BOADICEA, BOUDICIA) or BuNntitcA, a queen of the Iceni, and famous for the formidable resistance which she opposed to the Roman arms.in Britain. Prasutagus, the king of the Iceni, had submitted with an unworthy humility to the Roman power, and bequeathed his estates to his two daughters and to the Emperor Nero. In carrying this will into exe cution, Catus Decianus, the procurator, seized upon all the property of the king.. Boadicea remonstra ted against this iniquitous proceeding ; but her bold. neii'was punished by the most buttilges, The procurator commanded her to be scourged in public as a slave, and her daughter.to be violated by his officers.
Exasperated at these unprovoked• aggressions, the Iceui rose in arms. Boadicea inflamed theirgcourage -by a species of powerful eloquence which she seems to have possessed; and the spirit of revolt, which was kindled from individual wrongs, was speedily infused into the neighbouring nations. The insurgents soon amounted to above 120,000, and began their offen sive operations against the Romans. Camalodunum was taken, and the inhabitants put to the sword. The ninth legion was cut to pieces, and Petilius terealius, who commanded the cavalry, was compelled to en trench himself in his camp. In order to quell this
rebellion, Suetonius Paulinus marched by a danger ous route to Augusta (London); but as he reckon ed this post untenable, he retired to unite his scat tered forces. The eastern part of the island was now in the possession of Boadicea. The blood of 70,000 of her persecutors had been shed to expiate her wrongs; and her army now amounted to 230,000. Even against this powerful host, Suetonius determin ed to risk a battle. He waited in silence the ap proach of the Britons, who began the attack with loud shouts and songs of victory ; but the skill and intrepidity of the Romans repelled this furious attack, and gained a great and decisive•battle, with the loss only of 400 killed. More than 80,000 of the Britons fell in this engagement, which put an end to the hopes and the power of the insurgents. Dispirited by this irretrievable defeat, and dreading the consequences of becoming a Roman captive, Boa dicea either died with chagrin, or ended her days by poison, (A. D. 61.). See Dion. Hist. Roman. lib. lxii. cap. 1-12. Tacit. Annal. lib. xiv. cap. 31 37. Hume's Hist. of England, chap. i. p. 8. (jr)