Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Know thyself, the famous maxim of the ancients, might be extended from the individual to the family and even to the race of which he is the scion. It is certain that we can recognise traits of ourselves in the different members of our family, and also traits Of our family in the various types of our common race. The story of that race, then, should have a personal and private interest for everyone who belongs to it. Historians tell us that the first inhabitants Of the British Isles were Celts by race, originally from Gaul, and barbarians in culture. At the beginning Of the Christian era, the British Celts, with the exception of the Irish in the west and the Caledonians in the north, were conquered by the Romans who occupied the southern part Of Britain for nearly four hundred years. Their domination was military, like ours in India, and, while it helped to civilise the Ancient Britons, it is not supposed to have altered the character of the race.
