The British mode of warfare appears to have received but little alteration from the introduction of Roman tactics. Till finally subdued, their princes showed abilities both in the command of armies and in the conduct of war ; they chose their ground judiciously ; filmed able plans of active opera tions ; and availed themselves of all the advantages of local knowledge: but to the fortresses described, if we may rely on the testimonies of our ancient writers, they did not very frequently retire. Their deficiencies both in the attack, the construction, and the defence of such places, must have been very obvious even to themselves ; and as they delighted to live, so they usually chose to fight, in open plains. Their impatient courage, and their aversion from labour, made them unable to endure the delays and fatigues of defending or besieging the castles of their time ; and they often reproached the Romans with cowardice, for raising such solid works about their camps and stations. See Boadicea's famous speech to her army, in riphilin, ex Dione in Xerone.
Of the Roman military works in this country, they were for the greater part temporary ; many, however, were stationary posts ; and some few, to the retention of which the greatest importance was attached, became walled rostra.
Casar, in the work already quoted, Be Gall. lib. vii. describes one of his camps as fortified very much in the man ner of a walled city. A few of the Roman stations in our own country assist in throwing light on the description ; and, in short, such as were so surrounded, appear to have been the link of connection between the British earth-work and the feudal castle.
Ri•hborough, Portchester, and Pevensey, are the three greatest fortresses the Romans have left us. Richborough, the very earliest in order of time, is supposed to have been begun in the year 43, in the reign of Claudius ; but not to have been completed till 205, under the direction of emperor Severus. There are in this distinguished fortress, says Mr. King, pfunimenta Antigua, vol. ii. p. 8) still plainly to be traced all the principal parts of one of the very greatest and most perfect of the stationary camps. The upper division for the general and chief officers, and the lower division for the legion. In the former, the przeturium with its parade ; and the sacellum. or small temple, for depositing the ensigns. In the walls too are the traces of the four great gates; the Ilecuman, the przetorian, and the two posterns. The great courses of stone, with which the wall is tbrtned, are separated from each other by alternate layers, composed entirely of a double course of bricks each; as in the walls of Verulam, Silehester, and other of our Roman towns.
The Boman remains at Portchester are not perhaps so clearly to be traced ; since, having been constantly used as a fortress in succeeding ages, it has received vast and extremely various additions : and presents us with specimens of military architecture in almost every period, from the Normans to the time of Queen Elizabeth. • alterations to those first mentioned, have given so strong a turn to the general character of Pevensey, that its real rem has been sometimes doubted ; though portions of the Roman wall, as well as the decuman gate, may be easily and accu•atoly traced.
Here too it may not he irrelevant to observe, that the castle at Colchester, in Essex, has been sometimes taken a Roman fortress. And this not only because it has many of the same sort of tiles which are found in Roman walls, but because they are laid in the same manner, with bands. Though, if the building be examined with attention, there may be traced, in almost every part, evident marks either of the later Saxon or Norman workmanship : and though many of the tiles which are used in it may have been gathered from the remains of Roman buildings, the greater part appears to have been made on purpose. See the Archaologia, vol. iv. p. 33.
That in the Roman times, however, there must have been many other such walled stations as those at 1:ichborough, Portchester, and Pevensey, there can be little doubt. The Saxons, in the course of their long wars with the Britons, may be fairly supposed to have destroyed many of the tbrtili cations which had been thus erected : and after their final settlement, they neglected to repair those which remained, or to build many of their own. By these menus the country became open and defenceless ; which greatly theilitated the incursions of the Danes, who met with little obstruction from fortified places. That there was, however, something like a castle at Bamborough, in Northinnberland, we have the con current testimony of historians, as :\ hit thew of Westminster, p. 193, sub ann. 51.7. Saxon Chronicle, p. 19. Roger ]loved. p. 238, b. Bede, lib. iii. chap. vi. p. : a castle at Corte, in Dorsetshire, is said to have existed in the days of Edgar. Gough's Add. to Cumarn, vol. i. p. 49. King's Muni menta Antigua, vol. iii. p. 209. Portchester castle, during this period, probably retained its designation. And Air.