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and we have no ambition to tyrannize over any nation. That you may understand the genius of the Scythians, we prefent you with a yoke of oxen, an arrow, and a goblet. We use these respectively in our commerce with friends, and with foes. We give to our friends the corn, which we raise by the labour of our oxen. With the goblet we join with them in pouring drink-offerings to the gods; and with arrows we attack our enemies. We have conquered those, who have attempted to tyrannize over us in our own country, and likewife the kings of the Medes and Perfians, when they made unjust war upon us; and we have opened to ourfelves a way into Egypt. You pretend to be the punisher of robbers; and are yourself the general robber of mankind. You have taken Lydia : you have feized Syria: you are mafter of Perfia: you have subdued the Bactrians; and attacked India. All this will not fatisfy you, unless you lay your greedy and insatiable hands upon our flocks and our herds. How imprudent is your conduct! You grafp at riches, the poffeffion of which only increases your avarice. You increase your hunger by what fhould produce fatiety; fo that the more you have, the more you defire. But have you forgot how long the conqueft of the Bactrians detained you? While you were fubduing them, the Sogdians revolted. Your victories ferve no other purpofe, than to find you employment by producing new wars. For the business of every conqueft is twofold; to win, and to preferve. And though you may be the greatest of warriors, you must expect, that the nations you conquer will endeavour to shake off the yoke as fast as poffible. For what people chufes to be under foreign dominion? If you will crofs the Tanais, you may travel over Scythia, and observe how extensive a territory we inhabit. But to conquer us is quite another business. Your is

army

loaded

loaded with the cumbrous fpoils of many nations. You will find the poverty of the Scythians, at one time, too nimble for your pursuit; and at another time, when you think we are fled far enough from you, you will have us furprize you in your camp. For the Scythians attack with no lefs vigour than they fly. Why fhould we put you in mind of the vaftnefs of the country you will have to conquer! The deferts of Scythia are commonly talked of in Grecce; and all the world knows, that our delight is to dwell at large, and not in towns, or plantations. It will therefore be your wisdom to keep with strict attention what you have gained. Catching at more, you may lose what you have. We have a proverbial faying in Scythia, That fortune has no feet, and is furnished only with hands, to diftribute her capricious favours, and with fins, to elude the grasp of those, to whom fhe has been bountiful. You give yourself out to be a god, the fon of Jupiter Hammon. It fuits the character of a god, to bestow favours on mortals; not to deprive them of what they have. But if you are no god, reflect on the precarious condition of humanity. You will thus fhew more wifdom, than by dwelling on thofe fubjects which have puffed up your pride, and made you forget yourself. You fee how little you are likely to gain by attempting the conqueft of Scythia. On the other hand, you may, if you pleafe, have in us a valuable alliance. We command the borders of both Europe and Afia. There is nothing between us and Bactria, but the river Tanais: and our territory extends to Thrace, which, as we have heard, borders on Macedon. If you decline attacking us in a hoftile manner, you may have our friendship. Nations which have never been at war are on an equal footing. But it is in vain, that confidence is repofed in a conquered people. There can be no fincere friendship

friendship between the oppreffor and the oppreffed. Even in peace, the latter think themselves entitled to the rights of war against the former. We will, if you think good, enter into a treaty with you, according to our manner, which is, not by figning, fealing, and taking the gods to witnefs, as is the Grecian custom; but by doing actual services. The Scythians are not used to promife; but to perform without promifing. And they think an appeal to the gods fuperfluous; for that thofe, who have no regard for the esteem of men, will not hesitate to offend the gods, by perjury. You may therefore confider with yourself, whether you had better have a people of fuch a character, and fo fituated as to have it in their power either to ferve you, or to annoy you, according as you treat them, for allies, or for enemies.

QUINTUS CURTIUS.

CHA P.

VI.

GALGACUS THE GENERAL OF THE CALEDONII
TO HIS ARMY, 10 INCITE THEM TO
AGAINST THE ROMANS.

WHEN

ACTION

HEN I reflect on the caufes of the war, and the circumftances of our fituation, I feel a ftrong perfuafion that our united efforts on the present day will prove the beginning of universal liberty to Britain. For none of us are hitherto debased by flavery; and we have no profpect of a fecure retreat behind us, either by land or fea, whilft the Roman fleet hovers around. Thus the ufe of arms, which is at all times honourable to the brave, here offers the only fafety even to cowards. In all the battles which have yet been fought with various fuccefs against the Romans, the refources of hope and aid were in our hands; for we, the

noblest

nobleft inhabitants of Britain, and therefore stationed in its deepest receffes, far from the view of fervile fhores, have preferved even our eyes unpolluted by the contact of fubjection. We, at the fartheft limits both of land and liberty, have been defended to this day by the obfcurity of our fituation and of our fame. The extremity of Britain is now disclosed; and whatever is unknown becomes an object of importance. But there is no nation beyond us; nothing but waves and rocks; and the Romans are before us. The arrogance of these invaders it will be in vain to encounter by obfequiousness and fubmiffion. These plunderers of the world, after exhaufting the land by their devastations, are rifling the ocean: ftimulated by avarice, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor: unfatiated by the Eaft and by the Weft: the only people who behold wealth and indigence with equal avidity. To ravage, to flaughter, to ufurp under falfe titles, they call empire; and when they make a defert, they call it peace.

OUR children and relations are by the appointment of nature rendered the deareft of all things to us. These are torn away by levies to foreign fervitude. Our wives and fifters, though they fhould efcape the violation of hoftile force, are polluted under the names of friendship and hofpitality. Our eftates and poffeffions are confumed in tributes ; our grain in contributions. Even the powers of our bodies are worn down amidst stripes and infults in clearing woods and draining marfhes. Wretches born to flavery are firft bought, and afterwards fed by their masters: Britain continually buys, continually feeds her own fervitude. And as among domestic flaves every new comer serves for the fcorn and derifion of his fellows; fo, in this ancient household of the world, we, as the laft and vileft, are fought

out for deftruction. For we have neither cultivated lands, nor mines, nor harbours, which can induce them to preserve us for our labours; and our valour and unfubmitting spirit, will only render us more obnoxious to our imperious mafters; while the very remoteness and fecrecy of our fituation, in proportion as it conduces to fecurity, will tend to inspire fufpicion. Since then all hopes of forgiveness are vain, let thofe at length affume courage, to whom glory, to whom fafety is dear. The Brigantines, even under a female leader, had force enough to burn the enemy's fettlements, to storm their camps; and, if fuccefs had not introduced negligence and inactivity, would have been able entirely to throw off the yoke and fhall not we, untouched, unfubdued, and fruggling not for the acquifition, but the continuance of liberty, declare at the very firft onfet what kind of men Caledonia has reserved for her defence?

CAN you imagine that the Romans are as brave in war as they are infolent in peace? Acquiring renown from our difcords and diffenfions, they convert the errors of their enemies to the glory of their own army; an army compounded of the most different nations, which as fuccefs alone has kept together, misfortune will certainly diffipate. Unless, indeed, you can fuppofe that Gauls, and Germans, and (I blush to say it) even Britons, lavishing their blood for a foreign state, to which they have been longer foes than subjects, will be retained by loyalty and affection! Terror and dread alone, weak bonds of attachment, are the ties by which they are reftrained; and when these are once broken, those who ceafe to fear will begin to hate. Every incitement to victory is on our fide. The Romans have no wives to animate them; no parents to upbraid their flight. Most of them have either no habitation, or a distant one.

Few

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