2o6 A. D. 314. 



of Roman Britain at this time; for we find three bifiiops taking their titles 

 from them at the council, or fynod, of bifiiops held at Arelate in Gaul. 

 On this, as on former occafions, York (or Eboracum) appears to have 

 had the firfl: rank among the Ronian-Britifli cities, and London had, 

 probably by means of its advantageous lituation for trade, nov/ rifen to 

 the lecond rank, Colchefler, which feems to have been once the mofl 

 confiderable, as the earlieil Roman colony, having funk to the third 

 place *. 



323 — The fleets colledled by Conftantine and Licinius, when they 

 contended for the monarchy of the Roman world, furnifh a pretty juft 

 comparative eftimate of the opulence, commerce, and fliipping, of the 

 •feveral countries bordering on the Mediterranean fea at this time. Con- 

 ftantine, emperor of the Weft, appears to have got no Ihips of war 

 from Italy. The fleets appointed by the policy of Augufl;us to be per- 

 manent and ftationary at Miienum and Ravenna, had gone to ruin for 

 want of commerce to fupport and man them. His force confifl:ed of 

 only two hundred fniall warlike vefTels, furniflied by Greece, which, ac- 

 cording to Zofimus, carried only thirty oars each, and above two thou- 

 fand tranfports, of the fize of which we have no information. Lici- 

 nius, the fovereign of the Eafl:, ifllied his orders to his fubjects to pro- 

 vide vefl!els proper for war ; and they amounted to three hundred and 

 fifty, as enumerated by Zofimus, viz. eighty trirernes furnifhed by Egypt, 

 eighty by Phoinicia, iixty by Ionia and Doria, thirty by Cyprus, twenty 

 by Caria, thirty by Bithynia, and fifty by Africa. Though thefe feem 

 .to be all ranked as triremes, yet from a fubfequent paflage of Zofimus 

 it appears, that fome of them were only vefiels of fifty oars in fingle 

 tires. [Zofim. L. ii, pp. 94, 95, 98, ed. Oxon. 1679.] Sluinqiiereines and 

 other larger fhips were now unknown ; and foon after this time they 

 were almofl; forgotten among the Romans. {Vegct. L. iv, c, 37.] 



If from this view of the naval power of the Mediterranean countries 

 we turn the flightefl: glance to their profperous flate, before the Ro- 

 man empire arofc, what a prodigious diflference fliall we find ! Phoenicia 

 alone, when even reduced to a province of Perfia, furnifhed three hun- 



* III the lid of ecglcfiaftics, who attended the chejier) ; or perhaps Lindenfium [the inhabitants of 



fynod of Artlate, the three Briti/li bifiiops are Lincoln) ; and the former feems the moll probable, 



placed alter the eiglit billirips of Gaul, and before The corrupted name has no rtfeinblance to any 



the one bifliop and feveral prefbytcrs of Spain, as other of the Roman colonies. [^Uffcrii Jhitann. 



follows. _ ecdcf. antiq. pp. 98, 195 and 6c, ci'l. 1639 Spel- 



Eboriiis cpifcopns, de civltate Eboraceiili, jiro- nuinConcil. Brilann. p. 42, cd. 1639.] 



vincia britannia. I'he critics in ccclcliallical hilloiy dilfer wic'ely 



Rellitutns cpifcopns, de civltate Lotditienfi, pro- in the date of this fyuod. I'hc profound rcfearchcs 



vineia iiiprafcrlpta. and erudition of tlie two authors, I have quoted, 



Adelfius cpifcopus, de civitate Colonia Londin- v.arrant me in fullowinif them in what appears tb 



cnfuim. be the earlieil genuine notice of Brltilh bilhops, as 



The hifl word is crroneotidy written. It ought denoting the pre-eminence of Britifli cities. 



to be Camulodimenfium {the inhabitants of Col- 4 



