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HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

ik a. i>. cliecl in 68g. Ina, his successor, inherited theI. military virtues of Ceodwalla , and added to themthe more valuable ones of justice, policy, andprudence. He made war upon the Britons inSomerset; and having finally subdued that pro-vince, he treated the vanquished with an human-ity, hitherto unknown to the Saxon conquerors.He allowed the proprietors to retain possessionof their lands, encouraged marriages and alliancesbetween them and his ancient subjects, and gavethem the privilege of being governed bv the famelaws. 1 hese laws he augmented and ascertained;and though he was disturbed by some insurrec-tions at home, his long reign of thirty-seven yearsmay be regarded as one of the most glorious andmost prosperous of the heptarchy. In the declineof his age, he made a pilgrimage to Rome; andafter his return , stint himself up in a cioyster,where he died.

Though the kings ofWessexhad always beenprinces of the blood, descended from Cerdic, thefounder of the monarchy, the order of successionhad been far from exact; and a more remoteprince had often found means , to mount thethrone, m preference to one descended from anearer branch of the royal family. Ina, therefore,having, no children of his own, and lying muchunder the influence of Fthelburga, his queen,left by will the succession to Adelard , her brother,who was his remote kinsman : But this destinationdid not take place without some difficulty. Oswald,a prince more nearly allied to tjie crown, tool;