70 



deal. Under Salvius Titianus the proconsul, Agricola served in 

 Asia. Here he might have made a splendid competency by 

 listening to the dishonest overtures of his chief; but, true to his 

 principles, he refused to be led into wrong doing. After honourably 

 passing through one or two other offices, he sustained a great loss 

 in the death of his mother, she having been murdered, and her 

 lands plundered, by Otho. On the way to fulfil the duties of filial 

 affection, he heard of the accession of Vespasian, and immediately 

 joined his party, and was by him appointed to the command of 

 the 2oth legion then in Britain. This legion, although it had been 

 slow in coming to its allegiance, .Agricola soon succeeded in sub- 

 duing by a most singular exercise of moderation. The government 

 of Vettius Bolanus (A.D. 69) was of too mild a nature to afford 

 Agricola any opportunity of showing his rare talents. 



Under Petilius Cerealis — an old friend — his merits were fully 

 put to the test. There was no jealousy between them, and Cerealis 

 readily shared not only the hardships and the dangers with him, 

 but also the glory. When sent out in command of a portion of 

 the army, .Agricola never boasted of his success, attributing it rather 

 to his superior. Thus, by his intrepidity in performing services, 

 and his extreme modesty in speaking of them, he escaped jealousy 

 and attained renown. Most of their campaigns seem to have been 

 amongst the Brigantes. How thoroughly they performed their 

 work Tacitus distinctly tells us, for he says that Cerealis, "in order 

 to spread a general terror, fell with sudden fury on the Brigantes, 

 so that the greatest part of that extensive country was either subdued 

 or else involved in all the calamities of war."* 



On his return to Rome from the command of the legion, Ves- 

 pasian elevated him to patrician rank, and then appointed him to 

 the government of Aquitania. This was a most honourable 

 appointment, and preparatory to the office of consul, for which he 

 was intended ; and well was he fitted for the office, for in all things 

 his natural judgment was to be relied on, and a systematic arrange- 

 ment of his work was the leading feature of his rule. He was 

 dignified, unremitting, austere, when the tribunals claimed his 

 * C. C. Taciti Agricola, cap. xvii. 



