"themselves; thefe intents are clear to have been no "better than antichriftian: fetting up a fpiritual tyranny "by a fecular power, to the advancing of their own authority above the magiftrate, whom they would have "made their executioner, to punish church-delinquen"cies, whereof civil laws have no cognizance. "And well did their difciples manifeft themselves to "be no better principled than their teachers, trufted with "committeeships and other gainful offices, upon their "commendations for zealous, (and as they ticked not "to term them) godly men; but executing their places "like children of the devil, unfaithfully, unjustly, unmercifully, and where not corruptly, ftupidly. So that "between them the teachers, and thete the disciples, "there hath not been a more ignominious and mortal "wound to faith, to piety, to the work of reformation, "nor more caufe of blafpheming given to the enemies of "God and truth, fince the firft preaching of reformation. "The people therefore looking one while on the sta"tifts, whom they beheld without conftancy or firmnefs, labouring doubtfully beneath the weight of their own "too high undertakings, bufieft in petty things, trifling "in the main, deluded and quite alienated, expreffed "divers ways their difaffection; fome defpifing whom be"fore they honoured, fome deferting, fome inveighing, "fome confpiring against them. Then looking on the churchmen, whom they faw under fubtle hypocrify to "have preached their own follies, most of them not the gofpel, timeservers, covetous, illiterate perfecutors, "not lovers of the truth, like in moft things whereof "they accufed their predeceffors: looking on all this, "the people which had been kept warm a while with the "counterfeit zeal of their pulpits, after a falfe heat, became more cold and obdurate than before, fome turning to lewdnefs, fome to flat atheism, put befide their "old religion, and foully fcandalized in what they expected fhould be new. "Thus they who of late were extolled as our greatest "deliverers, and had the people wholly at their devotion, "by fo difcharging their truft as we fee, did not only "weaken and unfit themfelves to be difpenfers of what G3 "liberty liberty they pretended, but unfitted also the people, "now grown worfe and more difordinate, to receive or "to digeft any liberty at all. For ftories teach us, that cr liberty fought out of season, in a corrupt and degene"rate age, brought Rome itself to a farther flavery: for "liberty hath a fharp and double edge, fit only to be "handled by juft and virtuous men; to bad and diffo"lute, it becomes a mischief unwieldly in their own "hands: neither is it completely given, but by them who "have the happy fkill to know what is grievance and 66 unjuft to a people, and how to remove it wifely; what good laws are wanting, and how to frame them "fubftantially, that good men may enjoy the freedom "which they merit, and the bad the curb which they "need. But to do this, and to know thefe exquifite pro"portions, the heroic wifdom which is required, fur"mounted far the principles of thefe narrow politicians: "what wonder then if they funk as these unfortunate "Britons before them, entangled and oppreffed with things too hard and generous above their ftrain and temper? For Britain, to fpeak a truth not often fpoken, as it is a land fruitful enough of men stout "and courageous in war, fo it is naturally not over"fertile of men able to govern juftly and prudently "in peace, trufting only in their motherwit; who "confider not justly, that civility, prudence, love of "the public good, more than of money or vain ho 66 nour, are to this fail in a manner outlandish; grow "not here, but in minds well implanted with folid "and elaborate breeding, too impolitic elfe and rude, "if not headftrong and intractable to the industry "and virtue either of executing or understanding "true civil government. Valiant indeed, and prof 66 perous to win a field; but to know the end and reafon "of winning, unjudicious, and unwife: in good or bad "fuccefs, alike unteachable. For the fun, which we want, ripens wits as well as fruits; and as wine and oil are imported to us from abroad, fo muft ripe understanding, and many civil virtues, be imported into our "minds from foreign writings, and examples of beft ages; we shall else miscarry still, and come fhort in the at"tempts 4 66 66 tempts of any great enterprife. Hence did their vic"tories prove as fruitlefs, as their loffes dangerous; and "left them ftill conquering under the fame grievances, "that men fuffer conquered: which was indeed unlikely to go otherwife, unless men more than vulgar bred up, "as few of them were, in the knowledge of ancient and "illuftrious deeds, invincible against many and vain titles, impartial to friendships and relations, had conducted "their affairs: but then from the chapman to the retailer, many whofe ignorance was more audacious than the reft, were admitted with all their fordid rudiments to "bear no mean fway among them, both in church and ❝ftate. "From the confluence of all their errours, mischiefs, "and misdemeanors, what in the eyes of man could be expected, but what befel thofe ancient inhabitants, "whom they so much resembled, confufion in the end? "But on these things, and this parallel, having "enough infifted, I return to the ftory, which gave us matter of this digreffion."] pro The Britons thus, as we heard, being left without tection from the empire, and the land in a manner emptied of all her youth, confumed in wars abroad, or not caring to return home, themselves, through long subjection, fervile in mind *, flothful of body, and with the ufe of arms unacquainted, fuftained but ill for many years the violence of thofe 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 feemed awhile to beftir them with a show of diligence in their new affairs, fome fecretly afpiring to rule, others adoring the name of liberty, yet fo foon 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 use and maintain true liberty, they foon remitted their heat, and shrunk more wretchedly under the burden of their own liberty, than before under a foreign yoke. Infomuch that the refidue of thofe Romans, which had planted * Gild. Bede. Malins. + Zozim. 1. 6. themselves here, defpairing of their ill deportment at home, and weak resistance in the field by those few who had the courage or the ftrength to bear arms, nine years after the facking of Rome removed out of Britain into France, hiding for hafte great part of their treasure, which was never after found †. And now again the Britons, no longer able to support themselves against the prevailing enemy, folicit Honorius to their aid, with mournful letters, embaffages and vows of perpetual fubjection to Rome, if the northern foe were but repulsed. § He at their request spares them one legion, which with great flaughter of the Scots and Picts drove them beyond the borders, rescued the Britons, and advised them to build a wall acrofs the island, between fea and fea, from the place where Edinburgh 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, availed them little. ** For no fooner was the legion departed, but the greedy fpoilers returning land in great numbers from their boats and pinnaces, wafting, flaying, and treading down all before them. Then are meffengers again posted to Rome in lamentable fort, befeeching that they would not fuffer a whole province to be deftroyed, and the Roman name, fo honourable yet among them, to become the fubject of Barbarian fcorn and infolence. †† The emperor, at their fad complaint, with what speed was poffible, fends to their fuccour. Who coming fuddenly on those ravenous multitudes that minded only spoil, furprife them with a terrible flaughter. They who escaped fled back to thofe feas, from whence yearly they were wont to arrive, and return laden with booties. But the Romans, who came not now to rule, but charitably to aid, declaring that it stood not longer with the eafe of their affairs to make fuch laborious voyages in pursuit of fo bafe and vagabond robbers, of whom neither glory was to be got, nor gain, exhorted them to manage their own warfare; and to defend like men their country, + Gildas. Poft || Bede, 1. 1. c. 2. ** Gildas. * Post Christ. 418. + Ethelwerd. annal. Sax. Christ. 422. § Diaconus, l. 14. ++ Poft Chrift. 423. their wives, their children, and what was to be dearer than life, their liberty, against an enemy not stronger than themselves, if their own floth and cowardice had not made them fo: if they would but only find hands to grasp defenfivé arms, rather than bafely ftretch them out to receive bonds. * They gave them alfo their help to build a new wall, not of earth as the former, but of stone, (both at the public coft, and by particular contributions) tráverfing the ifle in a direct line from east to west, between certain cities placed there as frontiers to bear off the enemy, where Severus had walled once before. They raised it twelve foot high, eight broad. Along the fouth fhore, becaufe from thence alfo like hoftility was feared, they place towers by the fea-fide at certain distances, for fafety of the coast. Withal they inftruct them in the art of war, leaving patterns of their arms and weapons behind them; and with animating words, and many leffons of valour to a faint hearted audience, bid them finally farewel, without purpose to return. And these two friendly expeditions, the last of any hither by the Romans, were performed, as may be gathered out of Beda and Diaconus, the two last years of Honorius. Their leader, as fome 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 battle Fergus first king of Scots, after their fecond fuppofed coming into Scotland, Durftus, king of Picts, both there flain, and Dioneth an imaginary king of Britain, or duke of Cornwall, who improbably fided with them against his own country, hardly efcaping t. With no lefs exactness of particular circumftances he takes upon him to relate all thofe tumultuary inroads of the Scots and Picts into Britain, as if they had but yesterday happened, their order of battle, manner of fight, number of flain, 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 believed for bare affertions, however Bede, ibid. Gildas. + Blond. Sabellic. + Buch. 1. 5. quaintly |