ARCADIA. 367 



delight in watering thofe plants with his own hand, 

 and in clearing them of weeds. Already the hemp 

 of a beautiful green, carried all it*s heads equal 

 to the ftature of a Man, and the iiax, in bloflbm, 

 clothed the ground with a (hade of azure. 



While Cephas and I were inwardly exulting in 

 the refledion of having done good, information 

 was received that the Britons, elated with their 

 recent fuccefs, not content to difpute with the 

 Gauls the empire of the Sea which feparates them, 

 were preparing to attack them by land, and to fail 

 up the Seine, with an intention to carry fteel and 

 flame into the very bofom of the Country. They 

 had taken their departure in boats innumerable, 

 from a promontory of their iiland^ feparated from 

 the Continent by only a narrow ftrait. They coafted 

 along the (hore of the Gauls, and were ready to 

 enter the Seine, the dangers of which they knew 

 how to avoid, by running into the creeks, which 

 are Iheltered from the rage of Neptune. The in- 

 tended invafion of the Britons was noifed abroad 

 over all the Gauls, from the moment that they be- 

 gan to put it into execution j for the Gauls kindle 

 fires on the mountains, and by the number of 

 thefe fires, and the thicknefs of their fmoke, con- 

 vey intelligence much more promptly than by the 

 flight of a bird. 



On 



