24
THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND.
[book i.
to pass over the affront thus offered to her charms.
With an immense armament she sailed for the
mouth of the Rhine. A victory placed the faithless
bridegroom a prisoner in her power. But desire of
revenge gave place to softer emotions, and the tri-
umphant princess was content to dismiss her rival
and compel her repentant suitor to perform his en-
gagement.
To deny all historical foundation to this tale
would perhaps be carrying scepticism to an un-
reasonable extent. Yet the most superficial exa-
mination proves that in all its details, at least, it is
devoid of accuracy. The period during which the
events described must be placed1, is between the
years 534 and 547 ; and it is very certain that the
Varni were not settled at that time where Proco-
pius has placed them2 : on that locality we can
only look for Saxons. It is hardly necessary to say
that a fleet of four hundred ships, and an army of
one hundred thousand Angles, led by a woman, are
not data upon which we could implicitly rely in
calculating either the political or military power of
any English principality at the commencement of
the sixth century ; or that ships capable of carrying
two hundred and fifty men each, had hardly been
launched at that time from any port in England.
Still I am not altogether disposed to deny the pos-
1 The years 534 and. 547 are the extreme terms of Theodberhfs
reign. See Gib. Dec. bk. 38.
2 This fact, `whieh has escaped the accurate, and generally merciless,
criticism of Gibbon, is very clearly proved by Zeuss, Die Deutechen,
etc. pp. 361, 362.
CH. I∙]
SAXON AND WELSH TRADITIONS.
25
sibility of predatory expeditions from the more set-
tled parts of the island, adjoining the eastern coasts.
Gregory of Tours tells us that about the same time
as that assigned to this Angle expedition, Theodoric
the Frank, assisted by Sueves, Saxons and even
Bavarians, cruelly devastated the territory of the
Thuringians; and although it would be far more
natural to seek these Saxons in their old settle-
ments upon the continent, we have the authority
of Rudolf or Meginhart, that they were in fact in-
habitants of this island1.
But if such difficulties exist in dealing with the
events of periods which are within the ascertained
limits of our chronological system, and which have
received the illustration of contemporary history,
what shall we say of those whereof the time, nay
1 The passage is sufficiently important to deserve transcription at
length. “ Saxonum gens, sicut tradit anti<juitas, ab Anglis Britanniae
incolis egτessa, per Oceanum navigans Germaniae Iitoribus studio et
necessitate quaerendarum sediuɪn appulsa est, in loco qui vocatur Ha-
duloha, eo tempore quo Thiotricus rex Francorum contra Irminfridum
generum suum, ducem Thuringorum, dimicans, terram eorunι ferro vaβ-
tavit et igni. Et cum iam duobus proeliis ancipiti pugna incertaque
victoria miserabili suorum cede decertassent, Thiotricus spe vincendi
frustratus, misit legatos ad Saxones, quorum dux erat Hadugoto. Au-
divit enim causam adventus eorum, promissisque pro victoria habitandi
sedibus, conduxit eos in adiutorium ; quibus seeum quasi iam pro Iiber-
tate et patria fortiter dimicantibus, Superavit adversaries, vastatisque
ɪndigenis βt ad internitionem репе deletis, terram eorum iuxta pollicita-
tioneɪu suam Victoribus delegavit. Qui earn sorte dividentes, cum multi
ex eis in bello cecidissent, et pro raritate eorum tota ab eis Occupari non
potuit, partem illius, et earn quam maxime quae respicit orientera, co-
lonie tradebant, singuli pro sorte sua, sub tribute exercendam. Caetera
vero Ioca ipsi possiderunt.” Transi. Sei. Alexandri, Pertz, ii. 674. This
was written about 863. Possibly some ancient and now lost epic had
recorded the wars of the Saxon HealSogeat.