often happened that one party had not the particular kind of goods which the other wanted, or that the two things proposed to be exchanged were not of equal value, or that the one or both of them could not be divided, as in the case of living animals, &e. without being destroyed. These, and many other inconveniences attending this primitive mode of commerce, must have been sensibly felt by the ancient Britons, as well as by all other nations, in the infancy of their establishment. This, bowever, was happily removed by constituting certain scarce and precious me tals, such as gold, silver, and brass, to be common measures, and representatives of all commodities, and the great mediura of commerce, and were admirably adapted to answer this purpose, being scarce, of great intrinsic value, durable, portable, and divisible into as many paris as was necessary without loss. This was the origin of money, which, notwithstanding all the general declamation of poets, moralists, divines, sluggards, and spendthrifts, hath certainly proved one of the most useful of human inventions, not only in promoting a free and universal intercourse amongst mankind, but by creating independence, industry, generosity, and the many other benefits which the proper application of this useful metal produces. We know not the exact time when it was introduced into Britain; but that it was so some time before the invasion of Cæsar, is evident from his own confession: "The Britons," says he, "use either brass money, or rings and plates of iron of a determinate weight by way of money." As to gold and silver, though there are advocates for its being found in this country before the invasion, the authority of Cæsar and other historians are against them. However, it appears that the Britons had gold and silver, and that the superior industry of the Ronians some time after the invasion discovered them, as Taeitus says, .. Britain produceth gold, silver, and other metals, to reward its conquerors." The progress of coining soon succeeded the invention of the mines; and from the figures of oxen, horses, hogs, and sheep, emblematic of their riches, being stairped upon them, they, in time, proceeded to the heads of their princes, with legends, &c. The first British coins which have been found with inscriptions on them were in the reiga of Cunobeleni, a prince who flourisued between the first and second Roman invasion. The progress of the Roman con. quest, however, occasioned a total change in the coin of Great Britain, and in a little time much increased its quantity for as soon as Claudius and his generals had deprived the British princes of their authority, and reduced their dominions into the form of a province, their coin, and that of their predecessors, was no longer the current coin of the country, but the Roman money, stamped with the faces and titles of their emperors, was substituted in its place. Shipping. As long as the trade of Britain was in the hands of the Phenicians and Greeks, it was, no doubt, carried on entirely on foreign bottoms, as the Britons knew little or nothing of navigation. In their subsequent intercourse with the Gauls, from their great proximity, and some of the Gaulish merchants settling here, they learned the trade of ship-building, and began to export their own in. lead, skins, and other commodities, to the continent in their own vessels. Their little voyages, no doubt, like the voyages of the infant navigators in all uncivilized states, were performed with great caution, and no little terrorsteering from that part of the island that lay nearest to the continent, that they might never lose sight of the land. By degrees, however, they became bolder, and launched out from other parts of the coast; when being driven, by storms, into latitudes which presented nothing but an open sea and the heavens above them, they fixed their eyes on the heavenly bodies as the only objects capable of affording them any direction, till, by degrees, they acquired such a knowledge of the situation and appearance of certain stars, as was sufficient to guide them on their voyage to several parts of the continent which could not be seen from any part of the British coast. The knowledge of ship-building and maritime affairs was considerably in creased by the Romans, and becaine so considerable towards the close of the third century, that, under the command of Carausius, an officer of great conrage, he not only repelled the incursiona of the French and Saxon pirates, but, finding himself in the command of such a powerful ficel, he began to make head against his masters, the emperors Dioclesian and Maximianus, and obliged them to admit him to a share of the Imperial dignity. But all those advantages which the Britons obtained ultimately by the Romans, they lost on their departure from this island; for the Roman garrisons being withdrawn, as well as their fleets, to the protection of the capital, the remainder of the British ships became an easy prey to the French and Saxon pirates at sea, and were not secure even in their own harbours. This obliged all the most wealthy merchants to retire with their ships and effects into the interior provinces of the empire, and left this island divested of its most natural and only secure defence-a powerful maritime force capable of maintaining the dominion of the surrounding sea, supported by a flourishing and extensive commerce. History of Manners, Customs, Dresses, &c. of the People of Britain. As the climate of a country is supposed to have a considerable effect upon the constitution and tempers of its inhabitants, it will be necessary to say something upon this head, preparatory to other & scriptions. In respect to the climate of Britain, it appears by the best authors to be quite a different one to what it is at present; it being then remarkably mild and temperate, whereas that of Gaul was cold and tempestuous; colder than a gallic winter," was proverbial amongst the Romans; and Julius Cæsar, who made two expeditions into Britain, and who added a considerable share of natural philosophy to his various military knowledge, says in express terms, "that the climate of Britain is milder than that of Gaul, and the cold not so intense." The face of the country, however, was so covered with woods, that the whole island was said to be "horrida sylvis." * Some of these woods were of immense extent, and in a manner covered whole counties; the famous forest of Anderida being no less than one hundred and twenty miles in length, and thirty in breadth. *Leland's Itinerary, vol. vi. The country too abounded in bogs and marshes, which, though in general, not favourable to the air of the surrounding places, often harassed their enemies in marches as well as battle; who, not knowing the passes by which they might avoid them, fell a sacrifice to the Britons. Language of the Ancient Britons. The language of our ancestors, when they were first invaded, was a dialect of the Celtic, which had been the language of all the nations of Europe descended from Gomer. This appears evident from the nature and reason of things, from the testimony of ancient authors, as well as from the names of rivers, lakes, mountains, &c. in Britain, being significant and descriptive in the Celtic tongue; as well as from the remains of the ancient and venerable language in some parts of Eritain, as well as in some countries on the continent. Persons of the Ancient Britons and their inherent Love of Liberty. Their persons were remarkable for the largeness of their bo·lics, and the height of their stature. "The Eritons," says Strabo "exceed the Gauls in stature; of which I had occular demonstration, for I saw some young Britons at Rome, who were half a foot taller than the tallest man." They were likewise very swift of foot, and excelled in running, swimming, wrestling, climbing, and in all kinds of bodily exercises, in which either strength or activity was required; and living in a simple frugal manner, we need not be surprised that many of them lived to a great age. "Some of the people of Britain," says Plutarch, "live to one hundred and twenty years." The hair of the Britons (particularly the Caledonians) was for the most part of a reddish cast; and that of the ilures, or people of South Wales, most commonly curled. All the Celtic nations had blue eyes, which seem to have been esteemed a great beauty by the ancient Britons, particularly amongst the women, who likewise excelled in the fairness, whiteness, and softness of their persous; insomuch that their bards frequently compared their bosoms to the down of the swan. Nature scemed to be no less liberal to the minds of the Britons. The Gauls are represented by all the ancient au thors, who speak of them as an acute and ingenious people, very capable of acquiring any art or science to which they applied. "But the Britons (says Julius Agricola, a great writer as well as a great general, and who knew both nations well) "have a much happier taste for the acquisition of the sciences." He particularly celebrates the noble youths of Britain, who applied themselves to the study of the Roman language and elocution, and more than once publicly declared "that they by far excelled the youths of Gaul in genius." They had, however, the vices and passions of all uncivilized nations, such as, pride, ferocity, anger, curiosity, credulity, inconstancy, &c. &c. But these were again balanced by courage, hospitality, sincerity, frugality, and, above all, a rooted attachment to liberty. It was to this well known passion of theirs that their leaders constantly addressed themselves in all their harangues, to excite them to fight bravely against the Romans; and it was this powerful passion, which animated them to make so long and so obstinate a resistance to those conquerors of the world. So great an abhorrence had the Caledonians to the subjection of the Romans, that they put their wives and children to death with their own hands, when they despaired of being able to preserve them from slavery by any other means.* And the character which Tacitus gives of the ancient Britens, even after they had submitted to the Roman government, and had not been enervated with Roman luxuries, is not only highly creditable to our ancestors, but bears a proud certificate of national honour to their posterity of the present day. "The Britons," says Tacitus," are a people who pay their taxes and obey the laws with pleasure, provided no arbitrary illegal demands are made upon them; but these they cannot bear without the greatest impatience; for they are reduced to the state of subjects, not of slaves." As a further proof of their love of liberty, even in their declining state, we insert the following speech of Gol gacus, one of the British chiefs, to his countrymen, before the last battle he had with Agricola, and which, in a great measure, decided the fate of the British empire. *Tacitus Vita Agric. c. 58. "Friends and Countrymen, "Whenever I contemplate the causes of the war, and the necessities to which we are reduced, great is my confidence, that this day, and this union of yours, will prove the revival of universal liberty to Britain. For besides that bondage is what we have never borne, we are so beset, that beyond us there is no further land; nor, in truth, is there any security left us from the sea, whilst the Roman fleet is hovering upon our coasts: thus, the same expedient which proves bonourable to brave men, is to cowards, too, become the safest of all others; even present recourse to battle and to arms. "In vain will you seek for a remedy or refuge from any obsequiousness of humble behaviour of yours: they are plunderers of the earth, who, in their universal devastations, finding countries to fail them, investigate and rob even the scas; if the enemy be wealthy, be inflames their avarice; if poor, their ambition. They are general spoilers, such as neither the eastern world nor the western can satiate; they only of all men thirst after acquisitions, both poor and rich with equal avidity and passion. To spoil, to butcher, and commit every kind of violence, they style by a lying name, Government; and when they have spread a general desolation, they call it Peace. "Dearest to every man are his chil dren and kindred by the contrivance and designation of nature; these are snatched from us for recruits, and doomed to bondage in other parts of the earth. Our wives and sisters, how> ever they may escape rapes and violence as from open enemies, are still debauched under the appearance and privilege of friendship and hospitality Our fortunes and possessions they exhaust for tribute, our grain for their provisions; even our bodies and limbs are extenuated and wasted, whilst we are doomed to the drudgery of making cuts through woods and drains under continual blows and outrages. Such as are born to be slaves, are but once sold, and thenceforward nourished by their lords; whilst Britain is daily paying for its servitude-is daily feeding it. We have no fields to cultivate, no mines to dig, nor ports to make, works for which they might be tempted to spare us alive; beside that, ever dis tasteful to rulers is maguanimity and a daring spirit in their subjects. Secing, |