London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- History -- 16th century -- Sources; London (England) -- Surveys
Thus far out of Cæsar’s Commentaries concerning this history, which
happened in the year before Christ’s nativity 54. In all which process
there is for this purpose to be noted, that Cæsar nameth the city of
Trinobantes, which hath a resemblance with Troynova, or Trinobantum,
having no greater difference in the orthography than changing b into
v, and yet maketh an error whereof I will not argue; only this I will
note, that divers learned men do not think “_civitas Trinobantum_” to
be well and truly translated, “the city of the Trinobantes;” but it
should rather be the state, commonalty, or seigniory of the Trinobantes;
for that Cæsar in his Commentaries useth the word _civitas_, only
for a people living under one and the selfsame prince and law; but
certain it is that the cities of the Britons were in those days neither
artificially built with houses, nor strongly walled with stone, but were
only thick and cumbersome woods, plashed within and trenched about. And
the like in effect do other the Roman and Greek authors directly affirm,
as Strabo, Pomponius Mela, and Dion a senator of Rome, which flourished
in the several reigns of the Roman emperors, Tiberius, Claudius,
Domitian, and Severus; to wit, that before the arrival of the Romans the
Britons had no towns, but called that a town which had a thick entangled
wood, defended, as I said, with a ditch and bank, the like whereof,
the Irishmen, our next neighbours, do at this day call Fastness.[4]
But after that these hither parts of Britain were reduced into the
form of a province by the Romans, who sowed the seeds of civility over
all Europe; this city, whatsoever it was before, began to be renowned,
and of fame. For Tacitus, who first of all authors nameth it Londinum,
saith, that in the 62nd year after Christ, it was, albeit no colony
of the Romans, yet most famous for the great multitude of merchants,
provision, and intercourse. At which time, in that notable revolt of the
Britons from Nero, in which 70,000 Romans and their confederates were
slain, this city, with Verulam, near St. Albans, and Maldon in Essex,
then all famous, were ransacked and spoiled. For Suetonius Paulinus,
then lieutenant for the Romans in this isle, abandoned it, as not then
fortified, and left it to the spoil.
Shortly after, Julius Agricola, the Roman lieutenant, in the time
of Domitian, was the first that by adhorting the Britons publicly,
and helping them privately, won them to build houses for themselves,
temples for the gods, and courts for justice, to bring up the noblemen’s
children in good letters and humanity, and to apparel themselves
Roman-like, whereas before (for the most part) they went naked, painting
their bodies, etc., as all the Roman writers have observed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account