"The Annals," and the history of Tiberius, have detained us, for the most
part, within the capital: "The Agricola" brings us into a province of the
Empire; and "The Account of Germany" will take us among the savages beyond
the frontier. I need scarcely mention, that our country was brought within
the Roman influence by Julius Caesar; but that Caesar's enterprise was not
continued by Augustus, nor by Tiberius; though Caligula celebrated a
fictitious triumph over the unconquered Britons: that a war of about forty
years was undertaken by Claudius, maintained by Nero, and terminated by
Domitian; who were respectively "the most stupid, the most dissolute, and
the most timid of all the Emperors." It was in the British wars, that
Vespasian began his great career, "monstratus fatis"; but the island was
not really added to the Empire, until Agricola subdued it for Domitian.
"The Life of Agricola" is of general interest, because it preserves the
memory of a good and noble Roman: to us, it is of special interest,
because it records the state of Britain when it was a dependency of the
Caesars; "adjectis Britannis imperio.
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