Which seeing stout Bunduca up arose,
And taking arms, the Britons to her drew;
With whom she marched straight against her foes,
And them vnwares besides the Seuerne did enclose.
Suetonius, when resolving for fight,Tacit. Ann. lib. 14. deligit locum artis faucibus, & à tergo silvâ clausum, satis cognito, nihil hostium nisi in fronte, & apertam planitiem esse sine metu insidiarum. Choosed a place with a narrow entrance, enclosed behind with a wood, being well assured, he had no enemies but before him, and the Plain being open was without fear of Ambush. Thus Tacitus describes the field, the Roman Army consisting of scarce ten thousand armed men. In what part of Britan soever this Plain lay, it was, for certain, of no great extent, being hardly able to contain the vast multitudes of Boadicia’s Army; computed two hundred and thirty thousand fighting men, by Dion, and therefore could not possibly be Salisbury Plain. For, the Britans placing their carts and wagons supra extremum ambitium campi, in the utmost borders of the field, had so environed their Army therewith, that upon the rout given, they could hardly flee away, quia circumjecta vehicula sepserant abitus, by reason the carts (saith Tacitus) hedged in the passages on every side, and (to use Anonymus own words)Ner. Cæs. fo. 179. were like a wall against evasion. Now, if the Britans had so surrounded the utmost borders of Salisbury Plain, and in such manner barricado’d up all the passages thereof, their numbers should rather have been millions then thousands, as every man knowing those Plains must needs confesse. Besides, Anonymus self tels us,Ner. Cæs. fo. 178. after the Britans in the head of their battel began to shrink and turn, that alone was a blow to all behind, who being many score of thousands, remain’d untoucht, during the fight, because they could never come up to handy-strokes, for want of room in the narrowings of the field. He told us even now there was scope enough. Whereabout in these parts of Britain, (saith he)Ner. Cæs. fo. 161. that very place was, unlesse it were upon Salisbury Plain, where there is a black heath, and scope enough, is not for me to imagine. Now, on the contrary, when coming to the issue, he tels us the Plain was narrow, and they wanted room. Did the Britans want room in the field, and were on Salisbury Plain? Surely, in the heat of his describing the Battel Anonymus forgot his own invention; the fury of the Romans, in beating down the British squadrons, therewith dasht the main force of his conceit to peeces. Suspicious and jealous men had need of good memories. Upon the aforesaid situation he might rather have observed, the great experience of the Romane Generall in martiall affairs, then from thence suggested, the Britans in point of honour erected Stoneheng to the memory of Boadicia, Suetonius not onely choosing to make good a straight enclosed behinde with a wood, for securing his own small Troops, but such a straight also, where the Plain, or field before it, was not of sufficient extent for Boadicia to marshall her great Army in. Furthermore, Anonymus determining (it seems) to parcell out his ground proportionable to the numbers, undertakes to give posterity an exact survey of this Plain, telling us, it was a Plain of five or six miles over: This makes it more apparent ’twas not Salisbury Plain, which far and wide so expatiates it self through the middle of Wiltshire, that it is not onely five or six miles, but (as I may say) five times six miles over. This famous battell then, being struck upon a Plain hardly capable of Boadicia’s Army, was not fought upon Salisbury Plain; but, on some other, which Suetonius Paulinus found best for his own advantage, and therefore Stoneheng (as Anonymus would fain have it) could not be the Sepulchre of Boadicia.
Concerning Boadicia’s magnificent obsequies; a mighty Prince may be buried with great solemnity, yet no materiall Monument dedicated to his memory. Examples of this kinde are so frequent, there needs no mention of them. Humaverunt magnificè, (they are Dions words) the Britans laid her into the earth magnificently, with as much pomp, happily, and honour, attending her to the grave, as their barbarous customs for their glorious Chieftain would admit; but, that they raised any Monument, or erected whatsoever kinde of Sepulchre for her, much lesse so notable a structure as Stoneheng, he no where tels us. Which had the Britans done, the Historian could not avoid, taking more knowledge thereof, then of her bare enterment, and would undoubtedly have recorded it. Again, grant Salisbury Plain the place of Battell, yet, Dion saith not, they buried her magnificently where the battell fought, only, Humaverunt magnificè: adding withall, those, that escaped the field, prepared to re-enforce themselves for a new triall, in the mean while a disease seizing on Bunduica, she died. Now then, after so terrible an overthrow, wherein ’tis reported she lost fourscore thousand Britans; Boadicia, in all likelihood, endevoured to recover the Icenian Countreys, her principall strength; having in her speech before the Battell insinuated the fenny parts thereof, as a refuge if the worst should happen. In what Countreys else could they recruit? where falling sick she died, (whether by violent or naturall death is not materiall) and as ever observed among all Nations, was, no doubt, buried in her own territories, among the graves of her renowned Ancestors.
That the Britans, untill Julius Agricolas time,Ner. Cæs. fo. 117. had learned nothing (as Anonymus takes speciall notice) but to fight, and were no handicraftsmen, whereby they might be capable of erecting such works as Stoneheng, being already fully proved from Tacitus, I will adde, the ringleaders or heads of commotions against Empires and Commonwealths were anciently, (in many Countreys at this day) not only themselves punishable by the Laws with death, but their whole families and kindred though guiltlesse, suffered in like manner; their very houses also, being razed to the ground, lest any knowledge of such pernicious undertakings should remain visible to posterity: and a capitall crime it was, in whomsoever that restor’d them. How comes it then, Boadicia the principall promoter,Sueton. in Ner. and Head of an insurrection so fatall, as accounted by Suetonius Tranquillus, among the infortunate losses of the Roman Empire,Dion. Cas. lib. 62. and the more ignominious by a womans conduct, should be permitted by the conquering Romans, a monument to eternize her fame to succeeding Ages? Boadicia, that ript up the bellies of the Roman Legionaries, and cutting out their bowels impal’d their bodies upon burning stakes; that hanged up the most noble and honourable Roman Dames naked, and slicing off their paps, sowed them to their mouths, as in act of eating them; that in scalding water boiled the Roman infants, and young children to death; their Parents, Husbands, and Commanders unable to relieve them, but enforced to give way, and happy in so saving themselves from the cruell inhumanities of the Conqueresse. We fought for to live, saith Tacitus. Yet, when ere long afterwards, victoriously recovering Britain to Cæsar, by so memorable a battell as compared to their victories of old, should the Romans suffer the enthralled Britans to erect a Trophy to her memory, whose purpose was absolutely to root out all that was Roman here? what greater infamy to the Roman name, except the permission of it? They, who rased and broke in peeces whatever titles and inscriptions, bearing the names of their Cæsars; pulled down and demolished the royall Ensigns, Trophies, Statues, Temples, or whatever else sacred, to their own Emperors, when actively administring to the prejudice of the Romane State; would they permit any publick monuments be erected to the memory of a conquered Prince, of an Enemy so barbarously cruell as Boadicia? That she lives in History, they could not prevent; so live their worst of Emperors. Moreover, publick Monuments were in all ages set up in honour of the Vanquishers, not vanquished; respecting which, Anonymus should also, either have made Boadicia Victresse, or never supposed Stoneheng her Sepulchre.
The time assigned by Anonymus,Ner. Cæs. fo. 182. for erecting these orderly irregular, and formlesse uniform heaps of massive marble, (as he cals them) to the everlasting remembrance of Boadicia, is much above fifteen hundred years since: Petronius Turpilianus succeeding Suetonius Paulinus in the Leivtenancy of Britain; who by his idle and lazy life, making the world beleeve there was peace here: Anonymus will have it a proper time, for permitting such an office to the Britans, in Boadicia’s honour. Times of peace, ’tis confest, when Arts flourish under nobly minded Governours, are chiefly proper for erecting magnificent buildings. The Government under Petronius was guilty of none of these. As for the State of Britain in generall, Tacitus in the life of Agricola tels us, Petronius had composed the former troubles; but in what sort, the fourteenth book of his Annals declares; non irritato hoste, neque lacessitus, neither the Enemy, incensed him; nor he, provoked the Enemy: otherwise Petronius durst not do. And, if peace setled, why doth the Historian call them Enemies? Concerning his own person in particular, Petronius gave himself over to an unprofitable life, disguising it under the honourable name of peace. Honestum pacis nomen segni otio imposuit, saith Tacitus. And, the Britans (as said before) were not then civilized, nor friends to such Arts as either nourish or are nourished by peace, therefore such a work of wonder as this Antiquity famed, not to be expected from them. For, as through the malignities of the Age, wherein Aurelius Ambrosius lived, the Britans had utterly lost the practice of all those Sciences, in times foregoing, learned by their Auncestors from the Romans: so, through the neglect of civil policy in the preceding Roman Governours, in this Leivtenancy of Petronius, the Britans had not attained the knowledge of any those Arts, not many years afterwards, taught their posterity by the Romans. Whole imperiall Eagles took not wing in Britain with such lofty speed, as over other Countreys; The Britans being a fierce Nation, slowly giving ear to any peace,Tacit. Ann. lib. 14. the Romans had work enough in subduing them. Julius Cæsar rather shewed the Island to his successors, then left them possession of it: Augustus and Tiberius held it policy to neglect it: Caligula intending to invade Britain, was diverted by his Wars in Germany: Claudius first prosecuting the conquest with effect, established the colony at Camalodunum, and his Leivtenants Aulus Plautius, Flavius Vespasianus, Ostorius Scapula, and Didius Gallus by little and little, after much contest, and various successe, subdued certain Countries; and reducing the nearest part of the Island to the form of a Province, built also, or rather cast up some few fortifications further within the land: Nero’s Generals had much to do in keeping, what their predecessors gained; Suetonius Paulinus (under him) struck that fortunate battell with Boadicia, else the Romans beaten out of all. So that, in the time of Petronius, the Romans having obtained no such assured dominion over the Britans, as might make them, themselves confident to undertake great and stately buildings here, for their own either publick, or private accommodations; (the ruine of Camalodunum being too fresh in memory) occasion was not offered, nor the time yet come, to let the Britans know by what Arts all civill Nations of the world, did erect their excessive, rather then not magnificent structures, for eternizing their names to succeeding generations. And therefore, the Leivtenancy of Petronius Turpilianus, not proper for building this stony marvell, as Anonymus suspects. For, beside what’s delivered, whensoever Stoneheng built, the preparation only of materials for the work, and bringing them to the place, what Engines or Arts soever used, necessarily, spent more time, then Petronius consumed in the whole continuance of his government here. What tumults succeeded him, let others declare.
Furthermore, if those times of Petronius would not, yet (saith Anonymus) other ensuing seasons might permit such an office to the Britans, her name for ever glorious among them. The hainousnesse of her Rebellion, horridnesse of her cruelties, and inveterate hatred Boadicia bore to the Romans, whereby her name for ever infamous among them, clearly manifest all other ensuing seasons, equally improper for those ancient inhabitants of this Island, to erect Stoneheng. If the Britans, once attaining the Romane manner of Architecture, in any succeeding times had expelled the Romans, and been triumphant; some probable reason, at least, Anonymus might have alledged, towards advancing his opinion. But Boadicia and her Complices overthrown, the Roman Power in this Island encreasing dayly, and the liberty of the Britans as fast declining, no following season could be opportunely favourable, for undertaking such a work by them; the erecting whereof, yea the sole endeavouring to commemorate by such publick means, so mortall an enemy to the Romans as Boadicia: nothing but the dearest lives of the bold attempters, could, certainly, expiate. The Temple upon Mount Cœlius at Rome, begun to ClaudiusSuet. in Vespas. sacred memory by Agrippina, was destroyed to the very foundations by Nero. If then, insulting Agrippina might not erect a memorable structure, to the glory of her deceased Cæsar; whom the Senate and People of Rome, in all solemne manner deified: What oppressed Britan, durst undertake the raising a publick Monument to the honour of vanquished Boadicia, whom the State (in all reason) for ever declared enemy to the Roman Empire? And though, after a long succession of years, the Romans abandoned this Island, yet, when departed, the Britans were left in such deplorable condition, (at large declared before) that, albeit her name never so glorious among them, they had much more to do, in saving their own miserable lives from plague, famine, and the sword, then any opportunity, or ability to erect whatever Monument to the glory of Boadicia. But, of this enough; the invalidity of Anonymus opinion especially respected. The discovering the originall foundation of an Antiquity so famous, being not to be enforced by jealous suspicions, raised upon bare and groundlesse conjectures.