be conceived; it must, however, have given him an idea that he was about to engage a foe the like he had never seen before. Had Cæsar landed at Dover, the natives would have found the cliffs and rocks in some degree a defence; but as it was, they stood exposed to all the shafts hurled at them. On sand and shingle no wood can grow, and here at Deal on its shore was to be seen nothing but gorse, eryngium, mezereum, and a few indigenous shrubs barely high enough to defend the feet and legs. On this barren soil and open shore Cæsar determined to disembark his troops, it being the most suitable place.

Cæsar therefore ordered his fleet to advance as near as possible to the shore; but it was discovered that his ships drew so much water, that they could not get near enough to the place of landing for part of his troops to cover the landing of the rest. Cæsar, in this arrangement, committed a great blunder, for if the moon was at the full, the tide must be high, and spring tides at the same time, which would, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, give a rise from eighteen to twenty feet at the least at Deal. Dr. Halleys reckons that he left Dover Bay in the afternoon of the 25th of August. If so, the tide must have been ebbed considerably in the Downs. This being the case easily accounts for the difficulty he experienced in disembarking his troops in the afternoon of that day; and supposing it to be four o'clock in the afternoon when he neared the shore, only two hours remained before it was low water-his ships in that case would be more than a thousand feet from the shore, for at that distance we find only from eight to ten feet of water at the ebb when spring tides. Although Caesar's fleets of ships must have been very capacious, the draught of water they drew could not be very great, for all the harbours on the opposite coast are approached by a long distance of shallow water, and in that respect it is the same now as when

Cæsar crossed over. If he had been acquainted with the tides, he would have waited in Dover Bay till the day after his arrival-then, taking advantage of the tide, making about nine or ten in the forenoon, he would be in the Downs; when on the shore, there is always, at the hour of eleven or twelve at the spring, plenty of water, sufficient for a ship drawing fifteen feet or more to come within hail, or even to throw a biscuit on board. Supposing, therefore, that at four o'clock in the afternoon he began to land his troops, the fighting between the natives and Cæsar could not be much above four or five hours before it was dark at the utmost. The circumstance of his ships being so far from the shore necessarily compelled the use of boats, which threw the Romans into great confusion, being obliged to leap overboard, encumbered with heavy armour to defend themselves from their assailants, who stood in a line on the surge of the water.

Cæsar could not have expected to have been met with such a determined resistance, particularly when he called to mind the submission the native chiefs were so ready to make when it was announced to them that he was about to visit their shores. It is recorded that the first onset was furious in the extreme, and greatly in favour of the Britons, who rushed with their war chariots into the sea, and made dreadful havoc among the Roman soldiery, striking them with so much terror and astonishment-not by the impetuosity of their attack merely, but by the peculiar manner of fighting-that the Romans, according to Cæsar's own account, began to give way, and the native fortitude of the Britons for a short time prevailed. In this extremity Cæsar, with great presence of mind, ordered his galleys-that is boats of light draught of water to be rowed within shore, so as to attack the Britons in flank with such weapons and missiles as they usually use in battle. This skilful management suceeded in some degree to abate the fierceness of the Britons, who

became panic-stricken, not by the unusual construction of the galleys, as by the way in which they were handled and by the working of an engine which they were unaccustomed to, and which they were unequal to cope with. The Romans, although observing that the Britons somewhat slackened in their ardour and were falling back, there was no apparent disposition to seize hold of this occurrence to quit their ships, or to take any advantage beyond what the galleys had just accomplished; they were quite as much panic-stricken as the Britons were.

The reception the Romans had met with was so unexpected, and being so little prepared for it, that for a time they shewed no readiness to continue the battle, which the standard-bearer of the Tenth Legion noticing, induced him nobly to leap overboard, exhorting his Legion to follow him. Unless they had made up their minds basely to betray the Roman Eagle into the hands of the native Britons, such a misadventure, had it occured, would have been highly derogatory to them as Romans, as well as a misfortune as fighting men. The example which the standard-bearer had exhibited in thus nobly risking his own life to save the honor of the legion, roused up a spirit of emulation among the whole corps that, losing all sight of danger for the moment, the whole body followed him. The rest of the Roman army having got safely on shore, formed on the top of the full of the beach, where they had standing ground in array of battle, which did not in the least degree intimidate the resolute Britons, for they at once attacked them with such impetuosity and fierceness as well nigh secured them the victory. So hotly pressed had the Romans been by the Britons, that they left their ships in great disorder, hardly knowing how or in what way to escape in safety to the shore. They had been so vigorously assaulted, that order and discipline seemed for a while wholly to have deserted them, for as each one of the Roman soldiers got on land, he

ranged himself under the first colours he could make up to, regardless of all order-in short it was next to impossible for it to be maintained.

Julius Cæsar, as an able general, had his eyes everywhere, for he had staked much of his reputation on this venturesome undertaking in invading Britain. Seeing, however, the confusion and disorder had been occasioned by the activity of the natives in repelling his soldiery, and which still prevailed, he gave orders that all the available boats should at once be filled with fresh troops, which he had retained on board his ships as a Corps de reserve, to be used on an emergency. The sailors who

had control of the boats were told to row about the shore -or a short distance from it-so that whenever they saw any legion over-matched more so than another, at once to give aid and support by a fresh supply of men. This expedient had the effect of supporting the drooping courage of his Legions, who, thus reinforced, had strength enough to battle through the opposing obstacles, and reached a safe footing on the beach of Deal.

This being attained, the strict discipline of the Romans was restored, and the armour, which in landing had so incommoded them, now defended them from the showers of every species of missile which the Britons employed when attacking an enemy. From this fact may be traced the

disastrous issue of the conflict.

Discipline on the one proved more than equal

hand and armour on the other, to the bravery of the native Britons, who were at last obliged to yield, having made a noble defence to preserve their country from spoilation and rapine. The naked Britons, who had only their personal bravery to rely on, quitted the field that day with heavy hearts, doubtless resolving at some future day to try again, if they or the Romans should possess their country.

This victory did not, however, content Cæsar's mind, for he says himself it was far from being complete, owing

to his want of cavalry to follow it up, by pursuing the routed and discomforted islanders on so dangerous a service in a neighbourhood altogether unknown to him.

After this defeat, the Britons sued for peace, and appealed to Cæsar for clemency through the intervention of special messengers, who were accompanied by Comius, a close adherent of Cæsar. This Comius the Britons had at one time treated with great indignity, in seizing his person, and by fixing shackles upon him, before he had an opportunity of explaining the cause why he had come to Britian. The reason assigned for this treatment of one so intimately aquainted with Cæsar by the Chiefs of the island, was the relentless fury of the multitude, which were beyond controul. The Britons asked for forgiveness, promising that for the future they would in all things obey his commands, and were ready to deliver hostages as tokens of good faith. Cæsar retorted upon them, and bid them remember the former engagements, which they had broken, after having of their own free will, sent Ambassadors to him on the Continent, with offers of peace and submission, before he sailed from Gaul; they had, nevertheless, opposed his forces in landing in such a hostile manner and with unparallel fury. But he forgave their indiscretion, and demanded a certain number of hostages -part of whom being on the spot, they delivered up, promising that the remainder should follow as soon as they could be obtained from the remote provinces. Meanwhile, they disbanded their army.

The Chiefs and Governors of the Provinces met in consultation as to the ulterior measures to be adopted, when they resolved to commend themselves to the protection of Cæsar. This submission seems to have been extorted by the pressing necessity of their recent defeat, without the least intention of keeping it longer than it suited their policy, for they renounced it the first opportunity that turned up in their favour. The assembly of the Princes and Governors still continuing in