Excerpt from the preface:
It has been shown by writers of the highest credit, among whom are Sir Francis Palgrave and Thomas Wright the antiquarian, that the monkish chonicles which relate that Britain was occupied by An- glo-Saxons in the fifth century, are forged or corrupted, some of them centuries later than the seras of their pretended authors. These spurious works were issued by or under the express authority of the same college which issued the forged Letter of St. Peter, the forged Donation of Constantine, the forged capitularies of Adrian and numer* ous other impostures. Albeit the true character of the false Saxon chronicles have been frequently exposed, they still continue to colour our popular histories and to injuriously affect our national policy. The archaeological discoveries and especially the numismatic finds which have come to light in late years, not only corroborate the conclusions of Palgrave and Wright, they impress upon us so ample a body of testimony against the false witnesses of Rome that, inert and indifferent as we have hitherto been in the matter, we are now compelled to choose between them ; and upon that choice must depend the disposition of several important subjects of practical administration.
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