all the seven together, and made them one kingdom. I shall now write down the names of the Saxon kings as I find them set down in my History of England. It will be useful for you to try to remember these kings, though we must be more particular when we come to times nearer to our own. SAXON KINGS BEFORE THE CONQUEST. 1 Egbert. 2 Ethelwolf. 3 Ethelbald. 4 Ethelbert. 5 Ethelred I, 8 Athelstane. 9 Edmund I. 10 Edred. 13 Edward II. 14 Ethelred II. During the reigns of all these Saxon kings, the Danes kept making continual encroachments on the English, and the history tells us of a great number of bloody battles that were fought between them and the English. At length, during the reign of Edmund Ironside, the fifteenth of the Saxon kings, Canute, king of Denmark, was so successful that he forced Edmund to give him half the kingdom; and, after the death of Edmund, Canute got the whole. After him his two sons reigned in succession. Thus we got three Danish Kings. 1 Canute. 2 Harold. 3 Hardicanute. The English were, however, soon tired of these Danish kings, and were very glad to have one of the old Saxon race again. This was Edward (the Confessor.) He died without children, and then followed Harold had no just title to the throne, but as at first there was no one to oppose him, he was quietly erowned king. He did not, however, reign long. without interruption: his opponent was no less a person than William, Duke of Normandy, who was afterwards called William the Conqueror. Normandy, you know, is a province in France, and of this province William was Duke, and he had often entertained Edward the Confessor, in his court, and he pretended that Edward had left the crown of England to him by his will. Be this however as it might, he thought proper to try a surer way of getting it. He raised an army and crossed the channel, and landed at Pevensey-Bay, on the coast of Sussex, and there, after a bloody battle with Harold, near Hastings, he gained the victory. Harold was killed, and William then became king of England. This is called the conquest, and we trace all our race of kings from William the Conqueror. The battle of Hastings was in the year 1066. You will do well to attend to this date, and to all such particulars as may now occur in the History of England. 66 It was about the beginning of the Saxon kings when the Christian religion was first brought to England. It is said that Gregory (who was afterwards a pope of Rome,) saw some beautiful children set up for sale in the slave-market, at Rome; and, having asked what country they came from, he was told that they were Angles, (English.) They would," said he, "not be Angles, but Angels, if they were but Christians." From that time he was struck with a great desire to convert the heathen English to the religion of Christ; and, for that purpose, le sent over several missionaries for the sake of accomplishing that Christian work. From that time there has ever since been a profession of Christianity in England:-may God grant that there may be the power of it! We see many old churches in existence now, which have been built ever since the time of the Saxons. How thankful we ought to be that the knowledge of the Gospel, which is still kept from many nations, was so early given to us, and how anxious we ought to be to shew ourselves worthy of so great a gift by the effect that it produces on our lives and practices! How thankful ought we to be that we have churches to go to, and how careful ought we to be, and how constant in our devotions there! How stedfast ought we to be in the faith which is publicly and regularly preached to us! And how diligent we ought to be in seeking to bring others to the knowledge and the love of the same faith, whether they be the ignorant and the profane, in our own land, or the unconverted and unenlightened among the heathen, who have never yet heard those" glad tidings of great joy," which were intended to be made known to "all people," I am your affectionate Father, J. S. PENALTY PAID FOR DRUNKENNESS. New Times, Nov. 17th, 1821. ON Sunday, the 4th instant, a butcher of M-, named F, got tipsy at an inn, at L-; and, being seen in that condition in the public streets, an information was laid against him, and he paid the penalty of five shillings, and seven and sixpence costs: and, as he left the inn without paying his reckoning, the landlord also summoned him for the debt, which, with the summons, cost him seven shillings more. The butcher's temper being thus irritated beyond bearing, he "turus the tables" upon the landlord, by going to a magistrate and laying an information against him, for having suffered him (the butcher) thus to tipple, and render himself liable to such a host of evils. The penalty inflicted on the landlord was ten shillings. Sheffield Paper, We hope that the penalties and costs inflicted on the landlord and the butcher may tend to put some check to the dreadful crimes of drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking. But how often do we read of these crimes passing without any notice, and thus bringing on the miserable consequences to which, sooner or later, such wickedness must lead! We are perfectly aware that the mere terror of human laws can hardly be expected to put a complete stop to these horrible proceedings. It requires a deeper principle, a regard for God's laws,-a desire to please Him,-a wish to have the mind prepared by religious, and holy, and good, habits, for that world where wickedness is shut out, and where goodness reigns. This is a principle which comes from the bighest of all sources, and prepares the mind for the highest of all happiness. Christian faith teaches us to look to our abiding home, and to prepare for Wit: Christian hope encourages us to go on cheerfully and stedfastly in our journey and Christian charity excites in us a desire to do all we can towards promoting the happiness and advantages of our fellow travellers. These principles firmly grafted in the heart, would put an end at once to drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking, and rioting, and quarrelling, and gambling, and indeed to the allowed practice of any vice. The grand object then for us to aim at, if we would do real good, is to spread the knowledge and encourage the practice of the Christian religion. Wherever this is effectually done, immense good is the certain result. But there are some persons, alas! who appear to be almost beyond the reach of those who would wish to do them good. These persons perhaps never enter a place of worship,-never hear a good book read,-never are in society where a useful remark is made; and their habits are therefore just such as we should expect. Some of them are drunkards, some profane swearers, some gamblers, some thieves, and all indulge in habits of profligacy, ruinous to themselves as well as to others. Now to these characters who put themselves out of the reach of religion, the laws of the country seem the only check which can be applied; and it is a check which is absolutely necessary. We are not only to consider the actual harm that these wicked men do in their own persons, but the numbers of others whom their examples tempt to imitation; thus leading thousands to destruction by spreading, we know not how far, the infection of crime. What is the reason that every newspaper we take up gives us an account of some horrible transaction, caused by drinking at an aleliouse? Why are those abuses permitted? We know that the law allows of alehouses, and very properly too, for the accommodation of the public. But the law, being aware of the great injury which such houses might do, binds the keepers of them down to certain rules, which, if properly attended to, would give the public all the advantages of them, and secure them from all -the evil. These laws are excellent; why are they not applied? Why do we see three or four public houses where one would be quite sufficient for all the necessary wants of a neighbourhood? Where there is just a sufficient number of public housekeepers, the landlord may be not only an honest and a good man, but also a thriving man; but where "there are more than are wanted, they cannot all thrive honestly; and the worst disposed landlord generally seeks to get his house the fullest by encouraging the poor labourers to spend their hard earnings for his profit and their ruin. He keeps his house open on the Sabbath, he allows unlawful games, and uses every method which will tempt the worst of people to the worst of practices. It often appears a severe measure to deprive a public housekeeper of his licence, and nobody would wish to do it unless he had been guilty of acting contrary to |