In this meane time there came ouer to the aid of Suetonius, the legion
surnamed the 14, and other bands of souldiers and men of warre, to the
number of ten thousand in the whole, wherevpon (chieflie bicause
vittels began to faile him) he prepared to giue battell to his
enimies, and chose out a plot of ground verie strong within straits,
and backed with a wood, so that the enimies could not assault his
campe but on the front: yet by reason of their great multitude and
[Sidenote: The Britains were at that time 230000 men, (as _Dion_
writeth.)]
hope of victorie conceiued by their late prosperous successe, the
Britains vnder the conduct of quéene Voadicia aduentured to giue
battell, hauing their women there to be witnesses of the victorie,
whome they placed in charrets at the vttermost side of their field.
[Sidenote: _Corn. Tacit. li._ 15.]
[Sidenote: _Dion Cassius._]
Voadicia, or Boudicia (for so we find hir written by some copies, and
Bonuica also by Dion) hauing hir daughters afore hir, being mounted
into a charret, as she passed by the souldiers of ech sundrie
countrie, told them "it was a thing accustomed among the Britains to
go to the warres vnder the leading of women; but she was not now come
foorth as one borne of such noble ancestors as she was descended from,
to fight for hir kingdome and riches; but as one of the meaner sort,
rather to defend hir lost libertie, and to reuenge hir selfe of the
enimie, for their crueltie shewed in scourging hir like a vagabond,
and shamefull deflouring of hir daughters: for the licentious lust of
the Romans was so farre spred and increased, that they spared neither
the bodies of old nor yoong, but were readie most shamefullie to abuse
them, hauing whipped hir naked being an aged woman, and forced hir
daughters to satisfie their filthie concupiscence: but (saith she) the
gods are at hand readie to take iust reuenge.
"The legion that presumed to incounter with vs is slaine and beaten
downe. The residue kéepe them close within their holds, or else séeke
waies how to flée out of the countrie: they shall not be once able so
much as to abide the noise and clamor of so manie thousands as we are
héere assembled, much lesse the force of our great puissance and
dreadfull hands. If ye therefore (said she) would wey and consider
with your selues your huge numbers of men of warre, and the causes why
ye haue mooued this warre, ye would surelie determine either in this
battell to die with honour, or else to vanquish the enimie by plaine
force, for so (quoth she) I being a woman am fullie resolued, as for
you men ye maie (if ye list) liue and be brought into bondage."
"Neither did Suetonius ceasse to exhort his people: for though he
trusted in their manhood, yet as he had diuided his armie into three
battels, so did he make vnto ech of them a seuerall oration, willing
them not to feare the shrill and vaine menacing threats of the
Britains, sith there was among them more women than men, they hauing
no skill in warrelike discipline, and heereto being naked without
furniture of armour, would foorthwith giue place when they should
féele the sharpe points of the Romans weapons, and the force of them
by whom they had so often béene put to flight. In manie legions (saith
he) the number is small of them that win the battell. Their glorie
therefore should be the more, for that they being a small number
should win the fame due to the whole armie, if they would (thronging
togither) bestow their weapons fréelie, and with their swoords and
targets preasse forward vpon their enimies, continuing the slaughter
without regard to the spoile, they might assure themselues when the
victorie was once atchiued to haue all at their pleasures."
Such forwardnesse in the souldiers followed vpon this exhortation of
the couragious generall, that euerie one prepared himselfe so readilie
to doo his dutie, and that with such a shew of skill and experience,
that Suetonius hauing conceiued an assured hope of good lucke to
follow, caused the trumpets to sound to the battell. The onset was
giuen in the straits, greatlie to the aduantage of the Romans, being
but a handfull in comparison to their enimies. The fight in the
beginning was verie sharpe and cruell, but in the end the Britains
being a let one to another (by reason of the narrownesse of the place)
were not able to susteine the violent force of the Romans their
enimies, so that they were constreind to giue backe, and so being
disordered were put to flight, and vtterlie discomfited.
[Sidenote: 80000 Britains slaine.]
There were slaine of the Britains that day few lesse than 80000
[Sidenote: [*_sic_]]
thousand*, as Tacitus writeth. For the straits being stopped with the
charrets, staied the flight of the Britains, so as they could not
easilie escape: and the Romans were so set on reuenge, that they
spared neither man nor woman, so that manie were slaine in the
battell, manie amongst the charrets, and a great number at the woods
side, which way they made their flight, and manie were taken
prisoners. Those that escaped, would haue fought a new battell, but in
the meane time Voadicia, or Bonuica deceassed of a naturall
infirmitie, as Dion Cassius writeth, but other say that she poisoned
hir selfe, and so died, because she would not come into the hands of
hir bloodthirstie enimies. There died of the Romans part in this most
notable battell 400, and about the like number were grieuouslie hurt
and most pitifullie wounded.
[Sidenote: Penius Posthumous sleieth himselfe.]
Penius Posthumous maister of the campe of the second legion,
vnderstanding the prosperous successe of the other Romane capteins,
because he had defrauded his legion of the like glorie, and had
refused to obeie the commandements of the generall, contrarie to the
vse of warre, slue himselfe.
After this all the Romane armie was brought into the field to make an
end of the residue of the warre. And the emperour caused a supplie to
be sent out of Germanie being 2000 legionarie souldiers, and 8 bands
of aids, with 1000 horssemen, by whose comming the bands of the ninth
legion were supplied with legionarie souldiers, and those bands and
wings of horssemen were appointed to places where they might winter,
and such people of the Britains as were either enimies, or else stood
in doubt whether to be friends or enimies in déed, were persecuted
with fire and sword.
But nothing more afflicted them than famine, for whilest euerie man
gaue himselfe to the warre, and purposed to haue liued vpon the
prouision of the Romans and other their enimies, they applied not
themselues to tillage, nor to anie husbanding of the ground, and long
[Sidenote: Julius Cassickinus procurator.]
it was yer they (being a fierce kind of people) fell to embrace peace,
by reason that Iulius Cassicianus, who was sent into Britaine as
successor to Catus, fell at square with Suetonius, and by his priuat
grudge hindered the prosperous successe of publike affaires. He
sticked not to write to Rome, that except an other were sent to
succéed in the roome that Suetonius did beare, there would be no end
of the warres. Herevpon one Polycletus, which sometime had béene a
bondman, was sent into Britaine, as a commissioner to surueie the
state of the countrie, to reconcile the legat and procurator, & also
to pacifie all troubles within the Ile.
The port which Polycletus bare was great, for he was furnished with no
small traine that attended vpon him, so that his presence seemed verie
dreadfull to the Romans. But the Britains that were not yet pacified,
thought great scorne to see such honorable capteins and men of warre
as the Romans were, to submit themselues to the order of such a one as
had béene a bondslaue.
* * * * *
_In what state the Iland stood whiles Aruiragus reigned; the dissolute
and loose gouernement of Petronius Turpilianus, Trebellius Maximus,
and Victius Volanus, thrée lieutenants in Britaine for the Romane
emperours, of Iulius Frontinus who vanquished the Silures._