Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/453

 I BBITANNICAE INSULAE. extent to which the moulds of different countries — Fnnoei Germany, Scandinavia — ^resemble each other, tnm in points rf apparently arbitrary detail, is (to a cectain extent) against the native claim. The uniformity of the alby is no more than what we aspect from the chemical conditions necessary for the •chievement of a good implonent — ^indeed it ia nther leas. It varies from one of tin and seven of copper, to one of tin and twelve of copper; whilst it is the opinion of experienced metallm^ists that the best alloy (one tin to ten oopper) could easily be hit upon by different artists wholly independent of intercommunication. The Damnonian Britons sold tin. IVhat did they take in payment? In all historiea of commerce these questions axe correlative. Dr. Wilson (Pre> kistorie AnnaU of Scotland, p. 196) truly remarka that Strabp's accou nt of the Gafiaitfizillfis ia not greatly^to be relied onT " Tot their tin and lead they took in exchange salt, skins, and bronze Tessels (xaA«i$/Mrra). This latter is a strange article of import for a countxy of tin, copper, and moulds. The earliest gkit that haa a bearing upon the geography of Britain is the word CoMtU^idet^ for it must be observed that whilst the Vrordl Sri^nia is ncm^existent in Herodotus, the Orphic extract knows only the Irish (/emtofi) isles. Now this, though bearing upon Britain, is no British word. It is the oriental tenn KcuHra, This distinction is important. Were the word Brititk in origin, we should be enabled to enhance the antiquity of the Conush tin-trade — since the word Kttffffhfpos occurs both in Homer and Hesiod. Who, however, shall say that, however much the I probabilities may be in favour of the Homeric and Hesiodio tin having been Cornish, it was not Indian — t. e, Malayan ? The fiain«, at least, is in fitvour of the greater antiquity of the Eastern trade. The two tndes may have been concurrent; the Eastern being the older — atleaat this is what is suggested bj the name. Su^/rnCu*^ t^^ ^^ '^<Au w / BBlTAjriftA Proper. x'/,^^V, We may now deal with the proper British portion of the British isles, i.e. South Britain and Caledonia. VI. HiSTORT. When the archaeological period ceases and the tine and proper civil histoiy of Britain begins, we find that a portion of the island, at least, was in political rehaioos with Gaul — ^Divitiacus, the king of the Suessiones, a Belgic tribe, holding the sove- reignty. In the following year these relations are abiO Gallic, and the VeatAi, of the parts about the present town of Fofmea, obtain assistance against Caesar from the Britons. Thus early are our maritime habits attested. In chastisement of this, Caesar prepares his first invasion (b.c. 55); Volu- senus, one of his lieutenants, having been sent on beforehand, to reconnoitre. We may measure the intercourse between Britam and Gaul by some of the detiuls of these events. His intended invasion is known almost as soon as it is determined on, and ambassadors are sent from Britain to avert it. These are sent back, and along with them Commius the Attrebatian, of whose in- fiuenoe in Britain Caesar made use. Having em- Larked from Gessoriacum, lands ; is opposed ; con- quers; and again receives an embassy. His fleet aaffers during the high tides of the month of August, BBITANNICAE INSULAE. 435 and in September he returns to Gaul. His Buccesses (such as they are) are announced by letter at Borne, and honoured with a twenty-day fiestivaL His second expedition takes place in the Hay of Uie following year. He is oppoeed on landing by Cassivelaunus. The details of this second expediti<m carry us as far westward as the present county of Herts, — wherein the Hundred of Cassio is reasonably supposed to give us the stockaded village, or head- quarters of Cassivelaunus, with whom the Trino- bantes, Cenomagni, Ancalites, and Bibroci are in politiciil relations. The reduction of Cassivelannus is incomplete, and Caesar, when he departs from the island, departs with the whole of his aiJiy, and with the real independence of the country nnimpainiil. The boundaiy between the counties of Oxford and Berks seems to have been the most western part of the area affected, either directly or indirectiy, by the second invasion of Caesar. The first was con- fined to the coast. The best evidence as to the condition of Britain under Augustus is that of the Monumentum An- cyranum : IIP02 EME IKETAI KATE«TrON BAISI- AEI2 IIAPdnN MEN TEIPIAATH2 KAI ME- TEHEITA «PAATH2 BASIAEXIS «PA[A]TOT TI02 MHAHN [A]E APTA ••♦»»»» BP£TA|>nNaN AOM[NXlN BE]AAATN02[TE] KAI[TIMJ ♦ ♦ ». The oommentaiy on this comes no earlier than Dion Cassins. From him we learn, that although it was the intention of the emperor to have reduced Britain, he proceeded no fiirther than Gaul, where he received an embassy. So late a writer as Jot- nandes is our authority fw believing that he exer- cised sovereignty over it, — **servire coegit, Boma- nisque legibus vivere " (Jh Regn, Success.) — for the inscription only shows that certain Britons sought the presence of Augustus at Rome. The frirther statement that tribute was taken is from the utterly uncritical Nennius, whose evidence seems to rest upon the scriptural expression that " all the wwld was taxed," and upon the inference that, if so, d fortiori, Britain. His text is " tenente Octaviano Angusto Monarchiam totius mundi ; et censmn ez Britannia ipse solus acoepit; ut Virgilius, ' Purpurea intexti toUnnt aulaea Britanni.* " The use of the word census instead of tributum is important. The original word is Krjyffos ; and, Nennius, who uses it, took his English history from the Evangelists. A single event is referrible to the reign of Ti- berius. The petty kings (reguU) sent back to Gennanicus some of his soldiers, who had been either thrown on the coast of Britain by stress of weather, or sold. (Tac. Ann. ii. 24.) Friendly relations is all that is proved by this passage. The notion that Tiberius succeeded to the empire, and (amongst other nations) ruled Britain, rests on a passage of Henry of Huntingdon, evidently an inference from the likelihood <^ the succcssot of 'Augustus exercising the same sway as Augustus himself. — " Tiberius, privignus August!, poet eum regnavit annos xxiii, tam super Britani^am quam super alia regna totius mundi.** The eridence of Caligula's nUeations is essentially the same as that of Augustus : namely, Dion Cassins. Caligula having passed the Rhine, " seemed to me- cUtate an attack upon Britain, but retreated frvm the veiy ocean." (lix. 21.) Then follows the ao- ff2