In the reign of Antoninus Pius, which commenced A. D. 138, Lollius Urbicus was governor of Britain; an able general, and one who was compelled by circumstances to exercise his talents with activity. The Caledonians in the vicinity of Hadrian's wall provoked a war; and Lollius, after defeating in several engagements the Mæatæ, a tribe which inhabited the level coun• try near the wall, built a strong rampart farther northward, and between the Firths of Forth and Clyde. Similar commotions on the borders of the wall occurred in the reign of the succeeding Emperor, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus; but they were quelled, without great difficulty, by his lieutenant, Calpurnius Agricola; and the south of Britain happily remained in a state of tranquillity, the inhabitants intermingling with the Romans by slow but sure degrees, and adopting their arts and polish in the same progress. The rampart erected in the reign of Antoninus Pius proved so inefficient a barrier, that the Caledonians broke through it early in the reign of Commodus, who succeeded Marcus Aurelius; and being joined by the Mæatæ, committed great depredations. upon the Roman province. Ulpius Marcellus, a general of great vigilance and bravery, was now appointed governor of Britain; and he defeated the confederate nations in several battles. His success exposed him to the jealousy of his tyrannical master, and he was abruptly recalled. The names of his immediate successors are not known; but it appears that they partook of the vicious imbecility which prevailed at the court of Rome. Their incapacity produced great dissatisfaction amongst the legions; and it is observable that the Roman army in Britain had now become so formidable, from its long continuance in the province, that it ventured to send a deputation to the Emperor, remonstrating on the ill conduct of the person who had the direction of military affairs, and who, in the exercise of his function, recommended these unworthy officers. Their complaints met with attention; and Pertinax, who was afterwards Emperor, was sent to Britain, for the purpose of redressing the alleged grievances. Pertinax met with great difficulties in restoring contented discipline among the tumultuous soldiery, but he, at length, in some measure, succeeded; and then resigned the government, as is believed, to Clodius Albinus, who possessed this command in the latter part of the reign of Commodus, and throughout the two following short and troubled reigns. On the death of the Emperor Didius Julianus, this general ventured to contend for the diadem. He assumed in Britain the insignia of empire, and led an army, consisting of British Romans and Romanized Britons, to the Continent, where he hazarded a battle, but was defeated, and subsequently destroyed himself in despair; thus leaving L. Septimius Severus in undisputed possession of the throne. The northern Britons did not fail to take advantage of the neglected state of the province, during these struggles for individual power. The Caledonians and Mæatæ made destructive incursions on the south, where the interest of the Britons was now completely united with that of their conquerors. Severus quickly reinforced the army of Britain, and bestowed the command on Virius Lupus; but the troops were either so deficient in number or in subordination, that Lupus felt it expedient to purchase the retreat of the enemy by a large sum of money. Such a peace was not likely to be durable. The incursions were repeated in several successive years, with all the ferocity incidental to a border-war; and the Emperor Severus repaired to Britain, in person, about the year 207. At this time he was aged, and afflicted with disease; but he entered on the war with alacrity, for the love of military glory lent a youthful ardour even to his latest exertions. In the present undertaking, he is said to have been additionally stimulated by a wish for removing from the dissolute pleasures of Rome his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. Both these Princes attended him in his expedition; and the events events of this imperial visit are of considerable emphasis and renown in the annals of Roman operations in Britain. Severus deputed the government of South Britain to Geta, his youngest son; and proceeded against the allied northern nations, at the head of a formidable army. He passed the wall of Hadrian; and, notwithstanding the natural difficulties presented by the country, and the pernicious opposition of the enemy, who declined meeting him in the open field, but often decoyed his troops into destructive ambushes, he penetrated into the heart of Caledonia, and compelled the inhabitants to sue for peace; which was granted to them only on condition of their relinquishing a portion of territory, and delivering up their arms. After concluding this peace, Severus marched his army into the northern parts of the Roman province; and it was now that he carried into execution a great and memorable work, some vestiges of which still remain to proclaim his activity, perseverance, and grandeur of views.-Convinced of the inefficiency of Hadrian's rampart of earth, he employed the soldiery in erecting a wall of solid stone, defended by numerous stations for the residence of garrisons; massy towers for the annoyance of assailants; and intervening watch turrets, in which sentinels maintained a regular guard of observation. This wall ran nearly parallel with Hadrian's rampart, at a small distance towards the north; and was in height fifteen feet, and eight or nine feet in breadth. Its length was rather less than seventy four Roman miles; and the whole of this stupendous work, the greatest effort of Roman skill and industry in Britain, is believed to have been completed in two years. * The exertions of the Emperor Severus are more forcibly entitled to admiration, from the oppressive character of the circumstances, both mental and bodily, under which he laboured. Tortured * For a statement of many opposite opinions, in regard to the history of the wall attributed to Severus, the reader is referred to the Beauties for Northumberland, p. 2–7 Tortured and enfeebled by the gout, he was unable to ride on horseback, and was carried in a litter throughout the arduous northern marches of his troops; whilst even the waning remnant of his life was in continual danger from the machinations of his own son, Caracalla. He died at York, in the year 211, broken hearted, even in the midst of such glory as he most dearly prized, that of victory. The empire was now divided between Caracalla and Geta. These youthful Emperors returned to Rome, shortly after the decease of Severus; and from the period of their departure, until the year 284, very little is known concerning the political transactions in Britain. A happy paucity of information! since the writers on whose testimony these ages of history depend, believed their duty to consist only in chronicling scenes of turbulence and bloodshed. This long season of tranquillity experienced an interruption soon after the accession of Dioclesian to the imperial throne, in the year last mentioned; and the circumstances connected with the war which then took place are highly worthy of notice. Dioclesian admitted, as his companion in the cares and honours of government, Maximianus Herculius. The empire, though divided, was judged to be still too extensive and unwieldy for the ruling power; and two assistants were adopted, under the title of Cæsars. The persons thus elevated were named Constantius (often termed Constantius Chlorus) and Galerius Maximianus. The first efforts of these Emperors, in regard to the Britons, were directed against the piratical Franks and Saxons, who not only captured numerous inerchant vessels, but often had the temerity to land on the coast, and plunder the inhabitants. For the protection of the seas against these marauders, the Roman government assembled a powerful fleet in the harbour of Boulogne, and bestowed the command on Carausius, an able naval officer, but a man of a faithless and ambitious disposition. When the misconduct of Carausius was ascertained, and it was discovered that he appropriated to his own use the spoil of which he he divested the pirates, orders were issued for him to be put to death. But he escaped from this danger; and, having an absolute sway over the fleet, sailed for Britain, where he boldly assumed the ensigns of government, and prevailed on the army to support him in his pretensions. The era was propitious, as the Emperors were then perplexed by various distant wars; and the possession of the fleet was a circumstance of preponderating influence in favour of the usurper. He was allowed the title of Emperor, and was permitted to retain uninterrupted dominion for several years.—In this event we first meet with an endeavour to disjoin the province of Britannia Romana from the parent government; and we find that so daring a measure was adopted only by the man who discovered the true defensible strength of the country to consist in its maritime capacities. It is memorable, likewise, that Carausius, in this distracted state of affairs, formed an alliance with the Franks and Saxons; thus introducing the latter people to a close acquaintance with the island on which they afterwards performed a distinguished part. On a partition of the Roman empire, or rather of the duties of administration, which took place, in the year 292, between the four princes who were united in the government, all the provinces to the west of the Alps were allotted to Constantius, who shortly directed his attention towards the recovery of Britain. But this was a task of considerable difficulty, as the usurper had strengthened his fleet to an unprecedented degree, during his quiet sway over the resources of the island; and was, likewise, possessed of several important places in contiguous parts of the Continent. Constantius succeeded in wresting from him Boulogne, so formidable on account of its harbour; and commenced, with great activity, the building of ships in different ports of Gaul. While these preparations were in progress, affairs took a new aspect, in consequence of the assassination of Carausius; which act was perpetrated at York, in the year 293, by Allectus, a confidential officer of the rebel chief. The murderer immediately assumed the purple of Empire and the government of |