Natural Hiftory of the Ancients. 1 57 



The lapfe of time, too, during which plants and 

 animals could be brought by the Romans to a 

 friendly population in Britain mould be noted. 

 The country was fubdued and fettled by Suetonius, 

 Paulinus and Agricola before the end of the firft 

 century after Chrift, and, in fpite of many vicifli- 

 tudes, the Romans did not finally withdraw from 

 Britain until the beginning of the fifth century, 

 when the afTaults of the Goths and the calamities 

 engendered by inteftine wars were rapidly breaking 

 up the Empire. The independence of Britain 

 was declared by Honorius, the Jav/ful Emperor of 

 the Weft, in 410, by his celebrated letter bidding 

 the Britons provide for their own fafety againft 

 the marauding Saxons, Picls, and Scots. But it 

 was not only during this period of Britain's ex- 

 iftence as a province for fome 400 years that inter- 

 courfe with Rome continued. The moral 

 fupremacy of that ancient centre of both mental 

 and material civilization was fully recognifed 

 during the reigns of Saxon and Danifh kings. 

 Save in the mountainous faftneffes, the country 

 was ftudded with temples, bafilicas, baths, and 

 bridges, for which it was indebted to Rome. And 

 yet, however {killed the Romans were in hufbandry, 

 it is noticeable that all the agricultural implements 

 ufed among the Saxons, which have come down to 

 our days, bear German names. The fame is the 

 cafe with the names of the meafures of land 

 rood, acre, and the like. 1 The arts and fciences, 

 however, regarded Rome as the centre of infpira- 

 1 Lappenberg, "Hiftory of England," vol. ii., p. 359. 



