London, which was already a flourifling 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 therefore foon reduced to afhes; fuch of the inhabitants as remained in it were maffacred; and the Romans, with all other strangers, 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, pofted 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 herself, 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 fuffering and inflicting fo many feverities, he was judged improper to compofe the angry and alarmed

minds of the natives. After an interval, Cerealis received the command from Vefpafian, 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 ifland was Julius Agricola, who governed it during the reigns of Vefpafian, Titus, and Domitian, and distinguished himself as well by his courage as humanity.

Agricola, who is confidered as one of the greatest characters in hiftory, formed a regular plan for fubduing and civilizing the ifland, and thus rendering the acquifition useful 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 forests and mountains of Caledonia, he drove onward all thofe fierce and untractable spirits who preferred famine to flavery, 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

action, in which confiderable numbers were flain. Being thus fuccefsful, 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 ifland till the preceding year. This armament, pursuant to his orders, fteered to the northward, and there fubdued the Orkneys; then making the tour of the whole ifland, it arrived in the port of Sandwich, without having met with the leaft difafter.

During thefe military enterprizes Agricola was ever attentive to the arts of peace. He attempted to humanize the fierceness of those who acknowledged his power, by introducing the Roman laws, habits, manners, and learning. He taught them to defire and raise 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 garrisons between them and their northern neighbours; thus cutting off the ruder and more barren. parts of the island, and fecuring the Roman province from the invafion of a fierce and neceffitous enemy. In this manner the Britons being almost totally fubdued, now began to

throw

throw off all hopes of recovering their former liberty; and having often experienced the fuperiority of the Romans, contented to submit, and were content with fafety. From that

time, the Romans feemed more defirous of A. D. 78, fecuring what they poffeffed, than of making new conquests, and were employed rather in repreffing than punishing their reftlefs 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 hiftorian. 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 compenfation 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 island 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, instead of confidering

their yoke as a burthen, they were taught to regard it as their ornament and protection. Nothing, therefore, was likely to shake the power of Rome in the island, but the diffenfions and diftreffes of the Romans themselves, and that dreadful period at laft 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 a thousand other calamities, daily grew greater; and, as the enemies of the Roman people encreased, their own diffenfions among each other