepares to wage war with Ethelfrith—Religion of the king of East Anglia—Description of the battle fought between Redwald and Ethelfrith on the banks of the river Idel—Death of Ethelfrith, and accession of Edwin to the throne of Northumbria—Edwin's marriage with Edilburga, daughter of Ethelbert—Journey of the Saxon princess from Kent to Northumbria—Attempted assassination of Edwin—Paulinus endeavours in vain to convert Edwin to the Christian faith—The king assembles his pagan priests and nobles to discuss the new religion—Speech of Coifi, the heathen priest—Beautiful and poetical address of a Saxon chief to the assembly—Coifi desecrates the temple of Woden—Peaceful state of Northumbria under the reign of Edwin—Death of Edwin at the battle of Hatfield-chase in Yorkshire—Victories of Cadwallon, the British king—Triumph of the Saxons under Oswald, and death of Cadwallon at the battle called Heaven-field p. 111 CHAPTER XIV. PENDA, THE PAGAN MONARCH OF MERCIA. Description of the kingdom of Mercia—Character of Penda, the pagan king—Charity of Oswald—Barbarous cruelty of Penda—His desolating march through Northumbria—Attacks the castle of Bamborough—His march into Wessex—His invasion of East Anglia—Sigebert, the monk-king, leads on the East Anglians—Is defeated by Penda, who ravages East Anglia—The pagan king again enters Northumbria—Oswy offers all his treasures to purchase peace—Is treated with contempt by Penda—Oswy prepares for battle—Penda's forces driven into the river—Death of the pagan king—Great changes effected by his death—Courage of Saxburga, the widowed queen of Wessex—Perilous state of the Saxon Octarchy p. 119 CHAPTER XV. DECLINE OF THE SAXON OCTARCHY. Alfred, the learned king of Northumbria—His patronage of the celebrated scholar Aldhelm—Ceowulf, the patron of Bede—Mollo, brother of the king of Wessex, burnt alive in Kent—King Ina and his celebrated laws—Strange device of Ina's queen to induce him to resign his crown, and make a pilgrimage to Rome—Mysterious death of Ostrida, queen of the Mercians—Her husband, Ethelred, abandons his crown and becomes a monk after her violent death—Ethelbald ascends the throne of Mercia—Adventures of his early life—His residence with Guthlac, the hermit, in the island of Croyland—First founder of the monastery of Croyland—Ethelbald joins Cuthred, king of Wessex, and obtains a victory over the Welsh—Proclaims war against Cuthred—Description of the battle, and defeat of Ethelbald—Independence of the kingdom of Wessex—Abdication of Sigebyhrt, king of Wessex—His death in the forest of Andredswold—Rapid accession and dethronement of the kings of Northumbria—Summary of their brief reigns p. 129 CHAPTER