THE EARTH. JO.*^ 



tree, were found eight coins of the Roman emperors ; anti, in 

 Bome places, the marks of the ridge and furrow were plainly 

 perceivable, which testified that the ground had formerly been 

 patient of cultivation. 



The learned naturalist Avho has given this description,' has 

 pretty plainly eviiiced, 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 fortresses of low woods, and miry forests . in 

 these the wild natives found shelter ; and, when opportunity of- 

 fered, issued out and fell upon their invaders without mercy. 

 In this manner the Romans were at length so harassed, that 

 ordeTs were issued out for cutting down all the woods and fo- 

 rests in Britain. In order to effect this, and destroy the enemy 

 the easier, they set fire to the woods, composed of pines and 

 other inflammable timber, which spreading, the conflagration 

 destroyed not only the forest, but infinite numbers of the 

 wretched inhabitants who had taken shelter therein. When the 

 pine-trees bad 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 great trees un- 

 touched, as monuments of their fury. These, unneedful of 

 their labour, being destitute of the support of the underwood, 

 and of their neighbouring trees, were easily overthrown by the 

 winds, and, without interruption, remained on the places where 

 they happened to fall. The forest, thus fallen, must necessar- 

 ily have stopped up the currents, both from land and sea ; and 

 turned into great lakes, what were before but temporaiy streams. 

 The working of the waters here, the consumption and decay of 

 rotten boughs and branches, and the vast increase of water-moss 

 which flourishes upon marshy grounds, soon formed a covering 

 over the trunks of the fallen trees, and raised the earth several 

 feet above its former level. The earth thus every day swelling, 

 by a continual increase from the sediment of the waters, and 

 by the lightness of the vegetable substances of which it was 

 composed, soon overtopt the waters by which this intumescence 



1 riiil Trans, vol. iv. part ii. p. 211. 

 K 



