THE HEPTARCHY. 79

and the fortunate arms and prudent policy of c it a pEgbert at last effectuated what had been so often j.attempted in vain by so many princes 1 ”. Kent,Northumberland, and Mercia , which had suc-cessively aspired to general dominion, were nowincorporated in bis empire; and the other subor-dinate kingdoms seemed willingly to sir are thesame fate. His territories were nearly of the fameextent with what is now properly called Eng-land ; and a favourable prospect was afforded tothe Anglo-Saxons, of establishing a civilized mo-narchy, possessed of tranquillity within itself, andsecuie against foreign invasion. This great eventhappened in the year 827

The Saxons, though they had been so longsettled in the island, seem not as yet to have beenmuch improved beyond their German ancestors,either in arts, civility, knowledge, humanity,justice , or obedience to the laws. Even Chris-tianity, though it opened the way to connexionsbetween them and the more polished states ofEurope, had not hitherto been very effectual, inbanishing their ignorance, or softening their bar-barous manners. As they received that doctrinethrough the corrupted channels of Rome, itcarried along with it a great mixture of credulityand superstition, equally destructive to the un-derstanding and to morals. The reverence towardssaints and resiques seems to have almost supplanted

I3J Chron. Sax. p. 71.ibid.