THE VARIOUS ROMAN YOKES:  THEIR GROWTH, DEGENERATION, AND FINAL ELIMINATION.

Agricola no doubt made the Roman yoke easier upon the necks of the conquered people, and suggested the rotation of crops.  He also invaded Caledonia and captured quite a number of Scotchmen, whom he took home and domesticated.

Afterwards, in 121 A.D., the emperor Hadrian was compelled to build a wall to keep out the still unconquered Caledonians.  This is called the “Picts’ Wall,” and a portion of it still exists.  Later, in 208 A.D., Severus built a solid wall of stone along this line, and for seventy years there was peace between the two nations.

Towards the end of the third century Carausius, who was appointed to the thankless task of destroying the Saxon pirates, shook off his allegiance to the emperor Diocletian, joined the pirates and turned out Diocletian, usurping the business management of Britain for some years.  But, alas! he was soon assassinated by one of his own officers before he could call for help, and the assassin succeeded him.  In those days assassination and inauguration seemed to go hand-in-hand.

[Illustration:  Assassination of Carausius.]

After Constantius, who died 306 A.D., came Constantine the Great, his son by a British princess.

Under Constantine peace again reigned, but the Irish, who desired to free Ireland even if they had to go abroad and neglect their business for that purpose, used to invade Constantine’s territory, getting him up at all hours of the night and demanding that he should free Ireland.

These men were then called Picts, hence the expression “picked men.”  They annoyed Constantine by coming over and trying to introduce Home Rule into the home of the total stranger.

The Scots also made turbulent times by harassing Constantine and seeking to introduce their ultra-religious belief at the muzzle of the crossgun.

Trouble now came in the latter part of the fourth century A.D., caused by the return of the regular Roman army, which went back to Rome to defend the Imperial City from the Goths who sought to “stable their stock in the palace of the Caesars,” as the historian so tersely puts it.

[Illustration:  The picts INCULCATING home rule principles.]

In 418 A.D., the Roman forces came up to London for the summer, and repelled the Scots and Picts, but soon returned to Rome, leaving the provincial people of London with disdain.  Many of the Roman officers while in Britain had their clothes made in Rome, and some even had their linen returned every thirty days and washed in the Tiber.

[Illustration:  Irritability of the barbarian.]

In 446 A.D., the Britons were extremely unhappy.  “The barbarians throw us into the sea and the sea returns us to the barbarians,” they ejaculated in their petition to the conquering Romans.  But the latter were too busy fighting the Huns to send troops, and in desperation the Britons formed an alliance with Hengist and Horsa, two Saxon travelling men who, in 449 A.D., landed on the island of Thanet, and thus ended the Roman dominion over Britain.