London, which was already a flourishing colony; but found on his arrival that it would be requifite for the general fafety to abandon that place to the mercilefs fury of the enemy. London was foon therefore reduced to afhes; fuch of the inhabitants as remained in it were maffacred; and the Romans, with all other ftrangers, to the number of feventy thousand, were cruelly put to the fword. Flushed with thefe fucceffes, the Britons no longer fought to avoid the enemy, but boldly came to the place where Paulinus awaited their arrival, posted in a very advantageous manner with a body of ten thousand men. The battle was obftinate and bloody. Boadicea herself appeared in a chariot with her two daughters, and harrangued her army with masculine intrepidity; but the irregular and undifciplined bravery of her troops was unable to refift the cool intrepidity of the Romans. They were routed with great flaughter, eighty thousand perifhed in the field, and an infinite number were made prifoners, while Boadicea herself, fearing to fall into the hands of the enraged victor, put an end to her life by poifon. Nero foon after recalled PauJinus from a government, where, by fuffering and inflicting fo many feverities, he was judged improper to compofe the angry and alarmed

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minds of the natives. After an interval, Cerealis received the command from Velpafian, and by his bravery propagated the terror of the Roman arms. Julius Frontinus fucceeded Cerealis both in authority and reputation. The general who finally established the dominion of the Romans in this island was Julius Agricola, who governed it during the reigns of Vefpafian, Titus, and Domitian, and diftinguished himself as well by his courage as humanity.

Agricola, who is confidered as one of the greatest characters in history, formed a regular plan for fubduing and civilizing the island, and thus rendering the acquifition ufeful to the conquerors. As the northern part of the country was leaft tractable, he carried his victorious arms thither, and defeated the undifciplined enemy in every encounter. He pierced into the formerly inacceffible forefts and mountains of Caledonia, he drove onward all those fierce and untractable spirits who preferred famine to slavery, and who, rather than fubmit, chose to remain in perpetual hoftility. Nor was it without oppofition that he thus made his way into a country rude and impervious by nature. He was opposed by Galgacus, at the head of a numerous army, whom he defeated in a decifive

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action, in which confiderable numbers were flain. Being thus fuccessful, he did not think proper to pursue the enemy into their retreats, but embarking a body of troops on board his fleet, he ordered the commander to furround the whole coaft of Britain, which had not been discovered to be an island till the preceding year. This armament, purfuant to his orders, fteered to the northward, and there fubdued the Orkneys; then making the tour of the whole island, it arrived in the port of Sandwich, without having met the least disaster.

During thefe military enterprizes Agricola was ever attentive to the arts of peace. He attempted to humanize the fierceness of thofe who acknowledged his power, by introducing the Roman laws, habits, manners, and learning. He taught them to defire and raife all the conveniencies of life, inftructed them in the arts of agriculture, and, in order to protect them in their peaceable poffeffions, he drew a rampart, and fixed a train of garrisonst between them and their northern neighbours; thus cutting off the ruder and more barren parts of the ifland, and fecuring the Roman province from the invasion of a fierce and neceffitous enemy. In this manner the Britons being almoft totally fubdued, now began to

throw off all hopes of recovering their former liberty; and having often experienced the fuperiority of the Romans, confented to fubmit, and were content with safety. From that time, the Romans feemed more defirous of A. D. 78. fecuring what they poffeffed, than of making new conquefts, and were employed rather in repreffing than punishing their reftless northern invaders.

For feveral years after the time of Agricola, a profound peace feems to have prevailed in Britain, and little mention is made of the affairs of the island by any historian. The only incidents which occur, are fome feditions among the Roman legions quartered there, and fome ufurpations of the imperial dignity by the Roman governors. The natives remained totally fubdued and difpirited; the arts of luxury had been introduced among them, and feemed to afford a wretched compensation for their former independence. All the men who had a paffion for liberty were long fince deftroyed; the flower of their youth were drafted out of the ifland to ferve in foreign wars, and those who remained were bred up in fervitude and fubmiffion. Such, therefore, were very unlikely to give any disturbance to their governors; and, in fact, inftead of confidering

their yoke as a burthen, they were taught to regard it as their ornament and protection. Nothing, therefore, was likely to fhake the power of Rome in the ifland, but the diffentions and diftreffes of the Romans themselves, and that dreadful period at last arrived.

Rome, that had for ages given laws to nations, and diffufed flavery and oppreffion over the known world, at length began to fink under her own magnificence. Mankind, as if by a general confent, rose up to vindicate their natural freedom; almost every nation afferting that independence which they had been long fo unjustly deprived of. It was in these turbulent times, that the emperors found themselves obliged to recruit their legions from the troops that were placed to defend the frontier provinces. When the heart of the empire was contended for, it was not much. confidered in what manner the extremities were to be defended. In this manner, the more diftant parts of the empire were frequently left without a guard; and the weakness of the government there, frequently excited fresh infurrections among the natives. Thefe, with thoufand other calamities, daily grew greater; and, as the enemies of the Roman people encreafed, their own diffenfions among each other