the northern boundary of the Roman dominions. Here he built a wall between the mouth of the Tyne, and the Solway Frith, to shut out the barbarians; which did not answer the purpose, as it was only built of turf, and guarded by no more than eighteen thousand men. On the departure of Adrian, he left Julius

Severus as his lieutenant: but he carried his arms to the north of Adrian's wall; and this long interval of peace gave so much security to Mogallus, that he degenerated into a tyrant, and was murdered by his nobles. The only instance of his tyranny, however, is a aw by which it was enacted, that the estates of such as were condemned should be forfeited to his exchequer, without any part thereof being allotted to their wives and children; an act which subsists almost in its full force to this day in Great Britain and the best regulated European governments. Mogallus was succeeded by his son Conarus in the year 149, who following his father's bad example, was deposed and died in jail, in the year 163. His cousin Ethod or Ethodius I. succeeded him, who proved a good monarch, and was successful in several battles against the Romans, under Victorinus, Trebellius, and Pertinax; yet he was treacherously murdered by a harper in his thirty-third year, A. D. 195. The harper was tortured to death. Satrael, Ethod's brother, succeeded him, but becoming tyrannical, he was killed by a courtier in the fourth year of his reign, A. D. 199; and was succeeded by his brother Donald I. In the reign of Antoninus Pius, the proprætor Lollius Urbius drove the Scots far to the northward, and repaired the chain of forts built by Agricola, which lay between the Carron on the Firth of Forth and Dunglass on the Clyde. These were joined together by turf walls, and formed a much better defence than the wall of Adrian. However, after Antoninus's death, Commodus having recalled Calpurnicus Agricola, an able commander, who kept the Scots in awe, a more dangerous war broke out than had ever been experienced by the Romans

in that quarter. The Scots having passed the wall, put all the Romans they could meet with to the sword; but they were soon repulsed by Ulpius Marcellus, a general of consummate abilities, whom Commodus sent into the island.-In a short time, however, the tyrant also recalled this able commander. After whose departure, the Roman discipline in Britain suffered a total relaxation; the soldiery grew mutinous, and great disorder ensued; but these were all removed by the arrival of Clodius Albinus, a person of great skill and experience in military affairs. His presenee for some time restrained the Scots within proper bounds; but a civil war breaking out between him and Severus, Albinus crossed over to the continent with the greatest part of the Roman forces in Britain, and met his antagonist at Lyons, a dreadful battle ensued, in which Albinus was defeated, and his army cut in pieces. The absence of the Roman forces gave encouragement to the Scots to renew their depredations, which they did with such success that this emperor became apprehensive of losing the whole island; on which he determined to go in person, and quell these troublesome enemies. The army he now collected was far more numerous than any the Romans had ever sent into Britain; and being commanded by such an able general as Severus, the Scots must have been very hard pressed. The particulars of this important expedition are very imperfectly related: we are assured, however, that Severus lost a vast number of men, it is said not less than fifty thousand, in his march through Scotland; yet he penetrated to the most northern extremity of the island, and obliged the enemy to yield up their arms. On his return he built a much stronger fortification to secure the frontiers against the enemy, than had ever been done before, and which in some places coincided with Adrian's wall, but extended farther at each end. The Scots, however, in the mean time, provoked by the brutality of the emperor's son, Caracalla, whom he had left regent

gent in his absence, again took arms; on which Severus himself took the field, with a design to extirpate the whole nation; for he gave orders to his soldiers "not to spare even the child in the mother's womb." But his death, which happened soon after, put a stop to the execution of this revenge; and his son Caracalla ratified a peace with the Scots.

During all these important transactions, Scotland was governed by Donald I. who was the first Christian king of this country. He also first coined gold and silver, and died in the eighteenth year of his reign, A. D. 216. Donald was succeeded by Ethodius II. the son of Ethodius I. who acting tyranically, was killed by his guards, in the year 231. His son Athirco succeeded, and pursuing similar measures, was deserted by his nobles, and killed himself in the twelfth year of his reign, A. D. 242. His successor Nathalours, behaving also tyrannically, was killed by his nobles in the eleventh year, A. D. 253. He was succeeded by Findocus, the son of Athirco, who proved a good monarch, but was killed while hunting, at the instigation of his brother Carausius, in his eleventh year, A. D. 264. His other brother Donald II. succeeded, but reigned only one year, being killed in battle, by Donald III. lord of the Isles, who usurped the throne, and reigned twelve years, but was killed by Crathilinthus, the son of Findocus, A. D. 277, who proved a good monarch; meantime his uncle Carausius had acquired great fame by his repeated victories over the Romans, and was elected king of the Britons. Crathilinthus died in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, A. D. 301, and was succeeded by his cousin Fincormachus, a brave and pious prince, who assisted Octavius, king of the Britons, in a successful battle against the Romans, wherein sixteen thousand Romans were slain, and fifteen thousand Britons; for which service Westmoreland and Cumberland were ceded to Scotland. He died in the forty-seventh year of his reign, A, D. 348, and was succeeded by Romachus, nephew

of Crathilinthus, who for his cruelty, was beheaded by his nobles, in the year 351. Angusian, another nephew, succeeded, aud proved a good prince, but was killed in battle in the year 354; and succeeded by Fincormachus, a third nephew of Crathilinthus, who reigned well, and conquered the Picts, but was treacherously murdered in the year 357, by two Picts, who were tortured to death. He was succeeded by his son, Eugene I. under whom the Roman and Pictish forces were united against the Scots. The Picts were commanded by their king, named Hungus, and the Romans by Maximus, who murdered Valentinian III.. and afterwards assumed the empire. The allies defeated Eugene in the county of Galloway; but Maximus being obliged to return southward on account of an insurrection, the Picts were in their turn defeated by the Scots. Next year, however, Maximus marched against the Scots; who being now reduced to extre mity, brought into the field, not only all the men capable of bearing arms, but the women also. In this engagement, the Picts would have been utterly defeated, had they not been supported by the Romans; but Eugene being killed, with the greatest part of his nobility, the Scots were defeated; and so well did the Conquerors improve their victory, that their antagonists were at last totally driven out of the country. Some of them took refuge in the budæ islands and some in Scandinavia, but most of them fled to Ireland, whence they made frequent descents upon Scotland. Picts were at first highly pleased with the victory that they had gained over their antagonists; but they being commanded to adopt the laws of the Romans, and to choose no king who was not sent them from Rome, they began to repent of their having contributed to the expulsion of the Scots; and in the 404, when Aistulphus, king of the Goths, sent over a body of exiled Scots to Britain, under Fergus, the son of Erthus, and grandson of Ethodius, brother of Eugene I. the Picts immediately joined them against the common enemy.

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The consequence was, that the Britons were pushed to the last extremity; and the Romans being obliged, by the inundations of the northern barbarians who poured in upon them, to recal their forces from Britain, the inhabitants were reduced to a most miserable situation. In the time of Fergus II. they were obliged to give up all the country which lies north of Adrian's wall. Fergus II. is celebrated as not only a brave but a pious prince; but, though often successful against the Romaus, he was at last killed in battle by them, in the sixteenth year of his reign, A. D. 420. His son Eugene II. succeeded him, and imitated his virtues. He obtained several victories over the Romans and their British allies.

In his reign Graham, the founder of the family of that name, who was of the blood-royal, and whose daughter was married to Fergus II. performed many brave exploits, and destroyed part of Antoninus's Wall, thence called Graham's Dike.

In the seventh year of Eugene, the Romans were expelled out of Scotland, after a bloody battle; and soon after left the island. Eugene died in his thirtyfirst year, A. D. 455, and was succeeded by Dongard his brother. It was in Eugene's reign that the Britons were reduced so low, that they were obliged to write that reinarkable letter to Rome, entitled, "The groans of the Britons." This, however, not being attended with success, the Britons were obliged to call in the Saxons to their assistance. By these new allies the Scots were defeated in a great battle, and their king Dongard, drowned in the Humber, A. D. 457, which put a stop for some time to these incursions.

Hitherto we have seen the Scots very formidable enemies to the southern Britons, but when the Saxons became enemies of the Britons, the Scots joined in a strict alliance with the latter; neither does it appear that this league was ever dissolved again, though the united efforts of the Scots and Britons were not sufficient to preserve the independency of the latter.

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