[Sidenote: Calenderwood.]
The Britains that inhabited in those daies about the parts of
Calenderwood, perceiuing in what danger they were to be vtterlie
subdued, assembled themselues togither, in purpose to trie the fortune
of battell: whereof Agricola being aduertised, marched foorth with his
armie diuided in three battels, so that the enimies doubting to trie
the matter in open field, espied their time in the night, and with all
their whole puissance set vpon one of the Romane legions, which they
knew to be most féeble and weake, trusting by a camisado to distresse
the same: and first sleaing the watch, they entred the campe, where
the said legion laie, and finding the souldiers in great disorder,
betwixt sléepe and feare, began the fight euen within the campe.
Agricola had knowledge of their purposed intent, and therefore with
all speed hasted foorth to come to the succours of his people, sending
first his light horssemen, and certeine light armed footmen to assaile
the enimies on their backs, and shortlie after approched with his
whole puissance, so that the Romane standards beginning to appéere in
sight by the light of the daie that then began to spring, the Britains
were sore discouraged, and the Romans renewing their force, fiercelie
preassed vpon them, so that euen in the entrie of the campe, there was
a sore conflict, till at length the Britains were put to flight and
chased, so that if the mareshes and woods had not saued them from the
pursute of the Romans, there had beene an end made of the whole warre
euen by that one daies worke. But the Britains escaping as well as
they might, and reputing the victorie to haue chanced not by the
valiancie of the Romane soldiers, but by occasion, and the prudent
policie of their capteine, were nothing abashed with that their
present losse, but prepared to put their youth againe into armour: and
therevpon they remooued their wiues and children into safe places, and
then assembling the chiefest gouernours togither, concluded a league
amongst themselues, ech to aid other, confirming their articles with
dooing of sacrifice (as the manner in those daies was.)
[Sidenote: The seuenth yéere.]
The same summer, a band of such Dutch or Germaine souldiers as had
béene leuied in Germanie & sent ouer into Britaine to the aid of the
Romans, attempted a great and woonderfull act, in sleaing their
capteine, and such other of the Romane souldiers which were appointed
to haue the training and leading of them, as officers and instructors
to them in the feats of warre: and when they had committed that
murther, they got into thrée pinesses, and became rouers on the coasts
of Britaine, and incountring with diuerse of the Britains that were
readie to defend their countrie from spoile, oftentimes they got the
vpper hand of them, and now and then they were chased awaie, insomuch
that in the end they were brought to such extremitie for want of
vittels, that they did eate such amongst them as were the weakest, and
after, such as the lot touched, being indifferentlie cast amongst
them: and so being caried about the coasts of Britaine, & losing their
vessels through want of skill to gouerne them, they were reputed for
robbers, and therevpon were apprehended, first by the Suabeners, and
shortlie after by the Frizers, the which sold diuerse of them to the
Romans and other, whereby the true vnderstanding of their aduentures
came certeinlie to light.
[Sidenote: The eight yéere of Agricola his gouernment.]
In summer next following, Agricola with his armie came to the
mounteine of Granziben, where he vnderstood that his enimies were
incamped, to the number of 30 thousand and aboue, and dailie there
came to them more companie of the British youth, and such aged persons
also as were lustie and in strength, able to weld weapon and beare
[Sidenote: Galgagus whome the Scots name Gald and will néeds haue him
a Scotish man.]
armour. Amongst the capteins the chiefest was one Galgagus whom the
Scotish chronicles name Gald. This man as chiefteine and head capteine
of all the Britains there assembled, made to them a pithie oration, to
incourage them to fight manfullie, and likewise did Agricola to his
people: which being ended, the armies on both sides were put in order
of battell. Agricola placed 8 thousand footmen of strangers which he
had there in aid with him in the midst, appointing thrée thousand
horssemen to stand on the sides of them as wings. The Romane legions
stood at their backs in stéed of a bulworke. The Britains were
imbattelled in such order, that their fore ward stood in the plaine
ground, and the other on the side of an hill, as though they had risen
[Sidenote: _Corn. Tacit._]
on heigth one ranke aboue another. The midst of the field was couered
with their charrets and horssemen. Agricola doubting by the huge
multitude of enimies, least his people should be assailed not onlie
afront, but also vpon euerie side the battels, he caused the ranks so
to place themselues, as their battels might stretch farre further in
bredth than otherwise the order of warre required: but he tooke this
to be a good remedie against such inconuenience as might haue
followed, if the enimie by the narrownesse of the fronts of his
battels should haue hemmed them in on ech side.
This done, and hauing conceiued good hope of victorie, he alighted on
foot, and putting his horsse from him, he stood before the standards
as one not caring for anie danger that might happen. At the first they
bestowed their shot and darts fréelie on both sides. The Britains
aswell with constant manhood, as skilfull practise, with broad swords
and little round bucklers auoided and beat from them the arrowes and
darts that came from their enimies, and therewithall paid them home
againe with their shot and darts, so that the Romans were néere hand
oppressed therewith, bicause they came so thicke in their faces, till
[Sidenote: Betaui.]
[Sidenote: Congri.]
at length Agricola caused thrée cohorts of Hollanders, & two of
Lukeners to presse forward, & ioine with them at hand-strokes, so as
the matter might come to be tried with the edge of the swoord, which
thing as to them (being inured with that kind of fight) it stood
greatlie with their aduantage, so to the Britains it was verie
dangerous, that were to defend themselues with their mightie huge
swoords and small bucklers. Also by reason their swoords were broad at
the ends, and pointlesse, they auailed little to hurt the armed
enimie. Wherevpon when the Hollanders came to ioine with them, they
made fowle worke in sleaing and wounding them in most horrible wise.
The horssemen also that made resistance they pulled from their
horsses, and began to clime the hill vpon the Britains. The other
bands desirous to match their fellowes in helping to atchiue the
[Sidenote: Hollanders.]
victorie, followed the Hollanders, and beat downe the Britains where
they might approch to them: manie were ouerrun and left halfe dead,
and some not once touched with anie weapon, were likewise ouerpressed,
such hast the Romans made to follow vpon the Britains. Whilest the
British horssemen fled, their charets ioined themselues with their
footmen, and restoring the battell, put the Romans in such feare, that
they were at a sudden stay: but the charets being troubled with prease
of enimies, & vnéeuennesse of the ground, they could not worke their
feat to anie purpose, neither had that fight anie resemblance of a
battell of horssemen, when ech one so encumbred other, that they had
no roome to stirre themselues. The charets oftentimes wanting their
guiders were caried awaie with the horsses, that being put in feare
with the noise and stur, ran hither and thither, bearing downe one
another, and whomsoeuer else they met withall.
Now the Britains that kept the top of the hils, and had not yet fought
at all, despising the small number of the Romans, began to come
downewards and to cast about, that they might set vpon the backs of
their enimies, in hope so to make an end of the battell, and to win
the victorie: but Agricola doubting no lesse, but that some such thing
would come to passe, had aforehand foreséene the danger, and hauing
reserued foure wings of horssemen for such sudden chances, sent them
foorth against those Britains, the which horssemen with full randon
charging vpon them as they rashlie came forwards, quicklie disordered
them and put them all to flight, and so that purposed deuise and
policie of the Britains turned to their owne hinderance. For their
horssemen by their capteins appointment trauersing ouerthwart by the
fronts of them that fought, set vpon that battell of the Britains
which they found before them. Then in those open and plaine places a
greeuous & heauie sight it was to behold, how they pursued, wounded,
and tooke their enimies: and as they were aduised of other to slea
those that they had before taken, to the end they might ouertake the
other, there was nothing but fléeing, taking, and chasing, slaughter,
spilling of bloud, scattering of weapons, grunting and groning of men
and horsses that lay on the ground, gasping for breath, & readie to
die.
The Britains now and then as they saw their aduantage, namelie when
they approched néere to the woods, gathered themselues togither, and
set vpon the Romans as they followed vnaduisedlie, and further
(through ignorance of the places) than stood with their suertie,
insomuch that if Agricola had not prouided remedie, and sent foorth
mightie bands of light armed men both on foot and horssebacke to close
in the enimies, and also to beat the wood, some greater losse would
haue followed through too much boldnes of them that too rashlie
pursued vpon the Britains: who when they beheld the Romans thus to
follow them in whole troops and good order of battell, they slipt
awaie and tooke them to flight, ech one seeking to saue himselfe, and
kept not togither in plumps as before they had doone. The night made
an end of the chase which the Romans had followed till they were
[Sidenote: Ten thousand Britains slaine.]
[Sidenote: Aulus Atticus slaine.]
throughlie wearied. There were slaine of the Britains that day 10000,
and of the Romans 340, among whom Aulus Atticus a capteine of one of
the cohorts or bands of footmen was one, who being mounted on
horssebacke (through his owne too much youthfull courage, and fierce
vnrulines of his horsse) was caried into the middle throng of his
enimies, and there slaine.
* * * * *
_The lamentable distresse and pitifull perplexitie of the Britains
after their ouerthrow, Domitian enuieth Agricola the glorie of his
victories, he is subtilie depriued of his deputiship, and Cneus
Trebellius surrogated in his roome._