The Story of Early Britain Author:Alfred John Church General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1893 Original Publisher: G.P. Putnam's sons Subjects: Great Britain Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Mil... more »lion-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: GAR ACT AC US. Ostorius Scapula found that his predecessor's victories had left him much to do. There had been an interval of inaction between the departure of one commander and the arrival of another, and the Britons had availed themselves of it to invade the country of the tribes friendly to Rome. Though it was very late in the year, Ostorius at once set about the construction of a line of forts, which was to keep the hostile tribes in check. Tacitus, the only authority that we have to follow, is here very obscure. He speaks of the Severn as one of the limits of this line. The other is uncertain ; but it has been guessed to be the Nen. Anyhow the proceedings of Ostorius seems to have offended the Iceni, a powerful people in the east of the island, which had hitherto been friendly. The Iceni were followed into rebellion by several dependent tribes. Ostorius acted with the old Roman energy. The main body of the legions was elsewhere, but he attacked the enemy's camp with his force of cavalry and friendly Britons, and carried it by storm.1 The besieged were entangled 1 Tacitus does not give us a hint of where this took place. in their own defences, and made a desperate resistance ; but the Roman discipline could not be resisted. The last being thus reduced to submission, Ostorius at once marched to the extreme west to attack the Cangi, who are supposed to have inhabited the peninsula of Carnarvonshire. He had nearly reached the "coast which faces Ireland," when he was called north by disturbances among the Brigantes, a powerful people occu...« less