QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION 1. During how many centuries has English literature been produced? 2. In what geographical divisions may English-speaking people of to-day be grouped? 3. Give names and dates of the historical divisions of English literature. 4. Name the chief types of literature in the order of their coming into great prominence during the history of English literature. 5. Summarize each of the definitions of these types of literature, using one sentence for each summary. 6. Name at least four authors of those most prominent during each historical period of English literature, and give the title of a masterpiece by each of the authors you name. CHAPTER II ANGLO-SAXON AND MIDDLE-ENGLISH LITERATURE 600-1154 I. ANGLO-SAXON Who the Anglo-Saxons were. The earliest human inhabitants of the British Isles appear to have been cave dwellers and men much like the Eskimos of Greenland. Then came the Iberians, among the descendants of whom are, perhaps, the Basques of northern Spain. A third race to dwell in those islands was the Celts, who probably gave the name Albion to what we now know as England, though it is not impossible that Albion may be an Iberian name. The first Celts to come from the continent were Goidels (or Gaels), and a later swarm were Britons. It is from this second group of Celts that the name Britain is derived. Gauls, Belgians, and Romans also came before the beginning of the Christian era. It was only the Romans who conquered a great part of the islands. They came first under Julius Cæsar, in 55 B.C., Cæsar thinking it necessary to invade Britain in order to prevent the Britons from coming to the continent in aid of their kindred whom he was subduing there. Britain remained a part of the Roman Empire until 410 A.D., over four and one half centuries, when the Romans permanently withdrew because all of Rome's soldiers were needed to keep off attacks of barbarians much nearer Rome than Britain. The Romans did much for Britain. They built fine roads, cleared marshes for tillage, opened up mines, |