Then did king Aruiragus ride about to view the state of his realme,
repairing cities and townes decaied by the warre of the Romans, and
saw his people gouerned with such iustice and good order, that he was
both feared and greatlie beloued: so that in tract of time he grew
verie welthie, and by reason thereof fell into pride, so that he
[Sidenote: Vespasian in Britaine.]
[Sidenote: _Cornel. Tacit. in uit. Agr. lib._ 3 & _li._ 6.]
[Sidenote: _Gal. Mon._]
[Sidenote: _Rutupium._]
denied his subiection to the Romans. Wherevpon Claudius appointed
Vespasian with an armie to go as lieutenant into Britaine. This
iournie was to him the beginning of his advancement to that honour,
which after to him most luckilie befell. But if we shall credit our
Britaine writers, he gained not much at Aruiragus hands, for where he
would haue landed at Sandwich or Richborough, Aruiragus was readie to
resist him, so as he durst not once enter the hauen: for Aruiragus had
there such a puissant number of armed men, that the Romans were afraid
to approach the land.
Vespasian therefore withdrew from thence, and coasting westward,
landed at Totnesse, and comming to Excester, besieged that citie: but
about the seuenth day after he had planted his siege, came Aruiragus,
and gaue him battell, in the which both the armies sustained great
losse of men, and neither part got anie aduantage of the other. On the
morrow after quéene Genissa made them friends, and so the warres
ceassed for that time, by hir good mediation.
¶ But séeing (as before I haue said) the truth of this historie maie
be greatlie mistrusted, ye shall heare what the Romane writers saie of
Vespasianus being héere in Britaine, beside that which we haue
alreadie recited out of Dion in the life of Guiderius.
In the daies of the emperor Claudius, through fauour of Narcissus (one
[Sidenote: Vespasian.]
[Sidenote: _Suetonius._]
[Sidenote: _Salcellicus._]
that might doo all with Claudius) the said Vespasian was sent as
coronell or lieutenant of a legion of souldiers into Germanie, and
being remooued from thence into Britaine, he fought thirtie seuerall
times with the enimies, and brought vnto the Romane obeisance two most
mightie nations, and aboue twentie townes, togither with the Ile of
Wight; and these exploits he atchiued, partlie vnder the conduct of
Aulus Plautius ruler of Britaine for the emperor Claudius, and partlie
vnder the same emperor himselfe. For as it is euident by writers of
good credit, he came first ouer into Britaine with the said Aulus
Plautius, and serued verie valiantlie vnder him, as before in place we
haue partlie touched. By Tacitus it appeareth, that he was called to
be partener in the gouernment of things in Britaine with Claudius, and
had such successe, as it appéered to what estate of honour he was
predestinate, hauing conquered nations, and taken kings prisoners. But
now to make an end with Aruiragus: when he perceiued that his force
was too weake to preuaile against the Romane empire, and that he
[Sidenote: _Gal. Mon._]
should striue but in vaine to shake the yoke of subiection from the
necks of the Britains, he made a finall peace with them in his old
age, and so continued in quiet the residue of his reigne, which he
lastlie ended by death, after he had gouerned the land by the space of
thirtie yéeres, or but eight and twentie, as some other imagine. He
[Sidenote: 73.]
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
died in the yéere of Grace 73, as one author affirmeth, and was buried
at Glocester.
* * * * *
_Ioseph of Aramathia came into Britaine and Simon Zelotes, the
antiquitie of christian religion, Britaine gouerned by Lieutenants and
treasurers of the Romane emperors, the exploits of Ostorius Scapula
and the men of Oxfordshire, he vanquisheth the Welshmen, appeaseth the
Yorkshiremen, and brideleth the rage of the Silures._