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are still remaining in the Village. Of the first, are the Johnftouns, the Stewards, and a numerous Family, provincially called Scots, who coming in a hurry left their proper Names behind them. Of the fecond, are the Greens, the Browns, and the Ofborn Family, which latter, though written with an O, according to the broad Pronunciation of thofe People, is, orthographically, Asborn, a Word synonymous to naked. To the Picts we are indebted for the Barberry, the Saffron, the Woad, and the Madder, fo ufeful, and even neceffary, in Dying.

The Saxons fucceeded next, who, coming by [d] Invitation of the Britons, and as Friends and Allies, were neither formidable to the Village, nor, at first, injurious to it; but rather fet out as Benefactors, correcting fome Errors, and filling up fome Omiffions, their Predeceffors had been guilty of. But this peaceable and improving Spirit lafted a very little Time; for as foon as their treacherous Leader concluded a Peace with the Pits, this little Detachment, Regis ad Exemplum, dealt as treacherously with the Natives of this Village; entering into Leagues and Cabals with the Scots and Pics now fettled here: And had it not been for the many Fosse and Intrenchments of the Romans, which the Natives. were luckily poffeffed of, they had been totally extirpated. But in Procefs of Time thefe Animofities ceafed, and indeed a perfect Amity commenced between the two People: The Britons returned to the Plough, and tilling the Ground, and the Saxons [d] Gild. Bed,

bufied themfelves in mechanical Employments. They made Doors to the Hutts erected by the Scots and Pics, built Chimnies which the former never heard of, and made Windows which they never wanted. They carved huge Columns for Bedpofts, and emboffed Bread-and-Cheese Cupboards; fet Tables upon magnificent Pillars, and Chairs upon Cloven Feet. They prayed a Faculty for building a Church, and another for Liberty to make Ufe of the [e] Roman Horreum as a Part; both which they obtained for the customary Fees, fo religioufly due, upon Deadands: And that ftately Structure, all but the Steple, which is now the Parish Church, is the pious Effect of the good Bishop's Indulgence, and the Saxons Devotion. The almoft angular arched Door-ways, the loaded Windows with gouty Pillars and Gothic Devices, like fo many Centinels placed there to keep the Light out, the Harpies to hang Hats on, and the Devil's Faces on the Cieling to turn our Devotion into Horror; the Dragons fpouting Water without, and the Dolphins breathing the HolyFire within, are all the unnatural Invention of the Saxons,

There are, at least, two Saxon Families now in the Village, viz. the Edgars and the Cuthberts: the first, though defcended from the King of that Name, is no more than a poor Day-Labourer; and the latter's vaft Poffeffions here are reduced to a small Farm of ten Pounds per Ann. Such is the Inftability

[e] Cod. Theod. de Paganis.

of

of human Greatness, so averse are the Laws of Providence to a Perpetuity of earthly Grandeur !

The [f] Danes were not long landed in this Ifland, before they sent a Detachment to secure this Important Village; and they entered it on the South Side, at a Gate called, to this Day, for that Reason, Enter Lond-Gate; as a Memorial of their Entrance upon the Land of Wheat and Plenty at that very Place: But they were not fo eafily admitted, as the former Depredators had been; the Britons, the Scots and Picts, and the Saxons joining Forces, and with great Unanimity oppofing them. There are feveral round Hillocks, which was the ufual Form of a Danish Intrenchment, caft up in different Parts of the Village; now indeed, called Mill-Hills, through Mistake, or perhaps with modern Propriety; because fome Wind-mills may, fince those Times, have been erected upon them. How long they lay in this hoftile Manner, and whether they forced their Way, or entered upon Capitulation, neither William of Malmbury nor Matthew of Westminster informs us; but certain it is, they staid long enough to fix fome of their Language; fuch as GRAVE from pare tegere, to cover, and GAFFER from Grafene which fignifies Mafter; a Word in fuch general Use here, that within the Space of thirty Years, there was but one Man, except the Parfon, that was ever accofted by any other Term of Salutation. The fame may be faid of GAMMER for Mistress.

[f] Sim. Dunelm. Florent.

There

There are no Buildings we can style Danish, nor any Remains of their mechanic Abilities, except a few [g] Grave Rails, laid over fome Perfons of Danish Extraction; and thefe are ill proportioned and needlessly inform us of their Ufe, by confused Representations of Hour-Glaffes, Scythes, Skulls and Skeletons. The Danes gave the Bells to the Church, as appears from the only legible Word on them, viz. Eud, which fignifies God.

In a Parlour belonging to a Farm-house called the Rookery, there was a remarkable large Dormer of Chefnut, and about the Middle of it, the following Infcription cut with a Knife or a Chizzel; which, for the Sake of the latter Date's being a Danish Period, I fhall examine in this Place. The infcription was, WARTER. IOHN. C. I. T. S. 449. D. B. M. W. T. 994. It has been seen by many Antiquaries, and their Sentence has been always, that one JOHN WATER, a Block-head, that did not know his Heels from his Head, and could not spell his own Name, was the Author of it; and the initial Letters, or Abbreviations and Dates have been confidered as the Reveries of an idle Head, or a fortuitous Hand; to which Opinion I have always subscribed; but reading lately, upon a Tomb-ftone in a neighbouring Church, a Monumental Infcription [b] of very modern Date, [g] Ingulph.

[b] Here Lyeth Buried the Body of Mrs. Frances Foorthe, who departed this Life the 20th of September, 1725.

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with Abbreviations like fome of thofe before defcribed, I was encouraged to attempt a Solution, a fecond Time. D. B. M. W. T. by the Help of this clue, I foon found to fignify Done. By. Me. William. Tfuppofe Turner, for perhaps it is the Humour of this Family to abbreviate in this Manner. By the fame Light I discovered that WARTER. IOHN did not cut the Infcription, but was recorded by it. I next confidered what remarkable Era 449 was; and found it was the very Year VORTIGERN ftruck a League with Hengift the Saxon; C. I. T. S. I then fancied fignified Called. In, The. Saxfons, but what to do with WARTER IOHN I know not, write and fpell him how you will; becaufe no Man of that Name is mentioned in the Hiftory of thofe Times. At laft by frequently repeating WATER IOHN, I discovered the Sound of VORTIGERN; and that Name fuiting, both the first Abbreviati ons, and the Date, I concluded, the Author, through Ignorance, or Punning, or Ænigmatic Ingenuity, which are much alike in their Operations, has inveloped and perplexed the thing, but muft mean Prince VORTIGERN.

But be the Fate of this Decyphering what it will, it is certain the Dates, which are very plain, and no ways conjectural, may be of ufe, towards clearing up the Era when Numeral Figures, or Arabian Characters, came first into Ufe in England; or, at least towards proving, that they were used before the Year 1250 or 1300, contrary to the Affertions of Father Mabillon and Gerard J. Voffius; for this numeral Date 994, added to the famous Date at Colchester

1090,

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