Representative   of  the  Emperor  and  subordinate   to
him,   this  Governor  wielded  in  his   jgirisdiction  the  entire
Imperial  power. He  commanded  the   army  and  controlled  the
administration  of  justice. He  divided  the   territory  into
six  provinces  over  each  of  v^iich  we**- installed  a  Praetor,
When  that  officer  gets  at  work  we  know  the   law  grows  fast
and  flexible   on  its  Roman  lines. Throughout   these  provinces
were   organized  towns  and  military  stations  and  smaller  forts
to  the   number   of  almost   two  hundred,    easily  taking  the
impress  of  the  Roman   system. Some,    if  not  most,   of  these
became   the  English  boroughs  of  wlaich  we   read  in  Saxon  or
Norman  tines  that  York  had  four  and  Chester  twelve   " judices
or  law-men". The  word  "doomsmen"  was   simply  a  translation
of   judices  or  iudicatores. The  municipal  rights  of  the
cities  were   those  which  the  Empire   awarded  to   its  tribu-
taries, and  the  rights  of  individuals  such  as  the  Civil  law
gave  under  the  Praetorian  edicts. Beyond  that   it   is  quite


510


certain  that  many  Romans  impelled  by  the   spirit  of  adventure,
or  lured  by  the  prospe(Et  of  gain,   or  attached  to  the
comforts  and  necessities  of  the   legions,  followed  them  in-
to the   conquered  territory  and  were   assigned  lands  * ich
the  Britons  as  slaves  or   serfs  cultivated. The  Roman
theory  of  the  ager  publicus,   of  title    in  the  Stats   to  all
the  land  conquered  from  the  enemy,   to  be  parcelled  out  by
the   State  for  its  benefit,  followed  the   standards  into
Britain. The    occupants  becarae  tenants  of  the  Empire  upon
such  terms  as  it   should  dictate;  the   Quiritary  dominion,
the   title    in  fee  remaining   in  the   State,   and  the   tenancy
resting  upon  the  conditions  wlich  it   should  please   to   im-
pose. Tp  what  extent  this  process  was  carried  it   is  not
possible   now  to  determine,  but  that  the   conquered  land«4
were   in  that  manner   largely  distributed  to  the  military,
who  held  them  upon  condition  of  service   under  the   standardf,
and  to  the  coloni,  who  were  chargeable  with  some  form  of
return,    is  quite  certain. 