A Child's History of England : Large Print

If you look at a Map of the World, you will see, in the left-hand upper corner of the EasternHemisphere, two Islands lying in the sea.

They are England and Scotland, and Ireland. Englandand Scotland form the greater part of these Islands.

Ireland is the next in size. The littleneighbouring islands, which are so small upon the Map as to be mere dots, are chiefly little bits ofScotland,-broken off, I dare say, in the course of a great length of time, by the power of therestless water.In the old days, a long, long while ago, before Our Saviour was born on earth and lay asleep in amanger, these Islands were in the same place, and the stormy sea roared round them, just as it roarsnow.

But the sea was not alive, then, with great ships and brave sailors, sailing to and from all partsof the world.

It was very lonely. The Islands lay solitary, in the great expanse of water.

Thefoaming waves dashed against their cliffs, and the bleak winds blew over their forests; but the windsand waves brought no adventurers to land upon the Islands, and the savage Islanders knew nothingof the rest of the world, and the rest of the world knew nothing of them.