PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & Co EDINBURGH:
AND HURST, CHANCE & C LONDON.

BC

OF THE

HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN:

AN HISTORICAL VIEW

OF THE

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, DRESSES, LITERATURE,
ARTS, COMMERCE, AND GOVERNMENT
OF GREAT BRITAIN;

FROM THE TIME OF THE SAXONS, DOWN TO THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY.

BY RICHARD THOMSON,

AUTHOR OF "CHRONICLES OF LONDON BRIDGE, &c.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

EDINBURGH:

PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE & CO. EDINBURGH;
AND HURST, CHANCE, & CO. LONDON.

OTHE

CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

INTRODUCTION.

Sources and Materials of British History-Character

and classes.-SECT. I. Ancient and contemporary

Historians, Chronicles, and Memoirs-Their gene-

ral character before the Roman Invasion-Oppres-

sion of the Saxons, and emigration of the Ancient

Britons-1. Bardic and British Historians:-the

Triades, Genealogies, Merlin, Llywarch Hen,

Aneurin, Taliesin-Gildas-Chronicle of Brute,

Geoffrey of Monmouth, Tyssilio, Nennius-Laws

of Hoel Dha-Caradoc-Books and Authori-

ties. 2. Greek and Roman Authors:-their cha-

racter-Cæsar-Diodorus Siculus--Strabo-Pomp.

Mela - Tacitus-Lucan-Ptolemy, Itinerary of

Antoninus, and the Notitia Imperii-Suetonius-

Pliny-Solinus-Polyænus-Dion Cassius-He-

rodian-Writers of the Augustan History: Spar-

tianus, Capitolinus, Vopiscus, Lampridius, Mar-

cellinus-Eutropius. 3. Saxon Histories :-their

character-the Saxon Chronicle-Bede-Asser—

Spelman-Ethelwerd― Lives of Saxon Kings-

Modern Authors. 4. Northern Historians :-their

character-Sœmund, Aras Frode, Theodoric, Snor-

ro Sturleson, Saxo Grammaticus- Olaus Wor-

mius-Bartholinus-Modern Authors-5. English

Historians after the Norman Invasion :—their cha-

racter-Eleventh Century :-Ingulph, Marianus ;

Lives of William I. Twelfth Century:-Florence

of Worcester, Eadmer, Alfred of Beverley, Wil-