BEFORE THE CONQUEST 



out to the Islanders, and in the following year he collected his forces for 

 another expedition. He learned from his mistakes, and designed a 

 specially shallow draught transport which took his troops well inshore 

 and could then be dragged up on the beach. In these he embarked two 

 thousand cavalry and five legions, but choosing his time better on this 

 occasion he sailed at sunset. His idea was to descend on the coast at 

 dawn, but the breeze died down and the tide appears to have carried 

 his fleet, which consisted of eight hundred sail in all, practically to the 

 North Foreland, so that the rowers had hard work to get back to Walmer 

 by noon. The Britons retired inland and were defeated at about the 

 spot where Sandwich stands to-day, but while he was ashore another 

 storm wrecked a number of his ships and Ctesar hauled the rest right up 

 into his camp. At the end of his land operations, which do not enter 

 into the sphere of this book, C^sar was lucky to get his overcrowded 

 transports back to Gaul without mishap. It is significant to notice that 

 in neither expedition did the Britons make any effort at sea. 

 The Permanent Roman Occupation. 



The Roman invasion proper, which led to Britain being occupied 

 by her legions for some four hundred years, was begun in the reign of 

 the Emperor Claudius in A. D. 43. The transport arrangements were based 

 on Ciesar's, but there is nothing in the invasion itself which calls for 

 comment, except that under Agricola the Roman galleys sailed right 

 round England and Scotland, and got a very tolerable idea of the 

 features of the Islands. 

 Count of the Saxon Shore. 



Although one would have thought that the Romans had gained 

 sufficient experience to teach them the value of sea power, it was not 

 until the Emperor Maximian that they really made an effort to have a 

 proper patrol of the Narrow Seas. He understood something of sea 

 power, and stationed Carausius, of whom more anon, with the title of 

 Count of the Saxon Shore, at Boulogne with a flotilla to protect the 

 coasts from the Prankish and Northern Pirates, who infested the Narrow 

 Seas and Channel. 

 Carausius. 



Although he has been claimed as being of Scottish birth, Marcus 

 Aurelius Carausius, the first Count of the Saxon Shore, appears to have 

 been really a Menapian from Belgic Gaul. He was a man of poor 

 origin, who in his young days had been employed as a pilot and appears 

 to have been a first-class seaman. Later he entered the Roman Army, 

 and by his extraordinary energy and ability gained very rapid 

 promotion. Before he had held the post very long it was discovered 

 that in many cases he had been in active alliance with the raiders, and 

 he was accordingly sentenced to death by assassination. He received 

 early warning of this, however, and crossing to Britain in the year 

 286 he proclaimed himself an independent ruler. The legion that 

 was garrisoning the island immediately joined him and a number of 

 Pranks enlisted under his banner. True to his experience, the first 



