The church-history of Brittany from the beginning of Christianity to the Norman conquest under Roman governours, Brittish kings, the English-Saxon heptarchy, the English-Saxon (and Danish) monarchy ... : from all which is evidently demonstrated that the present Roman Catholick religion hath from the beginning, without interruption or change been professed in this our island, &c. / by R.F., S. Cressy of the Holy Order of S. Benedict.

XI. CHAP.* 1.1

1.2.3. A brief of Roman affairs from the end of Nero to Vespasian.

4.5. Trebellius Maximus Pr••pretour in Brittany: after whom succeeded Ve¦ctius Bolanus.

6. Then Petilius Cerealis. 7. Next Iulius Frontinus.

8. After whom Iulius Agricola.

1. IT was in the days of Coellus the Son o•• this King Marius that S. Ioseph acco••••ding to ancient Tradition ended his la∣bours and mortality,* 1.2 in the eighty second yeare of our Lord, concurring with the se¦cond yeare of the Emperour Titus son of Ves∣pasian. Now before we treat of the particu∣lars touching this our Holy Patriark's death, it will be convenient that we first give a breif account of Roman affairs in this Island occurring between the end of Nero and that time.

2. Nero by self-murder having revenged upon himself all the execrable crimes com∣mitted, especially toward the latter end of his raign, as the killing of his Mother, the burning of Rome, and imputing that most facinorous act to the innocent Christians, a∣gainst whom he raged with a most sa∣vage cruelty, a cruelty extending even to the extinguishing of the two most glo∣rious Lights then shining in the world, S. Peter and S. Paul: the family of the Caesars ending in him, there followed in the Roman Empire most terrible seditions, no fewer then four Emperours within the space of two years having been chosen by severall Ar∣mies, to wit, Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespa∣sian,

by whose contentions against one ano∣ther the Roman world was all torn in peices, and Italy especially was almost drowned with the blood of severall armies meeting there, and without any consideration of their affinity mutually butchering one ano∣ther: Till in the end Vespasian being the con∣querour, Peace was at last restored.

3. Now during these furious conten∣tions, only in Brittany the Roman armies were uninteressed, and consequently free from either doing or suffring mischeifs.* 1.3 And the reasons given by Tacitus hereof were partly their distance from the cheif Scene of these Tragedies: and partly because having been exercised with severall expe∣ditions against the unquiet Brittains, they were taught to direct their hatred rather a∣gainst their enemies, then any party among the Romans.

4. Trebellius Maximus who had been sent Propretor into Brittany, by particular factions in the army was forced to fly out of the Countrey, and had recourse to Vitel∣lius newly proclam'd Emperour. In his place succeeded Vectius Bolanus,* 1.4 who saith Tacitus, governed with more mildnes then was fitting in a Province so feirce and apt for commotions.

5. Assoon as Vespasian was declared a pre∣tender to rhe Empire, the Roman Army in Brittany quickly express'd great favour to∣wards him, as one who had been made Lea∣der of the Second Legion there by the Empe∣rour Claudius, and perform'd severall exploits with great reputation.

6. After three years spent by Vectius Bo∣lanus in a quiet government of Brittany, there was by Vespasian, who had then been three years Emperour,* 1.5 sent to succeed him Petilius Cerealis: who presently, upon what provo∣cation it doth not appeare, assailed the Na∣tion call'd Brigantes, took their cheif Citty York the most populous then of all Brittany, as Tacitus affirms: and fought many battels, some of them very bloody, conquering a great part of rhat Province, and engaged the Romans in a war with the rest.

7. In the sixth year of Vespasians raign Iulius Frontinus was sent in the place of Cerealis, du∣ring whose governmēt the Silures inhabiting the Western parts of Brittany rebell'd against the Romans: whose Countrey he with great courage invaded, and though partly by their valour, but principally by difficulties of passages they brought him to great extremi∣ties, yet in the end with wonderfull con∣stancy he conquered all opposition, and en∣tirely subdued them. And to restrain them from future commotions, he fortified in their Province the Citty call'd Isca, placing one of his Legions there: from whence it took the name of Caer-Leon, or the Citty of the Legion.

8. After Frontinus the Government of the Roman Army was committed to Iulius A∣gricola in the ninth, which was the last year of the raign of Vespasian. Whose worthy ex∣ploits and signall vertues both in war and peace have been most nobly described by his son in law Cornelius Tacitus, in a Book purposely written of his life. Which ex∣ploits because they were perform'd after the death of St. Ioseph and his companions, we will delay the giving a breif account of them to the next Book: and we will con∣clude this with relating some considerable circumstances attending the death and bu∣riall of those Apostolick Saints and Patrons of our Nation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XI. CHAP.
• * 1.2

  A. D. 82.
• * 1.3

  Tacit histor. lib. 1.
• * 1.4

  Id in vita agris.
• * 1.5

  d. ibid.