B 11 IT A I N. 



Britain, and the enemy, till the standard bearer of the 10th 



V~- legion jumped into the sea, and called alud upon 



his countrymen to follow their eagle, and support 

 the glory of the commonwealth. After a bloody 

 struggle, the Britons were repulsed. They sued 

 for peace, and obtained it at the expence of submis- 

 aions which they could easily retract, and a promise 

 of hostages, who never arrived. 



The Roman cavalry had sailed from Gaul the same 

 day that this truce was concluded ; but were driven 

 back to the continent by a storm, which also destroy- 

 ed many of the gallies and transports that had arri- 

 ved. 



The native chiefs, drawing hopes from this cir- 

 cumstance, retired from Cxsar's camp under various 

 pretexts, and prepared to renew the war. While 

 the 7th legion was gathering in the harvest, they 

 were assaulted by surprise from the adjacent woods, 

 by the British cavalry and chariots, and would have 

 been cut in pieces, if Csesar had not arrived with a 

 reinforcement. Caesar himself acknowledges, that he 

 only put the Britons to a stand. He kept his forces 

 facing the enemy for a time, and then led them back 

 to the camp. Upon the whole, by the victor's 

 own account, the laurels which he gained in Bri- 

 tain were both scanty, and hardly earned. * With- 

 in a few days the Britons were emboldened to ap- 

 proach the Roman camp ; they were repulsed, in- 

 deed, with great slaughter ; but so far was the vic- 

 tory from securing even a corner of the island to its 

 invaders, that peace was again granted, on condition 

 of the British hostages being doubled. These host- 

 ages were to be sent after the conqueror into Gaul. 

 After staying little more than three weeks, Caesar 

 embarked his whole army, and returned to Gaul. 



At a much earlier period of the next year, Caesar 

 embarked from Calais to renew the invasion of Bri- 

 tain, with an army of five legions, and 2000 horse, 

 on board a fleet of more than 800 ships. The sight 

 of so prodigious a fleet, made the Britons despair of 

 resisting his landing, which took place at the same 

 spot as before. Leaving a small force behind him 

 to defend his fleet, Caesar pursued the Britons, and 

 overtaking them, after twelve hours march, at a ri- 

 ver (supposed to be the Stour), where they attempt- 

 ed to oppose him, drove them before him. They 

 made another attempt to defend themselves in a 

 woody fastness ; but their rude entrenchments were 

 forced by the Romans, and they again retreated. 

 Next morning, as the victors had come in sight of 

 the British rear, accounts were brought of a storm, 

 such as had happened in the preceding year, having 

 damaged, and almost destroyed the Roman fleet. 



Cresar 

 again in- 

 vades Bri- 

 tain, 

 A. C. 54. 



The pursuit was stopped till Cfcsar had repaired to 

 the coast, and secured his remaining ships in fortifi- 

 cations within the camp. 



In the mean time, the British confederates had 

 chosen Cassibelanus king of the Cassi, for their com- 

 mander in chief, and waited the return of the Romans, 

 with confidence in themselves and their commander. 

 Several skirmishes took place, in one of which they 

 defeated two choice cohorts of the invaders ; but in 

 their next attack, after this slight victory, they were 

 entirely routed, and Cassibelanus suffering dear to 

 pass the Thames, at a place supposed to be Conway 

 Stakes, dismissed all his infantry, and retained only 

 his 4000 war chariots, to watch and harass the Ro- 

 man army. The British states, as Caesar advanced, 

 made their submissions, and gave him hostages and 

 corn ; thus facilitating his progress to the principal 

 fastness of the British commander, whieh Cxsar for- 

 ced, and took a great number ot prisoners and cattle. 

 Cassibelauus did not yet despair, but formed the bolt; 

 design of cutting off Cccsar from his fleet, and sent 

 orders to the leaders of the Cantii (the people ot 

 Kent), to fall upon the naval camp of the Romans, 

 which was not strongly guarded. Its defence, how- 

 ever, was sufficient to repulse the assailants ; ;md the 

 British leader, seeing no hope in further resistance, 

 sought' and obtained a peace from Cresar, through 

 the mediation of Comius the Atrebatian. Cassibe- 

 lanus was bound to ofter no injury to the British 

 states, which had deserted his alliance for that oi 

 Rome. Britain was to give a tribute and hostages to 

 the Romans, but neither the quantity or number is 

 mentioned by Caesar. At ten at night, on the 2,5th 

 of September, .54 years A. C. Csesar sailed with the 

 last embarkation of his army from our coast ; and for 

 97 years from that period, the Britains had no real 

 disturbance, and but few alarms from foreign enemies. 



Augustus only threatened them with invasion. 

 He extorted presents and tributes fromthe princes, and 

 derived a revenue from certain imposts on the mutual 

 traffic between the island and the continent. In the 

 mean lime, the natives improved in civilization by 

 their foreign connection, and the merchants of Italy 

 settled in their towns. Tiberius exacted the same 

 tribute, but lived on peaceable terms with them. 

 Caligula's absurd visit to gather the cockle shells on 

 the sea shore, does not deserve the name of an inva- 

 sion ; but in the reign of Claudius, an expedition was 

 prepared in good earnest, wilh an army of 50,000 

 men, and Aulus Plautius at the head of it. Al first 

 the soldiers murmured at being sent, as they said, be- 

 yond the limits of the world; but at last were per- 

 suaded to embark, from confidence in their leader. 



Subs 

 atui 

 ol 

 m 



E 



^ 



UI)d 



AU! 

 Plau 



That Casar gained not even much glory in his British invasion, appears from the testimony of several writers of his age. 

 Lucan plainly taxes him with turning his back upon our countrymen : 



Ttrrita quasitis Ostendil tcrga Britannis. 

 Horace speaks of the Britons as unconquered in the days of Augustus : 



Intactus nut Britannus ut desccnderet 

 .V'.'ITO catnmttis via. 

 Tibullns also : 



Te manet invictus Romano Marie Brilannus. 



And Tacitus, in his Hie of Agrieola, expressly says, that Cassar only gave the Romans a view, not a possession of Britain : 



Potest iitiieri-osten disso ptatens^ nun tradiduse. 



