FIRST AND SECOND EPOCHS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. LITERATURE AT THE TIME OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS, THE DANES, AND DURING THE MIDDLE AGES. OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS UNDER WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR THE BRITONS. TACITUS-ERSE POEMS. LET us now enter upon the different epochs of the English language and literature. The reader will easily place, upon the sketch which I am about to give, the authors and their works, as I make them pass successively before him. It begins with the Anglo-Saxon epoch; but, before we turn to that, let us see whether there are not traces left of the language of the Britons during the domination of the Romans. Cæsar treats only of the manners of those islanders. Tacitus has preserved some speeches of British chiefs. Passing over the harangue of Caractacus to Claudius, I shall only quote some passages of the speech delivered by Galgacus in the mountains of Caledonia. "The day of your liberty dawns. Deprived of our land and prevented by the Roman fleet from seeking refuge on the sea, nothing is left to us but arms. In the most remote corner of our deserts, out of sight even of the subjugated country, our eyes have not been shocked by the contact with foreign domination. Placed at the extremities of the earth and of liberty, hitherto the renown of our solitude and its fastnesses has defended us now the limits of Britain are perceptible. Whatever is unknown is magnificent; but beyond Caledonia there is no nation to seek, nothing but waves and rocks, and the Romans are upon us.... "In the family of slaves, the last comer is the drudge of his companions. We, the latest and consequently the most despised in this universe of ancient servitude, we have nothing to expect but death, for we have neither lands, nor mines, nor ports, where they can keep us to labour. Courage then, ye, who cherish life or |