Beric the Briton : a Story of the Roman InvasionHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
Beric the Briton : a Story of the Roman Invasion
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Britons -- Fiction; Great Britain -- History -- Roman period, 55 B.C.-449 A.D. -- Fiction; Historical fiction
Ten minutes later the ship had left port, and was making her way
up the Straits of Messina. The weather was fair with a southerly
wind, running before which the ship coasted along inside the
mountainous isle of Sardinia, passed through the straits between
that and Corsica, then shaped its course for Massilia, where it
arrived without adventure. There was some surprise in the town at
the appearance of Beric and his followers, and they were escorted
by the guard at the port to the house of the chief magistrate. On
Beric's presenting to him his appointment, signed by Galba, and the
safe conduct for himself and his comrades, the magistrate invited
him and Aemilia to stay at his house. There were many officials to
whom Aemilia was known when she dwelt there with her father, and
for ten days they stayed in the city. The Gauls of Beric's party
proceeded to their various destinations on the day after they
landed, Beric making a present to each to enable them to defray the
expenses of their travel to their respective homes, and obtaining
a separate safe conduct for each from the chief magistrate. Bidding
adieu to their friends at Massilia the Britons started north.
While in the town Beric obtained for his twenty followers a dress
which was a mixture of that of the Britons and Romans, having the
trousers or leggings of the British and the short Roman tunic. All
were armed with sword, shield, and spear. Aemilia travelled in a
carriage; the two female slaves had been given their freedom and
left behind at Rhegium. Beric was handsomely attired in a dress
suitable to his rank, but, like his followers, wore the British
leggings. A horse was taken with them for him to ride when they
passed through towns, but generally it was led by Philo, and Beric
marched with his men. They took long journeys, for the men were
all eager to be home, and, inured as they were to fatigue, thought
nothing of doing each day double the distance that was regarded as
an ordinary day's journey.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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