10 THE ROMAN OCCUPATION 



drafts of recruits and veterans passing to and from their 

 posts. 



The dividing line between these two regions of Britain 

 is geographical. Britain, as geographers do not always 

 tell lis, falls, physically considered, into two parts — 

 uplands and lowlands. The uplands consist of the west 

 country moors, the Welsh hills, and the Pennine chain 

 and northern highlands that adjoin it. The lowlands are 

 the midland plain and the southern and eastern counties. 

 A line drawn from York through Derby to Chester, and 

 from Chester through Shrewsbury to the Bristol Channel, 

 would form a rough boundary between these two areas. 

 Hills no doubt occur to the south of that line, and low 

 ground to the north. But with obvious exceptions this 

 line divides two very different kinds of country. 



The uplands are rough and mountainous. They usually 

 rise above 600 feet and often considerably higher. They 

 are scarred with deep ravines and tortuous valleys and 

 sudden gorges. They are unsuited to agriculture, and 

 incapable of supporting a numerous population. The 

 lowlands present a very different spectacle. They are 

 level or covered with gentle hills that rarely rise above 

 600 feet. Their soil and climate favours, or at least 

 tolerates, serious agriculture, a dense population, and 

 peaceful and settled life. 



The difference between these two regions is well marked 

 in the history of Roman Britain. Even the course of the 

 conquest illustrates it. Little as we know the imperfectly 

 recorded details, we can see that the lowlands were over- 

 run in three or four years (a.d. 43 — 47). By the end of 

 that period the Roman arms had so far advanced that they 

 could operate against the "Welsh hill tribes, could seize 

 the mines of Flintshire, and prepare to attack the 

 Brigantes of Yorkshire. But here their victorious career 



