ENGLAND. 2(U 



4 , for sitting upon; and tradition says that it was the room in 

 which the barons of England met during the wars of king John. The 

 rock itself is soft and very practicable ; but it is hard to say where 

 the excavation, which is continued in a square passage, about six feet 

 high and four wide, terminates, because the work is fallen in, in 

 some places. 



History. ...It is generally agi-eed that the first inhabitants of Britain 

 were a tribe of the Gauls, or Celtae, that settled on the opposite shore ; 

 a supposition founded upon the evident conformity in their language^ 

 manners, government, religion, and complexion. 



The Britons, at the time of Caesar's descent, 52 years A. C. were 

 governed in the time of war by a political confederacy, of which Cas« 

 sibelan, whose territories lay in Hertfordshire and some of the adja- 

 cent counties, was the head; and this form of government continued 

 among them for some time. 



In their manner of life, as described by Caesar and the best authors, 

 they differed little from the rude inhabitants of the northern climates 

 that have been already mentioned ; but they certainly sowed corn, 

 though perhaps they chiefly subsisted upon animal food and milk. 

 Their clothing was skins ; and their fortifications, beams of wood. 

 They were incredibly dexterous in the management of their chariots ; 

 and they fought with lances, darts, and swords. Women sometimes 

 led their armies to the field, and were recognised as sovereigns iri 

 their particular districts. 



The Britons lived, during the long reign of Augustus Caesar, rather 

 as the allies than the tributaries of the Romans ; but the communi- 

 cations between Rome and Great Britain being then extended, the 

 emperor Claudius Cassar, about forty-two years after the Birth of 

 Christ, undertook an expedition in person, in which he seems to have 

 been successful, against Britain. His conquests, however, were im- 

 perfect ; Caractacus, and Boadicea, though a woman, made noble 

 stands against the Romans. The former was taken prisoner, after a 

 desperate battle, and carried to Rome, where his undaunted behaviour 

 before Claudius gained him the admiration of the victors, and is cele- 

 brated in the histories of the times. Boadicea being oppressed in a 

 manner that disgraces the Roman name, and defeated, disdained to 

 survive the liberties of her country. During the time the Romans 

 remained in this island, they erected walls to protect the Britons from 

 the invasions of the Caledonians, or Scots : and we are told that the 

 Roman language, learning, and customs, became familiar in Britain. 

 During the abode of the Romans in Britain, they introduced into it 

 all the luxuries of Italy ; and under them the South Britons were re- 

 duced to a state of great vassalage, while the genius of liberty retreat- 

 ed northwards, where the natives had made a brave resistance against 

 these tyrants of the world. For though the Britons were unquestion- 

 ably very brave, when incorporated with the Roman legions abroad, 

 yet we know of no struggle they made in latter times, for their inde- 

 pendency at home, notwithstanding the many favourable opportuni- 

 ties that presented themselves. The Roman emperors and generals, 

 while in this island, assisted by the Britons, were frequently employ- 

 ed in repelling the attacks of the Caledonians : but they appear to 

 have had no difficulty in maintaining their authority in the southern 

 provinces. 



Upon the mighty inundations of those barbarous nations, which, un- 

 der the names of Goths and Vandals, invaded the Roman empire with. 



Vot.. J D d 



