510 ENG J 
the lad: blow for liberty, fafety, and life. To thefe ex¬ 
hortations his foldiers replied with (bouts of determined 
valour. But what eonld undisciplined bravery avail 
a gain ft the attack of an army (killed in all the arts of 
war, and infpired by a long train of conqueds ? The 
Britons were, after an obdinate refidance, totally routed; 
and a few days after Caradacus himfelf was impioufly 
betrayed and delivered up to the conquerors by Cartif- 
mandua, queen of the Brigantes, with whom he had 
taken refuge. Notice of the capture of this prince was 
received with fuch joy at Rome, that Claudius com¬ 
manded that he Should be brought from Britain, in order 
to be exhibited as a fpedaele to the Roman people. Ac¬ 
cordingly, on the day appointed for that purpofe, the 
emperor afcending his throne, ordered tire captives, and 
Caradacus among the number,'to be brought into his 
prefence. The vaflals of the Britilh king, with the fpoils 
taken in war, were fird brought forward ; thefe were fol¬ 
lowed by his family ; and lad of all came Caradac-us, 
with an undaunted and a dignified afped. He appear¬ 
ed no way dejeded at the amazing concourfe of fpec- 
tators that were gathered upon this occafion. When 
he came before the imperial throne, he addrefled Clau¬ 
dius in the following magnanimous and fenfible fpeech : 
“ If my moderation in profperity, O Claudius L had 
been as confpicuous as my birth and fortune, I fhould 
now have entered this city as a friend, and not as a 
prifoner; nor would you have difdained the friendship 
of a prince defcended from fuch illuftrious ancestors, and 
governing (o many nations. My prefent condition, I 
own, is to you honourable, to me humiliating. I was 
lately podelfed of fubjeds, horfes, arms, and riches. Can 
you be furprifed that 1 endeavoured to preferve them ? 
If you Romans (have a defire to arrive at univerfal mo¬ 
narchy, muff all nations, to gratify you, tamely fubmit 
to fervitude ? If I had fubmitted without a Struggle, 
how much would it have diminidied the luStre of my fall, 
and of your vidory ? And now, if you refolve to put me 
to death, my Story will foon be buried in oblivion; but 
if you think proper to preferve my life, I (hall remain a 
lading monument of your clemency.” It is greatly to 
the honour of Claudius, that lie was fo much charmed 
with the boldnefs of his illudrious prifoner, that he par¬ 
doned him and his whole retinue, and commanded their 
chains to.be immediately taken, oft’. ^ 
Notwithstanding their misfortunes, and the capture of 
their king, the Britons vyere not yet fubdued ; and this 
ifland was regarded by the ambitious Romans as a field 
in which military honour might dill be acquired. The 
Britons made one expiring effort more to recover their 
liberty, in the time of .Nero, by taking advantage of the 
abfence of Suetonius Paulinus the Roman general, who 
was employed in Subduing the I (1 e of Anglefey. That 
Small ifland, Separated from Britain only by a narrow 
channel, (fill continued the chief feat of the Druidical 
ceremonies, and constantly afforded a retreat to their de¬ 
feated forces. It was thought neceffary therefore to Sub¬ 
due that place, in order to extirpate a religion that dif¬ 
dained fubmilhon to foreign laws or leaders; and Sueto¬ 
nius Paulinus, the greateft generahof his age, undertook 
the talk, A. D. 59. The Britons-endeavoured to obdrud 
his landing on that lad retreat of their falling liberties, 
both by the force of their arms, and the terrors of their 
religion. The priefls and highlanders were drawn up in 
order of battle upon the Shore, to oppofe his landing. 
The women, dreffed like furies, with dishevelled hair, 
and torches in their hands, poured forth the mod terrible 
execrations. Such a fight at firfl confounded and afio- 
niflted the Romans, and fixed them motionlefs on the 
Spot; fo that they received the firfl; aflauIt without be¬ 
ing able to make' the lead oppodtion. But Suetonius, 
exhorting his troops to defpile the terrors of an abfurd 
i’uperdition, and the unavailing menaces of poor weak de¬ 
luded women, impelled them to the attack with re¬ 
doubled courage; drove the Britons otf the field, burnt 
i A N D: . 
many of the Druids in the fame fires they had prepared 
for their captive enemies, and dedroyed all their confe- 
crated groves and altars. 
Yet dill the principal tribes of the Britons refolved, by 
a general infurredion, to free themfelves at once from 
that (fate of abjed fervitude to which they were reduced. 
They had many motives to aggravate their refentment ; 
the greatnefs of-their taxes, which were levied with un¬ 
remitting feverity ; the infolence of their conquerors, \Nio 
reproached that very poverty which they hadcaufed; 
but particularly the cruel treatment of Boadicea, queen 
of the Iceni, drove them at lad into open rebellion. 
Prafatagus, king of the Iceni, at his death, had bequeath- 
, ed one half of his dominions to the Romans, and the 
other to his daughters; thus hoping, by the facrifice of 
a part, to fecure the red in his family : but it had a dif¬ 
ferent effect ; for the Roman procurator immediately 
took podedion of the whole ; and when Boadicea, the 
widow of the deceafed, attempted to remonftrate, lie or¬ 
dered her to be fcourged like a (lave, and violated the 
chadity of her daughters. Thefe outrages excited a re¬ 
volt through the whole idand. The Iceni, being the 
mod deeply intereded in the quarrel, were the fird to 
take arms; the other dates foon followed the example: 
and Boadicea, a princefs of great beauty, and of an invin¬ 
cible fpirit, was appointed to head the common forces, 
which amounted to 250,000 fighting men. Thefe op- 
prelfed people, exafperated by their wrongs, attacked fe- 
veral of the Roman fet’tlements and colonies with fuc- 
cefs. Suetonius hadened to relieve London, whipli was 
already a flourilhing colony ; but he was obliged to aban¬ 
don that place to the fury of the Britons, London was 
therefore reduced to allies; and the Romans, with all 
other drangers that were found -in it, to the number of 
feventy tlioufand, were, without didindi’on, put to the 
fword. Flufhed with thefe liiccedes, the Britons no 
longer fought to avoid the enemy, but boldly came to 
the place where Suetonius awaited their arrival, poded 
in a very advantageous manner, with a body of ten thou- 
fand men. The battle was obdinate and bloody. Boa¬ 
dicea appeared in a chariot with her tw'o daughters, and 
harangued her army with mafeuline intrepidity ; declar¬ 
ing, “ That die, though a woman, was fully determined 
to conquer or to die ; the men, if they pleafed, might 
live and be flaves.” But the irregular and undifciplined 
bravery of her troops was unable to redd the cool intre¬ 
pidity of the Romans. They were routed with prodi¬ 
gious daughter : eighty tlioufand peridied in the field, 
and an infinite number were made prifoners, while Boa¬ 
dicea herfelf, fearing to fall into the hands of the vic¬ 
tor, put an end to her life by poifon. Nero foon aft:r 
recalled Suetonius from a government, where, by fud'er. 
ing and infliding fo many feverities, be was judged im¬ 
proper to calm the angry and agitated minds of the na¬ 
tives. • After an interval of fome confiderable time, during 
which Petronius Turpilianus, Trebellius Maximus, ai d 
Vedius Bolanus, had fucceeded each other, Cerealis re¬ 
ceived the chief command from Vefpadan, and by his bra¬ 
very propagated the terror of the Roman arms. Julius 
Frontinus (acceded Cerealis both in authority and repu¬ 
tation. But the general who finally edablifhed the domi¬ 
nion of the Romans in Britain was Julius Agricola, who 
governed it during the reigns of Vefpafian, Titus, and Do - 
niitian, and didinguilhed himfelf as well by his courage, 
as by his great humanity. 
Agricola, celebrated in hidory both for clemency and 
wifdom, formed a regular plan for fubduing and civilizing 
the ifland, and thus rendering the acquilition of it ufeful - o 
the conquerors. As the northern part of the country was 
lead tradable, he carried his viitorio.us arms thither, and 
defeated the undifciplined enemy in every encounter. He 
pierced into the hitherto inaccedible foreds and moun¬ 
tains of Caledonia, he drove onward all ihofe fierce and 
untradable fpirjts who preferred famine to flavery, and 
who, rather than fubmit, chofe to remain in perpetual 
hodility,, 
