54 LON 
them has exprefted himfelfin the following quaint diftich : 
London is like a laurel-leaf; may (lie 
Be verdant ft ill, and flourifli like the tree. 
New View of Lond. 1708. 
This civic and patriotic wifli has been nccomplifhed in its 
fulnefs ; and, in fpite of the demon of war, London will 
continue to flourifh down to the end of time. 
GENERAL HISTORICAL ACCOUNT. 
It appears by Julius Caefar’s own words, in his Com¬ 
mentaries, lib. 5, that London was the chief lieu, or 
“ feigneurie,” of the Trinobantes; but he does not ex- 
prefsly mention London, as he does Lutetia, the ancient 
name of Paris ; and his,filence amounts nearly to a proof 
that he did not c-rofs the river Thames. It appears alfo, 
that it was in the eighth year of the reign of Caffibelanus, 
uncle to Androgeus and Theomanlius, fons of king Lud, 
that the landing of Julius Css far took place; but as for 
the reveries of fome fanciful liidorians, at the head of 
■whom we may place Geoffrey of Monmouth, (who tells 
•vis a great deal about the dynaflies of the Britifh kings 
before the period juft mentioned,) it would belofsof time 
to entertain our readers with them. The very names of 
the pretended heirs of Lud, being of Greek origin, are 
pr'ma facie evidence againft fuch ftatements. Indeed the 
whole of the events that took place before the fecond 
landing of the Romans under Claudius, are involved in 
fuch mills of obfeurity, that the very fituation of our 
town at that time is become little lefs than an infoluble 
problem. 
By Ptolemy, and fome other ancient writers of good 
authority, indeed, Londininm is placed in Cantium, or 
Kent, on the fouth fide of the Thames ; and it is the opi¬ 
nion of fome moderns, that the Romans probably had a 
Ration there, to fecure their conquefts on that fide of the 
river, before they reduced the Trinobantes. The place 
fixed upon for this ftation is St. George’s Fields, a large 
plat of ground fttuated between Lambeth and Southwark, 
where many Roman coins, bricks, and chequered pave¬ 
ments, have been found. Three Roman ways from Kent, 
Surry, and Middlefex, interfecled each other in this place : 
this therefore is l'uppofed to be the original Londinum, which 
it is thought became negle&ed after the Romans reduced 
the Trinobantes, and fettled on the other fide of the 
Thames; and the name was transferred to the new city. 
The fituation of this city, as Mr. Pennant obferves, was 
juft fuch as the people would leleft according to the rule 
eftablifned among the Britons. An immenfe foreft origi¬ 
nally extended to the river-fide, and even as late as the 
reign of Henry II. covered the northern neighbourhood 
of the city, and was filled with various fpecies of beads of 
chace. It was defended naturally by follies; one formed 
by the creek which ran along Fleet-ditch, the ether after¬ 
wards known by that of Walbrook : the fouth fide was 
guarded by the Thames : the north they might think fuf- 
liciently protected by the adjacent foreft. 
The Romans poffeffed themfelves of London, on their 
fecond invafion in the reign of Claudius, about 105 years 
after their firft landing under Crefar. They had begun 
with Camalodunum, the prefent Malden in Eftex ; and 
having taken it, planted there a colony confiding of vete¬ 
rans of the 14th legion. London and Verulam were next 
taken pofleilion of about the fame time. Camalodu- 
r.tim was made a colonia, or place governed entirely by 
Roman laws and cufloms; Verulam (on the fite of which 
St. Alban’s now Hands) a municipium, in which the na¬ 
tives were honoured with the privileges of Roman citi¬ 
zens, and enjoyed their own laws and conftitutions ; and 
Londinium only a prafeclura, the inhabitants, a mixture 
of Romans and Britons, being fullered to enjoy no more 
than the name of citizens of Rome, being governed by 
pra;fefls lent annually from thence, without having either 
their own laws or magiftrates. “ It was even then of 
fuch concourfe (fays Mr. Pennant), and fuch vaft trade, 
$bat the wife conquerors did not think fit to trull the in,- 
DON. 
habitants with the fame privileges as other places of which 
they had lefs reafon to be jealous.” But others obferve; 
that this is a miftake ; and that the Romans, in order to 
fecure their conqueft, and to gain the aifeftions of thofe 
Britons who had already fubmitted to their authority, 
made London equally a municipium or free city with Ve~ 
rulanium. 
It has been placed beyond doubt that the Phoenicians, 
and perhaps the Carthaginians, (and why not alfo the 
Maftilienfes, a colony of the Phoenicians, on the fouth of 
France, well known by the modern name of Marfeilies ?) 
ufed to frequent the (hores of Cornwall, whence they 
tranfported to feveral parts of the continent the tin which 
that country produces in abundance, a commodity fo ufe- 
ful, and yet fo fcarce in other parts of the world. But it 
is not eafy to afeertain what were the particular articles 
of trade between foreign nations and London at the pe¬ 
riod of the landing of Julius Csefar. Strabo lays, (lib. iv. 
p. 265.) Britain produceth corn, cattle, gold, iilver, and 
iron ; befides which, Ikins, fiaves, and dogs, (naturally'ex¬ 
cellent hunters,) are exported from that ifland. The two 
firft, corn and cattle, were molt probably exported from 
London, as well as Haves, Ikins, and dogs. The fame au¬ 
thor mentions alfo (ib. p. 309.) fait, earthen-ware, and 
works in brafs ; polilhed bits of bones emulating ivory, 
liorfe-collars, toys of amber, glafles, and other articles of 
. the fame materials. But it does not appear that thofe 
traders ever went round the ifland at that period ; and, 
indeed, under the reign of Auguftus, Great Britain was 
fo little known, that it was fuppofed entirely feparated 
from the continent, not by fo narrow a channel as now exifts 1 
between Calais and Dover, but by fome larger expanfe of 
the ocean—orelfe Virgil w’ould not have faid (Eel. 1.67.) 
Et penitus toto divifos orbe Britannos, 
This ignorance of the Romans, or their negleft of Bri¬ 
tain, caufes a chafm in the liiftory of London of ninety 
years duration. At length, in the year 43, they made a 
more effeflual invafion in the reign of the emperor Clau¬ 
dius, who, in the year following, coming in perfon, van- 
quilhed and took Cinobellinus prifoner, in his refidencs 
of Camalodunum, or Malden, in Eflex. 
The firft Roman hiltorian who notices London appears 
to have been Tacitus, who lived fome time in it, about 
fifty years after this invafion. He calls it Londiniim, copia 
negotiatorum et commeatu viaxime celeberrimum ; “ London, f?.- 
tnous for its many merchants, and the abundance of its 
provifions.” This indicates that London was at that 
time of fome antiquity as a trading town. 
About the year 64, Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman ge¬ 
neral, being employed in the conqueft of the Ifle of A11- 
glefea, in North Wales, received intelligence of the revolt 
of the Britons, who had flocked in great numbers from 
all parts to join Boadicea, queen of the Iceni, who inha¬ 
bited the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Huntingdon, and 
Cambridge. He advanced with all fpeed to London ; but, 
finding himfelf unequal to its defence with his fmall army, 
he evacuated it to the fury of the enemy, after reinforcing 
his troops with all the natives who were fit to ferve. The 
enraged Boadicea deftroyed all who remained behind, 
without regard to age or fex, and burnt the place. Ca¬ 
malodunum had previoufly fhared the fame fate; and Ve¬ 
rulam fpeedily followed. In thefe three places feventy 
thoufand of the inhabitants, Romans and Britons, are 
Hated to have periflied ; of which number, Mr. Maitland, 
on account of the great commerce of London, eftiinates 
one-half as belonging to it. In fupport of this opinion, 
he obferves, “ that the mighty Romans, its founders, 
upon their fettling a colony, municipium, or emporium,, 
brought together great numbers of their own citizens, for 
whom they erected houfes; and, by endowing the place 
with ampje privileges and immunities, encouraged the na¬ 
tives, as well as confederate foreigners, to fettle therein ; 
fo that it is not in the leaft to be wondered at, efpecially 
with fuch an advantageous fituation, that London fliauld, 
in fo fliort a fpace of time, become fo populous.” 
U 
