d from ingenuity, from commerce, from riches and luxury, it then
wore a very rough and savage appearance. The country, forest or marsh;
the habitations, cottages; the cities, hiding-places in woods; the
people naked, or only covered with skins; their sole employment,
pasturage and hunting. They painted their bodies for ornament or terror,
by a custom general amongst all savage nations, who, being passionately
fond of show and finery, and having no object but their naked bodies on
which to exercise this disposition, have in all times painted or cut
their skins, according to their ideas of ornament. They shaved the beard
on the chin; that on the upper lip was suffered to remain, and grow to
an extraordinary length, to favor the martial appearance, in which they
placed their glory. They were in their natural temper not unlike the
Gauls, impatient, fiery, inconstant, ostentatious, boastful, fond of
novelty,--and like all barbarians, fierce, treacherous, and cruel. Their
arms were short javelins, small shields of a slight texture, and great
cutting swords with a blunt point, after the Gaulish fashion.

Their chiefs went to battle in chariots, not unartfully contrived nor
unskilfully managed. I cannot help thinking it something extraordinary,
and not easily to be accounted for, that the Britons should have been so
expert in the fabric of those chariots, when they seem utterly ignorant
in all other mechanic arts: but thus it is delivered to us. They had
also horse, though of no great reputation, in their armies. Their foot
was without heavy armor; it was no firm body, nor instructed to preserve
their ranks, to make their evolutions, or to obey their commanders; but
in tolerating hardships, in dexterity of forming ambuscades, (the art
military of savages,) they are said to have excelled. A natural ferocity
and an impetuous onset stood them in the place of discipline.

It is very difficult, at this distance of time, and with so little
information, to discern clearly what sort of civil government prevailed
among the ancient Britons. In all very uncultivated countries, as
society is not close nor intricate, nor property very valuable, liberty
subsists with few restraints. The natural equality of mankind appears
and is asserted, and therefore there are but obscure lines of any form
of government. In every society of this sort the natural connections are
the same as in others, though the political ties are weak. Among such
barbarian