Ebook The Conquest of Britain by the Saxons

The difficulties, which have hitherto beset the investigation Of the history, have arisen, for the most part, from the adop tion of erroneous dates. These, more than anything else, have tended to throw the imputation of falsehood, on authorities as trustworthy as any of those on whom we are obliged to de pend for the history of the middle ages, Gildas, and the authors of the History of the Britons, and the Brut; and we have been deprived of the benefit Of their evidence, because, as false witnesses, they have been put out of court. Their character will be sufficiently vindicated in the follow ing pages; but I cannot avail myself of their assistance with out premising a few words, as to the authorship of the works which bear these names, and the grounds of my reliance on their testimony.