THE ROMAN OCCUPATION OF BRITAIN 



Ickneild Way, commencing near Bury St. Edmunds in 

 Suffolk and running to Gloucester ; and Exning Street, 

 which ran through the marshy district of the east of 

 England. About 140 the Caledonians again gave trouble. 

 Shortly after that, about the middle of the second century, 

 the earth-works between the Firth of Forth and the Firth 

 of Clyde were constructed, and these were more in the 

 nature of a frontier limit. The Romans now finally 

 abandoned the idea of conquering the whole island. We 

 come now to the reign of Arcadius. One, Carausius, was 

 put in charge, but instead of keeping to the business 

 before him he took advantage to set up for himself, and 

 secured the allegiance of the Britains from 287 to 293. By 

 297 Britain was restored to the Empire, and the Emperor 

 Constantius spent much of his time in Britain until his 

 death at York in 306. He was succeeded by Constantine 

 the Great, whose mother was a Briton, and who began his 

 victorious and successful career in the island of Britain, 

 During the remainder of the fourth century Rome was 

 slowly losing her hold. In frequent conflicts ground was 

 lost, and merely gained only to be lost again. Rudyard 

 Kipling in one of his books has a wonderful account of 

 that last struggle. In 410 Honorius wrote a letter to the 

 cities of Britain in which he commanded them to defend 

 themselves. Then began the long drawn out agony of the 

 English conquest. Roman rule in Britain was held by the 

 sword. This was especially the case in the north and 

 west — three legions were permanently placed in the island. 

 The Twentieth legion had its headquarters at Chester ; the 

 Second legion at Richborcugh, and the Sixth legion, which 

 replaced the Ninth, which was nearly annihilated in the 

 outbreak among the Iceni, was stationed at York. 

 Numerous legendary stones have been discovered showing 

 that all three legions, or detachments of them, were em- 

 ployed in the construction of Hadrian's wall. We also 

 find records showing that foreigners of mauy nations must 



