Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066; Middle Ages -- Sources
Picts for this success, gave them a habitation in Albania, where they
continued afterwards mixed with the Britons.
CHAP. IV.--_Allectus kills Carausius, but is afterwards himself slain in
flight by Asclepiodotus._
When the news of these proceedings of Carausius arrived at Rome, the
senate commissioned[187] Allectus, with three legions, to kill the
tyrant, and restore the kingdom of Britain to the Roman power. No sooner
was he arrived, than he fought with Carausius, killed him, and took upon
himself the government. After which he miserably oppressed the Britons,
for having deserted the commonwealth, and adhered to Carausius. But the
Britons, not enduring this, advanced Asclepiodotus, duke of Cornwall, to
be their king, and then unanimously marched against Allectus, and
challenged him to battle. He was then at London, celebrating a feast to
his tutelary gods; but being informed of the coming of Asclepiodotus, he
quitted the sacrifice, and went out with all his forces to meet him, and
engaged with him in a sharp fight. But Asclepiodotus had the advantage,
and dispersed and put to flight Allectus's troops, and in the pursuit
killed many thousands, as also king Allectus himself. After this
victory, Livius Gallus, the colleague of Allectus, assembled the rest of
the Romans, shut the gates of the city, and placed his men in the towers
and other fortifications, thinking by these means either to make a stand
against Asclepiodotus, or at least to avoid imminent death. But
Asclepiodotus seeing this laid siege to the city, and sent word to all
the dukes of Britain, that he had killed Allectus with a great number of
his men, and was besieging Gallus and the rest of the Romans in London;
and therefore earnestly entreated them to hasten to his assistance,
representing to them withal, how easy it was to extirpate the whole race
of the Romans out of Britain, provided they would all join their forces
against the besieged. At this summons came the Dimetians, Venedotians,
Deirans, Albanians, and all others of the British race. And as soon as
they appeared before the duke, he commanded vast numbers of engines to
be made, to beat down the walls of the city. Accordingly every one
readily executed his orders with great bravery, and made a violent
assault upon the city, the walls of which were in a very short time
battered down, and a passage made into it. After these preparations,
they began a bloody assault upon the Romans, who, seeing their fellow
soldiers falling before them without intermission, persuaded Gallus to
offer a surrender on the terms of having quarter granted them, and leave
to depart: for they were now all killed except one legion, which still
held out. Gallus consented to the proposal, and accordingly surrendered
himself and his men to Asclepiodotus, who was disposed to give them
quarter; but he was prevented by a body of Venedotians, who rushed upon
them, and the same day cut off all their heads upon a brook within the
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