. London . silent and desertedwalls of the City. Hut these warriors cared nothing for cities,and shuddered, suspecting magic at the sight of the grey wall,and went away again. One day, however, because nothing remains always undis-covered, there came along the great Vicinal Way so toughand strong, on which the tooth of Time gnawed in vain, atroop of East Saxons. They were an offshoot, a late arrival, AFTER THE ROMANS 29 a small colony looking about if haply they could find orconquer a convenient place of settlement not yet held by theirown people. They marched along the road, and presentlysaw
. London . silent and desertedwalls of the City. Hut these warriors cared nothing for cities,and shuddered, suspecting magic at the sight of the grey wall,and went away again. One day, however, because nothing remains always undis-covered, there came along the great Vicinal Way so toughand strong, on which the tooth of Time gnawed in vain, atroop of East Saxons. They were an offshoot, a late arrival, AFTER THE ROMANS 29 a small colony looking about if haply they could find orconquer a convenient place of settlement not yet held by theirown people. They marched along the road, and presentlysaw before them the grey walls of the City, with its gates andbastions. It was a City of which they had heard—once fullof people, now, like so many others, a waste chester. It wasof no use to them ; they wanted a place convenient forfarming, not a place encumbered with ruins of houses ; a placewhere they could set up their village community and growtheir crops and keep their cattle. The first rush and fury of. roman keys {Guildhall) battle were now over. The East Saxons were at peace, theenemy being either driven away or killed. A single genera-tion of comfort and prosperity had made the people milderin temper. They desired no longer to fight and slay. What,however, if they were to visit the City ? The gate was closed. They blew their horns and calledupon the people, if there were any, to surrender. There wasno answer. No arrow was shot from the walls, not a stonewas thrown, not a head was seen upon the bastion. Thenthey plied their axes upon the crumbling wood until the gategave way and fell backward with a crash. Shouting, the menof Essex ran forward. But they soon ceased to shout. 3° LOXDOX Within they found a deserted City; the walls of what hadbeen stately villas stood in broad gardens, but the houseswere roofless, the pictured pavements were broken or coveredup, the fountains were choked, the walls were tottering. Theastonished warriors pressed forward. The ruined villas g
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbesantwa, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1892
