Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber's Note

Most spelling variants are retained. Punctuation is occasionally corrected, especially in the index and in footnotes, to maintain consistency.

The titles and page references for the five appendices have been added to the table of contents.

The 'oe' ligature is represented as 'oe'. Italicized letters are delimited with _underscore_ characters.

A Transcriber's Endnote at the end of this text contains more detailed information about corrections made.

ARCHAIC ENGLAND

AN ESSAY IN DECIPHERING PREHISTORY
FROM MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS, EARTHWORKS,
CUSTOMS, COINS, PLACE-NAMES, AND
FAERIE SUPERSTITIONS

BY

HAROLD BAYLEY

AUTHOR OF "THE SHAKESPEARE SYMPHONY," "A NEW LIGHT ON THE RENAISSANCE,"
"THE LOST LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLISM," ETC.

"One by one tiny fragments of testimony accumulate attesting such a
survival and continuance of folk memory as few men of to-day have
suspected."--JOHNSON

LONDON

CHAPMAN & HALL LTD.

11 HENRIETTA STREET

1919

TO

W. L. GROVES

WHO HAS GREATLY AIDED ME

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. INTRODUCTORY 1

II. THE MAGIC OF WORDS 34

III. A TALE OF TROY 78

IV. ALBION 124

V. GOG AND MAGOG 186

VI. PUCK 230

VII. OBERON 309

VIII. SCOURING THE WHITE HORSE 389

IX. BRIDE'S BAIRNS 455

X. HAPPY ENGLAND 522

XI. THE FAIR MAID 593

XII. PETER'S ORCHARDS 663

XIII. ENGLISH EDENS 710

XIV. DOWN UNDER 764

XV. CONCLUSIONS 832