ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 263 



his position, and retreated inland, as soon as the sails of 

 the ships which followed with Constantius came in sight. 

 His retreat was cut off, and his army surprised, after it had 

 advanced some distance into the interior, by the force under 

 Asclepiodotus. The British troops were totally routed, and 

 Allectus and many of his followers were slain ; whose bodies, 

 distinguished by their long, fair hair, and gay, barbaric apparel, 

 were found dispersed over hill and plain in various directions 

 while scarcely one Eoman soldier perished. The remnant of 

 the British army made its way to London, intending first to 

 pillage, and then to abandon that city; but, meeting there with 

 those troops of Constantius who had sailed up the Thames, it 

 was put to the sword. And thus Britain was recovered to the 

 Eoman empire. 



Such (supplying only, from other sources, some of the intro- 

 ductory facts, with the names of Asclepiodotus, and of Carausius, 

 whom the orator calls the " arch-pirate," and Allectus, whom he 

 styles a " satellite " of Carausius, and the " standard-bearer " of 

 the rebel party) is the substance of what we learn from 

 Eumenius. The passages most material to the question of 

 the identity of the battle-field with Woolmer Forest, are sub- 

 joined, in the original Latin. 



" Ad tempus ipsum tantae se dorso maris nebulae miscuerunt, 

 " ut inimica classis, apud Vectam insulam in speculis atque 

 " insidiis collocata, ignorantibus omnino hostibus proateriretur. . . 

 " Jam vero idem ille vestro auspicio iuvictus exercitus, statim 

 " atque Britannia; litus invaserat, universis navibus suis injecit 

 " ignes. . . . Ipse autem Signifer nefarise factionis, cur ab eo 

 " litore, quod tenebat, abscessit, cur classem portumque deseruit, 

 " nisi quod te, Cassar invicte, cujus imminentia vela conspexerat, 

 " timuit jam jamque venturum ? . . . Te tamen ille fugiens, 

 " incidit in tuorum ' manus ; a te victus, a tuis exercitibus 

 " oppressus est. Denique adeo trepidus, et te post terga respi- 

 " ciens, et in modum amentis attoniti properavit in mortem, ut 

 " nee explicaret aciem, nee omnes copias quas trahebat instruxerit, 

 " sed cum veteribus illis conjurationis auctoribus, et mercenariis 

 " cuneis barbarorum, tanti apparatus oblitus, irruerit. Adeo, 

 "_Ca2sar, hoc etiam reipublicae tribuit vestra felicitas, ut nemo fen- 



