Haigh — Earliest Inscribed Monuments. 447 



we observe the result of Theodosius' promises of immunity; Conan 

 and his party were the deserters who returned to their allegiance. 



For a year Maximus maintained peace outwardly with the Scots,. 

 hut secretly stirred up the Picts to make war upon them ; and made a 

 treaty with the Picts, intending to subdue each nation in its turn. 

 The Picts, supported by all the Britons save Conan and his party, at- 

 tacked the Scots fiercely, and a destructive war ensued. In the fol- 

 lowing year (369) Maximus took the field in person, and defeated the 

 Scots in a bloody battle, in which their king Eugenius fell. Ethodh 

 his brother fled to Ireland with his son Erth ; others to Norway. 

 Maximus buried the bodies of the slain, and performed the funeral 

 obsequies for Eugeuius. The reduction of the Picts, who had been 

 much weakened in the conflict with the Scots, was now an easy task, 

 and all their fortresses fell into the hands of Maximus. He is said, 

 however, to have maintained friendly relations with them ; and five 

 years later, Vortigern, who married his daughter Severa, is described 

 as holding under the Eomans the sovereignty of the Picts. 



Now it is worthy of remark that the " Historia Britonuni " speaks- 

 of two reigns of Maximus in Britain, naming first Maximus and then 

 Maximianus : — 



" Sextus, Maximus in Britannia. A tempore illius consules esse 

 ceperunt et Cesares postea nunquam appellati sunt. In tempore 

 autem illius Sanctus Martinus virtutibus et miraculis claruit. 



Septimus, Maximianus imperator regnavit in Britannia. Ipse 

 perrexit cum omnibus militibus Brittonum a Brittannia et occidit 

 regem Boruanoruni Gratianuni et imperium obtinuit totius Europae." 



Yet afterwards he mentions the latter under his other name : — 



" Duni Gratianus imperator regnavit in toto mundo, in Brittannia 

 per seditionem militum Maximus imperator factus est, quem mox in 

 Galliani transfretasse perhibent, et Gratianuni regem Parisis Mero- 

 blandis magistri militum proditione superavit, qui fugiens Lugduni 

 captus atque occisus est, Maximus vero Victorem filium suum consor- 

 tem regni fecit. Post multum vero spatium temporis a Valentino et 

 Theodosio consulibus spoliatus Maximus regiis indumentis sistitur, et 

 in capite lapide dampnatur, cuius filius Victor eodem anno ab Argo- 

 baste comite interfectus est in Gallia." 



The meaning probably is that Maximus was twice saluted "impe- 

 rator" in Britain, in 369 and in 383. 



To his first residence in this island I would refer the erection of' 

 this monument to his uncle Edeyrn by his son Flavius Victor, after- 

 wards emperor. 



The war, of which the effect was the restoration to the Roman 

 empire of the province between the Tyne and the Forth, was certainly 

 concluded in that province, and there are many traces, immediately to 

 the south of the Eorth, of such a war in the third century. The 



