BRITAIN. 



Thefe curious pafTages defei-ve a moment's confiJcration. 

 Of Europe this geographer knew that the northern parts 

 were inhabited by the Scythians, and the weftern by the 

 Celts ; and that beyond the Celts were two idands called 

 Bretanikai, whofc names were Albion and Hicnin. 



This is the eavlicll author in which the Britiih iflands are 

 explicitly named. 



That the Britiili iflands were known to the ancient world 

 long before the time of Cicfar, may be inferred from the 

 paftaire in Polybiu;:, which mentions them. This author 

 lived about 2O0 years before the chriitian xra. He enjoyed 

 the confidence of Scipio and Lelius ; and when he deter- 

 mined to write hillory, lie made many journies to the parts 

 which he intended to deicribe. 



In the latter part of his third book, he promifed to write 

 concerning the (Spsrlxiw^'i vr.o-w, the Biitilh illands, and the 

 making of tin. Unfortunately for our curiolity, this trea- 

 tife has not reached us. It is certain that he conipoftd it, 

 bccaufe Strabo mentions his difcuffions concerning Britain. 

 Three other Grecians alfo wrote concerning Britain. Thefe 

 were Pytheas, Dicxarchus, and the celebrated Eratofthenes, 

 who all lived anterior to Polvliius, and whofe opinions about 

 our ifland Polybius compared and difputed. 



Thus we find that Britain was an ifland which had ob- 

 tained much notice among the Grecians. We may alfo 

 perceive, from fome intimations of the claffical writers, that 

 the Britifli iflands had been difcovered and vifited by the 

 Phoenicians and Ciuthaginians. 



There feems to be no reafon to doubt that the Cafliteri- 

 des were another name for the Britifli iflands. Pliny fays, 

 that Midacritus firll brought tin from thefe iflands ; and 

 Strabo acquaints us, that the Phoenicians had been long ac- 

 cuftomed to vifit the Caffiterides from Spain for the fake of 

 traffic ; bv-t concealing their courfe from others. He gives 

 a ftriking inftance of their effort to conceal the navigation 

 to our iflands. When the Romans followed a Phoenician 

 fliip bound thither, for the exprcfs purpofe of difcovering 

 the market, the mafter ran his fliip afliore, and deftroyed it, 

 rather than let them trace his courfe ; and he was indemnified 

 by his countrymen forthclofs out of the public treafury. But 

 the Romans, by frequent attempts, at lall obtained the know- 

 ledge which they fought. 



Bochart derives Bretanike, the Greek name for Britain, 

 fron\the Phoenician or Hebrew words *\3!«f'n~l3' Barat- 

 anac, the land of tin. Caffiteros, the Greek for tin, from 

 which the iflands were called Caffiterides, he alio compares, 

 with much ingenuity, with the Chaldee Killarsand Kifliia, 

 by which the Targums of Jonathan and Jerufalem render 

 the Greek word xMTsi'r-fo;. 



It was the invafion of Crefar, about 54 years before Chrift, 

 which brought the Romans firil acquainted with the natives 

 of Britain. Caefar, ambitious of attaining the highefl dif- 

 ■tiniilion in the Roman flate, applied himfelf to warfare, as 

 the fureil means of railing an exalted reputation, and of 

 creating a folid power. With this view, he attacked and 

 conquered the Gauls ; and in profecution of the fame pur- 

 pole he invaded Britain. 



Not being well acquainted with the harbours of the ifhmd, 

 he fent C. Volufenus in a veffel to explore them. The na- 

 tives, at firll alarmed at his preparations and threats, fent 

 •overtures of peace. Crefar received them civilly, but per- 

 iilled in his invafion. After five days abfence, Volnfcnus 

 arrived at Ccelars Ration, and reported his obfervations. 

 C'.cfar embarked two legions of foot in about eighty tranf- 

 poi ts ; and with thefe, and eighteen more for the rell of his 

 army, he failed towards Britain. 



He arrived at a part inconvenient for landing fi'om its 

 mountainous afpcft, and beheld the rocks covered with tlie 

 armed inhabitants. He remained five hours at antlior, vv,"it- 

 V'oL. V. 



ing for the arrival of his whole force ; and when the wini! 

 and tide ferved, he failed out about eight miles farther to a 

 plain and open (hore. 



The Britons fent their horfe and chariots to oppofe his 

 landing, and all their forces followed. A fevere contcft en- 

 fued. The Roman vefl'els were too large for the fliallow 

 fea, and their foldicrs were obliged to leap into the waves 

 in unknown places, and with heavy armour, and to confljil 

 with the aftive natives, who were well acquainted with tlit^ 

 coall, and zealous in their oppolition. At laft the Romaa 

 gallics brought their engines to bear againfl the Britons. 

 I'heir appearance and effeft checked the brave lavages, and 

 the fland-ud-bearer of t!ie tenth legion, at that critical mo- 

 ment, rulliing with his eagle towards the enemy, the Romaini 

 followed witli new courage, and, after a defperate ftruggle, 

 compelled the Britons to retire. 



This defeat occafioned new propofals of pacification, 

 which were broken, and the llrugglc re-commenced. The 

 Britons were repulfcd again, but Cxiar chofe to abandon 

 all further efforts to conquer the ifland, and returned to the 

 continent. 



In the following year he invaded the ifland again. The 

 natives vigoroufly oppuled him under the command of Caf- 

 fivcllaun. They experienced defeats, but their refillance was 

 too fierce for the Romans to fupport, and Cxfar again 

 withdrew from the ifland, having flicwn the ifland to the 

 Romans (fays Tacitus) but not having conquered it. 



The Britons remained unmolefted by any attacks from 

 the Romans till the reign of Claudius, at which period, un- 

 fortunately for their independence, but perhaps liappily for 

 their civilization, they were invaded by Aulus Plautins. 

 Divided by civil feuds, and no longer oppofing to the 

 Romans that union of will and power by which they had 

 baffled the genius of Csfar, the feparate exertions of their 

 various tribes were generally difallrous, and the ftruggle 

 ended in the complete conqueft of the ifland. The events 

 of this conflict are chiefly recorded at great length by Taci- 

 tus, and are too familiarly known to tis to be recited here. 

 In the thiid and fourth centuries Britain gave fome difturb- 

 ance to the Roman empire, by the turbulence of that part 

 of the Roman army which was llationed within it. At 

 various intervals they made fome of their favourite officers 

 emperors, who contended for the purple with the other com- 

 petitors. In thefe centuries Britain was much diftrcffed by 

 the incurfions of the Pitls and Scots on the north and well, 

 and by the Franks and S:ixons from the fea. At lall the 

 barbarians prefled fo vigoroufly on the Rom.an empire, thai: 

 the Roman forces were compelled to abandon Britain in 

 4159, and the ifland for a lliort time recovered its independ- 

 ence, to lofe it again on the triumphant invafions of the 

 Saxons. See Saxons. 



Britain, New, in Geography, an appellation which has 

 been appropriated, by fome geographers, to the mod 

 nortliern regions towards Hudfon's bay, and the coall of 

 Labrador ; and comprehending the whole traA of country 

 that lies north of Canada, conunonly called the EfquimauK 

 counti-y, including Labrador, New North and South Wales; 

 faid to be S50 miles long and 750 broad. This is in general 

 a mountainous, frozen, and barren country ; abounding witli 

 lakes, rivers, and bays, that furnifh plenty of fi(h. The 

 fifliery and the fur-trade are the only produdls of thiscountry 

 that render it valuable. It is very thinly inhabited by a 

 people refembling tlie Ivaplandcrs, and the other nations in 

 the nonh-weilern parts of Europe, from whence their an- 

 ceftors probably migrated. But the naiiie of New Britain is 

 not admitted in French or Englifli maps. See Hudsos's 

 Bny, and I.,abrador. 



Britain, Kf.u, an ifland, or rather a group of iflands, in 



tlic Pacific ocean, being a part of that cxtenlive traft deno- 



^ y minuted 



