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By the time of Tacitus, who wrote the following account of Britain about A.D. 100, the island was quite familiar to the Romans, and he is therefore more interested in describing its distant parts, those now known as Scotland, which had but recently been explored. He still repeats the mistaken belief of all the ancients that Spain extended so far to the north that it lay to the west of Britain. It is evident that but few voyages could have been made by sea all the way from the Mediterranean to Britain or this mistake would have been corrected.
3. Descrip-
tion by
Tacitus
Since the geography and the peoples of Britain have been already treated by many writers, I shall speak, not with the idea of vying with these authors in art or genius, but because it was at this time first thoroughly subdued. Those things which former writers, not fully comprehending, embellished with their eloquence, will be set down with historical accuracy. Britain, the largest of the islands known to the Romans, as regards its geographical situation, on the east faces Germany, on the west Spain, and is even visible on the south to the
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Gauls; the north of the island has no land opposite, and is washed by a vast and open sea. Livy, one of the most gifted authors of ancient times, and Fabius Rusticus, of modern times, have compared the form of the whole island to a trapezoid or a two-edged ax. As a matter of fact this is its appearance on this side of Caledonia, whence the report arose for the whole; but when you have entered this enormous and shapeless tract of land stretching to a great length, it narrows to a wedge.
The Roman fleet, borne then for the first time about this coast, lying so far away, confirmed the assertion that Britain was an island, at the same time discovering and conquering hitherto unknown islands, which they called the Orcades. Thule was seen from a distance only, because the orders went not further and winter was approaching. But they assert that the sea is sluggish and hard for the rowers, and not even by the winds is it stirred up as other seas. I suppose that this is so because the land and mountains, the cause and origin of storms, are rare, and the great mass of water of one continuous sea is not easily disturbed. . . .
The long
days in
Britain
The sky is gloomy with many clouds, and showers are frequent; but the severity of cold seasons is absent. The length of day is longer than in our latitude. The night in the extreme north of Britain is clear and short, so that one scarcely distinguishes the end and the beginning of the daylight, so slight is the interval between. If the clouds do not prevent, the glow of the sun is visible through the night, nor does the sun rise and set, but merely passes along the horizon. In fact the extreme and flat parts of the land with their low relief do not cast shadows, and so night falls below the sky and stars. The land abounds in fruits, except the olive and the vine, together with some other things accustomed to grow in warmer climates: although these sprout quickly, they ripen slowly. The reason for both is the same, the great dampness of the land and atmosphere. Britain produces gold, silver, and other metals, the rewards of victory. The ocean yields pearls, but they are discolored and dull. Certain people think that those who gather them are lacking in skill; for in the Red Sea they are torn from the rocks alive and glowing, while in Britain they are
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just as they have been cast up on the shore. I can believe more easily, however, that the quality is lacking in the pearls than that we fail in covetousness.
1. From Agricola, cc. 10, 22;