pe

I.

revenged by Suetonius in a great and decifive battle, C HA P.
where 80,000 of the Britons are faid to have
rifhed; and Boadicea herself, rather than fall into
the hands of the enraged victor, put an end to her
own life by poifon". Nero foon after recalled Sue-
tonius from a government, where, by fuffering and
inflicting fo many feverities, he was judged im-
proper for compofing the angry and alarmed minds
of the inhabitants. After fome interval, Cerealis
received the command from Vefpafian, and by his
bravery propagated the terror of the Roman arms.
Julius Frontinus fucceeded Cerealis both in autho-
rity and in reputation: But the general who finally
established the dominion of the Romans in this
ifland, was Julius Agricola, who governed it in the
reigns of Vefpafian, Titus, and Domitian, and dif-
tinguished himfelf in that scene of action.

THIS great commander formed a regular plan for fubduing Britain, and rendering the acquifition useful to the conquerors, He carried his victorious arms. northwards, defeated the Britons in every encounter, pierced into the inacceffible forefts and mountains of Caledonia, reduced every ftate to fubjection in the fouthern parts of the ifland, and chafed before him all the men of fiercer and more intractable fpirits, who deemed war and death itfelf lefs intolerable than fervitude under the victors. He even defeated them in a decifive action, which they fought under Galgacus, their leader; and having fixed a chain of garrifons, between the friths of Clyde and Forth, he thereby cut off the ruder and more barren parts of the island, and fecured the Roman province from the incurfions of the barbarous inhabitants".

DURING these military enterprifes, he neglected not the arts of peace. He introduced laws and civility among the Britons, taught them to 'defire and raise all the conveniencies of life, reconciled them to

J. Agricole

the

CHAP. the Roman language and manners, inftructed them I. in letters and science, and employed every expedient to render those chains, which he had forged, both eafy and agreeable to them. The inhabitants, having experienced how unequal their own force was to refift that of the Romans, acquiefced in the dominion of their mafters, and were gradually incorporated as a part of that mighty empire.

THIS was the laft durable conqueft made by the Romans; and Britain, once fubdued, gave no farther inquietude to the victor. Caledonia alone, de fended by its barren mountains, and by the contempt which the Romans entertained for it, fometimes infested the more cultivated parts of the island by the incurfions of its inhabitants. The better to secure the frontiers of the empire, Adrian, who visited this Roman iland, built a rampart between the river Tyne and Wall

the frith of Solway: Lollius Urbicus, under Anto- .
ninus Pius, erected one in the place where Agricola
had formerly established his garrifons: Severus, who
made an expedition into Britain, and carried his arms
to the most northern extremity of it, added new for-
tifications to the wall of Adrian; and during the
reigns of all the Roman emperors, fuch a profound
tranquillity prevailed in Britain, that little mention
is made of the affairs of that island by any historian.
The only incidents which occur, are fome feditions
or rebellions of the Roman legions quartered there,
and fome ufurpations of the imperial dignity by the
Roman governors. The natives, difarmed, difpi-
rited, and fubmiffive, had loft all defire, and even
idea, of their former liberty and independence.

BUT the period was now come, when that enormous fabric of the Roman empire, which had diffused flavery and oppreffion, together with peace and civility, over fo confiderable a part of the globe, was approaching towards its final diffolution. Italy,

• Tacit. Agr.

and

I.

and the centre of the empire, removed, during fo CHAP. many ages, from all concern in the wars, had entirely loft the military fpirit, and were peopled by an enervated race, equally difpofed to fubmit to a foreign yoke, or to the tyranny of their own rulers. The emperors found themselves obliged to recruit their legions from the frontier provinces, where the genius of war, though languishing, was not totally extinct; and these mercenary forces, careless of laws and civil inftitutions, established a military government, no lefs dangerous to the fovereign than to the people. The farther progrefs of the fame diforders introduced the bordering barbarians into the fervice of the Romans; and those fierce nations, having now added difcipline to their native bravery, could no longer be restrained by the impotent policy of the emperors, who were accustomed to employ one in the deftruction of the others. Senfible of their own force, and allured by the profpect of fo rich a prize, the northern barbarians, in the reign of Arcadius and Honorius, affailed at once all the frontiers of the Roman empire; and having firft fatiated their avidity by plunder, began to think of fixing a fettlement in the wasted provinces. The more distant barbarians, who occupied the deferted habitations of the former, advanced in their acquifitions, and preffed with their incumbent weight the Roman ftate, already unequal to the load which it fuftained. Instead of arming the people in their own defence, the emperors recalled all the diftant legions, in whom alone they could repofe confidence; and collected the whole military force for the defence of the capital and centre of the empire. The neceffity of felf-prefervation had fuperfeded the ambition of power; and the ancient point of honour, never to contract the limits of the empire, could no longer be attended to in this defperate extremity.

BRITAIN by its fituation was removed from the fury of these barbarous incurfions; and being alfo a

12

remote

I.

CHAP. remote province, not much valued by the Romans, the legions which defended it were carried over to the protection of Italy and Gaul. But that province, though fecured by the fea against the inroads of the greater tribes of barbarians, found enemies on its frontiers, who took advantage of its prefent defencelefs fituation. The Picts and Scots, who dwelt in the northern parts, beyond the wall of Antoninus, made incurfions upon their peaceable and effeminate neighbours; and befides the temporary depredations which they committed, thefe combined nations threatened the whole province with fubjection, or, what the inhabitants more dreaded, with plunder and devaftation. The Picts feem to have been a tribe of the native British race, who, having been chafed into the northern parts by the conquefts of Agricola, had there intermingled with the ancient inhabitants: The Scots were derived from the fame Celtic origin, had first been established in Ireland, had migrated to the north-weft coafts of this ifland, and had long been accustomed, as well from their old as their new feats, to infeft the Roman province by piracy and rapine*. Thefe tribes, finding their more opulent neighbours exposed to invafion, foon broke over the Roman wall, no longer defended by the Roman arms; and though a contemptible enemy in themselves, met with no refiftance from the unwarlike inhabitants. The Britons, accustomed to have recourse to the emperors for defence as well as government, made fupplications to Rome; and one legion was fent over for their protection. This force was an overmatch for the barbarians, repelled their invafion, routed them in every engagement, and having chafed them into their ancient limits, returned in triumph to the defence of the fouthern provinces of the empire". Their retreat brought on, a new invafion of the enemy. The Britons made again an application to

*See Note [A] at the end of the Volume.
P Gildas, Bede, lib. 1. cap. 12. Paul. Diacon.

Rome,

I.

Rome, and again obtained the affiftance of a legion, CHAP.
which proved effectual for their relief: But the Ro-
mans, reduced to extremities at home, and fatigued
with those distant expeditions, informed the Britons
that they must no longer look to them for fuccour,
exhorted them to arm in their own defence, and
urged, that as they were now their own mafters, it
became them to protect by their valour that inde-
pendence which their ancient lords had conferred
upon them. That they might leave the island with
the better grace, the Romans affifted them in erecting
anew the wall of Severus, which was built entirely

of stone, and which the Britons had not at that time Romans
artificers skilful enough to repair. And having done finally quit
this laft good office to the inhabitants, they bid a England
final adieu to Britain, about the year 448; after

being mafters of the more confiderable part of it during the course of near four centuries.

T

The BRITON S.

HE abject Britons regarded this prefent of liberty as fatal to them; and were in no condition to put in practice the prudent counsel given them by the Romans, to arm in their own defence. Unaccustomed both to the perils of war and to the cares of civil government, they found themfelves incapable of forming or executing any measures for refifting the incurfions of the barbarians. Gratian alfo and Conftantine, two Romans who had a little before affumed the purple in Britain, had carried over to the continent the flower of the British youth; and having perifhed in their unfuccefsful attempts on the imperial throne, had defpoiled the island of thofe who, in this defperate extremity, were beft able to defend it. The Picts and Scots, finding that the Romans had finally relinquifhed Britain, now regarded

a Bede, lib. 1. cap. 12.

Ibid.

the

446