these narrow Polliticians: what wonder then if they funk as these unfortunat Britans before them, entangled and oppreffed with things too hard and generous above thir ftraine and temper? For Britan, to speak a truth not oft'n spok'n, as it is a Land fruitfull enough of men ftout and courageous in warr, foe it is naturally not over-fertill of men able to govern juftly and prudently in peace, trusting onely in thir Motherwit; who confider not justly, that civility, prudence, love of the Publick good, more then of money or vaine honour, are to this foile in a manner outlandish; grow not here, but in mindes well implanted with folid and elaborat breeding, too impolitic els and rude, if not headstrong and intractable to the industry and vertue either of executing or understanding true Civill Goverment. Valiant indeed, and profperous to win a field; but to know the end and reafon of winning, unjudicious, and unwife: in good or bad fucces, alike unteachable. For the Sun, which wee want, ripens wits as well as fruits; and as Wine and Oil are imported to us from abroad, foe must ripe understanding, and many Civill Vertues, be imported into our mindes from Foren Writings, and Examples of beft Ages; we shall els mifcarry still, and com fhort in the attempts of any great enterprize. Hence did thir Victories prove as fruitles, as thir Loffes dang'rous; and left them still conq'ring under the fame greevances, that Men fuffer conquer'd: which was indeed unlikely to goe otherwife, unles Men more then vulgar bred up, as few of them were, in the knowledg of antient and illuftrious deeds, invincible against many and vaine Titles, impartial to Freindships and Relations, had conducted thir Affairs but then from the Chapman to the Retailer, many whofe ignorance was more audacious then the reft, were admitted with all thir fordid Rudiments to bear no meane fway among them, both in Church and State.

From the confluence of all thir Errours, Mischeifs, and Misdemeanours, what in the eyes of Man could be expected, but what befell those antient Inhabitants, whom they fo much resembl'd, confufion in the end?

But on these Things, and this Parallel, having anough infifted, I returne to the Story, which gave us matter of this digreffion.]

The Britans thus as we heard being left without protection from the Empire, and the Land in a manner emptied of all her youth, confumed in Warrs abroad, or not caring to return home, themselves through long subjection, fervile in mind,' floathful of body, and with the use of Arms unacquainted, sustain'd but ill for many years the violence of those barbarous Invaders, who now daily grew upon them. For although at first greedy of change, and to be thought the leading Nation to freedom from the Empire, they seem'd a while to beftirr them with a fhew of diligence in thir new affairs, som secretly aspiring to rule, others adoring the name of liberty, yet so soon as they felt by proof the weight of what it was to govern well themselves, and what was wanting within them, not stomach or the love of licence, but the wisdom, the virtue, the labour, to ufe and maintain true libertie, they soon remitted thir heat, and shrunk more wretchedly under the burden of thir own libertie, than before under a foren yoke. Infomuch that the refidue of those Romans which had planted themselves heer, despairing of thir ill deportment at home, and weak refiftance in the field by those few who had the courage, or the strength to bear Arms, nine years after the facking of Rome remov'd out of Britain into France [A. D. 418], hiding for hafte great part of thir treasure, which was never after found. And now again the Britans, no longer

1 Gild. Bede. Malins.

3 Ethelwerd. annal. Sax:

2 Zozim. 1. 6.

able to fupport themselves against the prevailing Enemy, follicit Honorius to thir aid, with mournful Letters [A. D. 422], Embaffages and vows of perpetual fubjection to Rome if the Northern Foe were but repuls't. He at thir request spares them one Legion,5 which with great flaughter of the Scots and Picts drove them beyond the Borders, refcu'd the Britans, and advis'd them to build a Wall cross the Iland, between Sea and Sea, from the place where Edinburg now stands to the Frith of Dunbritton, by the City Alcluith. But the material being only Turf, and by the rude multitude unartificially built up without better direction, avail'd them little. For no fooner was the Legion departed, but the greedy fpoilers returning, land in great numbers from thir Boats and Pinaces, wafting, flaying, and treading down all before them. Then are meffengers again pofted to Rome in lamentable fort, befeeching that they would not fuffer a whole Province to be destroy'd, and the Roman name, fo honourable yet among them, to become the fubject of barbarian fcorn and infolence. The Emperor, at thir fad complaint, with what speed was poffible fends to thir fuccour [A. D. 423]. Who coming fuddenly on those ravenous multitudes that minded only spoil, surprise them with a terrible flaughter. They who efcap'd, fled back to those Seas, from whence yearly they were wont to arrive, and return lad'n with booties. But the Romans who came not now to rule, but charitably to aid, declaring that it stood not longer with the ease of thir Affairs to make such laborious voyages in pursuit of so base and vagabond robbers, of whom neither glory was to be got, nor gain, exhorted them to manage thir own warfare; and to defend like men thir Country, thir Wives, thir Children, and what was to be dearer than 5 Diaconus, l. 14. 7 Gildas.

Gildas.

6 Bede, 1. 1. c. 2.

life, thir liberty, against an Enemy not stronger than themselves, if thir own floth and cowardife had not made them fo; if they would but only find hands to grafp defenfive Arms, rather than bafely stretch them out to receave bonds. They gave them also thir help to build a new Wall, not of earth as the former, but of stone (both at the public coft, and by particular contributions) traverfing the Ile in direct line from Eaft to Weft between certain Cities plac'd there as Frontiers to bear off the Enemy, where Severus had wall'd once before. They rais'd it 12 Foot high, 8 broad. Along the South fhoar, because from thence alfo like hoftility was fear'd, they place Towers by the Sea fide at certain distances, for fafety of the Coast. Withall they inftruct them in the art of Warr, leaving Patterns of thir Arms and Weapons behind them; and with animating words, and many leffons of valour to a faint-hearted audience, bid them finally farewell, without purpose to return. And these two friendly Expeditions, the last of any hither by the Romans, were perform'd, as may be gather'd out of Beda, and Diaconus, the two laft years of Honorius. Thir Leader, as fom modernly write, was Gallio of Ravenna; Buchanan, who departs not much from the Fables of his Predeceffor Boethius, names him Maximianus, and brings against him to this Battel Fergus first King of Scots after thir fecond suppos'd coming into Scotland, Durftus King of Picts, both there flain, and Dioneth an imaginary King of Britain, or Duke of Cornwall, who improbablie fided with them against his own Countrie, hardlie escaping. 10 With no less exactness of particular circumstances, he takes upon him to relate all those tumultuarie inrodes of the Scots and Picts into Britain, as if they had but yesterday happen'd, thir order of Battel, manner of fight, number of flain,

Bede ibid. Gildas. 9 Blond. Sabellic.

10 Buch. 1. 5.

Articles of Peace, things whereof Gildas and Beda are utterly filent, Authors to whom the Scotch Writers have none to cite comparable in Antiquity; no more therefore to be believ'd for bare affertions, however quaintlie dreft, than our Geofry of Monmouth when he varies most from authentick ftorie. But either the inbred vanity of fome, in that respect unworthily call'd Historians, or the fond zeal of praising thir Nations above truth hath fo far tranfported them, that where they find nothing faithfully to relate, they fall confidently to invent what they think may either best set off thir Historie, or magnifie thir Countrie.

The Scots and Picts in manners differing fomwhat from each other, but still unanimous to rob and spoile, hearing that the Romans intended not to return, from thir Gorroghs, or Leathern Frigats,11 pour out themfelves in fwarms upon the Land, more confident than ever and from the North end of the Ile to the very wall fide, then first took poffeffion as inhabitants; while the Britans with idle Weapons in thir hands ftand trembling on the Battlements, till the half-naked Barbarians with thir long and formidable Iron hooks pull them down headlong. The reft not only quitting the Wall but Towns and Cities, leave them to the bloodie purfuer, who follows killing, wafting, and destroying all in his way. From thefe confufions arose a Famin, and from thence difcord and civil commotion among the Britans: each man living by what he rob'd or took violently from his Neighbour. When all stores were confum'd and spent where men inhabited, they betook them to the Woods, and liv'd by hunting, which was thir only fuftainment. To the heaps of these evils from without, were added new divifions within the Church.12 For Agricola the Son of Severianus a Pelagian Bishop had spread his

11 Gildas. Bede.

12 Bede.