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Julius Cæsar, who began to make inquiries about Britain in the summer of 55 B.C., and visited it for the first time in the fall of that year, describes several of these characteristics, though he saw only its south-eastern portion, and makes many mistakes.
1. Cæsar’s
description
of Britain
The island is triangular in form, one side facing Gaul [Gallia]. Of this side one angle, which is in Kent
[Cantium], where almost all the ships land from Gaul, looks toward the east; the lower angle of this same side lies toward the south. Its length is about five hundred miles. The second side of the triangle faces Spain [Hispania] and the west. On this side lies Ireland [Hibernia], an island, as is thought, only half as large as Britain, but separated from it by a distance as great as that of Britain from Gaul. Midway between the two there is an island which is called Mona [the Isle of Man]. Many other islands as well are supposed to lie opposite this coast; concerning these some say that at the time of the winter solstice, there is night continuously for thirty days. We found none of these things on inquiry, except we discovered by exact measurement of the water clock that the nights were longer than ours on the continent. The length of this side according to their opinion is 700 miles. The third side of the triangle faces the north. No land is directly opposite, but the angle of this side points towards Germany [Germania]. This is thought to be 800 miles in length. Thus the entire island is in circumference 2000 miles.
1. From De Bello Gallico, Lib. v, c. 13.