In the meane time, the emperour Seuerus being worne with age fell sicke, so that he was constreined to abide at home within that part of the Ile which obeied the Romans, and to appoint his sonne Antoninus to take charge of the armie abroad.  But Antoninus not regarding the enimies, attempted little or nothing against them, but sought waies how to win the fauour of the souldiers and men of warre, that after his fathers death (for which he dailie looked) he might haue their aid and assistance to be admitted emperour in his place.  Now when he saw that his father bare out his sicknesse longer time than he would haue wished, he practised with physicians and other of his fathers seruants to dispatch him by one meane or other.

Whilest Antoninus thus negligentlie looked to his charge, the Britains began a new rebellion, not onlie those that were latelie ioined in league with the emperour, but the other also which were subjects to the Romane empire.  Seuerus tooke such displeasure, that he called togither the souldiers, and commanded them to inuade the countrie, and to kill all such as they might meet within anie place without respect, and that his cruell commandement he expressed in these verses taken out of Homer:  [Sidenote:  Iliados. 3.]

  Nemo manus fugiat vestras, caedemque cruentam,
  Non foetus grauida mater quern gessit in aluo
  Horrendam effugiat caedem.

But while he was thus disquieted with the rebellion of the Britains, and the disloiall practises of his sonne Antoninus, which to him were not vnknowne, (for the wicked sonne had by diuers attempts discouered his traitorous and vnnaturall meanings) at length, rather through [Sidenote:  Heriodianus.  Dion Cassius.  Eutropius.  Dion Cassius.] sorrow and griefe, than by force of sicknesse, he wasted awaie, and departed this life at Yorke, the third daie before the nones of Februarie, after he had gouerned the empire by the space of 17 yeares, 8 moneths, & 33 daies.  He liued 65 yeres, 9 moneths, & 13 daies:  he was borne the third ides of April.  By that which before is recited out of Herodian and Dion Cassius, of the maners & vsages of those people, against whome Seuerus held warre here in Britaine, it maie be coniectured, that they were the Picts, the which possessed in those daies a great part of Scotland, and with continuall incursions and [Sidenote:  Eutropius.  Orosius.] rodes wasted and destroyed the borders of those countries which were subiect to the Romans.  To keepe them backe therefore and to represse their inuasions, Seuerus (as some write) either restored [Sidenote:  Dion Cassius.] the former wall made by Adrian, or else newlie built an other ouerthwart the Ile, from the east sea to the west, conteining in [Sidenote:  Beda.] length 232 miles.  This wall was not made of stone, but of turfe and earth supported with stakes and piles of wood, and defended on the [Sidenote:  Hector Boetius] backe with a deepe trench or ditch, and also fortified with diuerse towers and turrets built & erected vpon the same wall or rampire so neere togither, that the sound of trumpets being placed in the same, might be heard betwixt, and so warning giuen from one to another vpon the first descrieng of the enimies.