ing the Caledonians, though he had other affairs of much greater importance to mind; but he died at York before he had time to carry his design into execution.

Conftantine,who commonly goes under the name of Great, fucceeded his father Conftantius in the imperial dignity, and affumed the purple in Britain. But being, as it is natural to fuppofe, impatient to take poffeffion of the capital, it is certain that he loft no time to acquire either new territories or laurels in Caledonia. The idle panegyrics of Ecclefiaftics are the only authorities we have for fuppofing that he did either the one or the other in the beginning of his reign; nor did he ever,after putting a period to the civil war, return into Britain.

The province of Britain fell, upon the death of Chlorus, to his fon Conftantine; and it is certain that the Caledonians were neither exhausted nor even molested by Roman legions under his short reign. His ambition infpired him with very different views. He made war on his brother Conftans, at no great distance from the feat of the Roman empire, and was flain by his generals in battle near Aquileia *. This event fubjected Britain to Conftans; and it is allowed that he, accompanied by his brother Conftantius,came in perfon to visit his new territories. But it does not appear that either of the brothers did penetrate as far as Caledonia. Two declamatory writers of that age, who speak of this expedition in a very high tone †, feem to refolve the glory of it into the victory obtained by Conftans and Conftantius over the British ocean, during the winter feason: a feat which, according to the opinion of one of these authors, was never performed before, nor ever to be performed afterwards.

Conftans was murdered in Spain,after a reign of seventeen years, by the

party of Magnentius who affumed the purple in Gaul, and drew over Britain to his fide. It is not probable that ever this ufurper had any difputes with the Caledonians. Conftantius made war upon him without any intermiffion, during the whole courfe of his thort reign, and brought him at laft, after the lofs of feveral battles, to the necesfity of laying violent hands upon himfelf. Upon the death of Magnentius, Britain, together with all the other rebellious provinces of the empire,fubmitted to Conftantius.

From this review of the hiftory of Rome, in fo far as it is connected with that of North Britain, from the death of Severus to Conftantius, feveral queftions will naturally refult. In what Emperor's reign were the Caledonians fo exhaufted or degenerated to fuch a degree as to yield up their country, their freedom, and their reputation, to a colony, or even an army of Scandinavian rovers? In what period of time happened thofe devaftations by which they were exhausted? Were they either annihilated or reduced to a state of incurable debility by Severus, or by his fons Caracalla and Geta? Did Macrinus, Heliogabalus, Alexander, or Maximinus, did any of the fucceeding Emperors or thirty tyrants overcome them?

As therefore there is no ground for fuppofing that the Caledonians were annihilated or even much weakened by the legions, generals and emperors of Rome, it is far from being credible that an army fufficient to overcome or extirpate them, could be tranfported from the Cimbrica Cherfonefus, in the third century. Every body knows what lit tle progrefs navigation had made at that time in the North of Europe. A few long boats, which were the only craft the Scandinavians could be fuppofed to have,were very inadequate for the pur

pofe

pofe of carrying armies across the Ger

man ocean.

The improbability of a great migration of this kind, at that period, is trengthened by the filence of antient writers of credit on that head. It is therefore too precipitate in any modern antiquary, to give his authority to a fiction, fo contrary to all the ideas we can form of the ftate of the North of Europe, in thofe times. The opinion of Camden, the most learned as well as moft candid of the antiquaries of England, is decifive on this fubject. After mature confideration of this new system of Humphrey Lhud, he was far from believing that the Picts were an upstart nation, or a colony of foreigners first fettled in Britain in the course of the third century. Cambden's opinion was that the Caledonians, so far from being extirpated by the Romans, or any other enemy, had multiplied to fuch a degree, that their own country became too narrow for them: and it is to this cause he attributes, chiefly, the frequent incurfions they made into the Roman province. *.

timents to the old lady, fhe told me, that when her husband died, he had made a very whimfical will, and till it was explained, begged of me to difcontinue my vifits; but that on my penetrating the scheme, I might depend on her confent. It is thus: that the four firft of her girls fortunes amounted to 2500l. the four last 3300 1. the three laft with the first 3000 l. the three first with the last 2800l. the two firft and two last 32001. I defire a solution? '

PERTH, Jan. 25th)

1773.

LIGN.

As health to bodies bitter draughts impart,

So trials are but Phyfic to the heart. Hence ye blind tribe of Epicurus fect,

No more the ways of Providence fufpect,

Which mocks the fearch of undifcerning fools;

Which, far beyond the quibbles of the fchools,

Works by dark laws, tho' regular it's end's;

And moft chaftifes whom it most befriends:

The Juft and Good it favours foon or late,

And ev'ry Jofeph meets a Joseph's fate.
PERTH,
Jan. 25th
1773.

PHIO.

Reach'd out his hand, and plac'd him near a throne. Virtue rejoice! tho' heav'n may frown a while,

That frown is but an earneft of a fmile;

One day of tears prefages years of joy, And torments only mind us, not deftroy.

Who feels the lafhes of an adverfe

hour,

With revellers they revell'd high,

Nor earth, nor heav'n, their dread; With lefs offence to earth or sky,

They might have toil'd for bread.

pow'r;

VOL. III.

But grov'ling there they lay; A a

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