Beric the Briton | Page 8

unity against a common
foe. Parta was also proud of the congratulations that distinguished
chiefs, famed for their wisdom throughout the tribe, offered to her on
the occasion of their visits.
"Beric will be a great chief," one of the wisest of these said to her;
"truly his sojourn among the Romans has done great things for him. It
would be well, indeed, if every noble youth throughout the island were
to have such schooling, if he had your son's wit in taking advantage of
it. He will be a great orator; never among our bards have I heard
narrations so clear and so well delivered; although the deeds he praises
are those of our oppressors, one cannot but feel a thrill of enthusiasm as
he tells them. Yea, for the moment I myself felt half a Roman when he
told us of the brave youth who thrust his hand into the flames, and
suffered it to be consumed in order to impress the invader with a
knowledge of the spirit that animated the Romans, and of the three men
who held against a host the bridge that their friends were breaking
down behind them.
"If he could stir me thus by his tales of the deeds of our enemies, what
will it be when some day he makes the heroes of Britain his theme, and
calls upon his countrymen to imitate their deeds! I have heard him
called 'the Roman,' Parta. Now that I have listened to him I know that
he will, when the time comes, be one of Rome's most formidable foes. I
will tell you now that Prasutagus, our king, and his queen Boadicea,
spoke to me about Beric, and begged me to come hither to see for
myself this youth of whom they had heard reports from others, some

saying that he had returned a Roman heart and soul, while others
affirmed that, while he had learned much from them, he had forgotten
nothing of the injuries he had received at their hands in the death of his
father, and the disaster of the tribe. I shall know now what to tell them.
To Prasutagus, whose fear of the Romans is even greater than his
hatred for them, I shall say that the lad is full of the glories of Roman
story, and that there is no fear of his doing or saying aught that will
excite the anger or suspicion of the Romans. To Boadicea, who hates
the Romans far more than she fears them, I shall tell the truth, and shall
inform her that when the time comes, as assuredly it some day will, that
the Iceni are called upon to defend their liberties against Rome, in Beric
she will find a champion of whom I predict that he will be worthy to
take his place in our history by the side of Caractacus and
Cassivelaunus. May our gods avert that, like them, he fall a victim to
British treachery!"
After leaving Boduoc, Beric crossed the bridge built by the Romans
over the Stour, and entered the city. Camalodunum was the chief seat
of the Roman power in England. Although but so short a time had
elapsed since Claudius had occupied it, it was already a large city. A
comparatively small proportion, however, was Roman work, but all
bore the impress of Roman art and civilization, for Cunobeline, whose
capital it had been, was a highly enlightened king, and had introduced
Roman ways and methods among his people. Men instructed in their
arts and architecture had been largely employed in the building of the
town, and its edifices would have borne comparison with those in
minor towns in the Roman provinces.
The conquerors, therefore, found much of their work done for them.
The original possessors of the houses and of the highly cultivated lands
lying round the town were ejected wholesale, and the Romans,
establishing themselves in their abodes and farms, then proceeded to
add to, embellish, and fortify the town. The 2nd, 9th, and 14th Legions
were selected by Claudius to found what was called the colony, and to
take possession of the surrounding country. Plautius was appointed
propraetor, or governor, and establishing himself in the royal palace of
Cunobeline, his first step was to protect the city from renewed attacks
by the Britons. He accordingly erected vast works to the westward of
the town, extending from the sea to the river, by which means he not

only protected the city from attack, but gained, in case of an assault by
overpowering numbers, the means of retiring safely to Mersea Island,
lying a short distance from the shore.
A council house and a tribunal were erected for the Roman magistrates;
temples, a theatre, and baths raised. The civilian population increased
rapidly. Architects, artists, and