blishing order and tranquillity in the southern parts of Britain, took the field in the spring, directing his march northward, recovered the whole country to the south of Severus's wall, and soon after drove the enemy beyond the wall of Antoninus Pius, which he repaired and made once more the frontier of the Roman territories in Britain; which he brought to a state of the most perfect order, happiness, and security. When he was recalled, to be raised to one of the highest dignities of the empire, he was attended to the shore by infinite multitudes of people, who loaded him with blessings, and pursued him with the most fervent wishes for his prosperity.

Ann. 376 to 448.

The Britons, after the departure of Theodosius, enjoyed the most profound tranquillity for several years; until the increasing distresses of the empire obliged Honorius to recall all the Roman troops out of Britain, and to leave it in a very defenceless state, not only by the departure of these troops, but also by the emigrations of the British youth, with the two usurpers Maximus and Constantine. However, from this period to that of the final departure of the Romans, they sent at two different times (in 416 and 418) one of their legions to support the Britons against the new irruptions of the Scots and Picts. But at length, the Roman empire was reduced to such extremities, that, in 420, it recalled the few of its troops that remained in Britain, and never sent any more to that country, where the Romans had been masters of its most fertile parts for more than 400 years.

The Scots and Picts, finding the island finally deserted by the Romans, now regarded the whole as their prey, and attacked Severus's wall with all their forces. The Britons, almost subdued by their own

fears, had again recourse to the Romans in the year 446, and sent ambassadors to Actius, then prefect of Gaul, with letters, in the following mournful strain; "To Aetius, thrice consul, the groans of the Bri"tons. The barbarians drive us to the sea, the "sea throws us back on the swords of the barba"rians; so that we have nothing left us but the "wretched choice of being either drowned or "butchered." But all their entreaties and lamentations on that occasion were in vain. When they saw that they had no more assistance to expect from the Romans, they began to consider what other nation they might call to their relief. In the mean time their independence was confirmed by the emperor Honorius, who in his letters committed to the Britons the care of their own safety.

Such was the end of the domination of the Romans over Britain, where they possessed, says Gibbon, the entire dominion of England, Wales, and the low-lands of Scotland, as far as the friths of Dunbarton and Edinburgh.

Observations on that Period.

The first colonies which came from Gaul, and took possession of Britain, were its earliest inhabitants; and brought with them their native language, which was the Celtic. (Cæs. 1. vi. c. 13. Tacit. Vit. Agricol. c. 11.) The form of government they had adopted previous to the Roman invasion, was just the same as that of all other existing governments at the same period of their civilization, unless they were established by conquest, as, that case only excepted, all of them were derived from the patriarchal government, the most ancient of all amongst mankind. It is indeed an undeniable fact, that the first states, or civil societies, in every country, were only large families, clans, or tribes, consisting of

brothers, sisters, cousins, and other near relations, under the protection and government of their common parent, or of his representative, the head of the tribe or family. This patriarchal government, in its most pure and simple form, could not be of a very long continuance in any country, as all these tribes, becoming more and more numerous, gradually approached nearer to one another. Thence disputes arose between them, about their limits, their properties, the honour and dignity of their chiefs, &c. &c. These disputes produced wars, which occasioned alliances of the contending parties with one or more neighbouring clans, which were thereby in a little time consolidated into one large society or state. Thus a great number of petty states or kingdoms were formed under one king, who commonly was the head of the chief clan of the state, while the chiefs of the other united tribes, retained under him a great degree of authority, each in his own clan. Such was the origin of the thirty-eight kingdoms into which Britain was divided when first invaded by the Romans.

The rule of succession in these ancient British monarchies, was not very firmly established: little or no regard was paid to the rights of primogeniture: when one of these monarchs left more than one son, of mature age and capacity, his succession was equally divided among them; and if he left no sons, he was succeeded by his daughter or his widow. Though in the remotest ages, the attachment of the Britons to the fainily of their sovereign was, after their love of liberty, the inost prominent of their characteristics, they had no idea of the possibility of infant monarchs, with a regent to govern in their name.

Druidism was the primitive religion in Britain; and the British Druids, the most famous for their learning, were the only priests, legislators, and ma

gistrates of the country. The progress of the Roman arms contributed not a little to the propagation of the Gospel, not only by the final destruction of the Druids, which took place in the year 61, but by opening a free and uninterrupted intercourse to the Christian missionaries over the whole country. For about the beginning of the third century, according to the testimony of Tertullian, (contra Judæos, c. 7.) the Christian religion had extended, beyond the limits of the Roman province, into those parts of Britain which had not submitted to the arms of that conquering nation. In the council which met at Arles in the year 314, among the thirty-three bishops who were summoned to it, and subscribed its decrees, Eborus bishop of York, Restitus bishop of London, and Adelfius bishop of the Colonia Londinensium, are mentioned.

Previous to the Roman invasion, the Britons had no towns; but they called so a few thatched houses, scattered in a tract of woody country, surrounded by a mound, or ditch, for the security of themselves and their cattle against the incursions of their enemies. They, however, carried on a pretty considerable and advantageous trade, not only with the Gauls of the opposite shore, but with the Phenicians and Greeks. The seat of their markets was confined to the sea-coasts along the British channel, between the mouth of the Thames on the east, and the Land's End on the west.

The most valuable articles of the British exports were, tin, lead, iron, gold and silver, corn, dogs, horses, cattle, hides and skins, jeat-stone, and particularly pearls, which according to Pliny (Hist. Nat. 1. ix. c. 35.) were esteemed by the Romans the most precious and excellent of all things, and bore the highest price. Besides all these articles, great numbers of slaves, probably prisoners taken in war, or

criminals condemned to slavery for their crimes, were exported from Britain and sold like cattle in the Roman market.

The goods imported into Britain, according to Julius Cæsar (1. v. c. 12.) and Strabo (1. iv.), were brass, ivory, bridles, gold chains, cups of amber, drinking glasses, and various wares or trinkets of

the like kind.

As soon as the Romans had invaded Britain, and great numbers of them had settled in it, and when the Britons began to imitate the Roman luxury and way of living, the imports soon exceeded the exports in value, and brought the balance of trade against Britain. But as the Britons very rapidly improved in the knowledge of agriculture and other arts, they raised and prepared many more articles for exportation, and for their own consumption. By this means they brought and kept the balance of trade in their favour, which enabled them to pay more regularly the heavy taxes imposed upon them. The most productive of these taxes was a land tax, raised from the fifth to the twentieth of the produce of all arable lands, according to their fertility, and on pasture grounds, or rather on the cattle that grazed on them. The proprietors of mines of all kind of metals were obliged to pay a certain proportion of their profits to the state. There was also, besides a polltax, or capitation, a great variety of taxes on particular things, as on houses, pillars, hearths, &c. &c. and a twentieth from all estates and legacies that were left by will to such persons as would not have been otherwise entitled to them by right of blood. If the calculations of Lipsius may be depended on (de Magnitud. Rom. 1. ii. c. 3.), concerning the amount of the Roman revenue in Britain, it was not less than two millions sterling annually.

When the Romans took their final farewel of Britain, an almost total dissolution of all order, law, and