BRITAIN. 



5G5 



Teats 

 ractacus. 



Vespasian, the future emperor, had the second com- 

 mand in this enterprise, which was held so important 

 in tin- eyes of the Romans, that every successive em- 

 peror liiid been predicted by his poets to be the con- 

 queror of Britain. 



Aulus Plautius landing unopposed, marched 

 through the territories of tlic Cattivcllauni,* gave 

 three defeats to Caractacus and Togodumnus, the 

 two Dritisli leaders ; but still their retreating army 

 seemed so formidable, that the Roman general sent 

 for reinforcements, and invited the emperor to come 

 oner in person and finish the war; whilst he himself 

 retreated to the south side of the Thames, and re- 

 mained on the defensive. The reinforcements which 

 Claudius brought, as may be easily imagined, soon 

 altered the face of affairs ; the southern part of the 

 island submitted, and Aulus Plautius, from being 

 general, was made governor of Britain. His lieute- 

 nant, Vespasian, reduced the Belgae and Durotriges, 

 from Kent to the land's end, after 30 battles. Plau- 

 tius, with another division, waged war with the inland 

 Britons under Caractacus, so successfully, that an 

 oration was decreed to him at Rome, in which the 

 emperor walked at his left hand to the capitol. 



Ostorius Scapula succeeded in the provincial go- 

 vernment of Britain in the year 50. The Britons 

 had taken advantage of a short interval between his 

 succession and the recal of Aulus Plautius, when the 

 lieutenant generals held a joint command, and had 

 plundered the Roman allies ; but Ostorius repelled 

 them with great slaughter, and building a chain of 

 forts along the Nen andthe Severn, commanded all the 

 natives within that pale to give up their arms. The 

 Iceni,f though early allies of Rome, resisted this in- 

 dignity, and would have been joined by other revolters, 

 had not Ostorius defeated them in their entrench- 

 ments. With similar alacrity he overwhelmed the 

 Ceangi near the Irish sea ; then turning upon the 

 Brigantes inhabiting Yorkshire, subdued them also 

 once more to the Roman alliance. 



In the mean time, Caractacus, who had lost the 

 most of his dominions, had not lost his character or 

 influence among the tribes who had still arms and in- 

 dependence, but at the head of the Silures transferred 

 the war to the mountains of Wales ; and at a place 

 which is supposed to be the confluence of the Colne 

 and Theme, built a stone rampart on a hill command- 

 ing a river, dangerous to be forded, where he awaited 

 the attack of the Romans. We are not to estimate 

 this ancient patriot by hie success. Neither his 

 bravery, nor choice of position, nor the resolution of 

 his followers, who took an oath to die or conquer 

 before they were attacked by the Romans, could 

 atone for the difference of arms and discipline between 

 them and their opponents. The latter, after fording 

 the river, formed the testudo or military shell over 

 their heads with then- shields, through which the 

 missile weapons of the natives could not penetrate 

 as they slowly advanced up the mountain. The 

 rampart of loose stones was soon demolished, and 

 when they closed with their heavy armour against 



the native ranks, they slaughtered than wirh scarcely 

 the danger of receiving a wound. Caractacua took 

 shelter, after the battle, with CartUmandua, q<; 

 the Brigantes ; but hi inhuman etep-moUier de- 

 livered him M chains to the Romans, and the unfor- 

 tunate hero was destined to inter the Roman capital 

 as a captive, in the same procession with hit brothers 

 and wife and daughters, who had been taken at the 

 fatal battle. On entering the imperial palace, the: 

 British Prince calmly expressed his wonder, that the 

 possessor of so much wealth should disturb him in hi> 

 miserable cottages. The fame of a hero, who had 

 for nine years resisted the Roman arms, was known 

 throughout all Italy, and had attracted the curiosity 

 of the emperor to see him. The barbarous monarch 

 appeared undaunted before his throne, and addressed 

 him with so much dignity, that even the stupid Clau- 

 dius was affected, and ordering his fetters to be struck 

 off, treated him and hia family with distinguished re- 

 gard. 



The Silures beaten, but not yet subdued, rose upon 

 some cohorts, who were building forts in their coun- 

 try, whom they cut to pieces, and once more risqued 

 a general engagement. They were defeated, but es- 

 caped without entire rout under cover of night. Con- 

 tinuing from that time their skirmishes and surprises, 

 they gave Ostorius, after all his triumphs, so much 

 vexation, that he died through mental anxiety. 



Aulus Didius, his successor, checked the incursions 

 of the Britons, after they had defeated a Roman le- 

 gion, and become formidable under a new leader wor- 

 thy of succeeding Caractacus. This was Venusius, 

 chieftain of the Hniccii. $. He had married Cartis- 

 mandua, queen of the Brigantes ; but that infamous 

 woman had scandalised her subjects, by admitting 

 Villocatus, her armour-bearer, to her bed and throne, 

 and had implored the aid of the Romans, when the 

 injured husband and his adherents turned their arms 

 against the usurper. The event of the civil war was 

 to drive the adulteress, the betrayer of Caractacut, 

 from her kingdom, in spite of her Roman auxiliaries ; 

 and the invaders were, for several years, content to 

 preserve, without extending, their conquests. 



In the year 61, Paulinus Suetonius led the Roman 

 army to the island of Mona, or Anglesey, the residence 

 -of thearch druid, andthe asylum of all the enemies of 

 the Roman power. He found an army drawn up in or- 

 der of battle to receive him, whose appearance at first 

 struck terror into his soldiers ; for besides the armed 

 men, there were women in funeral apparel, who, with 

 lighted torches,ran along the ranks like furies; wniio 

 woods, held sacred by superstition, and altars burn- 

 ing with fires, gave additional horrors to the scene, 

 and multitudes of druids stood with uplifted hands, 

 denouncing the vengeance of heaven on the approach- 

 ing invaders of their mysteries. For a while the le- 

 gions stood powerless, as marks to the arrows of the 

 Britons ; but at last encouraged by their officers, they 

 riijhed forward and put them to the sword, and after 

 demolishing the altars and groves, burnt the <iruki r 

 in their own fires. 



Britain. 



Aulus 

 Oidiui ap, 



pointed 

 governor 

 of Britain. 



Suetonius 



.'tlilCr * 



A. D. 61. 



Inhabitants of Hertford, Bedford, rind Bucks. 



f Inhabiting whut is now SntFolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Huntingdon. 



$ The Huiccii, inhabitants of Warwickshire and Worcestershire. 



