THE EARTH. 245 



one tree were found eight coins of the Roman 

 emperors ; and in some places the marks of the 

 ridge and furrow were plainly perceivable, which 

 testified that the ground had formerly been pa- 

 tient of cultivation. 



The learned naturalist who has given this de- 

 scription, * has pretty plainly evinced, that this 

 forest, in particular, must have been thus levelled 

 by the Romans ; and that the falling of the trees 

 must have contributed to the accumulation of the 

 waters. " The Romans," says he, " when the 

 Britons fled, always pursued them into the for- 

 tresses of low woods, and miry forests : in these 

 the wild natives found shelter, and, when oppor- 

 tunity offered, issued out, and fell upon their in- 

 vaders without mercy. In this manner the Ro- 

 mans were at length so harassed, that orders 

 were issued out for cutting down all the woods 

 and forests in Britain. In order to effect this, 

 and destroy the enemy the easier, they set fire 

 to the woods composed of pines, and other in- 

 flammable timber, w r hich spreading, the confla- 

 gration destroyed not only the forest, but infinite 

 numbers of the wretched inhabitants who had 

 taken shelter therein. When the pine trees had 

 thus done what mischief they could, the Romans 

 then brought their army nearer, and, with whole 

 legions of the captive Britons, cut down most of 

 the trees that were yet left standing ; leaving 

 only here and there some trees untouched, as 

 monuments of their fury. These, unneedful of 



* Phil. Trans, vol. iv. part ii, p. 214. 



