The genuine history of the Britons asserted against Mr. Macpherson ...

THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 167
he recites them fairly at the foot of the page,
and has no ftrong bias to miflead his hand as he
copies. — Nor did Severiis relinqiiifli Valentia
to the Caledonians. When he was advancing
with a refolutioH to reduce all Caledonia, or
when he was juft returning from the a6iuai re-
duction of half the country, he could not have
been either compelled or invited to refign up
Valentia to the enemy. And it remained one of
the five provinces of Roman Britain, to the final
period of the Roman dominion in the ifland*.
—Nor was the refoiution to exterminate the
Caledonians taken up by Severus, before he
made his expedition into their country. It was
taken up afterwards, when the fubjeCled tribes
of Caledonia had thrown off their obedience,
and were inllantly joined by the refl of the
Caledonians. Severus's refentment kindled at
the news. He ordered the array immediately,
and in the depth of winter, to march to the
North under the command of Caracalla, to relieve
the garrifons in the ftatlons *, which mud
have been clofely beficged, and to fpread an uni-
verfal carnage through the country. And Mr.
Macpherfon has attributed a defign to the firft
expedition, which was only an order for the fe-
cond 3,
* Hiftory of Manchefter, p. 454.
* Dio, p. 1287,
Hamburgh, 1750, t« ^gw§»a. ^ Hiflorj' of Mancheikr,
{). 419—420.
M 4
p. 94—104,