ning of the conteft, neither my difgrace nor your glory would have attracted the attention of the world, and my fate would have been buried in general oblivion. I am now at your mercy, but if my life be spared I fhall remain an eternal monument of your clemency and moderation." The Emperor was affected with the British hero's misfortunes, and won by his addrefs. He ordered him to be unchained upon the spot, with the reft of the captives, and the first use they made of their liberty was to go and proftrate themselves before the Empress Agrippina, who, as fome suppose, had been an interceffor for their freedom.

Notwithstanding thefe misfortunes, the Britons were not fubdued, and this island was regarded by the ambitious Romans as a field in which military honour might still be acquired. The Britons made one expiring effort more to recover their liberty, in the times of Nero, A. D. 59. taking advantage of the abfence of Paulinus. the Roman general, who was employed in fubduing the ifle of Anglefey. That small island, which was separated from Britain by a narrow channel, ftill continued the chief feat of the Druidical fuperftitions, and constantly afforded a retreat to their defeated forces. It was thought neceffary therefore to fubdue that

place, in order to extirpate a religion that dif dained fubmiffion to foreign laws or leaders; and Paulinus, the greatest general of his age, undertook the task. The Britons endeavoured to obftruct his landing on that laft retreat of their fuperftitions and liberties, both by the force of their arms and the terrors of their religion. The priests and islanders were drawn up in order of battle upon the fhore, to oppose his landing. The women, dreffed like furies, with difhevelled hair and torches in their hands, poured forth the most terrible execrations. Such a fight at firft confounded the Romans, and fixed them motionlefs on the fpot, fo that they received the firft affault without oppofition. But Paulinus exhorting his troops to defpife the menaces of an abfurd fuperftition, impelled them to the attack, drove the Britons off the field, burned the Druids in the fame fires they had prepared for their captive enemies, and destroyed all their confecrated groves and altars.

In the mean time the Britons, taking advantage of his abfence, refolved by a general infurrection to free themselves from that state of abject fervitude to which they were reduced by the Romans. They had many motives to aggravate their refentment; the greatnefs of

their taxes, which were levied with unremitting severity; the cruel infolence of their conquerors, who reproached that very poverty which they had caufed; but particularly the cruel treatment of Boadicea, queen of the Iceni, drove them at laft into open rebellion. Prafatagus, king of the Iceni, at his death had bequeathed one half of his dominions to the Romans, and the other to his daughters, thus hoping by the facrifice of a part, to secure the reft in his family: but it had a different effect; for the Roman procurator immediately took poffeffion of the whole; and when Boadicea, the widow of the deceased, attempted to remonftrate, he ordered her to be fcourged like a flave, and violated the chastity of her daughters. These outrages were fufficient to produce a revolt through the whole ifland. The Iceni, as being the most deeply interested in the quarrel, were the first to take arms; all the other states foon followed the ex

ample; and Boadicea, a woman of great beauty and masculine fpirit, was appointed to head the common forces, which amounted to two hundred and thirty thousand fighting men. These, exasperated by their wrongs, attacked feveral of the Roman fettlements and colonies with fuccefs. Paulinus haftened to relieve London,

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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 merciless 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 mafculine 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 thoufand perifhed in the field, and an infinite number were made prisoners, while Boadicea herfelf, fearing to fall into the hands of the enraged victor, put an end to her life by poifon. Nero foon after recalled Paulinus from a government, where, by suffering 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 Vespafian, 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 fpirits who preferred famine to flavery, and who, rather than fubmit, chofe 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 Rumerous army, whom he defeated in a decifive