Beric the Briton, A Story of the Roman Invasion
Encyclopedia
Beric the Briton, A Story of the Roman Invasion (1893) is a book by British author G.A. Henty. It was published by Blackie and Son Ltd, London. It tells of the Roman invasion of Britain through the eyes of a "half Romanized" Briton, Beric.
subjugation. He and his tribe rise up against Roman rule under Queen Boudica. The strong but untrained Britons have success for a short time, but are quickly conquered again by the well-trained legionaries. Beric and a small band of men fight to the last from the swamps, conducting a sort of guerrilla warfare
. At last he and his men are captured, and Beric is sent to Rome
as a gladiator. While in Rome
, he becomes friends with some who belong to the rising sect of Christians. When a Christian
girl is given to the lions in the Roman amphitheatre
, Beric dashes to the rescue and kills a lion single-handedly. Taken as a guard to Nero
, the mighty emperor, Beric is horrified at the drunken revelry which takes place, and escapes from the palace. At last he is enabled to go back to Britain
, though not after many more adventures.
It has also been recorded by storyteller Jim Weiss. http://www.greathall.com/onlinebro.html
Plot
The main character is Beric, a young Briton under RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
subjugation. He and his tribe rise up against Roman rule under Queen Boudica. The strong but untrained Britons have success for a short time, but are quickly conquered again by the well-trained legionaries. Beric and a small band of men fight to the last from the swamps, conducting a sort of guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
. At last he and his men are captured, and Beric is sent to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as a gladiator. While in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he becomes friends with some who belong to the rising sect of Christians. When a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
girl is given to the lions in the Roman amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, Beric dashes to the rescue and kills a lion single-handedly. Taken as a guard to Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, the mighty emperor, Beric is horrified at the drunken revelry which takes place, and escapes from the palace. At last he is enabled to go back to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, though not after many more adventures.
External links
It can be found as a Project Gutenberg EBook http://www.archive.org/stream/bbrit10/bbrit10.txt.It has also been recorded by storyteller Jim Weiss. http://www.greathall.com/onlinebro.html