beaten vppon the shallowes so that both wayes thassault of the townes was hyndered And if at anye tyme ouercome perchaunce with the greatnes of our works when we had shet out the sea with Ietties and mounts raised as hygh as the towne wals they begā to haue distrust in theyr estate by and by arriued a great number of shippes whereof they had plenty at pleasure and caried awaye all that they had and conueyed them selues into the next townes where they defended them agayne wyth the same aduantages and commodities of the places This they did so muche the more easlye for the most parte of the sommer bicause our ships were kept away wyth tempests and much a do we had to sayle in the mayne and open sea against so great tides wheras were hauens fewe or none at all For their shyps were builded and decked in thys wyse The keles of them were somwhat flatter than the keles of our shyps to th entent they myght the easlier abide the shallowes and the falling of the tyde Theyr foredecks wer very streight vpright and so were also theyr sternes made so for the nones for the better abydyng of the greatnes of the waues and of the tempestes All the whole shyp was made of hart of Oke able to endure anye force or displeasure were it neuer so great Their seats were of planks a foote depe fastened with nayles an ynch thyck In stead of Cables the anchors were tyed with cheines of yron In stead of the linnē cloth their sayles were of leather or els of raw hides drest thinne whych happened for want of hemp and fla◠and bycause they knewe not the vse of them or els whiche hathe a more likelyhode of trueth bycause they thought that in so great tempests of the Ocean and in so great rage of the winds shippes of so great burthen coulde not well and handsomlye be guided with sailes of linnen Thencounter betwene theis ships and our nauy was such that onlye in swiftnes and rowyng with ores we were to good for them But al other thinges accordinge to the nature of the place and the violence of the tempestes were more handsome and agreable for theym than for vs. For neyther could ours hurt them with their stemmes they were so strong made neyther coulde a weapon easlye be throwen vp into theym by reason of their heighth and for the same cause they might not well be kept among rocks Moreouer it came to passe that when the wind began to be boisterous and that they had put themselues to the wether they were both able the better to endure the tēpest and staid more saufly in shallow places and when the tide fayled theym they feared nothing at all the stones and rocks of all the whyche thyngs the mischaunce was to be feared of our fleete When Cesar had won manye townes perceyuing that he spent all that greate trauell in waste for asmuche as though he toke their townes yet they euer scaped hys handes so that he could not hurt them he determined to tary the commyng of hys nauy The which assoone as it was assembled and came wythin kennyng of our ennemyes about a two hundred and twentye of theyr shyps in very good readynesse and throughly furnyshed wyth all kynd of artillery launching out of the hauen set theym selues agaynst ours Now wist not Brutus that was admirall of the fleete nor anye of the Tribunes or peticapteynes wherof euery one had hys shyp appointed to hym seuerally what was to be don or by what meanes they might maintein the battel For wel thei knew y◠wyth the stemmes of their ships they could not anoy their enemies albe it thei had raised vp turrets yet wer the foredecks of the French ships far aboue them so that neither any dart could be cast any thyng handsomlye from bylow such as were throwne downe by the Galles fel wyth greater force One thing whych our men had prepared before did vs good seruice which were sharp hookes fastened vnto long steales not vnlyke in fashion to Countrye Sithes Wyth theis they tooke hold vpon the cords that held the saleyards to the mastes and drawing them vnto them cut them a sunder as the Galleyes were driuen forward wyth force of ores so that of necessitye the sayle yardes must nedes fall downe to thintente that the French ships disappointed of their sayles and tackling wherin cōsysted their chief hope they might at one time be marred for doing any more seruys Then remayned thencounter consysting only in manhod wherin our souldiors easly surmounted And that so much the more bycause the thing was done in the sight of Cesar and all his army insomuch that no dede wer it done any thyng valeantly could escape vnnoted For the army stood vppon all the hylles and al the high grounds from whēce there was any perfect vewe into the sea The sailes being as we said cut downe when as two or three of our galleies were alwais about one ship of our enemies our souldiors endeuored most earnestly to boord thē The whych thing when the Frenchmen perceyued after that many of theyr ships were won from them and that they could finde no remedye agaynst that mischief they endeuored to saue themselues by flight But whē their shyps were nowe turned to take the winde sodenly the sea became so stil and calme that they could not styrre out of the place The whyche thing happened for our purpose as wel as we could wish For our men ouertaking theym one by one did in such wise boord them that verye fewe of all the whole nūber escaped to land and that was by reason the night came so fast on the battel being continewed almoste from fower of the clocke to the sunne going downe In the which battel was dispatched the war of the People of Uannes in Britaine Uenets and of al the sea coast For not only al the youth yea al that were of further yeres in whō was anye wisdome and estimation wer assembled thyther but also they had brought thither all the shyppes that were to be gotten anye where the which being lost the rest had neyther whither to resort for saufgarde nor wyst how to defēd their townes And therfore they yelded themselues and al that they had vnto Cesar. Upon whome he determined to take the greater punishment to thintent the barbarous people should hereafter take better hede how they demeaned themselues otherwise than well toward ambassadors wherfore putting al their Senate to death he sold the rest vnder a garlond for bondmē While theis things were a doing about Uannes Q. Titurius Sabinus with that power which he had receiued of Cesar was come among the People of Perche Uuels The Gouernor of them was one Uiridouix he had the chyef charge of all those Cities that had rebelled out of the which he had gathered a puissant army And in theis fewe dayes the People of Roane Aulerks People of Eureux People of
shyppe and commit hymselfe to the barbarous people returned the fyfth day vnto Cesar and made report vnto him what he had sene Whyle Cesar taryed there for the furnishing of his nauie there came ambassadors from a great part of the * Morines to excuse theym of their foly hertofore vsed in that they being rude people and vnskilfull of our custome had moued war against the people of Rome promising to do whatsoeuer he wold commaund theÌ„ Cesar thinking that theis thyngs fell luckelye on hys side bycause he wold neither leaue an enemy behind hys backe nor could well make war bycause the tyme of the yere was so far spent nor demed theys tryflyng busynesses worthy to be preferred before that weighty affayres of Britaine charged them wyth a great nuÌ„ber of hostages The which being brought he receyued their submissioÌ„ Hauing assembled together about fowerscore hulkes and as manye as he thought suffycient to conuey ouer two Legions he distributed all the Bailyes that he had to the Threasoror hys Lieuetenants and the chief officers of hys Camp There were also besides theis eightene mo hulks whiche were held by the wynd an eyght myles froÌ„ that place that they could not come al into one haue Theis he assigned to his meÌ„ of armes The rest of his army he coÌ„mitted to his Lieueteuants Q. Titurius Sabinus L. Aurunculeius Cotta to lead against the Menapians and such townes of the Morines from whence there had come no ambassadors vnto him And he commaunded P. Sulpitius Rufus another Lieuetenant of hys to kepe the hauon wyth such a crew as he thought sufficieÌ„t for the purpose When he had thus set thyngs in order hauing gotten a seasonable wether to saile in he loosed from the shore almost about the thyrd watch commaunding hys horsemen to goe to the further hauon and there to take shippyng and folow after hym Which charge being by them executed somewhat slowly he hymselfe about fower of the clock arriued with hys formest shyps in Brâ—taine and there he sawe all the hylles couered wyth armed men The nature of the whych place was such and the Sea was so enclosed wyth narrow hyls that a Dart might be throwen from the hygher groundes vnto the ryuage Thinking this to be no mete place to take land at he rode at anchor vntil it was nine of the clocke awayting the comming of the rest of hys shyps In the meane season callyng his Lieuetenants Tribunes together he declared to them what he had vnderstoode by Uolusenus and what he wold haue done warning them as the order of war and specially sea matters required that forasmuch as they should haue a sodeine and vncerteyne remouing all thyngs should be done by them at a becke as the tyme wold serue WheÌ„ he had dismissed them hauing gotteÌ„ both wynde and tyde wyth hym at ones he gaue them signe to way vp theyr anchors and goyng forwarde about an eyght myles from thence arryued at an open and playn shore But the Britons hauing knowledge of Cesars meanyng sent theyr horsmen and wagoners before the whiche kynd of furniture they commonly vse in battell and folowyng after wyth al the rest of theyr power prohibited oure men to take lande By meanes herof we were in great perplexity for as much as our shyps by reason of their greatnesse coulde not come nere the shore for waÌ„t of water so that it behoued oure souldiors in vnknowen places wyth troubled hands ouerladen wyth the great weightye burthen of their harnesse both to leape out of their ships and to stand in the waues and to feight with theyr enemies wheras they on the contrary part standing vpon the drye grounde or wading but a littel way into the water hauing al their limbes at liberty in places throughly knowen to theym might boldlye cast Dartes at vs and ouercome vs wyth theyr horses whych were inured to the purpose Our men somewhat abashed at theis thynges as thei that were altogether vnacquainted with thys kind of feight shewed not the like courage and chierfulnes that they were wont to vse in pytched fyelds The whych thing when Cesar perceyued he commaunded that the Galleyes wherof the facion was more straunge to the sauage Britons and the mouing more redy and wieldsome should be remoued a lyttell from the shyps of Burthen and rowed forth and set agaynst the open side of his ennemies and there wyth slyngs shot of arrowes and other artillery to disorder theym and send them further of whyche thinge did greatly aduantage our men For the rude people abashed at the facion of the Galleyes the rowing of them wyth ores and the straunge kind of artillery that was in them stood stil on a heape and a littell gaue backe But when our men staied and semed to make curtsy chiefly for the depenes of the water the chief standerd-bearer of the .x. Legion making earnest protestacion to the Goddes that the thing whych he purposed to doe might happen luckely to the legion sayd leap downe my fellowes onles you wyll betray our standerd to the enemy surely I wyll do my dutye to thuttermost for my common wealth and for my graundcapteine When he had spokeÌ„ this with a loud voice he threw hymself out of the shyppe and began to carrye the standerd against the ennemies Then our men encouragynge one another not to suffer such a foile leaped euerichone of them out of the vessel Those that were in thother formest ships seyng them do so followed after them and approched to theyr enemies Thencounter was sharpe on bothe sides Howbeit our men for as muche as they were able neither to kepe aray nor to take sure foting nor to folow theyr standerds inasmuche as some comming out of one shypp and some out of another they were fayne to cluster themselues vnder that standerd that came next to hande were muche troubled But our ennemies being perfect in al the flete and shallow places assone as they espyed froÌ„ the shore any of our companye commyng out of theyr shyps one by one alone put spurres to their horses and ran vppon them being troubled in the water and where they sawe few there wold they come by companies and enclose them other some from the open side threw darts at the whole rout of vs. The whych when Cesar perceyued he commaunded the Cockbotes Brigantines to be furnished with souldiors sent them to succor such as he saw in dauÌ„ger Assoone as oure men were gotten to drye land the rest of theyr companye folowed hard after them and charging fiercely vpon the enemies put theym to flyght but they coulde not chase them far bicause our horsmen could not kepe theyr course and attaine to the Ilande the whyche one only thyng Cesar myssed of hys accustomed good fortune Our enemyes ouercome in thys battell assone as they had recouered themselues froÌ„ the chase sent Ambassadors by by vnto Cesar for peace proferyng to geue hym hostages to do whatsoeuer he wold commauÌ„d
obteining a mete season he commanded all his power both of horsmen and fotemen to go a boord Whyle all mens mindes were busyed heraboutes Dumnorix wyth the Heduan horsmen began to depart homewarde out of the camp wythout Cesars leaue When Cesar heard tidinges therof staying hys vyage and setting al other thinges asyde he sent a great part of his horsemen after him to pursew hym cōmaunding to fet him backe again and if he made any resistence wold not be ruled he bade kyll him for he thought he would not deale like an aduysed person in hys absence that durste disobey hym in hys presence Dumnorix being called backe made resistence and began to defende himselfe wyth hys sword callyng vppon his men for helpe and crying oftentimes out that he was a free man of a free Citye Notwythstandinge they as was commaunded them beset hym about and slew him and so all the Heduan men of armes returned vnto Cesar. After that this matter was dispatched leauynge Labienus in the maine land wyth thre Legions and twoo thousand horsmen to kepe the hauēs and prouyde graine to learn what was done in Gallia and to deale aduisedly as tyme and occasion should require Cesar hymselfe with fyue Legions like number of horsemen as he left in the mayne land at the sunne going downe loosened frō the shore and beinge dryuen wyth a soft Southwest wind the which also about midnight fell could not kepe hys course but beyng caryed further wyth the tyde about the dawnynge of the day beheld Britaine left a litle on the left hand Then folowing again the chaunge of the tyde he endeuoured by force of Ores to attaine to that part of the Ilande where he had found to be best landing the last sommer before Wherin the courage of our souldyers was much to be cōmended in that wyth their shyps of burthen being heauy loden through continual rowyng without ceasing they made away as fast as the Galleyes So wee arryued in Britayne wyth all our ships euen about hygh noone neither was there any enemy sene in that place Howbeit as Cesar vnderstode afterward by hys prisoners there was a great power assembled thither the whych beyng abashed at the number of oure shyps wherof together with the victailers shyppes and suche as euery man had made for hys owne occupying were aboue eyght hundred in syght all at one tyme withdrew them selues frō the riuage and hid them in the higher groundes Cesar after he had set his army a lande and taken a place mete to encamp in whē he had learned of hys prisoners in what place the power of his enemies abode left ten Cohortes thre hūdred horsmen at the seas side to kepe his ships and immediatly after the thyrde watche marched to warde hys ennemyes so much the lesse fearing hys shyps bicause he had left them ryding at anchor in an woosye and opē shore and he appoynted Q. Atrius to see to the sauf keping of his ships Himself after he had gone about a twelue miles in the nyght time discouered the host of his enemyes They comming with theyr horsmen chariots to a ryuers side began to beat vs backe frō the hygher ground and to encounter with vs. But in the end being put to repulse by our horsmen they hyd thē selues in the woods where they had gotten a plot excellently wel fortified both by nature and mans hande the which place as it should appere they had prepared before hande as a hold for their own ciuil warres For by cutting downe the trees euerye where they had foreclosed al the entrances in and they themselues issuing out of the woodes here some and there some a few in a cōpany made defēce and wold not suffer our men to come wythin theyr fortifications Neuertheles the souldiers of the vii legion making a shed and casting vp a banke to theyr fortifications won the place and draue theim out of the woodes wyth the receyte of a fewe wounds Howbeit Cesar forbade his men to pursue them ouer farre both bycause he knewe not the nature of the place also bicause the greater part of the day beyng now spent he wold haue some time left for the fortifying of hys camp The next day folowing early in the morning he sent hys horsmen fotemen forth in thre battels to pursue them that were fled They had not gone but a littel way insomuch y◠the hindermost were yet in fight whē certaine horsmen came from Q. Atrius to Cesar bringing him word that the last night there arose a marueylous tempest whyche had shaken almost all hys ships and cast them a land so that neyther anchor nor Cable could holde nor the shipmen gouernors endure against the violens of the storme by meanes of the whych beating together of his shyps much hurt was done When Cesar heard theis newes he whylled hys Legions and horsmen to be called back and to cease of their iorney and he himself returned to his ships where he sawe as muche in manner wyth hys eyes as was reported to him by messages and letters so that wyth the losse of a forty shyppes the rest might with much a doe be mended And therefore he chose suche as were Shypwryghtes out of his Legions and cōmaunded others to bee sent for out of the mayne lande Also he wrate vnto Labienus that he should make as many shyppes as he could wyth the help of those Legiōs that he had Moreouer althoughe it were a worke of great toyle and labor yet notwithstanding he thought it most for hys behoofe to haue all hys ships drawen a land and ioyned in one fortification with hys Camp In doyng herof he spent ten dayes not respityng hys souldiers frō their labour so muche as the nyght tyme. When he had drawen hys shippes a land throughly fortified his camp he left the same power to garde hys ships that was there before and returned himselfe to the place he came fro At hys comming thither a greater power of the Britons was assembled out of all coastes into the same place The chief gouernement of the Realme and ordering of the warres was by common aduyce commytted to Cassibelan whose Seniorie is seuered from the Cityes towarde the sea coast by a ryuer whyche is called Tems about fowerscore miles of frō the Sea Thys Cassibelan in tymes past had contynuall warre wyth the Cities adioyninge but the Britons being moued wyth our coming had chosen him to be their souereine and made him General of the warres The inner part of Britaine is inhabited of suche as by wytnesse of their auncient recordes were borne and bred in the I le and the sea coast by such as haue passed thither out of Belgicke to fetch bootyes to make war Al the whych wel nere are called by the same names that the Cities are where they were borne and from whence they first came remayning there styl when the warre was done and tillinge the grounde The country