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Irish Principality in Wales
on the regions of the northern stations, and as they were
accused of having by so acting broken the peace that had
been agreed upon there had evidently been earlier fight-
ing: "The affairs of Britain became troubled in conse-
quence of the incursions of the Picts and Irish, who,
breaking the peace (nupta quiete condicta) to which they
had agreed were plundering the districts on their borders,
and keeping in constant alarm the provinces (i. e., of
Britain) exhausted by former disasters. Caesar (Julian
the Apostate, 360-363), proclaimed emperor at Paris,
having his mind divided by various cares, feared to go to
the aid of his subjects across the Channel (as we have
related Constans to have done) lest he should leave the
Gauls without a governor, while the Alemanni were still
full of fierce, warlike intentions." 1
Four years later the same writer tells us the "Picts,
Irish, Saxons and Attacotti prest the Britains with
incessant invasions." And again at 368 he says: "Valen-
tinian (the emperor) having left Amiens and being on
his way to Treves, then the capital of the western prefecture,
received the disastrous intelligence that Britain
was reduced by the ravages of the united barbarians to
the lowest extremity of distress, that Nectarides, the count
of the sea coast, had been slain in battle, and that the
commander Fultofondes had been taken prisoner by the
enemy in an ambuscade. Jovinus applied for the aid of
a powerful army. Last of all, on account of the many
formidable reports, Theodosius (the elder) was ap-
pointed to proceed to Britain and ordered to make great
haste. At that time the Picts, the Attacotti, a very war-
like people, and the Irish were all roving over different
parts of the country and committing great ravages." In
lAmmianus Marcellinus, XX, I.
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