king Arviragus stopped up the haven, the town stretched itself more to the eastward, under the Castle, but after that, it was built on the south-west side.

It is uncertain whether Dover was first peopled by emigrating Gauls, or whether an ancient colony of Britons were compelled to yield to their Gaulish invaders. If we may credit the accounts Cæsar and other authors have given of them, we may conclude, that they were a hardy race of warriors, living in huts, which were covered with grass, reeds, or rushes. Their dress was as rude as their architecture; the skin of a wild animal, taken in hunting, served them for a garment by day, and a covering by night. Although they had made but a small progress in the useful arts, they had a spear and a sword, and had learned to construct the war chariot; and from the skins of beasts they made shields, breast-plates, and helmets, to defend themselves in times of danger.

It appears a curious fact, that the war chariot, used by the inhabitants of the coast, was at that time unknown to the Romans, and attracted the attention of Julius Cæsar in no slight degree. As this weapon of war had

never been used either by them, the Germans, or the Gauls, it would be matter of curious enquiry to determine, from whence the ancient inhabitants of Kent derived their knowledge of this method of fighting.

They also built vessels, the sides of which are said to have been formed with oziers, similar to those used by Ulysses, and described by Homer in the Odyssey. Their sails were made of the skins of beasts, and their tackling of the same materials.

The inhabitants of the coast had long res mained in this rude state, when Cæsar, having over-run Gaul with his victories, determined upon the conquest of a country, that seemed to promise an easy triumph.

The road of Dover was undoubtedly the anchoring ground of Cæsar's first expedition to Britain, as appears from the following account given by Mr. Hasted, and from the discourse of Dr. Hally, published in the Philosophical Transactions, No. 193.

"Cæsar himself, with the foremost of his ships, arrived on the coast of Britain about ten o'clock in the morning, where he saw all the

* Dr. Hally published a discourse to prove at what time Cæsar landed in Britain, which he demonstrates thus,

cliffs covered by the enemy in arms; and he observed, what would render the execution of his design most difficult at this place, that the sea being narrow, and pent in by the hills,* the Britons could easily throw their darts from thence upon the shore beneath. Wherefore, not thinking this place proper for a landing, he came to an anchor, and waited for the rest of his fleet until three in the afternoon; and

"Cæsar's first expedition was in the consulate of Pompey and Crassus, which was in the year of Rome 699. Augustus died in the year 767, sixty-eight years after Caesar's descent; upon the news of his death there was a mutiny in the Pannonian army, which was quieted by Drusus, by help of an eclipse of the moon. From this eclipse it is certain, that Augustus died in the 14th year of Christ; consequently Caesar's first descent, which was sixty-eight years before, must be in the 55th year current before the Christian æra. And as the year, so may the very day and hour of his landing be fixed; for Cæsar, having mentioned the fourth day after his landing, says, the night after it was full moon. Now the summer being far spent, this full moon must have been in July or August. That in July was in the beginning of the month; and of the two full moons that year in August, that on the first day was at noon; therefore, the full moon which Cæsar mentions, must be that which happened on the 30th, a little after midnight. Hence it is plain he landed four days before, on the 26th of August, about five o'clock in the afternoon." Philosophical Transactions, No. 193.

*These most probably were the hills now on the western, or inland side of Dover town, the sea formerly flowing much farther between them into the land than it does at present.

then calling a council of war, he gave such orders as he thought necessary for the occasion, and mentioned what he intended should be done. After which Caesar, having got both wind and tide in his favour, weighed anchor, and sailed about eight miles farther, and then came to a plain and open shore,* where he ordered the ships to bring to. The Britons, being apprised of the designs of the Romans, sent their horse and chariots before, and following after with the rest of the army, endeavoured to prevent their landing."

Whatever may have been the rude state of the inhabitants of this part of Kent, at the time of Cæsar's first expedition, and however unskilful they may have been considered in the art of war, yet it is sufficiently clear, from his own account, that he met with much greater resistance than he at first imagined. His fleet consisted of "Eighty ships, and a few gallies, on board of which he embarked two legions. On attempting to land, he found a British army ready to receive him, who behaved so exceedingly well, that even these Roman

Dr. Hally is certain, that the cliffs mentioned above were those of Dover; and that from the tide, and other circumstances, the Downs was the place where he landed.

veterans were astonished; from which we may justly infer, that this was not the first time the Britons ever had to do with invaders."* After landing, and gaining some little advantages which he could not maintain, he repaired his fleet, and judged it the wisest thing to return to Gaul. Happy had it been for the Britons if, after so glorious a contest, they had concerted proper measures for giving him as good a reception at his second attempt; but they were deficient in discretion, though not in valour.

After long and severe contentions, the Roman government in Britain was finally established by Julius Agricola, (who governed it during the reigns of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian) and continued after him until the reign of the emperor Valentinian; when the Romans, finding it impossible to stand their ground in Britain, took their last leave of the island, after being masters of it nearly four hundred years.

When the Romans were obliged to withdraw themselves from Britain, they left the natives refined in their manners, but unqualified either

* Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, vol. 1, page 7.

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