VERSTEGAN, Richard.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence: Second edition, the first printed in England following original publication in Antwerp in 1605, of this foundational work of Saxon scholarship. The work contains important material about the Saxons, their language, customs and folklore, some discussion of their Celtic predecessors, and the etymology of Saxon surnames and titles. The first edition contained the earliest recorded telling in English of the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, which is retained in this edition.Historical scholarship prior to Verstegan continued to propagate foundation myths for England, portraying its appearance in history with the mythic founder Brutus of Troy, and held that its modern culture and language was rooted in the pre-Saxon inhabitants. Verstegan's object was to demonstrate, correctly, the descent of the modern English from the Germanic peoples of northern Europe, and that the English language similarly originated with the Saxons. Verstegan was also correct in his assertion that England was once connected to France by land, and that the coastline was not formed by Noah's Flood. Verstegan's account played an important role in moving historical understanding of England towards these conclusions. The work was reprinted multiple times in the 17th century, and retained a prominent position in English scholarship for several decades.

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