[1] _THen did king Aruira|gus ride about to view the state of his realme, repairing cities and townes decaied by the warre of the Romans, and saw his people gouerned with such iustice and good or|der, that he was both feared and greatlie beloued: so that in tract of time he grew verie welthie, and by reason thereof fell into pride, so that he denied his subiection to the Ro|mans. Wherevpon Claudius appointed Uespasian with an armie to go as lientenant into Britaine.Uespasian in Britaine. Cornel. Tacit. in vit. Agr. lib. 5. & li. 6. Gal. Mon. Rutupium. This iournie was to him the beginning of his ad|uancement to that honour, which after to him most luckilie befell. But if we shall credit our Britaine writers, he gained not much at Aruiragus hands, for where he would haue landed at Sandwich or Richborough, Aruiragus was readie to resist him, so as he durst not once enter the hauen: for Aruira|gus had there such a puissant number of armed men, that the Romans were afraid to approch the land.
[1] Uespasian therefore withdrew from thence, and coasting westward, landed at Totnesse, and com|ming to Excester, besieged that citie: but about the seuenth day after he had planted his siege, came Ar|uiragus, and gaue him battell, in the which both the armies susteined great losse of men, and neither part got anie aduantage of the other. On the morrow af|ter quéene Genissa made them friends, and so the warres ceassed for that time, by hir good mediation.
[1] ¶But séeing (as before I haue said) the truth of this historie maie be greatlie mistrusted, ye shall heare what the Romane writers saie of Uespasia|nus being héere in Britaine, beside that which we haue alreadie recited out of Dion in the life of Gui|derius.
[1] In the daies of the emperor Claudius, through fa|uour of Narcissus (one that might doo all with Clau|dius) the said Uespasian was sent as coronell or lieu|tenant of a legion of souldiers into Germanie,Vespasian. and being remooued from thence into Britaine,Suetonius. Sabellicus. he fought thirtie seuerall times with the enimies, and brought vnto the Romane obeisance two most mightie na|tions, and aboue twentie townes, togither with the Ile of Wight; and these exploits he atchiued, partlie vnder the conduct of Aulus Plautius ruler of Bri|taine for the emperor Claudius, and partlie vnder the same emperor himselfe. For as it is euident by writers of good credit, he came first ouer into Bri|taine with the said Aulus Plautius, and serued verie valiantlie vnder him, as before in place we haue partlie touched. By Tacitus it appeereth, that he was called to be partener in the gouernment of things in [page 37] Britaine with Claudius, and had such successe, as it appéered to what estate of honour he was predesti|nate, hauing conquered nations, and taken kings prisoners. But now to make an end with Aruira|gus:Gal. Mon. when he perceiued that his force was too weake to preuaile against the Romane empire, and that he should striue but in vaine to shake the yoke of sub|iection from the necks of the Britains, he made a fi|nall peace with them in his old age, and so continued in quiet the residue of his reigne, which he lastlie en|ded by death, after he had gouerned the land by the space of thirtie yéeres, or but eight and twentie, as some other imagine. He died in the yéere of Grace 73, as one author affirmeth, and was buried at Glo|cester.