OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. &

might have proved no less fatal to himself than chap.

to the vanquished barbarians.' --

The only accession which the Roman empire conquestreceived, during the first century of the Christian was thesera, was the province of Britain . In this singleinstance, the successors of Caesar and Augustus were persuaded to follow the example of the for-mer, rather than the precept of the latter. Theproximity of its situation to the coast of Gaulseemed to invite their arms; the pleasing thoughdoubtful intelligence of a pearl fishery, attractedtheir avarice ; f and as Britain was viewed in thelight of a distinct and insulated world, the con-quest scarcely formed any exception to the gene-ral system of continental measures. After a warof about forty years, undertaken by the moststupid , 8 maintained by the most dissolute, andterminated by the most timid of all the emperors,the far greater part of the island submitted to

e Germanicus, Suetonius Paulinus , and Agricola, were checked andrecalled in the course of their victories. Corbulo was put to death.Military merit, as it is admirably expressed by Tacitus , was, in thestrictest sense of the word, imperatoria virtus.

f Caesar himself conceals that ignoble motive; but it is mentionedby Suetonius, c. 47. The British pearls proved, however, of littlevalue, on account of their dark and livid colour. Tacitus observes,with reason (in Agricola, c. 12), that it was an inherent defect,“ Ego faeilius crediderim, uaturam margaritis deesse quarn nobis“ avaritiam.”

E Claudius, Nero, and Domitian . A hope is expressed by Pompo-nius Mela, 1. iii. c. 6, (he wrote under Claudius) that, by the successof the Roman arms, the island and its savage inhabitants would soonbe better known. It is amusing enough to peruse such passages in themidst of Loudon.