The Dawn

I. THE DAWN.

Dover Castle presents to sea and land a striking symbol of British power. The position it occupies has been a place of arms since the time of the Roman occupation ; yet, in spite of the changes of twenty centuries, these mounds and trenches, walls and towers have been adapted to the varying methods of warfare; and to-day, with the great harbour for the Imperial Navy in front, and its fortified surrounding heights, the old fortress is still associated with the defences of the Empire.

This Castle hill is the ideal point from which to catch the first glimmering dawn of local history. Looking away to the furthest point, in the breaking light the heights appear quite bare — " no towers upon the steep " — yet, at that far distant period, we see on the sheer cliffs and the slopes of the valley hosts of Britons in arms denying a landing to the legions of Julius Caesar. From that point we will commence our recital of the Annals of Dover.

In dramatic interest and moving incidents, the history of Dover Castle surpasses that of any other fortress in Britain. Through this gate of the realm a never-ceasing stream of the great and the notable have been passing ever since mankind began to move to and fro on the face of the earth, and to their upturned eyes this Castle has been the first object of interest.

The story of the earliest days of this fortress may be a mixture of tradition and fact, but, in regard to the far distant past, that is a blend which many people appreciate. They like to be told, not only what has been made manifest in the broad daylight, but of that which has been dimly seen in the misty dawn, even at the risk of some of the figures being but types and shadows.

Not to go too far back into the twilight of history, this story begins widi the invasion of Julius Caesar. That incident stands out boldly as a recorded fact. On the 25th of August, B.C. 55, Caesar sailed with his fighting ships into the fair haven between the hills of Dover. The hill-top where Dover Castle now stands was then, it is supposed, destitute of any stone-built fortress, but the natural strength of the position was such that the Britons who held it compelled the Romans to turn their prows eastward to seek a landing-place. Beyond the South Foreland upon an open shore they did effect a landing, but, finding that they had under-estimated both the strength of the Britons and the fury of the sea, after a few demonstrations of their forces on the coast, they returned to their ships, and departed, resolving to come again better prepared.

The second invasion by the Romans occurred nine months later, in May, B.C. 54. On that occasion their armada consisted of 600 ships, bearing 32,000 fighting men, forming seven fully equipped Roman Legions. They did not attempt to land at Dover, experience having taught them that Dover was a place which a small force could hold, but dangerous for many Legions to attack. They landed, as before, in the great bay, now choked up by the sand-dunes, between Deal and Sandwich. They subjugated Kent and Sussex, and on their departure in the Autumn left Manduhratius, a tributary British King, established on Dover Castle Hill authorized to receive and to transmit to Rome the tribute due, by treaty, to Csesar.

No building that was raised by the Romans at the beginning of their occupation is now to be found on Castle Hill; but Darell says, that by the Emperor's direction, the British King, Mandubratius, built a Pretorium there, where he officiated as the representative of the Romans for thirty-five years. On that statement rests the tradition that Julius Caesar built Dover Castle.

Cymbelinus, son of Mandubratius, who, by the favour of Augustus Cassar, was educated at Rome, succeeded his father, B.C. 19, as tributary British King at Dover. His rule was so beneficent that, in his time, only a few Roman soldiers were required to maintain the Imperial authority ; and he was the first King of Britain who had his image stamped on British coin. He also ruled thirty-five years in Dover Castle, and v/as succeeded by his son, Guiderius, A.D. 16.

Guiderius ruled, and collected the Roman tribute at Dover tv/enty-seven years ; but, towards the end of that period, the authority of Claudius Csesar was so slack that the Britons were tempted to rebel. Guiderius made common cause with the insurgents, broke treaty with the Romans A.D. 43, and was slain by Aulus Plautius, the General sent over by Claudius to quell the insurrection.

Guiderius was succeeded by his brother, Arviragus, who continued the revolt against Rome. He is credited with having strengthened the stronghold on the Castle Hill, and is said to have " hired a multitude " to block up the mouth of the haven to keep out the Roman ships. Tacitus, and other writers, say that the resistance by the British under Arviragus could not be effectually overcome by the forces at the command of Aulus Plautius, and that the Generals Vespasian and Titus were sent from Rome with another legion. It is said that these two generals were refused a landing at Dover, but, having disembarked their forces near Hythe, they advanced on Dover by land. Arviragus then abandoned his resistance, and afterwards helped the two Roman generals to conquer other parts of Britain. For that assistance he was taken into favour by Claudius Cfesar, and he married Gennissa, the Emperor's daughter. While Vespasian and Titus were subduing the interior of the island, General Aulus Plautius, about A.D. 50, raised towers and other fortifications on the Castle Hill, of which the Pharos and the square tovrer in the central part of the Church, now remain.

Arviragus, powerful in Britain and trusted in Rome, lived until A.D. 71, when he was succeeded by his son Marius, who was the grandson of Claudius Caesar. Of Marius it is recorded that he reigned in Britain until A.D. 126, and was succeeded by his son Coill; and Coill's son, Lucius, succeeded him A.D. 180.

Lucius, according to tradition, was a king of kings, appointed by the Emperor Aurelius as supreme ruler over the tribal kings of Britain. He was instructed in the Christian religion by two missionaries sent over by Eleutherius, Bishop of Rome, and, becoming a zealous convert, he caused the pagan temples in Britain to be consecrated for Christian worship. Darell says, " Out of the peculiar regard he had for Dover Castle, he erected in honour of Christ, and for His worship, a magnificent Church on the top of the hill on which the Castle is built."

After the death of Lucius, which occurred in A.D. 202, there was a long night of anarchy and pagan darkness, owing to which the line of tributary British Kings no further can be traced. It was during that period that the renowned King Arthur, the traditional champion of the British against the Roman power, is said to have played his part at Dover Castle, and to this day the site of King Arthur's Hall is pointed out on the north side of the Keep.

In closing this part of the Annals of the Castle, which partly rests on traditions, we do not ask the reader to accept all that is above written as absolute fact, yet we would point out that there are reasonable grounds in Caesar's Commentaries for some of the leading statements, and that the Chronicles of the Dover Monastery, still preserved, contain testimony worthy of respect. Those Chronicles, refern.ng to Arviragus, say: "That this King strengthened fiie Castle of Dover may be gathered from this: that when he began to make head against the Romans he fortified the land with many castles and strong works, especially upon the sea-coasts, hence it is highly probable that those places which were open to his enemies, Richburg, Walmere, Dover and Hasteng, were most diligently secured."

Then, as to the Castle Church, the Chronicles of the Dover Monastery say: "It may be safely affirmed of Lucius, the first Christian King, that he founded the Church in the Castle, for if he did not build a new Church, which is uncertain, without doubt he converted an ancient heathen temple standing there into a Christian Church, for this is mentioned in the Book of the Britons and also in the Chronicles of Rom. Pont., that the same King, at the preaching of Damianus and Faganius, who taught him the Christian Faith, had converted all the temples of idols in his kingdom into Christian Churches, appointed Bishops for the Flamens and Archbishops for the Archflamens. At that time the chief priests of the idols were called Flamens." These statements agree with the characteristics of the ancient Church in the Castle, which has the appearance of having been converted out of a pre-existing building. This Church in the Castle was, in primitive times, the sole witness for Christianity at this port, and one of the few then existing in this country. It was always the Church of the Dover Garrison until it fell into decay in the 17th Century; but Darell states that there was, also on the Castle Hill, the Church of St. Giles, provided for the civil population, who in Roman and Saxon times had their dwellings on the south part of the hill, between the Roman Oval and the edge of the cliff, the valley being then covered by the estuary of the Dour.