In the reign of Dioclesian, Carnusius, an active naval officer, having been entrusted with the command of a I powerful armament against the swarms of Saxon pirates infested the coast of Britain, usurped the purple, and reigned for eight years in Iipitain with vigour and success ; for he not only defended her shores from in vasion, but even enlarged the limits of the Roman pro vince, and repaired the wall of Agricola between the Forth and Clyde. At length Constantius, the coadjutor of Dioclesian, preparing to attack Carnusius, was as sassinated by his false friend and general Allectus, who immediately assumed the purple and the soy eighty of Britain, and, by means of his naval superio ain tained it for three years. In 296, Constantius, is prefect Asclepiodatus, put an end to the rebellion, y defeating and slaying the usurper, after the imperial fleet had narrowly escaped that of Allectus off the isle of Wight by favour of a fog. Constantius, whose cha racter was respectable, was received in Britain rather as a friend than a conqueror. His army had, indeed, es sentially served the islanders, by preventing London from being plundered by the Saxon and Gaulish fugitives from the discomfited army of Allectus. In the division of the empire between Constantius and Galerius, Britain fell to the former : he resided in the island, and had some con tests with the Caledonians, of which the particulars are not known. On his return from the north he died at York, leaving Constantine the Great his successor in the empire. When that prince introduced Christianity into the empire, Britain was not the last to embrace it. Con stantine, who had begun his reign at York, staid some time to pay the last honours to his father's ashes, and to finish the war with the Meatx and Caledonians, who at this time began to be callel by the new names of Picts and Scots. .
In 354, Britain, which had taken part with Magntp tius, an unsuccessful usurper, suffered bitter retribt%ion front the Emperor Constantius, undEr his secretary Paulus, a Spaniard, who was sent as an inquisitgr to the island, to discover those who were concerned in the re bellion. This wretch, who was surnamed Catena, or the chain, from his adroitness in connecting.criminal charges, filled the whole western empire with'tortltres, murders, and confiscations. Martinus, the British go vernor, unable to restrain his cruelties, authorised as they were by supreme authority, attempted to slay him, but, missing his aim, he turned his sword against his own bosom. When Julian ascended the iin*-ial throne, one of his acts of justice was to order the inhuman Pau lus to be burnt alive. : 7 i The Roman province in South Britain had suffered but little disturbance from the northern nations for about 150 years; but, about ten years after their deliverance from Paulus, the Scots and Picts, a tem porary check which they had received from the com manders of Julian, returned with greater force against • the legions of Valcntiuian and Valens, and ravaged the country for three years with impunity. Theodosius, a
British governor, of consummate abilities, was appointed to repair the disasters of the Roman arms. He recover ed London from the Barbarians, and even extended the province to its utmost ancient limits, the rampart of Agricola. The son of this distinguished commander, inheriting his father's talents, was adopted as partner in -the empire, by Gratian, the son of Valentinian. Un wisely for themselves, and forgetful of what they owed to the memory of Theodosius, the Britons took part with the usurper Maximus. Maximus was accompanied into Gaul by myriads of Britons ; but his entcrprize miscar ried, and his discomfited soldiers, after having made good their retreat to Armorica, settled there, through despair of ever regaining their native land. Theodo sius finally triumphed over all his competitors, and by sending his vicar Chrysantus with an army into Britain, secured it from the ravages of the north.
After the death of this great man, an inundation of bat barians poured in upon all sides of the western em pire, and, among these, the Picts and Scots fell upon Southern Britain. Stilico, the guardian of the young Emperor Honorius, sent over forces, Ivho repulsed the barbarians in victories which are celebrated by the poet Claudian. But, as the Roman empire was now hasten ing to dissolution, its weakness, like a mortal disease in the body, was chiefly felt at the extremities. The Ro man legions in Britain mutinied, and, with equal levity and insolence, set up successively and dethroned seve ral usurpers. The distresses of Honorius obliging him to recal his troops, the island was left defenceless to the northern hordes. Honorius even gave up all claims to the allegiance of the Britons, and exhorted them to de fend themselves. For a short time the few Roman ve terans, who had settled and still lingered in the lands which belonged to them, gave example and assistance to the natives ; but, as these gradually disposed of their estates, and retired to the continent, the multitude be came an easy prey. Honorius, upon a favourable turn of his fortunes, sent twice over the aid of a Roman le gion, which was sufficient to drive the northern tribes beyond their friths. Gallio of Ravenna, one of the last ornaments of Roman history, commanded the last detach ment which Rome ever sent to our island. After repel ling the savages, he convened the chiefs of the islanders, and told them with frankness, that, since the empire could afliard them no future assistance, they must themselves assume courage to defend all that was dear to them. The repairing Severus's wall, the erection of useful forts, and supplying them with mi litary weapons and engines,—these were the last good offices which the Britons received from their pro tectors, before they took their final departure, at the distance of 475 years from the landing of Julius Caesar.