said he knew those thinges to be true and no man was more sory for it than he because that where as he was of greate estimation hym selfe bothe in his owne countrie and in al Gallia beside and his brother could do little or nothing by reason of his youth his broother had bene aduaunced by his meanes only the whiche his welth and aucthoritie although he had abused not only to the decaye of his estimation but also well neere to his owne destruction yet not with standinge he was sore troubled inwardely bothe for the loue he bare to his brother for thopinion of the common people For if Cesar should chaunce to deale any thinge roughely with him hee standing so highely in his fauour as he dyd euery man woulde thinke it were done by his consent procurement wherby it wolde come to passe that he should loose the hartes of all the Galles As he was making thys request vnto Cesar with many wordes weeping Cesar toke him by the right hand and comforting hym desired him to make noo more intreatance assuringe hym that hee set so much by him that at his requeste he was contēt to pardon both the iniurie done to the common weale also his owne griefe to order all as hee thought good Herevppon hee called Dumnorix aside taking his broother to him declared what matters he had to charge him with laying before him what informatiōs were put vp against him what complaynt y◠citie hadde made of him he warned him to auoide all causes of suspition hereafter vpon trust wherof he tolde him he wolde for his brother Diuitiacus sake remit all that was past This done he set good watche about Dumnorix to thintēt to know what he did with whom he had any conference The same day being certified by his skowtes that his ennemies were emcāped vnder the side of a hyl about .viii. myles from his camp he sent to viewe the nature of the hyll and what comminge there was to it on euery side rounde aboute Worde was brought him agein that it was verye easye Aboute the ende of the thyrd watch he commaunded Titus Labienus his liuetenant to take the same menne for his guides that had viewed the ground before and knew the way and with twoo Legions in all haste possible to take the toppe of the hyll declarynge vnto hym what his purpose was to do In the end of the fourth watche he him self by the same waye that his ennemies hadde gone went toward them and sente all his men of armes before hym Publius Considius who was counted most expert in feates of chiualrie as he that had sarued first in the armye of Lucius Sylla and afterward vnder Marcus Crassus was sent before with the skowtes At the dawning of the day when T. Labienus had gotten the toppe of the hill and that he was not paste a myle and a halfe from the camp of his enemies who as he lerned afterwarde by hys prisoners knewe neither of his comming nor of Labienus being there Considius came ronning to him vppon the spurre and made report vnto him that the hill which he would that Labienus shoulde haue taken was possessed by his ennemies the whiche he perceiued by the armes antesignes of the Galles Hereupon Cesar withdrue his armye into the next hill and set his men in order of battell Labienus for as muche as Cesar had expresselye commaunded him that he should not ioyne battell with his enemies before suche time as he saw his armye nere vnto their Camp to thintēt that assault might haue ben made vpon them on all sides at ones when he had taken the hill stoode still waiting for vs and absteined from feighting At length when the day was well foorth Cesar vnderstode by his espialles that they were his own men that had taken the mountain and that the Heluetians had dislodged from thens that Considius of a childish fear had reported for a certainty the thing he had not seene All that day he followed after his enemies with like distaunce as he had doone before and encamped within thre miles of their Camp The next day bicause that within twoo dayes after it behoued him to distribute corne to his souldiours and forasmuch as he was not aboue eightene miles frō Beawbrai which is the greatest and welthiest Citie in all the countrie of the Heduanes he thought good to make prouision for corne thervpon turning from the Switzers he toke his way toward Beawvray This his doing was by certaine fugitiues of the hand of Lucius Aemilius Captain of a troope of Gallian horsemē bewrayed to the enemy The Switzers whether it were that they thought the Romaines departed frō them for fear of them which semed to them so much the more lykely to be true bicause the day before hauing taken the higher groundes they had not geuen them battel or that they were in hope to cut theym of from their prouision of corn altered their purpose and turning backe againe began to pursewe vs and to assail◠our reregard whē Cesar perceiued that he withdrew his hoost into the next hil and sent out his men of armes to withstand the brunt of his enemies In the meane while he ordered his men vpon the mids of the hill in thre battels of fower legions of old expert souldiers so that aboue him on the top of the hill he placed the two legions which he had lately leuied in the hither Gallia together with all the straungers that were come to his aide and furnished all the hill with men of war In this time also he caused all the baggage to bee brought together into one place and the same to be fortified by them that stode in the higher battel The Heluetrās folowing after with all their chariots conueyed all their stuffe into one place and they theim selues on a thick throng hauing put our horsemen aside cast themselues in a square battell and preased vnder our vauntgarde Cesar sending first his owne and then all other mens horses oute of sight to th entent that putting them al in like peril he might cut of al hope of flight encouraged his men and ioined battell His souldiors by throwinge darts from the higher grounde did easily breake the battel of their enemies The which being ones disordered they charged vpon them with their naked swordes It was a great trouble to the Galles when they should feight that manye of their targets being striken through with one blowe of a dart and fastened together in such sort that after the yrō was bowed they could neyther pull the Darte out nor yet handsomlye seight by reason their left handes were troubled So that in conclusion many hauing a long time wearied their armes chose rather to cast their targets out of their hands and to seight wyth their bodies naked At length waxing faint with woūdes they began to lose ground and bicause there was a hil nere at hand about a myle of from the place they
neyther about Noone he conueyed hys army into theyr Campes again Then at the length Ariouistus sent part of hys power to assault the lesser Camp The encounter continued verye sharpe on both sydes vntyll the euentyde At the sunne setting after many wounds geuen and taken Ariouistus conueyed hys army again into hys Camp As Cesar made enquirye of hys prisoners what should be the cause that Ariouistus wolde not encounter with him in a pitched field he found that the occasion therof was this bicause it was a custome among the Germanes that theyr auncyent women should by castyng of lots and soothsaying declare whether it wer for their behoof to feight or no and that they sayde the Germanes might not by anye meanes possible get the victory if they fought before the new mone The next day Cesar left a sufficient power in eche of hys Campes to defend them and set all hys lyght armed souldiors in the face of his ennemyes before hys lesser Camp bicause he had a small number of Legionary souldyors in respect of the multitude of hys enemyes to thintent to vse the light armed souldiers for a showe He him selfe wyth hys men ordred in three battels marched to the Camp of his enemies Then were the Germanes constreined of necessity to bring their power out of their camp And so they set seuerally wyth lyke distaunce betwene theÌ„ the The people of ConstaÌ„ce Harudes the * People about Strausbrouâ—â— Marcomannes the * People about Wormes Triboks the * People about Spire Uangions the * People about Sion in Ualoys Nemets the * Sedusianes and the * Sweuians euery one by theym selues and bycause there should be no hope left in running away they enuironed all their whole battel with their carts and chariots In them they placed theyr women and they at suche tyme as the souldiers shulde go forth to battell holding vp their hands and weping besought theym that they woulde not yeeld theym in bondage to the Romanes Cesar assygned to euery Legion seuerally a Lieuetenant and a Threasoror to th entent they should be as witnesses of euery mans valiant behauior And he himselfe gaue charge vpon his enemies out of the right wing bicause he perceiued his enemyes to be weakest on that syde So assone as sygne of battell was geuen our men set courageously vppon their enemyes And on thother syde our enemies on the sodein came forth agaynst vs with such celeritie that we had no leysure to discharge our darts at them In so much that castinge asyde Dartes the matter came to hande strokes wyth naked swords But the Germanes quickly knitting themselues close together brake the force of our swords Neuertheles there were very many of our men to be found that flew stoutlye vpoÌ„ them and pulling their tergats out of their handes wounded theym aloft Now whyle the battell of our enemies was on the left wyng dryuen backe and put to flight in theyr right wing by reason of their multitude they didde sore ouercharge vs. Whiche thynge when P. Crassus a noble yong gentilman Lieuetenant of the men of armes perceyued bycause he was somewhat more at liberty than they that were in the battell he sent the rereward to the resâ—ow of our men that were in peril By meanes whereof the feight was renewed and all our enemyes tooâ—e theÌ„ to flyght And they neuer ceased flying before they came to the Rhine whych was about fyue miles from the place where the field was fought There also fewe of them eyther trusting to their streÌ„gth assaied to swim ouer or els fyndinge Botes saued themselues by rowing among the which number Ariouâ—stus was one who fynding a lighter tyed to the banke fled away in it Our horsmen ouertooke all the rest and slew them downe ryght Ariouistus had twoo wyues th one a Sweuian borne whom he hadde brought from home wyth hym thother of Norimberge the suster of king Uoccio whom he had maried in Fraunce sent thither by her brother both the whych perished in that chase The two daughters of them also was one of theym slayne and thother taken prisoner Marcus Ualerius Procillus as he was led away by hys kepers bound wyth thre cheines chaunsed to light into Cesars hand as he pursued the horsmen of hys enemies The which thing was no lesse ioy to Cesar than the victory it self that one of the honorablest men of al the Prouince of Gallia hys familar freÌ„d in whose house he had soiourned was deliuered out of hys enemies hands and recouered agayne by him and that misfortune had not layd anye such calamitye vpon hym as myght haue abridged any part of Cesars great gladnes and reioycement He tolde Cesar that three times lots were cast vpon hym before hys eyes whether he shuld be burned out of hand or reserued vntill an other time and that it was hys good lucke to be saued by lotte Marcus Titius also was found and brought vnto him again When the brute of this discoÌ„fiture was blown ouer the Rhine the Sweuians that were come to the riuer syde began to returne home again whom amazed for feare the Ubians whych are inhabiters on the Rhyne pursewing slew a great number of them Cesar hauing in one Sommer dispatched twoo great warres conueyed hys army into garrisons among the Sequanes somewhat soner than the tyme of the yere required and makyng Labienus for generall in hys absens hee him selfe went into Lumbardye to holde a parlament there FINIS THE SECOND BOKE of C. Iulius Caesars Commentaries of his warres in Gallia DVRING THE TIME that Cesar wyntred in Lumbardy as we haue shewed before it was oftentimes reported to hym by here say and he was also certified by letters from Labienus â–ª that al the Belgies which we haue declared to be the third part of Gallia did coÌ„federate themselues against the people of Rome and giue hostages among themselues The causes of their confederacye were theis Firste they feared least after that all the rest of Gallia were subdued our army should come against them Secondly bycause they were moued thereunto by dyuers of the Galles who partly like as they wer lothe that the Germanes shuld haue taried any lengar in their country so lykewise it greued them that the Romane army shuld winter and continue in Fraunce and partlye were such as through vnconstancy lightnes of minde desired thalteration of the state Of diuers also who wheras nowe it was a common trade through all Fraunce that whosoeuer was of most power and most ability to hire men made hymselfe a king thought they shuld not so easly come by their purpose if we gate the souereinty Cesar being moued with theis tidings and letters leuied two new Legions in Lumbardy and in the beginning of Sommer sent hys Lieuetenant Q. Pedius wyth them to conducte them into Fraunce And assone as there began to be any store of forrage in the fields he hym selfe came vnto hys armye He gaue in charge to the
that threw stones and Darts that no man was able to stand vpon the wall Assone as night had made an end of thassaulte Iccius of Rhemes a man of great byrth and fauor in his Countrye who at that tyme was Capteine of the Towne one of theym that came of ambassade vnto Cesar to entreat for peace sent vnto hym by messengers that if he dydde not reskew hym he was not able to hold out any lengar The same daye about midnyght Cesar vsynge for guydes the same persones that came of message from Iccius sent certain Numidians and archers of Now called Candye Creta and slingars of the Iles Now called maiorica minorica Baleares to succor the Townesmen By meanes of whose coming on th one syde the men of Rhemes in hope to make their part good became more earnest to abyde the pushe and on thother syde the enemyes for the same cause were out of all hope of winning the Towne Wherefore tarying there but a whyle when they had wasted the fields of the men of Rhemes and set on fyre all theyr villages buildings that they could come by they marched with al theyr whole power toward Cesars Campe and wythin lesse than two myles of hym pitched theyr tents the whyche as myght be perceyued by the smoke and fyres occupyed more than eight myles in bredth Cesar at the first both for the multitude of hys ennemyes and for the singular opinioÌ„ that was bruted of theyr manhoode determined not to be to hasty in geuing them battel Notwythstanding he daylye put in proofe by skirmishing with his horsmen both what hys ennemyes by their manhode coulde do and what hys owne men durst doe When he perceiued our men to be nothing inferior to theyr ennemyes then in a certayn place before hys camp of nature mere and conuenient to sette a battel in bicause the same hil where his tents were pitched rysing verye littell aboue the playn was no broder before than wolde suffice to set the forefront of a battel in and was steepe on bothe sydes and rysing a slope in the front by lyttel and littel came againe to a playne he drewe from th one syde of the hil to thother a dyche ouerthwart of a fower hundred paces or therabouts and at the ends of the diches rered vp bulwarkes and furnished theym wyth ordinance to thintent that when he had ordered his battels his ennemyes abounding in multitude should not on the sydes enclose his men as they were feighting Thys done he left in hys Camp the two Legions that he had last leuied that wheresoeuer shoulde be anye neede of succor they myght be led thither and set hys other six Legions in battel ray before hys Camp His ennemyes lykewyse bringing forth their power set them in order also Nowe there was betwene our army and the army of our enemyes a good prety marisse This our ennemyes looked euer when we shuld haue passed ouer And our man were ready wyth theyr weapons to assayle them being troubled if they had aduentured fyrst ouer it In the meane whyle the horsemen of bothe sydes encountred betwene the twoo battels After much streining of curtesy whyche part shoulde passe ouer first and none aduenturing to passe Cesar hauing gotten thupper hand of hys enemies horsemen conueyed al hys men agayn into their Camp From that place his enemies immediatlye toke theyr waye to the ryuer Nowe called Disne in Guien Arona the whych was shewed before to be behind our Camp There finding foordes they attempted to passe ouer part of their host of purpose if they coulde eyther to wynne the bulwarke that Q. Titurius Cesars Lieuetenant kept and to cutte downe the brydge Or at leastwyse if they could not so do to spoyle the fields of the men of Rhemes whych greatly furthered vs in our warres and to kepe our men from their vyctuals Cesar being aduertised herof by Titurius led ouer the brydge all his men of armes NumidiaÌ„s light harnessed hys slingars and archers and marched to them himself There was a sharp encounter in that place Our men setting vpoÌ„ theyr enemies troubled in the riuer slew a greate number of them The residew endeuoring like desperate personnes to passe ouer vpon their carkesses they repulsed with force of weapons and the horsemen enclosyng such as had fyrst passed slew theym euerichone When our enemyes perceyued that their hope deceyued theym bothe in wynning the Town and of passing the riuer and sawe our men wolde not aduenture into a place of dysaduauntage to feight wyth them and that theyr owne vyctuals began to fayle them they called a counsell by whych they determined that it was best for euery man to returne home to hys owne house and into whose borders so euer the Romanes should enter first with their army to resort thyther out of all partes to defende them to thyntent they myght rather trye the matter in their owne country than abrode and haue their own household prouision and store of victuals alwayes at hand to maintaine theim wyth To consent vppon thys poynt together with thother causes this reason also moued them bicause they vnderstood Diuitiacus and the Heduanes approched neere the borders of the People of Beawvoysâ— Bellouaâ—anes who wold not by any meanes be perswaded to tary any lengar but that thei wold go succor their owne When this thing was fully agreed vppon about the second watch wyth great tramplyng and noyse departing out of their Camp wythout any certain order or gouernement euerye man preasing to be formest on his iorney and making hast to be at home they demeaned them selues in such wyse as that theyr departure myght seme lyke a running away Cesar hauing forthwyth knowledge hereof by hys spyes and mystrustynge some treason bicause he perceyued not as yet what should be thoccasion why they departed kept hys army hys horsmen styll within his Camp By the dawning of the daye when he was better assured of the matter by hys skoults he sent all his horsemen before to stay their rereward and made Q. Pedius and L. Aurunculeius Cotta Lieuetenants ouer them commaunding his Lieuetenant T. Labienus to follow immediatlye after theym Theis ouertakynge the hyndermost and chasing them manye myles slew a great number of theym as they fled Whyle the rerewarde wherevnto we were by that time come stayd and valeantly with stood the force of our Souldiors the formest bicause they semed out of daunger and were not restreined by awe or commandement of any man assone as they heard the noyse brake theyr aray and tooke theym euerye man to hys heles to saue hymselfe So without anye daunger our men slew a great multitude of them and mo had slaine if the day had ben lengar About the sunne setting they retired from the chace and returned in to theyr Camp as was commaunded The next day folowyng before hys ennemyes coulde recouer theym selues from their feare and flight led hys army into the country of the
Liseaux Eburouiks and Lexobians hauing kylled their Senotors bycause they wolde not be the authors of thys war had shet their gates ioyned themselues wyth Uiridouix Besydes theis a great multitude of vnthrifts and cut throtes were flocked thither out of all Gallia of those sorte of rascals whom hope of spoile and desyre of warre had wythdrawen from husbandrye and daylye labor Sabinus therefore helde him selfe wythin his Camp in a place mete for all purposes When Uiridouix being encamped against him a two myles of did daily bring forth hys armye and offer him battell insomuch that now Sabinus began not only to be despised of his enemies but also to be cried out vpon and taunted of his own souldiors And he gaue hys enemies so much cause to think that he stood in feare of them that now they durst approche euen to the trenche of hys Camp The which he did bicause he thought it was more then a Lieuetenant ought to doe to encounter with so great a multitude of enemies specially in thabsence of his generall onlesse it were in an indifferent place or vppon some occasion of aduauntage geuen When he had thus confirmed thē in this opinion of his fearfulnesse he chose out a mete person for the purpose a suttle fellowe one of the Galles that he had in his retinew for his ayd and persuaded him with great rewards and large promises to steale ouer to his ennemies geuing him instructions what he should do Thys fellow comming thither like a runnagate reported what feare the Romanes stoode in and declared howe sore the Uenets had distressed Cesar him selfe assuring them that the next nyght after at the furthest Sabinus wold steale priuelye with his armye out of hys camp and take his way toward Cesar to succour him When this was hearde they cryed out all with one voice that so faire an occasiō of good successe ought not to be let slip and that the Camp was to be assaulted out of hande Manye things pricked forward the Galles in this deuice as the pawsyng of Sabinus the dayes before the warranting of the runagate the want of victualles for the whiche they hadde made verye slender prouision the hop◠of the good successe of the warres about Uānes and bicause men commonly are willing to beleue such thyngs as they woulde haue come to passe Moued with theis perswasions they wolde not suffer Uiridouix and the reste of the Capteynes to depart out of counsell before they had graunted theym that they should arme theym selues and march to our Camp The which thing being agreed vnto they came meryly toward vs wyth theyr shreds and fagots that they had gathered to fyll vp the dyches as if the vyctory had bene theyr own out of al cry The place where our tents wer pitched was somewhat highe rysing by littel and littel from the bottome about a thousand paces Hyther they came runnyng a great pace to thintent they wolde geue the Romanes as littel leysure as they could to gather together and arme themselues insomuche that by that tyme they came there they were cleane out of breath Sabinus after he had encouraged hys men gaue them token of encounter whyche they sore desired And perceyuyng hys enemyes to be troubled wyth the burthēs that they bare commaunded yssue to be made out vpō them sodenly at two gates It came to passe by meanes of thaduauntage that we had of the groūd through thunskylfulnes of our enemyes that had ouerweried thēselues before and through the prowesse of our owne souldiors practysed in former conflicts that they were not able to abyde one pushe of vs but by and by tourned their backs Whom combered in that sort our men freshe and lusty encounteryng with slew a great number of them and our horsmen ouertaking the rest left but few of theym that saued theym selues by flyght So all at one tyme Sabinus was certified of the battel on the sea and Cesar of Sabines victorye and immediatly therupon all the Cities yelded to Titurius For as the harts of the Balles are cherefull and forward to take warres in hand so are theyr courages faynte and nothyng stout to beare out aduersities At the same tyme almoste P. Crassus comming into Aquitaine the which as is sayd before both for the largenesse of the Countryes and multitude of people is to be counted a third part of Gallia when he perceyued that he must make warre in such a place where a few yeares before Lucius Ualerius Preconius a Lieuetenant was put to flyght and his army slayn and from whence L. Manlius the Uiceconsull was glad to scape by flyght wyth the losse of all hys stuffe and cariages he sawe it stode him in hand to looke well aboute hym and to take good heede Wherfore hauing made prouisiō of graine gotten aid as well of horsmē as footmen and moreouer called vnto him by name many valeant personages oute of Tolowse Caracassone and Narbone which are Cities bordering vpon the Prouince of Gallia he led his army into the coūtry of the People about Tolouse Sontiats The Sontiats hauing knowledge of hys comming before assembled a great power both of footmen also of horsmen wherein consisted their chief strength and encountryng our army by the way first begā the battel wyth theyr horsmen The which being put to flight as our men of armes chaced theym sodenlye they shewed their footmen whom they had laid in a valley for a stale They setting on our men disordered began the battell again The feight was long and cruel the Sontiats for the trust they had in theym selues by reason of their former vyctoryes thynking that the welfare of Aquitaine consisted in their manhod and prowesse and our men desyring to shew what they could do without their Generall and without the rest of their Legions hauing but a yong man to theyr Capteine At length our enemyes ouercome wyth woundes tooke them to flyght Of whom after that a great number had bene slayne Crassus in his way began to assault the head Citie of the Sontiats and when he saw theym stande stoutly at defence he builded Uines and Towres They on thother syde somtime issuing out and sometyme drawyng Mines to the Mount and Uines in which feat the Aquitaines are very cunning bicause that amōg thē in many places are yron mynes when thei perceiued our men to take so good hede of them that they could nothyng at all by those meanes auaile sent Ambassadors to Crassus and desyred that he wold take theym to mercy The whych request obteyned they deliuered their armor as was commaunded them Whyle the mindes of all oure men were busyed herabout out of another part of the towne Adcantuan chief gouernor of the Citie wyth syxhundred sworne brethren whome they call Soldures whose state and condicion is suche that they participate and enioy alike all commodities of thys lyfe wyth them to whō they haue vowed their frendship and that if any thing happen vnto them otherwyse
then wel that they come to anye mysfortune eyther they take part wyth them in theyr aduersitye or elles kyll theym selues In somuche that wythin the compasse of mans remembraÌ„ce there hath not any of theÌ„ bene found that wheÌ„ his frend to whoÌ„ he had sworn himselfe was slaine wold refuse to dye entended to make a saly vppon vs. But our souldiors warned bi the great shout that was raysed by such of our company as warded on that syde resorted to their weapons after a sharp encouÌ„ter draue him back into the towne and yet neuertheles he obteyned of Crassus the lyke benefyt of submyssion as other of the Townesmen had done After that Crassus had receyued their armor hostages he toke hys waye into the Marches of the * Uocatians * Tarusatians Then the sauage people agreued that wythin so few days after oure coming thyther we had won a town both by situacion and mans hand so wel fortified sent out ambassades on all sydes confedered themselues together gaue hostages one to another and prepared men of war Furthermore ambassadors were sent to the Cities of the hythermost part of Spain next vnto Aquitaine and ayd of Souldyors and Capteines were waged from thence At whose comming they began to set forwarde the war with great authority and great multitude of people Those wer chosen to be Capteines that had serued all theyr tyme wyth Q. Sertorius and therfore were demed to be men of singular knowledge in feates of armes Theis according to the custome of the people of Rome practysed to take places of aduauntage to fortify theyr Camp and to cut oure victuals of froÌ„ vs. The whych thing when Crassus perceyued considering that his owne armye by reason of the slender number therof coulde not conuenientlye bee sent diuers wayes abroad and that hys enemye might both raunge abroad at pleasure and also forlay the wayes yet leaue sufficient defence in hys camp besydes whyche was a cause that grayne and victual could not wel be conueyed vnto hym and moreouer that the number of hys ennemyes daily encreased he thought it best to trie the matter by battel wythout any further lingering Hauing propounded thys matter in counsel when he perceyued al of them to be of the same opinion he appoynted the next daye to geue battel in As sone as the day began to breake he brought foorth his army and orderyng them in two battels placed hys aydes in the middle ward waiting what his enemies entended to do They albeit that in consideration of their multitude and theyr auncyent renowne in cheualry and the small number of oure men thought they might haue geueÌ„ vs battell sauflye yet notwithstanding they thought it a surer way by forlaying the wayes and cuttyng of our victuals to get the vyctory wyth out bloudshed And if the Romanes for penury of corne and vyctuals began to retyre they determyned to assayle them cowardly as they were troubled in marchyng wyth theyr burthens on their necks The Capteines lyked thys counsell so well that as often as the Romanes brought their men into the fielde they kept them selues wythin theyr Campe. Crassus perceyuyng that when he by his prolonging of tyme and hys enemyes by pretending such feare had made our Souldiors more couragious to feyght insomuche that it was hard at euery mans mouth that they wold to their ennemies campe wythout any further delay after he had geuen encouragement vnto theÌ„ led them thither with willing harts There while some filled vp the diches some by throwyng darts thick draue the defendantes downe from theyr Rampyres and fortifications and that the straunge souldiors whome Crassus trusted not greatly vnto to feyght in mynystrynge stones and weapons vnto others and in brynging turfe to make the mount made a showe as though they had fought in dede and whyle on the contrarye part our enemies fought sloutly and vnfearfullye and that the weapons whych came â—â—om aboue lighted not any where in vaine oure horsemen raunging about the Camp of our enemyes brought Crassus word that theyr camp was not so strongly garded at the chief gate and that it was easye to enter at it Crassus exhortyng the capteines of the men of armes to encourage theyr men wyth promis of greate rewardes declared vnto them what he wold haue done They according to theyr commission taking foorth fower Cohorts which beyng left to defende the Camp had not ben wearyed wyth labour and leadyng them a great way about bicause theyr enemyes should not spye theym from theyr Camp whyle all theyr mynds and eyes were occupyed earnestly in feighting came quickly to that side of the fortificatioÌ„ that we spake of before And breaking it downe were entered all wythin the camp of theyr ennemies before they could be perfectly discerned by them or that it could be knoweÌ„ what they were a doyng Then was hearde a great noyse from that part wherewith our men recoueryng strength which commonly happeneth in hope of victory begaÌ„ to assault them more fiercely Our enemyes being besette on all sydes and past hope of all recouery cast themselues downe from their fortificatioÌ„s intending to saue themselues by flyght Whom oure horsmen ouertakyng in the champioÌ„ fields made such a slaughter of theÌ„ that of fiftye thousande which were knowen to be assembled thither out of Aquitaine and from among the The peoples of Byscay Cantabres scarce the fowrth parte was leâ—te aliue and so when it was far in the night he returned into his Camp When thys discomfiture was heard of the most part of Aquitaine yelded vnto Crassus and of theyr owne accord sent him pledges in the whych nuÌ„ber were the People of Tarbes Tarbelles the People of Tarbes Bigerrons the People of Bierne Precianes the People of Bierne Uocats the People about Turâ—e Tarusats the People about Turfe Flustats the People of Agenoys Garits the People of Agenoys Auscians the People of Aux Garumnes the People of Aux Sibuzats and the People of Aux Cocosats A fewe of the Cities that were furthest of vpon confideÌ„ce in the time of the yere bycause wynter was at hand draue of from dooyng so The same time almost Cesar albeit that the soÌ„mer was nygh spent neuertheles forasmuch as when all Gallia was brought to peaceable obedience the People of Tyrwyn Morines and Guelders Cleues Menapians only remayned that bare armor against him and had neuer sent ambassadors to hym for peace thynkyng that war might soone be dyspatched ledde his hoste thither But they determined to make war wyth hym far after another sort than the rest of the Galles had done For in asmuch as they vnderstood how the greatest nations that had geuen him battell in the field had bene vanquished and put to flyght and perceyued theÌ„ selues to haue mayne woods and marisgrounds they conueyed themselues and all that they had into the same To the entrance of which woods when Cesar was come
the dooing of the matter were quickly ferrried ouer Almost at one instant a littel be fore day light tidings was brought to the enemy that contrary to theyr custome the Romanes made an vprore in their camp and that a great company was going vp the streame and a great noise of Ores heard that way and that a littell beneath men of warre were ferrying ouer in Barges When they had heard this forasmuch as they thought that the Legions were passing in three places and that al of theÌ„ troubled wyth the rebellion of the Heduanes prepared themselues to flyght they also deuided their army into thre partes For leauing a conuenient number for defence against oure camp they sent a small bande toward Corbeit Metiosedum which should procede no further thaÌ„ they saw the Botes go and with all the rest of their power they went against Labienus By the breake of day bothe all our men were ferried ouer and the battell of our enemyes appered wythin sight Labienus hauing encouraged his souldiers to be mindfull of their auncient prowesse and of so manye prosperous fieldes that they had fought and to thynke wyth themselues that Cesar vnder whose banner they had many a time and often foiled their enemies was there present he bade blow vp to the battell At the first encounter on the right wing where the seuenth Legion stode oure ennemies were driuen backe and put to flighte on the lefte wyng whyche place the xv Legion held albeit that the fyrst rankes of our enemyes were striken throughe wyth Dartes and fell downe deade yet neuertheles the rest stode earnestly at defence and there was not any man that made countenance to run his way The Capteine Camulogenus himselfe was euer at hande and encouraged them While the victory hung yet in doubtfull ballance The Marshals of the vii Legion hearing what was done in the lefte wynge shewed the Legion at the backe of theyr enemies and aduaunced their banners agaynst theym Yet for all that there was not anye man euen at that time that forsoke his ground but were all enclosed rounde about and slaine euerychone Camulogenus also tooke suche fortune as hys souldiers did Nowe they that were lefte for defence agaynste Labienus camp when they heard that the battell was ioyned went to succor their fellowes and tooke a hill but they were not able to wythstand the force of our souldiers specially being conquerors So intermedling theÌ„selues wyth the rest of theyr company that fled al such forasmuch as there were neyther woodes nor mountaynes to hyde them they were al slaine WheÌ„ Labienus had dispatched this matter he returned to AgeÌ„dicum where the stuffe of the whole army was left and from thence he came with al his power vnto Cesar. UpoÌ„ knowledge that the Heduanes rebelled the war was encreased Ambassades were dispatched into all partes as far as eyther theyr fauor authority or mony was able to stretch they streined themselues to sollicit the Cityes Hauinge gotten into theyr handes the hostages that Cesar had bestowed among them they put the neuters in feare that they would put them to death The Heduanes requested Uercingetorix that he wold come to theÌ„ and consult wyth them for thorder of the warre When they had obteined theyr request they sewed to haue the chief doing coÌ„mitted to themselues and they brought the matter so farre in controuersy that a counsell of all Gallia was called at Beawâ—â—e Bibracte to the which place resorted great numbers of people from al quarters and the matter was putte to voyces by which it was concluded generallye that Uercingetorix shuld be GrauÌ„dcapteine styll From thys counsell were absent the men of Rhemes the Lingones and the Treuires The men of Rhemes and the Lingones were awaye bycause they cleaued to the frendshippe of the Romanes the Treuires by reason they were farre distant and were infested by the Germanes whyche was the cause that they came not of all the tyme of the warre nor sent anye ayde to anye of bothe partyes The Heduanes tooke the matter verye heauilye that they were set beside the souereintye they lamented the chauÌ„ge of theyr estate wyshinge that Cesar would pardon them And yet hauing enterprysed the warre already they durst not wythdraw theÌ„selues to take counsel alone from the rest Eporedorix and Uiridomarus yong gentelmen of greate towardnes coulde ill abide to be at the commaundement of Uercingetorix Howbeit hee commaunded all thother Cities to geue him pledges and wylled them to bringe them in by a day Ouermore he bade that all theyr horsmen to the number of .xv. thousand should wyth all spede possible resort hither to him As for fotemen he sayd he wold content himself wyth those that he had alreadye for he wold neyther try the courtesye of fortune nor put the matter to a pytched field But forasmuch as he had so good store of horsemen it was an easy matter to compasse to prohibit the Romanes from fetchinge corne and forrage so that they could finde in theyr hearts to abide the destroying of theyr owne corne and the burning of theyr owne houses through losse of which their priuate goodes they sawe they shoulde attaine souereinty and liberty for euer When he had set thyngs thus at a stay he commaunded the Heduanes and Secusianes whych were borderers vppon the Prouince to find him ten thousand footemen and for an ouerplus eyght hundred horsmen ouer whom he made captein the brother of Eporedorix commaunding him to make war vppon the people of Allobrogians On thother side he sent the Gabales together wyth the nexte hundreds of Auverne against the Heluians and the Ruthenes Cadurkes to wast the borders of the Uolces in Arminacke Neuerthelesse by secret messages and ambassages he solliciteth the Allobrogians whose mindes he hoped were not yet quietted syns the last war Unto their noble men he promised monye and to the City the superiority of al the whole countrye For a defence agaynst all theis chauÌ„ces were prouided before hand two twentye Cohortes The whych being raysed out of the verye Prouince were by the Lieuetenant L. Cesar in all places set as a Bulwarke against the enemy The Heluians of their owne head encounteryng wyth their borderers were put to the worse and wyth the losse of the Prince of their Citye C. Ualerius Denotaurê° the son of Caburus and manye other that were slayne in the field were driuen to take their walled Townes The Allobrogians placing diuers garrisons vpoÌ„ the Riuer of Rhone defended their borders wyth great care and diligens Cesar bicause he perceyued hys enemies to be better furnished of horsmen than himself and that all the wayes were so forlayd that he could not be relieued wyth any thing out of Prouince or Italye sent ouer the Rhine into Germanye vnto those Cities which thother yeres before he had pacified and demauÌ„ded of them horsmen and fotemen light harnessed which were wont to feight amongest them At theyr comming forasmuche as they had not so
might haue bene shotte among the thyckest of hys ennemyes The Galles trustyng to thaduauntage of the place when they woulde neyther haue refused thencounter yf perchauÌ„ce the Romanes wold haue aduentured vp the hil against them nor yet durst by lyttell and littel diminish theyr battel by seuering them selues least when they had bene out of aray they might hap to haue ben troubled kept themselues still in order of battell Whose wilfulnes Cesar perceiuing kept .xx. Cohortes in a readinesse and pytching hys tents in the same place commaunded hys Camp should be fortified Assone as the workes were finished he set hys Legions in araye before the Rampier and appointed the horsemen to theyr standinges wyth theyr horses redy bridled When the Bellouacanes sawe the Romanes in a readynes to pursew them and that them selues coulde not wythout peryll eyther lodge that night or continue anye lengar in the same place where they were they deuised thys shift to recouer themselues In the place where they were set together for it is declared in Cesars former commentaries how the Galles are wont to sit downe in the battel they receiued from hand to hande one of another bundels of strawe and fagots whereof there was greate store in their Camp and cast it all on a heap before theyr battell and in the latter end of the day by a watchword that was geuen they set it on fire all at one instant by meanes whereof the continual flame sodeinly toke away the sight of all their armye from the Romanes and therwithall the sauage Galles fledde awaye as fast as theyr legges could beare them Albeit that Cesar could not perceyue the departing of hys enemies by reason of the flame that was betwyxt theym yet notwythstandinge forasmuch as â—e suspected it to be a practise wrought by them that they might the sauflier flye away he remoued hys footemen forwarde and sent hys horsemen to pursue theym Howbeit for feare of treason least perhaps hys ennemies should stay styl in the same place and egge vs foorth into a ground of disaduauntage he weÌ„t the slower pace His horsemen fearyng to enter into the smoke and thicke flame and if anye were so earnest as to enter in they could scarce see the formest partes of their owne horses for doubt to be betrapped gaue the Bellouacanes free libertye to recouer themselues whither they wold Thus our ennemies through their flight which was full both of feare and wilynesse escaping without any losse went but ten miles of and encamped themselues in a very strong grounde From whence by laying bushments oftentimes both of horsemen and fotemen in diuers places they did the Romanes great displeasures as they went a forraging After it had happened so many and sundry times Cesar learned of a certayne prisoner that Corbey Capteyne of the Bellouacanes had chosen out of hys whole host six thousand of the valeantest fotemen and a thousand horsmen the whyche he had laide in ambushe in the same place whither for the plentye of forrage and corne that was there he iudged the Romanes wolde send for forrage The whyche purpose beynge knowen Cesar brought forth mo legions than he was wont and sendeth before hys horsemen after the same maner he was wont to sende theym to saufconduct hys forragers Among theÌ„ he intermedled for their assistence a number of lighte armed footemen and himself wyth hys Legions foloweth as nere theym as he can His enemies that were layd in ambush hauing chosen a fielde for their purpose not passynge a myle wide accompting euery waye enuironed round about eyther wyth coÌ„bersome woodes or els a verye depe ryuer beset it with theyr bushment as it had bene wyth a toyle Our meÌ„ forasmuch as they were priuie to the deuise of their enemies before hand being readye both with heart hand to feight seing their Legions followed hard after them wold refuse no encounter but went ranke by ranke downe into the said place At the coÌ„ming of whom â–ª Corbey thinking an occasion of good lucke to be falne into hys handes is one of the first that showeth himselfe wyth a fewe and geueth charge vpoÌ„ the next troopes Our men stoutly withstaÌ„d the brunt of those that lay in wayt for theym and flocke not manye into one place at ones that which thing in skirmishes on horsbacke is wont commonlye to happen vppon some feare and theyr clustringe together turneth to their owne losse At suche time as setting themselues in seueral places bi their troopes they fought a fewe at ones by turnes and wold not suffer their fellowes to be assaulted on the sides the rest brake out of the woodes while Corbey was feighting Then was thencounter whote and diuers After it had continued indifferent a good space by littel and littell came their fotemen in aray out of the woodes whiche compelled oure horsemen to geue backe They were quickly resâ—owed agayne by the lyght armed fotemen which I told you were sent before our Legions who beinge intermedled amoÌ„g the horsmen fought boldlye Thencounter continued a good while indifferent Afterwarde as thorder of battell required they that had withstode the fyrst brunt of them that lay in ambush for theym had herby thaduauÌ„tage bicause they receiued not vnwares anye foyle at their hands that lay in wait for theÌ„ In the meane whyle oure Legions drew nerer hand and diuers messengers brought word both to our men and to our enemies at one time that the Graundcaptein was at haÌ„d with his hoste in battell ray The whyche thing being knowen oure horsemen trustyng to the help of the Cohorts layd their handes about them verye egerly least if they shoulde haue forslowed the matter they mighte seme to haue made the fotemen partakers of thonor of the victory Therwithal our enemies hartes began to quaile and they soughte to flye by diuers wayes but all was in vaine For by the disaduauntage of the same places in whych they wolde haue inclosed the Romanes were they themselues taken tardy and could not get out Notwythstandinge being vanquished and altogether discouraged when they had lost the greatest part of their companye like men amazed they gaue themselues to flight and some made toward the woodes and some towardes the riuer the whiche beyng ouertaken by oure men that folowed egerly vpon them were all slain when in the meane time Corbey whose heart could by no misfortune be ouercome neuer departed out of the battell nor made towarde the woodes neyther coulde by thentreatance of oure men be persuaded to yeld himselfe but that feightinge most valiantly and hurting many of our men he set the coÌ„querors in such an anger that he enforced theym to throw dartes at him When the matter was dispatched in thys wise Cesar entring into the place immediatlye after the battel was ended for asmuche as he thought that his enemies being discouraged wyth so greate a mysfortune would immediatlye vppon the newes therof forsake the place where they were encamped which was said to be not aboue eight miles
that it stode not with their honour to suffer theyr Landes to be destroyed theyr chyldren ledde into captiuitie theyr townes to be sacked in maner within the sighte of theyr armie The same tyme that the Heduanes made this complainte the People about Neuers Ambarries beyng neere friends and alies of the Heduanes aduertised Cesar that their fiâ—ides were already wasted that they had much a do to kepe their ennemies out of their walled Townes Furthermore the Allobrogians whiche had landes and possessions on thother syde of Rhone People of Sauoye and Dausphâ—ne came flyinge vnto Cesar tolde him that nothing was left them saue the bare grouÌ„de Caesar moued with theis matters thoughte it not good to forslowe the time vntyll the Heluetians hauinge spoyled his friendes were come among the SaÌ„tones People of Gascognie nere Tolouse There is a riuer nowe called Saone whiche through the bouÌ„des of the Heduanes and Sequanes entreth into Rhone so mildely and gently that it is not possyble to be discerned by sight whiche waye the streame runneth The Heluetians with boates and shallops ioyned together had passed the same whereof when Cesar was aduertised by his espialles at suche tyme as three partes of theyr armye were alreadie ferryed ouer the Ryuer and the fourthe parte was yet behynde Aboute the third watche of the night he set out of his campe with three LegioÌ„s and came vpon that parte that hadde not yet passed the Ryuer and settynge vppon them vnwares and out of order slewe a great number of theym the rest toke them to flyghte and hyd them selues in the next woods The Canton where this was doone was called Nowe called Zurich Tigurine For all the whole countrie of Heluetia is deuyded into iiii Cantons or shyres This same one Canton remouynge out of their Countrie in the tyme of our fathers slew Lucius Cassius the Consul and sent his army vnder a yoke So whether it were by chauÌ„ce or by the prouidence of the goddes immortal the selfe same parte of Heluetia whiche had brought so dishonorable a reproche vppon the Romaynes was the fyrst that suffred punishement for it Wherein Cesar reuenged not onely the displesure done to the whole state of his Countrie but also the displeasure done to hym selfe in priuate for as much as the Tigurines in the same battell that Cassius was slayne slew also his Lieuetenaunt Lucius Piso the grauÌ„dfather of Lucius Piso Cesars father in lawe After this discoÌ„fiture to thintent he might ouertake the rest of the Heluetian host he caused a bridge to be made vppon Arar and so passed ouer his armye The Heluetians abasshed at his sodeyne approche wheÌ„ they perceiued he had done as much in one day as they wer scarce able to do in twenty that is to saye passed the ryuer sent ambassadoures vnto hym whereof the chiefe was Diuico whoo in the battell agienste Cassius was captayne of the Heluetians The effect of his treatie was that if the people of Rome would be contented to make peace with the Heluetians they would departe into what quarter so euer Cesar woulde appointe them and there remaine at his pleasure But if he were purposed to pursewe theÌ„ with battell they willed him to cal to remembrance as well the domage that the Romaines had receyued by their nation in tyme past as also the auncient prowesse of the Heluetians And wher as he had assailed one CantoÌ„ vnbewares at suche time as the rest beinge passed the Ryuer coulde not reskewe their fellowes it was noo matter whye he should greatly glory in his own prowesse or despise the Heluetians who had ben in such sorte trained vppe by their fathers and auncestours before tyme as to contende rather by manhod than by deceyte or to couet conquest by suttletie Wherefore it was good for hym to be well aduised that throughe his ouersyghte the place of their preseÌ„t being toke not his name and were made famous by the destructioÌ„ of the people of Rome and thvtter slaughter of his armie To these thinges Cesar made answere in this wise That he had so muche the lesse nede to dowt what he shoulde do in that hee perfectely remembered the thinges which the Heluetian ambassadours hadde made mention of the which greued him so much the more as the people of Rome had lesse deserued them For if their conscience had accused theÌ„ of any wronge done it had ben noo harde matter to haue shonned thinconuenience But herin they were deceiued that neither they knewe them selues to haue committed any thinge why they should be afraide nor thoughte it meete to be afraid without cause But admitte he coulde be contented to forget the former reproche done vnto the Romaynes was it reason hee shoulde also winke at their wrongefull dealynge ageyne of newe in attemptynge to make theim selues passage throughe the Prouince by the sworde whether he wolde or no in that they had molested the Heduanes the Ambarrians and the Allobrogians their glorying so presumptuously in their former victorie and their vauntinge of escapinge so longe vnponnyshed for their wrongefull dealynges hadde brought them to the point they were at For the gods immortal are wont sometime to graunte greater prosperytie and longer respite from ponnyshement vnto suche as they are mynded to chastyse for their offences to th enteÌ„t that when the change came the griefe therof might touche them more nearer the heart Nowe albeit thynges were as they were yet notwithstanding if they wold geue hym pledges that he might perceiue they were willing to performe the things they promysed and moreouer make satisfaction aswel of the iniuries and displeasures done to the Heduanes their adherentes as also to the Allobrogians he was contented to make peace with theim Diuico replyinge saide that the Heluetians hadde bene taught of their auncestors to take and not to geue pledges wherof the people of Rome could beare witnesse them selues When he hadde geuen this aunswer he departed The next day they remoued their Campe from the place where they were and so did Cesar likewise who sent out all his horsemen to the number of .iiii. thousand whiche he had assembled out of all the Prouince and among the Heduanes and their adherentes to discouer towardes what part his ennemies were drawen They pursuinge ouer greedely the rerewarde of their enemies encountred with the Heluetian horsmen in a place of disaduantage and lost certayne of their company The Heluetians being puffed vp with the successe of this skirmish bycause that with fiue hundred horsemen they hadde geuen repulse to so many of our horsemen began to stay more boldely then they were wonte and sundrye tymes out of their rereward to prouoke our men to the encounter Howbeit Cesar restrayned his Souldiers thought it inoughe at that presente to prohibit his enemies from wasting and spoylinge of the Countrie So they continued on their iorney by the space of .xv dayes together in such sort that there was not paste a
Seuones and the rest of the Galles that were borderers vppon the Belgies to learne what was done amongst them and to certify him therof They all agreed in one report that there was nothyng but musteryng of souldiors assembling of their powers into one place Then thought he verily it was not for him to make any more staying in the matter but euen to march against them So when he had made his prouisioÌ„ of corn he dislodged hys camp and within fiftene dayes or thereabouts came into the borders of the Belgies Assoone as he was come thyther whych was vpon the sodein and soner than he was loked for the men of Rhemes who are the vttermoste of the Belgies next vnto the Celtes sent Iccius and Antebrogius two of the chief of their City ambassadors vnto him to declare vnto him that they submitted themselues and all that euer they had to the curtesy of the people of Rome to doe wyth theym what they wolde affirming that they had neither bene of counsel with the rest of the Belgies nor conspired with them againste the Romanes in token wherof they were readye both to geue them hostages to do whatsoeuer they would commaund them whether it were to receiue them into theyr townes or to furnish them with corne and other thyngs They told him that the rest of the Belgies were all in armor that the Germanes whyche inhabit the further side of the Rhine didde take their part and that the madnes of them all was so great that they were not able to withdrawe somuch as the People of Soyssons Swessions being their brothers and nere kinsmen of their own bloud who vsed the same lawes and customes that they did and had all one state of gouernment and one magistrate with theym but that they wold nedes support the same quarel that the rest of the Belgies didde When he enquired of theym what and how great cities were in armor what they were able to do in war he found the matter to stand in thys case That the Belgies for the most part wer disceded of the Germanes who passing the Rhine time out of mind and setling themselues there bycause of the fertilitye of the soyle draue out the Galles that dwelt therâ— before and that they onlye had bene they whiche when al Gallia was troubled in the dayes of our fathers kept the Duchmen and Cimbrians from entring within their borders Wherupon it came to passe that for the remembraunce of those thyngs they had chalenged great aucthority and tooke a pride in their owne doings for feats of cheualry knighthood As touching theyr number the men of Rhemes said they knewe all things for a certeintye bycause that being alyed to them by bloud mariage they vnderstoode by their kinsfolk what number euery one of them had promised to find to the war in the parlameÌ„t of the Belgies The The peple of Beawvoyse Bellouocanes were thei that excelled among them bothe in prowesse aucthority and number of men For they were able to sende a hundred thousand well armed to the fielde of the whych number they had promised threescore thousande of the best and therefore they required to haue the ordering of the whole war committed vnto them The The men of Soysons Swessions were next neybors vnto theym and possessed moste large and fruitefull grounds Amongst whom had reigned euen syns we might remember a king called Diuitiacus the puissantest prince of al Gallia who held the dominion not onlye of a greate parte of theis Countries but also of Britaine and nowe reigned among them one Galba vnto whom for his iustice wysdome the whole charge and administration of the war was by the consent of al men committed They had walled townes to the nuÌ„ber of twelue and promysed to set out fiftye thousande armed men the The people about Tourâ—â—â— People of Arras Neruians as many who are to be counted the sauagest people of them all and are furthest of the * People of Amyens Atrebatians fiftene thousande the * People of Turwin Ambianes ten thousaÌ„d the People of Gelderland Cleueland Morines fiue and twenty thousande the Menapians seuen thousand the * People of Cauiâ— Caletanes ten thousande the Uelocassians and * People of vermanâ—oys Ueromanduanes as manye the * Peopâ—e of Doway Catuakes ninetene thousaÌ„d the CoÌ„drusians Eburones Ceresians and Pemanes whyche may be called all by thonly name of Germanes they supposed to be about forty thousand Cesar encouraging the men of Rhemes making them liberal promis of recoÌ„pence coÌ„maunded al their senate to come before him al their noble mens sons to be deliuered to hym for hostages al that which things were of them diligentlye performed by a day appointed Then he greatly coÌ„mended Diuitiacus the Heduane and declared vnto hym how much it was for the profyt of the common weale for the armies of their enemies to be kept a sunder that he were not constreyned to encounter wyth so greate a power all at ones The whyche thing myght be brought to passe if the Heduanes wolde wyth theyr host enter into the marches of the Bellouacanes and waste theyr country With theis instructions he sent him away and when he vnderstood by such skoults as he had sent abroade and by the information of the men of Rhemes that al the power of the Belgies being assembled into one place was coming toward him and was not now far from hym he made al the hast he could to passe his army ouer the ryuer The riuer of Aesne Axona whych is in thuttermost bounds of the men or Rhemes and there pytched hys Camp In doing wherof he brought to passe that the bankes of the ryuer fortified th one syde of hys Campe and that no enemy could come vpon the backe of hym to do any hurt behynd and that victualles myght be conueyed to hym from Rhemes and other Cities wythout daunger Uppon the same Riuer was a brydge There he set a garrison of men and lefte hys Lieuetenant Q. Titurius Sabinus wyth sixe cohorts on thother syde of the riuer commaunding him to fortify his camp with a Rampire of twelue foot in heighth and a trench of eyghtene foote in bredth Eight myles from this Camp was a Citie belongyng to the menne of Rhemes called Called Brai in the county of Rhetell Bibrar the whych the Belgies in their waye began to assaulte wyth greate violence The townesmen had much a do to holde out that day The maner of assault among the Celts is al one with the maner of the Belgies They assone as they haue beset the walles about wyth theyr multitude and that they haue slung stones on al sides in such sort that the wal is left naked of defendants do cast theyr shieldes ouer theyr heads approching to the gates vndermine the wals The whiche thyng was easy to doe at that time For there was such a multitude of them
Ryuer * Sabis that we spake of before From the same riuer with lyke leuelnesse vpwarde rose another hyll directlye against this about two hundred fote the bottom whereof was open and thupper part so thycke wyth wood that it coulde not easlye be seene inward Within those woods our ennemyes kept them selues close and in the open grounde were to be sâ—ne a fewe stales of horsemen by the ryuers side and the riuer was aboute three foote depe Cesar sending hys horsmen before folowed after wyth all hys power But the manner and order of theyr araye was otherwyse than the Belgies had reported it to the Neruians For inasmuch as the enemy was at hande Cesar as hys rustome was to do ledde six legions alwayes in a readinesse vncombred wyth the cariage of any thing after theym he placed the stuffe of all the host and lastly the two legions that were last leuied were a rereward to the whole army garded the stuffe Our horsmen with the slingars and bowmen passing the riuer encountred wyth the horsemen of our ennemies While they receyled backe to their company in the woods from thence agayne issued out vpon oure men who durst not pursew them any further then the playne and open ground extended in the mean time the sixe Legions that went before hauing theyr woorke measured out vnto them began to fortifiye theyr Camp As sone as they that lay lurking in the woods espied the formest cariages of our armye which was the tyme agreed vpon among them selues to geue the onset vpon vs for the performance wherof they had set themselues in order of battel within the woods and encouraged one another before hande sodeinlye they came flying out with al their power and charged vpon our horsmen Hauing easly put them back disordred them with incredible swiftnes they came running down to the riuer insomuch that well nere all at one instant our enemies were in the woods in the Riuer and in hand with vs. Wyth lyke swyftnesse also they rose against the hil to our Camp against them that were occupied about their work Now was Cesar dryuen to do al thyngs at ones The banner was to be displayed whych was the tokeÌ„ when weapon was to bee taken in hand warninge was to be geuen by the sounding of a trumpet the souldiors were to be called backe from the worke such as were gone abrode to fetch turfe were to be sent for the battel was to be set in aray the souldiors were to be encoraged signe of battell was to be geuen Of the whych thyngs a great part was interrupted by shortnesse of the tyme and the hasty assault of our enemies Agaynst theis distresses two thyngs were a helpe Firste the knowledge and experience of the souldiors bycause that throughe theyr practise in former battels they coulde as good skyll to teache theym selues as be taughte of others what was to bee done and secondlye bycause Cesar had geuen commandement to euery Lieuetenant seuerally that none of them shoulde be so hardye to departe from the worke from their seueral legions vntil such time as the camp were fortified Theis men by reason of the hasty approch of their enemies looked for no commaundement from Cesar but ordred al things by them selues as seemed best by their owne discretions Cesar hauing commaunded such things as were nedeful ran encoraging hys souldiors what way soeuer chaunce led hym and came to the tenth Legion He made no lengar protestacion to his souldiors but that they should haue in remeÌ„brance theyr auncient prowesse and that they shoulde not be discouraged in theyr harts but valeantly wythstaÌ„d the brunt of theyr enemyes And bycause hys ennemies were no further of than a man might throw a Dart he gaue theÌ„ a signe of encountryng the whych done as he was goyng to another part to encourage them like wyse he found them feightyng alredy For the tyme was so short and the enemy so earnest to feight and so nere at hand that there wanted leysure not only to place theym vnder theyr antesignes but also to put on theyr skuls and to pul their tergats out of their cases Looke what part euerye man by chaunce lighted into from his worke and what antesigne he sawe fyrst there he stayed least in seking for hys owne companye he should lose the tyme whych was to be spent in feighting When he had set his men in aray rather according as the nature of the place and the fal of the hyl and the necessity of the tyme wold suffer than as the reasoÌ„ and order of battell required so that his legions in diuers places at ones were fayne to encounter their ennemies one in one part and another in another the perfect syght and view being also hindred by reason of thick hedges that were betwyxt theÌ„ there could not any certain rescow be placed any where neyther coulde it be sene what was nedeful to be done in euery part nether could any one maÌ„ see the order execution of all thinges And therefore in so great vncerteinty of things ensewed also diuers haps of fortune The Souldiors of the ninth and tenth legions as they stood in the ryght syde of the battel after the darts were throwen dydde quickly driue down from the higher ground into the riuer the * Atrebatians for they by chaunce were matched wyth them then out of breath wyth running and fortrauelled and sore wounded and preasyng after them slew a great part of them with their swordes as they were troubled in passing the water Moreouer they sticked not to passe the riuer wyth them but boldly aduenturing into a place of disaduauntage they renued the battell agayn against their enemyes that returned vpon them and made resistence whom finally they put to flyght Also in another part two other legions the eleuenth and the eyghth hauing driuen backe the * Ueromanduanes with whom thei encountred from the hygher ground fought harde vpon the banks of the ryuer And al our whole Camp wel nigh being left naked on the forefront and on the left side seing that in the right wing stood the .xii. legion and wythin a lyttell waye of it the .vii. legion All the Neruians in a verye thycke battell by the conduct of Boduognatus who was generall of the field made towarde the same place Of whom some began to assault our Legions on the open syde and some to get to the hyghest place of oure Campe. The same tyme our horsemen and oure light harnessed footemen and such as were with theym who as I tolde you were put to flyght at the first shocke of our ennemyes as they were retyring into their Camp met theyr ennemyes ful in the face and fledde agayne from them another way And the varlets and pages who from the highe gate of our Camp and the top of the hyll had seene oure men passe the Riuer with conquest going out to gather the spoyle when they looked backe and saw the enemies in our Camp tooke theim to
their beles as fast as they could Therewithall was also heard a noise and a rose of them that came wyth the cariages and euerye man scattred awaye for feare some one way and some another All the which things strake such a feare into the harts of the horsemen of Triers who are reputed for men of singular prowesse among the Galles and were sent from their City to aid Cesar when they had sene that our Camp was replenished with a multitude of our enemies oure Legions sore layd at and in maner beset roūd about and that our pages our horsmen our slingars of Numidie fled scattring here and there euery way thinking there was no hope of recouery with vs toke theyr way home and reported to their Citie that the Romanes were put to flyght vanquyshed and that their enemies had wonne their Camp and all theyr cariages Cesar as he went from encouraging the tenth Legion to the ryght wyng when he perceyued his men to be sore pressed and the Antesignes gathered together into one place the souldyers of the .xii. Legion to be pestered so thycke together that one could not feight for another al the Centurions of the iiii Cohort slayne the antesigne bearer kylled and the antesigne lost the capteynes almost of all thother Cohorts eyther wounded or slain among the which number P. Sextus Baculus a verie valeant Gentilman chief captein of a band was hurt wyth so many and so sore wounds that he was now not able to stand on his legs the residue to wax somewhat faint and diuers forsaken of the hindermost to wythdrawe out the battell and eschewe feightyng hys enemyes geuing no entrance to such as came vp against the hyll on the forefronte from the lower grounde and laying sore to them on both sydes so that the matter was brought to a narrow yssue and no help that could be mynistred to releue theym toke a tergat from one of the hyndermost souldyors for he was come thither without a tergat and aduauncing hym selfe into the forefront of the battel called vppon the Centurions by name and encouraging the rest of the souldiors he commaunded the antesigne to be aduaunced and the bands to set them selues more at large to thintēt they might the easlyer wyeld their swords By his comming the souldiors being well chered and gathering courage agayne when euerye man for hys part in the syght of hys graund capteine euen at thuttermost extremitie endeuored to employ hys trauell the brunt of the enemye was a littell stayd Cesar perceyuing that the seuenth Legion whych stoode by hym was likewise sore ouerlaide by the enemy admonyshed the Tribunes that the Legions shuld by lyttel and littel knit them selues together and turnyng their antesignes aduaunce them toward the enemy By meanes wherof whē as one helped another and that they were out of feare of being enclosed of the ennemy behynd they begā to stand more boldly at defens to lay their hāds better about them In the meane season the souldiors of the two Legions whiche in the rereward were a defence to the cariages hearing of the battell ran thyther a pace were spyed by oure enemyes in the top of the hyll And Titus Labienus hauing wonne the tents of our enemyes and beholding frō the higher groūd what was done in our camp sent the tenth legion to the reskew of our men Who learning by the flyght of oure horsemen and pages in what case the matter stood and in how great daūger both the Camp and the Legions and the Captaine hym selfe was made as much hast as was possible Upon the comyng of them there ensewed such an alteration of thynges that euen such of our men as for griefe of theyr wounds were falne downe leaning vpon their shieldes began to feight againe a fresh the pages perceiuing their enemyes amased ran vpon thē armed being vnarmed themselues and the horsemen to th entent wyth valeātnes to wipe away the reproch of theyr former flyght did in al places put theym selues into the battell before the Legionary souldyors How beit the enemies euen in thuttermost perill of theyr lyues shewed suche manhode that as fast as the formest of them were ouerthrowen the next vnto them bestrid theym and fought vpon theyr bodyes the whych being lykewyse cast downe and the deade carkesses heaped one vpon another those that remayned standyng vpon thē as it had bene a hyl threw darts at our men and latchyng our Darts sent them agayn at vs so that there was good cause to deeme them men of so hault courage who durst passe so broade a ryuer clymb vp the high banks and march vp into a place of most disaduauntage for themselues all the whych thyngs the noblenesse of theyr courage of most hard hadde made very easy Thys battell beyng dispatched and the nation and name of the Neruians being brought almost to vtter destruction the elder sort who as we tolde you with the women and chyldren were gathered together into out Ilands fennes when they heard of this battel thinkyng that nothyng was able to stay the conquerors nor nothyng able to saue such as wer vanquished by the consent of all that were lefte alyue sent ambassadors vnto Cesar yelded them selues to hys mercy alledging in declaration of the great calamity of theyr country that of syx hūdred Senators they were brought to three and of threescore thousand men there were scarce fiue hundred left that were able to beare armor Whom Cesar to th entent it myght appeare he had shewed pity to wretches and such as submitted themselues vnto him preserued verye carefully graunting them to enioy styll theyr country towns and streightlye commaunding the borderers to restrein themselues and theyrs from doyng them any wrong or harme The Aduaticks of whom we haue written before commyng with al their power to aid the Neruians when newes was brought them of thys discomfiture brake of theyr iorney and returned home and abandoning vp all theyr Townes and Castels conueyed all their goods into one towne of nature excellently wel fortified the which on al parts roūd about hauing most high rockes and steepe fallings had left on one syde an ascent gentlye rising by littel and littel not passing two hundred fote brode This place they had fortified with a double wall of a very great heighth therupon had laid in a redines stones of a great masse logs of timber sharpened at both endes Them selues were the ofspryng of the Cimbriās and duchmen who at such time as they toke their voyage through our Prouince into Italye bestowed suche stuffe and cattell of theyrs as they coulde not carye and dryue wyth them on thys syde the riuer Rhyne and left syx thousand of their companye behind for the saufe kepyng defence of the same Theis after the death of their companions beyng many yeres together dysquietted by theyr neybors whyle they somtime inuaded and sometime defended concluding peace by general consent chose this place to inhabit
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
and guyde them and turne them in a short roome and runne vpon the Uergies and stand stedfastly vppon the beames and quicklye recouer them selues backe agayne into the wagons Wyth the whiche thinges whyle oure men were troubled for the straungenesses of the feight Cesar came in very good season to the rescow For at his coming the enemyes stood stil and our men toke hart to them Notwithstanding forasmuche as he thought the tyme serued not then for hys purpose to meddel wyth his enemies or to geue them battel he kept himselfe in hys place and anon after conueyed hys Legâ—ons into hys Camp agayne As theis things were a doing that al our men were occupyed the rest that were in the fields went theyr waye For many days after there folowed such coÌ„tinual stormes that we were fain to kepe our Camp and our enemyes could not come forth to battel In the mean time the Britons sent messengers abroad into al quarters publyshing euery where what small number was of vs and what oportunitye both of winning 〈◊〉 and setting themselues at libertye for euer was offred if they could turn the Romanes out of their camp Hâ—ruppon assebled a great power of â—orsemen and fotemen and came to oure Camp Albeit that Cesar perceyued that the same thyng was like to happen whych had come to passe a fewe dayes ago that if hys enemyes were put to flight yet should they by their quicknes scape dauÌ„ger yet notwythstanding forasmuch as he had gotteÌ„ a thirtie horsmeÌ„ which Comius of Arras whom we haue spoken of before had brought ouer with hym he sette his Legions in battel ray before his Campe. When the matter came to be tryed by the sworde our enemies were not able to stande any while agaynste the force of our Souldyers but turned their backes Whom we purse winge as farre as our strength wold geue vs leaue to run slew very many of them and after we had burned vp all the howses a greate waye aboute we retyred into our Campe. The same daye came ambassadours froÌ„ our enemies to Cesar to entreate for peace whom hee charged wyth double number of Hostages commaunded them to bring them to him into Gallia And forasmuche as the It is the tyme wheÌ„ the daye and night are all of one length which is twyce in the yere in March and September Equinoctial drew nere he thought the wynter season was not for hym to sayle in his ships being so weake as they were wherfore hauing gotten a mete weather somewhat after midnight he loosened from the shore with his shippes the which came eueryecheone of them safe to lande But that twoo of the shippes of burthen could not attaine to the same hauon that the rest dydde and were dryuen somewhat lower Out of the whych when as a threhundred souldiers beyng set a lande were going towarde their Camp the Morines whom Cesar at his setting forth into Britaine had left in quiet allured with hope of spoile came about them not with so greate a nomber to speak of at the firste and bad them put of their harnesse if they loued their liues When they on thother syde castynge theimselues in a ringe stode at defence sodenly at the cry that was made ther came together aboute sixe thousande men The whiche thinge Cesar hearing of sent all his horsemen out of his Campe to theyr rescowe In the meane whyle our men withstode the force of theyr enemyes feightyng verye valeantlye by the space of more then fower howers in the which time fewe of them beinge wounded they slew very many of them But assone as our horsemen came within sight our enemies casting away their weapons turned their backes and a great number of them were kylled The next day Cesar sent his lieuetenant T. Labienus with those Legions that he had brought ouer againe out of Brittaine agaynste the Morynes that had made insurrection Who hauing not any place to fly vnto for succour by reason their fennes were dryed which kind of refuge they had vsed the yere before came almost all in subiection to Labienus But Q. Titurius and. L. Cotta two other of Cesars Lieuetenantes which had led certeyne Legions against the Menapians hauing wasted al their fieldes cutte downe all their corne and burnt vp al their buildings bycause the Menapians had al hid theymselues in the thicke woodes returned vnto Cesar. Cesar appointed that al his Legions should winter amonge the Belgies Onelye two cities of Brittaine sent hostages thither the rest refused to do it After theis thinges were done vppon the sight of Cesars letters the Senate proclaimed a general supplication for twentye dayes FINIS THE FYFTH BOOKE of C. Iulius Caesars Commentaries of his warres in Gallia THe same yere that Lucius Domitius and Appyus Claudyus were Consulls Cesar departinge frome hys winter garisons into Italye as he was yerely wonte to do commaunded his Lieuetenantes in whose charge he had lefte hys Legions that they shoulde in the wynter season cause as manye news shippes to be buylded as they could and the olde to be mended declaring of what receite and fasshyon he wold haue them made For the more spedye loading and vnloading of them he made them somewhat lower than those that we are wonte to occupye in our Seas and that so much the rather bycause that through the often chaunge of the tydes he had perceyued that the Seas wente rougher there For the better carying ouer of thynges of greate weight and numbers of horses he made theym somewhat broader then those that we vse in other seas All theis he commaunded to be made in such wise that they might be spedelye driuen wyth ores whereunto their lowenesse did greatlye further Suche thynges as were necessarye for the arming out of the shippes he caused to be brought out of Spaine And after that he hadde helde a parliament of the hither Galia he tooke his iourney into Illyricum Now called Lumbardy because he harde saye that the marches of the Prouince were wasted by rodes made by the Pirustes Certain people of IlliricuÌ„ now called Sclaâ—ony When he came thither he commanded the Cityes to fynde hym men of warre and appoynted theym a place to mete all at together The whiche thing being blowen abroad the Pyrustes sent ambassadours to him declaryng that none of those thynges had bene done by the common coÌ„sent of their maiestrates and that neuerthelesse they were contente to make him amendes for the wronges that were done at hys pleasure Cesar accepting their profer charged theym with hostages and wylled theym to brynge them in by a certaine day declaring vnto them that vnlesse they did so he would persecute their City with the sworde When the hostages were brought in by the day limitted he appointed dayesmen betwene the Cities to consyder of the matter in variance and to â—esse the penalty Hauinge dispatched theis matters and held a counsel there he returned agayn into the hither Gallia from thence went to
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
is maruelously wel replenished with people and there be verye many buildings almost like in facion to the buildings of Gallia There is great store of cattell The coyne that they vse is eyther of brasse or els ringes of iron sysed at a certayne weight in stead of money In the inner partes of the Realme groweth tynne and in the sea coast groweth yron but hereof is small store The brasse that they occupye is brought in from beyond the sea There is timber of all kindes as is in Gallia sauing Beech and Fyrre They think it a heinous matter to tast of a hare and a hen and a goose Neuertheles they cherish theym for their mindes sake and for theyr pleasure The aire is more teÌ„perate in those places than in Fraunce and the cold lesser The Iland is in facioÌ„ threecornerd wherof one side is toward FrauÌ„ce Thone corner of thys syde which is in Kent where for the most part ships ariue out of Fraunce is toward the East and thother nethermore is towarde the South Thys syde conteyneth about fyue hundred myles Another side lyeth towarde Spaine the sun going downe on the whyche syde is Irland lesse then Britain as is supposed by th one half But the cut betwene theim is a lyke dystance as is the cut betwene Fraunce and Britaine In the middes of this course is an Iland called Man Also there are reported to be many mo lesse Iles about Britaine of the whyche Iles some haue writteÌ„ that in the winter season when the daies are shortest the nightes are a full mooneth long together We coulde learne nothinge therof by enquiry but we saw it tryed bi how reglasses of water that the nyghtes were shorter there then in the firme lande The length of thys side is according to thopinion of the inhabiters seueÌ„ hundred miles The thyrd side is northward and agaynst it lyeth no land but the point of that side butteth most toward Germany This they esteme to be eyght huÌ„dred myles long And so the circuit of the whole Iland is two thousand miles Of all the inhabitantes of thys I le the ciuilest are the Kentysh folke the whych country marcheth altogether vpon the sea and differeth not greatly from the maner of FrauÌ„ce Those that dwell more into the heart of the Realme for the moste part sowe no corne but liue by mylke and flesh clothe themselues in leather Al the Britons doe dye themselues wyth woade which setteth a blewish color vppon them and it maketh theÌ„ more terryble to beholde in battell They weare their heare long and shaue al partes of theyr bodyes sauing the head and the vpper lip They haue ten or twelue wyues a peece common among themselues specially brothers wyth brothers and Parentes wyth theyr children But the issue that cometh of them is accompted hys that first maryed the mother wheÌ„ she was a mayde The horsmen and wagoners of our enemyes gaue a whote skirmish to our men by the way but yet in suche wyse that our men were euerye way to good for them and draue theÌ„ into the woodes and hylles howbeit by folowing them euergredilye we lost diuers of our company But thei after takinge breath a whyle when our men thought of no such thyng as they were busy in fortifiing theyr Campe sodeinlye burst oute of the woodes and geuing a charge vpon them that were set to warde before our camp fought egrely with them insomuche that Cesar was fayne to send two Cohortes those the chief of twoo Legions to the rescow the whâ—ch being placed but a litle waye one from another When our men begaÌ„ to be discouraged at the strauÌ„ge kind of feight brake through the mids of oure enemies by fine force and recouered from thence sauf The same day was Quintus Laberius Durus the Tribune slaine and yet by sending many Cohorts to the rescowe our enemyes were put to the worse In al this kind of conflict forasmuch as it was fought in the syghte of all men and in the open face of our caÌ„p it was perceiued that our men by reason of the weight of theyr armor for that they could neither pursew them when they gaue backe nor durst depart from their antesignes were not mete inough to encounter wyth such a kind of enemy and that the men of armes could not feight but in great peril bicause our enemyes wold many a time and often lose grounde for the nonce and when they had egged our men a littel from the maine battel wold leape out of theyr chariots and feight a foote whych was an vnequall match And they kept such an order in their feighting on horsback that whither our men fled or chaced they were alwayes in lyke daunger For they neuer fought in great companyes together but scatterynge a great way of one from another and had stales lying in diuers places one to serue anothers turne and freshe lusty men came alwaies in the roumes of such as were weary The next day the enemies stood aloofe in the hils far from our camp and shewed themselues here a fewe and there a few and began to assaile our horsmen more faintly than they had done the daye before But about midday when Cesar had sent forth a Lieutenant of his called Caius Trebonius wyth three Legions and all his men of armes for forrage sodeÌ„ly they came flying vpon the forragers on all sides in suche sorte that they wold not from our Legions and our Antesignes Howbeit our men layde so sore to their charge that they put them to the foile and neuer left pursewyng them vntyll suche tyme as our horsemen taking courage vppon the ayde when they saw the fotemen at hande behind them draue their enemyes headlong and slew a greate number of them geuing them no respit either to gather themselues together or to stay any where or to leap out of their Chariots Immediatlye vpon this discomfiture such as were assembled from al quarters to ayd in this war departed neyther did oure enemyes at any time after that encounter wyth vs wyth theyr whole power Cesar hauing knowledge of theyr entent marched wyth hys army to the Tems into the Seniory of Cassibelan This riuer can be passed but only in one place a fote and that very hardly When he came thither he saw a great power of hys enemyes in battell raye on thother syde of the riuer Nowe was the banke sticked ful of stakes sharpned at the fore end and lykewyse other stakes of the same making were driueÌ„ in the channell and hidden wyth the water Cesar hauing vnderstanding hereof by hys prysoners and runawayes sent in his horsmen before and commauÌ„ded his footemen to folow immediatly after them But our souldiers weÌ„t with such spede and force hauing no more than only their heades aboue the water that the enemy being not able to withstand the violence of oure fotemen and men of armes forsooke the bankes and toke them to flyght Cassibelan as is aboue mencioned dispairyng of
Cesar holdeth out his parlament stil and coÌ„maundeth the cities to find hym horsmen Hauing thus pacified thys parte of Gallia he applyed hymselfe wholye wyth thought and mind to the wars of the Treuires and of Ambiorix He commaunded Cauarine to accompany hym with the horsmen of the Senones least there shoulde ryse anye vprore in the country eyther throughe his irefulnes or for malice that they bare against him When he had set theis matters at a stay forasmuche as he knew certainly that Ambiorix wold not encounter with him in battell he forecast in hys minde how he might come to the knowledge of all hys other deuises There were the Menapians bordering vppon the Eburones fensed in wyth continuall fennes woodes round about them who only of al the people of Gallia had neuer sent ambassadors to Cesar to entreat for peace and he was sure that Ambiorix soiorned amoÌ„gst theym Also he had vnderstanding that by meanes of the Treuires he had entred in league wyth the Germanes He thought it mete to disappoint hym of theis helpes ere he assailed him by battel lest either being brought to vtter dispayre he myght hide himselfe among the MenapiaÌ„s or otherwyse he himselfe be compelled to feight wyth thinhabiters on the further side of the Rhine When he had determined vpon thys deuise he sent all the baggage of hys army to Labienus amonge the Treuires and bade two Legions go thyther to him Himself wyth fiue Legions hauing nothing to comber theÌ„ set forward agaynst the MenapiaÌ„s There hauing not raised any power bicause they trusted in the strengthe of the place they fled into the woodes and Marysses conueyed al theyr goods thyther Cesar deuyding hys armye wyth C. Fabius hys Lieuetenaunt Ma. Crassus hys Threasorer and quicklye makinge bridges assayled them on three parts at ones and setting their houses and villages a fier gate a great bootye of men and cattell By meanes whereof the Menapians were enforced to send Ambassadors vnto him to entreat for peace Receiuing theyr hostages he threatned to take them for hys enemyes if they receyued eyther Ambiorix or hys Ambassadors wythin theyr borders When he had set these thyngs at a stay he left Comius of Arras with a troope of horsemen as a Warden among the Menapians and him self went agaynst the Treuires Whyle Cesar was doyng theis thinges the Treuires hauing assembled a great host of horsmen and footemen were about to set vppon Labienus who with one LegioÌ„ had wintred in their borders And now they were not past a two dayes iorney from him when they vnderstoode that two Legions mo sent thither by Cesar were come vnto hym Wherfore encamping theÌ„ selues about xv miles of they determined to tary for the aid of the Germanes Labienus hauinge knoweledge what hys ennemyes purposed to do and hoping that through their rashnes some occasion of battel wold be geuen left fiue Cohorts to defend the stuffe and setting foorth toward his enemy wyth .xxv. Cohorts and a great power of horsmen encamped himself within a mile of him There was betwene Labienus and hys ennemyes a riuer wyth steepe bankes hard to be passed This riuer he neither purposed to passe himselfe neyther thought he that hys ennemies wold passe it Euerye day they were in greater hope than other of ayde Labienus sayd in an open assembly that forasmuche as it was reported that the Germanes were nere at hand he wold not put both his own goods the goods of hys army in hazard and therfore wold the next morning by break of the day dislodge his caÌ„p Theis things were sone reported to the enemy as it is commonlye seene that among so many Gallian horsemen as he had nature compelleth some of them to beare fauor to theyr countrye affayres Labienus in the night time callinge to hym the Tribunes and chief officers of his camp declared vnto them what he minded to do And to thintent the easâ—yer to bleare hys ennemyes eyes wyth suspicioÌ„ of fearfulnes he bade that they should remoue wyth more noise and hurlyburly than the custome of the Romanes was to do By thys meanes he made his remouing seme like a running away Theis things also as it happeneth where two armyes encampe so neere together were by spies before daylight caried to the enemy The rereward was scars out of the camp but that the Galles encouragyng one another not to lette their hoped pray slyppe out of theyr handes In asmuche as it wold be to long to waite lingaring for the ayd of the Germanes sith the Romanes were in such a fear and it stode not wyth their honor to be so cowardly that wyth so greate a power as they had they should be afrayd to assayle so small a handfull specially beyng troubled flying away boldly passed ouer the riuer in a place of disaduauÌ„tage gaue vs battel Labienus mistrustyng as much before to th entent to toll them all ouer the Riuer kept on his way softly with like pretence of feare as he had vsed before At length sending the stuffe and cariages somwhat before and settyng them vpon a littel hil ye haue ê™ he my Souldiers the occasion that ye wyshed for Ye hold your enemy in a place vnhandsome and of disaduauÌ„tage Nowe let vs peticapteines see lyke valiantnes in you as you haue oftentymes shewed before youre Graundcapteine think that he were now here and presently beheld your doyngs with his eyes Wyth theis words he commaunded the standerd to be turned toward the enemy and the battels to be aduaunced And seÌ„ding a few horsmen away for the defence of the Cariages he placed the rest on the sides of his battels Oure men raising a great showt quicklye discharged theyr darts at theyr enemyes When contrarye to theyr expectacion our enemyes saw vs whoÌ„ they beleued to haue ben fled return vpon them with force of armes they were not able to abide so much as the onset but at the fyrst meting taking themselues to their heles fled to the next woodes whom Labienus pursewyng wyth hys horsemen slew of them a great number and toke many mo and wythin fewe dayes after recouered the Citye For the Germanes that were comming to theyr ayde hearyng of the discomfiture of the Treuires retired home agayne The kinsfolk also of Induciomarus who were thauthors of thys rebellion departed out of the City and accompanied the Germanes And so the souereinty and rule of the countrye was betaken to Lingetorix who as we haue declared continued alwais faythull from the beginning After that Cesar was come from the Menapians among the Treuires he determined for two causes to passe the Rhine of the which one was bicause they had sent ayd to the Treuires agaynst him â–ª thother was to th entent that Ambâ—orix should not haue anye recourse vnto them Theis matters being determined vpon he purposed to make a bridge a littell aboue the same place where he had passed hys army before When the maner how he wold haue it done was ones
to put on armor for the liberty of their couÌ„trye and so hauinge gotten a great power he dryueth hys aduersaries out of the city by whom he had bene driuen out a littel before Then they proclaimed him king and he sending foorth Ambassadors euery waye besought them to continue faythful in that they had promysed It was not long ere he had alied vnto him the Senones the Parisians the Pictones the Cadurkes the Turones the Aulerkes the Lemonikes the Andies and all the residewe that lye vppon the Ocean By generall consent the gouernement was put into hys handes vpon the offer of which authority he demaunded hostages of all the sayd Cities and commaunded a certayne number of men of warre to be leuyed and brought vnto him out of haÌ„d He appointed how much armor euery Citye should haue in a readynes at home and what they shoulde do before the time Chieflye he made prouision for horsmeÌ„ And as he was very diligent in laying for thynges before hand so did he wyth great seuerity execute hys authority with extremity of punishment compelled such as were newters For if there were any offence committed he put them to death wyth fier and all kindes of tormentes and for light faultes he sent them home agayne wyth theyr eares cutte of or wyth one of theyr eyes put out to th entent they should be an example to the rest and make them afrayd wyth the greatnes of their punishment Hauing by meanes of theis punishments soone gathered a great power he sent one Lucterius of Cahors a man of synguler audacitie with part of hys army amoÌ„g the Ruthenes and he him self went agaynst the people of Bourges At his coming the meÌ„ of Bourges sent messengers to the Heduans vnder whose tuicion they were to desier succor to thintent they might be the better able to wythstande the power of theyr enemies The Heduanes by thaduice of the Liuetenants which Cesar had left with the army sent succor both of horsmen and fotemen to the men of Bourges who when they came to the ryuer of Loyre whych deuideth the Heduanes from them of Bourges taried there a few dais and bicause they durst not passe the riuer returned home agayne declaring to theyr Lieuetenantes that the cause why they did so was by reason they feared that the meÌ„ of Bourges wolde betraye them whom they knewe to haue fullye determined among theÌ„selues that if they had passed the Riuer they themselues shuld haue beset them on th one side the men of Auverne on thother Whether they told our Lieuetenants this tale bicause it was so in deede or of trechery and falshod for asmuche as the trueth is not knowen I can not affirme it for a certeinty Immediatly after their departure the men of Bourges ioyned them selues wyth the menne of Auverne When theis things were reported to Cesar in Italye after the time he vnderstoode that the matters about the city were through the wise valiant demeanor of Cn. Pompeius brought to a good poynt he toke hys iorney into Gallia beyond the Alpes At suche tyme as he was come thyther he was in great distresse by what meanes he might come to hys armye For if he should sende for hys Legions to him into Prouince he was assured that they shoulde be encountred wyth by the way and he could not be thereto assyst them And if he should aduenture to go to his army he saw manifestly that it was not wythout peryl for hym to commyt his life into the hands no not euen of such as semed to bee at that time most in quiet In the meane whyle Lucterius of Cahors who was sent agaynst the Ruthenes reconciled that Citye to the men of Auverne From thens continuing his voyage against the Nitiobriges and Gabales he tooke hostages of them bothe and assembling a greate power purposed to make a rode into Prouince towarde Narbone When Cesar hearde tidinges therof all other deuises set a side he thought it most expedient to preuent him in going to Narbone When he came thither he chered such as were fearefull set garrisons amonge the Ruthenes in Prouince the Uolces the Arecomikes the men of Tholous and about Narbone whyche places bordered vpon our enemies and commauÌ„ded part of hys power that was in Prouince and the supplye whiche he had brought with him out of Italy to assemble in the countrye of the Heluians whych borders vppon the country of Auverne Theis thinges being thus set in order and hauyng repressed Lucterius yea and remoued him as who thought it to daungerous an enterprise for him to enter among oure garrisons he tooke hys iorney against the Heluians Nowe albeit that vpon the mountain The mountaine of Geneua or of Auverne Gebenua which disseuereth the men of Auverne from the Heluians the snow lay so deepe in that dead time of the wynter that it was hard for him to passe yet notwythstanding casting a side the snowe sixe foote depe and so making waye wyth great paine of his souldiers he came to the borders of Auverne and oppressing them vnbewares bicause they thought them selues as surelye defended with the mountaine Gebenua as if it had ben wyth a wal in asmuch neuer erst any one man alone had found passage ouer it at that time of the yeare he commaunded hys horsmen that they shuld dispers theÌ„selues as far abrode as they could put their enemies in asmuch feare as might be Quyckâ—y were theis things by fame and messengers brought vnto Uercingetorix about whom flocked all the men of Auverne amazed beseching him to prouide some remedie agaynst theyr misfortune and not to suffer them to be spoyled of their enemye specially seing he perceiued that all the brunt of the war was turned vppon theyr necks Moued with their entreataÌ„ce he remoued his camp from Bourges towards Auverne But Cesar after he had taryed twoo dayes in those quarters forasmuche as hys minde mysgaue him before that Uercingetorix wold do some such thynge vppon excuse to rayse a newe supplement and to get mo horsmen he departed from hys armye and left a yonge Gentylman named Brutus to be Capteine in his stead Him he warned to let the horsemen scowre the Countrye euerye waye as farre as might be promising so to vse the matter that he wold not be past thre dayes from the camp When he had ordered theis thinges in thys wise none of hys meÌ„ witting whereabout he went by as greate iorneyes as could be he came to Uienna There hauing gotten a fresh crew of horsemen which he had sent thither many dayes before wythout ceasing hys trauel day or night he went through the countrye of the Heduanes vnto the Lingones where two of hys Legions wintered to th entent that yf the Heduanes also shoulde conspyre anye thing otherwyse than well against him he might by celerity preuent them When he came thyther he sent to thother Legions and assembled them all together into one place before that any tidings of hys
the Galles wold he by hys industrye alye vnto theym and make one couÌ„sell of al Gallia against the consent whereof all the whole worlde shuld not be able to make resistence The whyche thing he had in maner brought to passe alredy Neuertheles it was but right and reason that for the sauftye of the common weale â–ª they shoulde condescende to fortifie their campe to thintent they might the easlyer withstand the sodeine inuasions of their enemies Thys oration disliked not the Galles chieflye for that Uercingetorix was not dysmaid in his minde at the receit of so great a losse nor hyd himself out of sighte nor eschewed the open face of the worlde Yea he was thought to be a man of the more foresight and foreknowledge in that before anye thyng was amisse he was of opinioÌ„ first that Auaricum should be set on fier and afterward that it should be abandoned Therfore as aduersity is wont to diminish the authority of other Capteines so cleane contrarye wyse his estimation was from daye to day augmented by receiuing this displeasure And moreouer vpon his assurance they had the more hope that the rest of the Cities should be alyed with theym Then first of all began the Galles to fortifye their campes and they were so dismayde in heart bicause they were men not acquainted with paynes takynge that they thought all thinges that were commaunded them were to bee suffred and abiddeÌ„ to thuttermost And Uercingetorix endeuored to haue done no lesse by his good wil than he promised whych was to knit the rest of the cities in leage together alluring the Princes and noble men of theym with giftes and large promises For the performance wherof he chose out fit personages euen suche as were easiest to be caught by suttel persuasion or color of frendship He caused al those to be newe armed and apparelled that had escaped when Auaricum was won And therewythall to th entent hys host whyche was sore dimynyshed myght be supplyed againe he appointed euerye Citye to find him a certaine number of souldiers the whiche he commannded to be brought vnto his camp by a daye limited Moreouer he caused serch to be made for al Archers of whoÌ„ there was a greate companye in Gallia and made them to be sent to him By thys meanes was the losse taken at AuaricuÌ„ sone supplied In the mean season Teutomatus the son of Ollouicon kinge of the The people about MouÌ„tpellier Nitiobriges whose father had bene accepted by our senate for their friende came to him wyth a great power of his horsmen that he had hyred out of Aquitaine Cesar tariyng many dayes at Auaricum and finding there great abundaunce of corne and other vyctual left by the citizens releued hys armye of their trauell and penurye Nowe at suche time as wynter was welnere spent and that the very season of the yeare called him foorth to warfare so that he was fully purposed to go agaynst the enemye eyther to traine him out of his woods marisses by some pollicy or els to enuiron him with a siege if it were possible The Heduanes sent certaine of their noblemen Ambassadours vnto him desiring him to come and succor their city either thaÌ„ out of haÌ„d or neuer For the matter lay in great peril vpon this occasion that whereas of olde time there was wont to bee but one magistrate created and he to exercise thauthoritye of a king for that yere now there were two that bare that office both of them vaunted theÌ„ selues to be created by order of law Of the which th one was called Conuâ—tolitane a noble and lustye yonge gentilman thother Cottus born of an auncient howse a man of verye great power and well alied whose Brother Ualetiacus had borne the same offyce the yeare before All the whole Citye was in armor the Senate was deuided the people was deuided and ech of theÌ„ held hys faction a part by himself If this controuersy shuld be nourished any long time it wolde come passe that the Citye should run together by the eares among theÌ„seues The remedie wherof lay onelye in his spedye assistence authority Cesar albeit he thought it a dauÌ„gerous mater to leaue of his warres and to depart from his enemy yet notwythstanding bycause be was not ignorant how great inconueniences were wont to grow of dissention leaste that so great and so neyghborly a city as that had ben to the Romanes the whych he had always cherished and garnished by al the meanes he could deuise shuld be put to the hazard of battell and least the part that least trusted him shuld sende for helpe to Uercingetorix he thought it best to preuent the matter betimes And for asmuche as by the lawes of the Heduanes it was not lawful for them that were chief magistrates to abseÌ„t theÌ„selues out of the couÌ„try to th entent he wold not seme to diminishe any part of their right or do any thing against their lawes he went in proper persoÌ„ vnto them and called before him all their counsell and them betwene whoÌ„ the controuersie was When almost all the Citye was assembled thither that information was geuen hym howe by the consent of a fewe called togegether priuily in other place and other time than was mete th one brother had subrogated thother in hys stead contrary to the lawes whyche prohibited two of one linage beynge bothe aliue not onelye to be created magistrates but also to be admitted into the Senate compelled Cottus to geue vp hys offyce and commaunded Conuictolitane who accordinge to the custome of the City vpon the ceasing of the former Magystrates had bene created by the Priestes to enioye hys authoritye After that he had made thys decree hauing exthorted the Heduanes to forget all controuersies and dissentions and that al theis other things set a part they shuld bend themselues wholy to this war assuring them that assone as he had subdewed Gallia he wolde reward theÌ„ according to their deserts and willing them that with al spede they should send him all their horsemen and ten thousand fotemen that he might place them in garrison for the defence of hys victuals he deuided his army into two parts Fowre Legions he committed to Labienus to leade amonge the Senones and Parisians and he himself led six into Auverne to the towne of Cleremount in Auverne â–ª Gergouia along the riuer The riuer of Alier Elauer of his horsmen part he gaâ—e to hym and part he kept to himself The which thing being knowen Uercingetorix breaking all the bridges that were vpon that streame began to make his iorney on thother side of Elauer Now when eyther army was in sight of other and that they pitched their CaÌ„pes one in maner right ouer against another the enemy continually sending forth scoults that the Romanes shuld any not where frame a bridge to passe ouer their host Cesars affaires were in great distres lest the riuer shuld cause him to lose the most part
they should haue lesse libertye to pursew them And he himself remouing a littel forward with his legioÌ„ out of the place where he stode abode to see what end theÌ„couÌ„ter wold come vnto At such time as the feight was sharpest and that the ennemyes trusted to the place and their multitude and our men in theyr manhode and prowesse sodeinly on the open side of our menne appeared the Heduanes whoÌ„ Cesar had sent vp on the ryght â—ide by another waye to th entent to stay the power of oure enemies from comming thither Theis by reason of the likenesse of theyr armor did greatly abash our men albeit they were knowen what they were by showing theyr right shoulders bare whych is wont to be a token of them that are at peace wyth vs yet notwithstanding our souldiers thought it had ben done by their enemies to th eÌ„tent to deceiue them withal The same time L. Fabius the CenturioÌ„ such as had attained the wal wyth him were enclosed and slain and cast downe from the wall M. Petreius another Centurion of the same Legion as he was about to break open the gates being oppressed of the multitude and despairinge in himselfe and besides that sore wounded in diuers places said to his companions that folowed him Forasmuche as I cannot saue my selfe and you too I wyll at leaste wyse prouyde for the saufgard of you whom I being blinded wyth desier of vaine glorye haue brought in daunger Sirs saue your selues whyle you may Therewythal he thrusteth into the middes of his enemyes and sleaing a couple out of hand driueth the rest somwhat from the gate As hys men went about to helpe him it is but follye for you ê™ he to goe about to saue my lyfe in whom both bloud and strength fayleth and therfore get you heÌ„ce while you may and recouer your selues to the Legion Feighting in this wise within a whyle after he fell downe and wyth hys owne death saued the liues of hys men Oure men beinge ouerlayd on all sides wyth the losse of .xlvi. Centurions were throwen downe from the place Neuerthelesse the tenth Legion whyche stode for a stale in a ground somwhat more indifferent stopped the Galles as they folowed the chace verye whotlye At the receit of them againe stoode the Cohortes of the .xiii. Legion whych T. Sextius the Lieuetenaunt had brought out of the lesser Camp and placed in a higher ground Assone as the Legions came vpon plaine grouÌ„d they turned their faces with displaid banners vpon theyr ennemies And Uercingetorix wythdrewe hys men from the fote of the mountaine into theyr fortifications The same dayâ— we lost littel lesse then seueÌ„ hundred of our souldiers The next day Cesar calling hys army before hym reproued the rashnesse and gredines of his souldiers in that they toke vpon theÌ„ to be theyr owne maisters howe far they should go or what they had to doe and in that they would neyther stay themselues wheÌ„ the retreit was blowen nor suffer theymselues to be kept in order by theyr Marshals and Lieuetenants He declared vnto theÌ„ what the disaduauntage of a place might do and what he had counselled theÌ„ at Auaricum where findinge hys ennemyes wythout a Captayne and without horsemen he had let an assured victory slip out of hys hands and all for doubt least neuer so littel losse might happen in thencounter by meanes of the dysaduauntage of the ground As much as he commended the hault courages of them whoÌ„ not the fortifications of the campes not the heighth of the Mountaine nor the wall of the towne was able to stay so much agayn he disallowed theyr disorder and arrogancye that they thought theÌ„selues able to foresee more as concerninge the victorye and the sequele of things than their Graundcaptein for he thought that modestye and obediens was no lesse requisite in a souldier than manhod or haultnes of courage WheÌ„ he had made this oration vnto them and in the latter end encouraged them that they should not for this occasion bee disquyetted in minde nor attribute that to the manhod of thenemy which had happened through the â—â—saduauÌ„tage of the place being of the same opinion for his setting forth that he was of before he led his legioÌ„s out of the caÌ„p set them in order of battel in a mete place When he sawe he could neuer themore thereby allure Uercingetorix into the indifferent grounde he made a light skirmish with his horsmen but that prosperously and conueyed his armye into theyr Camp agayne Hauinge done as muche the next day deming it sufficieÌ„t to abate the braggyng of the Galles and to harten his souldiers againe he dislodged from thence agaynst the Heduanes and yet wold not hys ennemyes euen then pursewe him The thirde daye he repayred the Bridges vpon the riuer Elauer and passed ouer his army There falling in communication wyth Uiridomarus and Eporedorix Heduans he vnderstode howe Litauicns wyth all his horsemen was gone to styr the Heduanes to rebellion Wherfore it was nedefull that they went before to keepe the Citye in obedience Cesar albeit that by many ways he perfectly now vnderstode the falsehod of the Heduanes and that by the departure of those that were with him he thought the whole City wold make the more hast to rebell yet notwythstandinge he thought it not good to kepe them styl least he should eyther seme to do them wrong or geue them cause to thinke he stoode in feare of them At theyr departure he brieflye rehersed vnto them hys desertes towarde the Heduanes as namely at howe lowe an ebbe he had found them pestered vp in theyr Townes amerced wyth the losse of their landes bereft of all theyr men of warre charged with a tribute constreined to geue hostages with as much shame as could be and to what good fortune and to howe great preferment he had aduaunced theÌ„ insomuch that they had not only recouered their auÌ„cient estate but also as it wel appeared had aspired to suche dignitye and estimation as they neuer knewe of in times past Wyth this lessoÌ„ he gaue them leaue to depart There was a town of the Heduanes called Noyoune that stode vppon the riuer of Loyre in a conuenient place Hyther had Cesar conueyed al the hostages of Gallia grain common threasure and a great part of the furniture as well of hymselfe as of hys army Hither had he sent a greate number of horses bought before in Spaine and Italy purposely for this warre When Eporedorir and Uiridomarus came thither and vnderstode the state of the City how the Heduanes had receyued Litauicus at Benwin Bibracte whych is a towne of chiefe authority among them and that Conuictolitane the Magistrate and a great part of the Senate were come thyther to hym and that ambassadors by publike asseÌ„t were sent to Uercingetorix to conclude peace and freÌ„dship with him they thought that such an oportunitye was not to be let slippe And therfore sleaing the kepers of Nouiodunum
minds than those thyngs that are sene Cesar hauing gotten a mete place for the purpose hadde woorde brought him what was done euerye where and seÌ„t succor to such as were in daunger Both partes did set before theyr myndes that that was thonlye time wherein it behoued to shewe most stoutnesse For the Galles knewe that theyr good dayes were past if they brake not through oure fortifications and the Romanes yf they gate thupper hand loked for an ende of all theyr trauels The greatest dauÌ„ger was at our vpper fortifications whyther we told you that Uergasillaunus was sent The grabbednes of the top of a place to a falling grounde hath in it great aduauntage Some threw dartes some cast theyr shieldes ouer their heades and preased vpward freshe men succeded in the roumes of theym that were tyred the Rampier being caste downe by them all into the trench did bothe make waye for the Galles to get vppe and also didde couer suche thinges as the Romanes hadde hidden in the grounde and nowe our men had neyther weapons nor strength to helpe themselues wyth Cesar hauing knowledge herof sent Labienus wyth syxe Cohortes to rescowe suche as were in peryll and commaunded that yf he were not able to susteyne hys ennemyes he shoulde issue out wyth his Cohortes and feyghte wyth theym abroade but he warned hym in any wyse not to doe so onlesse there were none other remedye He him selfe goeth to the reste and hartened theym that they shoulde not faynt in theyr trauell He tolde theym that the frute of all theyr former encounters consisted altogether in that daye and in that one howre Those that were wythin despayryng to do anye good at the champion places bicause of the hougenes of oure fortifications attempted to get vp to the stepe places and thither they caried all theyr prouision There wyth the multitude of dartes they beate the defendantes from the towres thei fil vp the dikes wyth earth and hurdles and wyth theyr hookes rend downe the Rampyer and the Uamure Cesar sent thither fyrst yonge Brutus wyth six Cohortes and afterward hys Lieuetenant C. Fabius wyth other vii and last of all When thencounter wared somewhat to whot he himselfe brought fresh men to their succor Whereby renewing the battell and driuing hys enemies backe he went thither as he had sent Labienus He toke wyth him iiii Cohorts out of the next bulwarke and commaunded part of hys horsemen to folowe him and part to fetch a circuit aboute the vttermost fortifications and to set vpon hys enemies behind When Labienus saw that neyther RaÌ„piers nor dikes were able to hold against the violence of hys enemies he assembled nyne thirty Cohortes whych he met by chaunce comming out of the next Bulwarks and sent woorde by a messenger vnto Cesar what he thoughte was to bee done Cesar herevpon made hast to be present at the feight Assone as he was perceyued to be come by the color of hys garment the whiche he vsed in battels as a mark to be knowen by and that the Cohortes and troopes of horsmen which he had commaunded to folow him were sene as they might easlie be perceyued from such highe groundes being so steepe and falling his enemies gaue him battell A greate shoute was raysed on bothe sides and lyke shoutinge was heard agayne from the Campe and from al our fortifications Our men discharginge theyr dartes came to hand strokes Sodeinly appeared our horsmen behind them and other Cohortes came vpon them Then oure enemyes turned theyr backes and our horsmen meting wyth theÌ„ made a great slaughter of them Sedulius Capteine and Prince of the Lemouikes was slaine Uergasillaunus of Auverne was taken aliue in the chase threescore and fowretene banners and antesâ—gnes were brought vnto Cesar few of that great number recouered sauf into their Campe. The Townesmen beholdinge oute of the Towne the flighte and slaughter of theyr companye castinge awaye all hope of welfare wythdrew theyr armye from our fortifications Immediatly vpon the receit of this heauye tidings the Galles fled out of theyr camp insomuch that if our souldiers had not bene fortrauelled wyth rescowing so many sundrye places and wyth the toyle of that daye all the whole power of our enemyes might haue ben distroied vtterly Our horsmen beyng sent out after midnight ouertoke theyr rerewarde and slewe and toke prysoners a great number of them the rest scaped out of the chase into the next Cityes The next daye Uercingetorix calling an assemblye declared vnto them how he had taken that war in hand not for anye necessitye that he was driuen to himselfe but for the liberty of the whole Realme and for asmuche as there was no shift but to geue place vnto fortune he offered himselfe vnto theÌ„ both waies choose whether they would satisfy the Romanes with hys death or yeld him into their handes aliue Hereupon were Commissioners sent vnto Cesar. He commauÌ„ded them to deliuer vp their armor and to bryng forth theyr noblemen He sate vpon the Rampyer before hys Camp and thyther were the Capteynes brought vnto hym Uercingetorix was yelded and the armor caste out before hym Reseruing the Heduanes and the men of Auverne to th eÌ„tent to recouer their countryes by them if it might be al the rest of the prysoners he dystrybuted among hys souldiers euery man one in name of a pray WheÌ„ he had dispatched theis matters he went amonge the Heduanes and recouered theyr Citye agayne Thyther came ambassadours to hym from the men of Auverne proferynge to be at hys commaundement He put them to a great number of hossages and sent hys Legions into garrison He deliuered about twenty thousand prisoners of the Heduanes and menne of Auverne without raunsome T. Labienns he commaunded to take hys iorney wyth twoo Legions and hys horsmen agaynst the Sequanes appointinge M. Sempronius Rutilus to assist hym He placed his Lieuetenant C. Fabius and Lu. Minutius Basilius with two Legions among the men of Rhemes to th enteÌ„t they should not take anye wronge at the handes of the Bellouacanes theyr next neyghbors He sent C. Antistius of Rhegium to the Ambiuarets Titus Sextiê° to the people of Berrey and Caninius Rebilus to the Ruthenes wyth ech of them a Legion He placed Q. Tullius Cicero and P. Sulpitius th one at Cabillon and thother at Matiscone amonge the Heduanes by the riuer of Soan to make prouision of corne and victuals and he hymselfe determined to wynter at Bibracte When theis things were knowen at Rome by hys letters common supplications were proclaymed for twentye dayes FINIS The preface of A. Hircius or Oppius vppon the last booke of the Commentaries of the warres in Gallia COMPELLED BY THY continuall calling vpon me my frend Balbus least through my daily refusal I might seme not so muche to excuse my self by the difficultie of the matter as to seke delaye for slouthfulnesse I haue taken in hand a right difficult matter I haue patched vp the CommeÌ„taries of our Caesar
of the whyche th one from the bridges the more out of daunger they were by reason of the heyghth so much the boldlier and the further of myght they send theyr dartes thother the nearer they were placed to theyr enemy vppon the Rampier so much the better should they be couered aloft frō thartillerye that might fall downe vpon them and ouer the gates he made hyghe towres Thys kind of fortificatiō was to two good purposes for by the greatnesse of his workes and hys pretence of feare he hoped to set the barbarous Galles in a greate pride and whensoeuer he should haue occasion to send out any thynge far for forrage or victuals he sawe that the camp might be defended wyth a smal power the strength of the fortificatiōs was so great In the meane while diuers times a few of bothe sides wold go out and skirmish in the marris that was betwene our two campes the whych oftentimes eyther the Galles Germanes that were of our host wold passe and egrely pursew theyr enemyes or els in like maner our enemyes passyng ouer it did send our men further of It happened in our dayly forraging as there was none other shyft forasmuche as we were fayne to fetche forrage at houses that stoode scattering far a sunder that our forragers being disseuered in vnhandsome places were entrapped The whyche thinge as it was some losse to vs of our beastes of cariage and slaues so it kindled the foolish courages of the barbarous Galles and that so much the more bicause Comius of Arras whome we declared before to haue bene gone to fetche ayde of the Germanes was come wyth horsemen of whom although there was not aboue the number of fiue hundred yet the Galles were puffed vp at the cōming of the Germanes When Cesar perceyued howe hys enemies held themselues manye dayes together wythin theyr camp whyche was fortified bothe wyth a marris and also with aduauntage of the ground and that he coulde neyther assault them wythout manifest peryll nor inclose the place where they were wyth anye fortifications wythout a greater army he directed hys letters to Trebonius that he shoulde wyth all haste possible sende for the xiii Legion whyche wintred in Berrey vnder T. Sextius hys Lieuetenant and so with thre Legions make longe iorneyes to come to him In the meane season he sent out euer by turnes the horsmen of Rhemes and Langres and of other Cityes of whom he had called foorth a great number to saufconduct the forragers and to wythstande the sodein assaultes of the enemy The whyche being done day by day and our men takinge nowe lesse hede bicause it was an ordinary matter with them whiche thing for the most part commeth to passe by dailye custome the Bellouacanes wyth a band of chosē fotemen knowing the places where our horsemen dailye kept theyr standinges layd ambushes in woody places and the next day they sēt thither their horsemen first to toll out oure men into the daunger of theyr bushmentes and than to assayle them as they were enclosed The lot of thys euill lucke lighted vpon the men of Rhemes whose turne it was to supply that roume that daye For they when they had espied the horsmen of theyr enemyes vpon the sodein dyspising them bicause they were not of like number to them folowed them ouer gredelye and were enclosed by the fotemen Wherby being put out of araye they retired more hastelye than horsmen are accustomed to doe in battell wyth the losse of Uertisco the Prince of their Citye and Captayne of theyr horsmen Who being scarce able to sit vpon a horse by reason of hys age would notwythstanding according to the custome of the Galles neyther seeke to disburden hymself of the Capteinship by excuse of hys age nor suffer thencounter to be fought wythout hym Wyth this luckye battell wherein they slew the Prince and Capteyne of the men of Rhemes the courages of our ennemyes were inflamed and quickened and our men were taught by theyr owne harme to serch the places better where they shoulde kepe theyr standinges and to folowe theyr enemye more aduisedly when he fled In the meane while ceased not the daily skirmishes in the sight of both our campes which were made at the foordes and passages of the marris In the whych kind of exercise when as the Germanes whom Cesar had for the same purpose fet ouer the Rhine that they should feyght intermedled wyth hys horsemen in the battell had al stoutly passed the marris and sleaing a fewe in making resistence folowed egrely vppon the rest of the multitude not onlye they that were ouerthrowen at hand or wounded aloof but also they that were wonte to succor a farre of were so strycken wyth feare that they ranne awaye shamefullye and neuer left fliynge from higher ground to higher which they oftentimes lost before they eyther recouered into theyr Campe or as some did for very shame fled further of Wyth the daunger of whom the rest of the host was so sore troubled that it can scarslye he iudged whether good successe were it neuer so smal wold make them more arrogant or a misfortune were it neuer so meane would make theym more fearefull After they had lurked many dais in the same Campe when the Capteynes of the Bellouacanes vnderstode that C. Trebonius one of Cesars Lieuetenants was at hād with mo Legions fearinge the like siege as was at Alexia they sent away in the night all suche as by reason of yeres or otherwise wanted strength and all such as wanted armor amōg them and with them thei sent away also theyr cariages of whom whyle they were setting forth the troubled and confused cōpany for the Galles euen whē they go lightest are wont to haue a great multitude of Cartes folowing them daylight came vpon them and therfore they set theyr mē in battel ray in theyr camp least the Romanes should pursewe them before the companye of their cariages could get any thyng forwarde But Cesar thought it not good to assaile them being ready at defence hauing so hygh a hyl to mount vp vnto thē and yet he thoughte to come so nere them wyth hys host as that our enemies might not departe oute of the place where they were wythout daūger our men being hard at hand redye to fall vppon them Wherefore wheras he perceiued that the troublesome marris parted Camp frō camp the vnhandsome passage whereof might hynder the spedye pursewt of our enemies and that the same ridge of the hyll which went from the further side of the marris almost to the Camp of hys enemyes was parted from theyr sayd Camp wyth a mean valley He made bridges ouer the marris and passing ouer his armye gate quicklye into the plaine of the saide ridge the whych on two sydes was fortified wyth a stepe fallinge There settinge hys men in aray he came to the furthest end of the ridge and ordered hys battelles in suche a place from whence wyth an engine artillery
from the same place where the slaughter was made although he saw it woulde be some trouble to him to passe the riuer yet passed he hys army marched towardes them But the Bellouacanes and thother Cities vpon the sodeine retire of a few and those wounded out of tâ—e chase whych had scaped the mischaunce by benefit of the woodes vnderstaÌ„ding by them theyr owne great misfortune and misery as by the deathe of Corbey the losse of theyr horsmen and the slaughter of theyr stoutest footemen and mistrustinge that the Romanes woulde out of hand come vpon them immediatly called an assembly by the souÌ„d of a Trumpet and cried al with one voice to send ambassadors and hostages to Cesar. When Comius of Arras perceyued that thys deuise shuld take place he fled to those Germanes of whom he had borowed ayd to that war The rest sent ambassadors out of haÌ„d vnto Cesar desiring him to content himself with that punishment of hys enemyes the whych yf he might haue layd vpon them with out battell in theyr chief prosperity they were well assured that of hys gentelnes and courtesy he wold not The Bellouacanes said their power was abated by the losse of their horsmen many thousandes of their chosen footemen were perished scarce escaped anye to bryng tidings of the slaughter and yet considering theyr greate misfortune they had by that battell receyued a great good turne for that Corbey the author of the warre and rayser of the multitude was slaine For as longe as he was aliue the Senate could neuer beare so great sway in the City as the vnskilfull commonalty As thambassadors were speakinge theis thinges Cesar put them in remembraÌ„ce that about the same time the last yere before the Bellouacanes and thother Cities of Gallia rered war and that they aboue al others stode most stifly in their opinion and would not be brought to conformitye by the submission of the rest He told theym he knew and vnderstode it was an easy matter to laye the fault of theyr offence vpoÌ„ them that were dead And he was sure that there was no man of so greate power that agaynst the noblemens wylles the Senate resisting him and all good men wythstanding him coulde wyth a weake handfull of the commonaltye rayse war and go through with it Neuerthelesse he was contented wyth that punishment which they had brought vpon themselues The nyght followynge thambassadors brought answere to their heades and made hostages Then also thambassadors of thother Cities whych lay in the wind to see what successe the Bellouacanes shuld haue came thither a pace deliuering hostages and executinge his commaundement sauing Comius who durste not for feare commit hys life into any mans handes For the yere before Titus Labienus perceiuing howe whyle Cesar was ministring iustice in the hither Gallia Comius stirred vppe the Cities and made conspiracies againste Cesar thought he might wythout any spot of vnfaythfulnes reuenge his traiterous demeanor And thereuppon bycause he thought he wold not at his sending come into the campe â–ª to th eÌ„tent he would not by tempting him make hym more ware he sent C. Uolusenus Quadratus to murther him vnder pretence of communycation with him and for the performance of the matter he appointed him certain chose peticapteines for the purpose When they came to communicatioÌ„ and that Uolusenus as was agreed vpoÌ„ had caught Comius by the right hande one of the peticapteines as yf he had bene moued at some straunge matter gaue Comius a sore blowe on the head with hys sword howbeit he could not kill him out of hand bicause hys friendes stept in and saued hym By and by was drawyng of swordes on bothe sides yet none of both partes minded to feight but to flye awaye our men bicause they beleued that Comius had had hys deathes wouÌ„d the Galles bicause perceiuing there was treason wrought they feared there had bene more behind than they saw Upon the which fact it is reported that Comiê° vowed he wold neuer come in the sight of any Romane When Cesar had subdued the NatioÌ„s that were most warlike perceiuing there was now no City that prepared war to stand against him but that many to eschue the present yoke of the Romane Empier fleted out of theyr townes and fled oute of the fields be determined to send his armye abrode into diuers quarters M. Antonius hys Threasorer wyth the xii Legion he tooke to himselfe C. Fabius hys Lieuetenant wyth xxv Cohorts he sendeth into the furthest parte of all Gallia bicause he heard say that certaine Cityes were there in armes and that he thought his Lieuetenant C. Caninius Rebilus had not a sufficient strengthe of those two Legions that were wyth him already T. Labienus he called from the place where he was vnto him and the xii Legion which wintered vnder him he sent into Togata Gallia to defend the townes that the Romanes had newlye peopled wyth their owne Citizens least any like harme shoulde happen to them by inuasion of the barbarous people as had happened the sommer before to the Their Citye is now called Triest Tergestines who were surprised and spoiled of theyr goodes by theyr sodeine inuasions He himselfe set forward to wast and spoyle the borders of Ambiorix whom flyinge for feare from place to place when he sawe there was no hope to get into hys handes he thought it was most for his honor in such wise to spoile his country of people buildings and cattell that his countrymen might so hate him if fortune reserued anye countrye men for hym that for the calamities he had brought vppon his countrye he might neuer haue accesse thyther agayne After he had sent abrode his hoste into all partes of Ambiorixes countrye and wasted all places wyth slaughter fier and rauishing hauing slain and taken prisoners a greate number of men he sent Labienus wyth two legions amonge the Treuires whose countrye by reason of the nerenessâ— therof vnto Germany being daylye inured to the warres is not much vnlike to the Germanes in rude trade of liuing and sauagenes neither did they obey the commaundementes of Cesar at anye tyme lengar than we had an army in their country to compell them In the meanâ— season Ca. Caninius the Lieuetenant vnderstanding by the messengers and letters of Durace who had continuallye perisisted in the frendship of the people of Rome that a great number of enemies were assembled in the borders of the Pictones forasmuch as a piece of that Citye hadde renounced theyr obedience went to the towne of Lemouicum When he came nere the town and had vnderstode by his prisoners how that Dumnacus captaine of the Andians with manye thousandes of men had enclosed Durace and that Lemouicum was besieged he durst not wyth his weake Legions aduenture vppon his ennemies but pytched his Campe in a strong ground Dumnacus hearyng of the approche of Caninius turned all hys power againste the Romane host determining to assault them in their Camp
After he had spent many dayes therein and had lost many of hys people yet could not breake down any part of their fortificatioÌ„s he returned againe to besiege LemouicuÌ„ The same time C. Fabius receiueth many cities by composition and byndeth theym wyth hostages and is aduertised by Caninius letters of those things that were done among the Pictones Upon the knowlege wherof he setteth foorth to rescow Durace But DuÌ„nacus hauing vnderstanding of Fabius comming forasmuch as he thought he shoulde be in hazarde to lose all if at one instant he should be compelled both to abide the Romanes hys forrein enemies and also to haue an eye stand in feare of the townes men retyred sodeinlye wyth all hys power out of the same place he could not thinke himself to be sufficieÌ„tly in saufty before he had passed his army ouer the riuer Loyre which bicause of the greatnesse thereof was to be passed by a bridge and not otherwyse Although that Fabius was not yet come with in sight of hys enemies nor had ioyned himself wyth Caninius yet forasmuch as he was throughlie enformed by such as knew the coast of the countrye he beleued verely that hys enemies wold not goe to that place towarde the which they made theyr iorney Therfore he marcheth wyth his army too the same bridge where his enemies had passed and commaunded his horsemen to go no further before the battell of his fotemeÌ„ than they might when they were at the furthest retire into the same caÌ„p wythout tiring of their horses Our men of armes as was commaunded them ouertoke the hoste of Dumnacus and set vppon theÌ„ and assayling them flying and amazed vnder their fardelles as they iorneyed slewe a great nuÌ„ber and tooke a great pray and so wyth good successe retired into theyr camp The next nyght folowyng Fabius sent his horsmen before so furnished as that they might encounter and stay al the whole army vntill he might ouertake them Q. Titatius Uarus the LieuetenaÌ„t of the horsemen a man of singular courage and wisdome exhorted his company to follow thys hys couÌ„sel who ouertaking the host of hys enemies disposed certain of his troopes in places conuenient and wyth the rest of his horsmen gaue charge vpoÌ„ hys enemies The horsemen of the enemy fought wyth them so muche the more boldly bicause the fotemeÌ„ serued them by turnes who through the whole battell as often as theyr horsemen had occasion to staye did succor them against our men Thencounter was verye sharpe For our men despising theyr enemies whom they had vanquished the day before and remembring that the battell of their footemen folowed at hand for shame to geue grounde and for desier to dyspatche the battell before theyr comming fought verye valiantly against the footmen On thother side oure ennemies beleuinge that no greater power more had folowed after accordinge as they had sene the day before thought a meete opportunitye had bene offred them to destroye oure horsemen vtterlye When they hadde foughte a good whyle very egerly DuÌ„nacus made a battel to rescow his men of armes by turne But sodeinly our enemies espied our Legions come close together at the sight of whoÌ„ theyr horsmen were stricken in such a feare the footemen were so amazed that breaking through the aray of theyr cariages with a greate noyse and trampling they gaue themselues euery where to flight Then our men of armes who a littell before hadde theyr handes full being heartned with ioy of the victory raised a great shout on all sides and castinge them selues about theÌ„ as they gaue way made slaughter of them as farre as theyr horses breathes wold serue to pursue them and theyr armes wold serue to strike them Insomuch that hauing slayne aboue twelue thousaÌ„d of armed men and of such as for fear had cast away their armor they toke all theyr cariages as many as were of them Out of the whych chase for asmuch as it was certainly knoweÌ„ that there escaped Drapes the Senon who assone as Gallia fyrste began to râ—bell gathering to him the ruffions out of al places calling the bondmen to libertye and enterteyning the outlawes of all countryes had like a thief cut of the cariages victuals of the Romanes was going towarde the Prouince wyth a fyue thousand men and not aboue which he had gathered out of the chace and that Lucterius of Cahors alied hym selfe wyth him who in the former treatyse is knowen to haue made a voyage into Prouince at the first insurrection of Gallia Caninius the Lieuetenant with two LegioÌ„s pursued after them least to the disquietnesse and losse of the Prouince some great dishonor might be receiued by the theuery of those lewd vnthrifts C. Fabins with the rest of tharmy went agaynst the Caruntes and thother Cytyes whose power he knewe to be abated in the same battell that was fought agaynst Dumnacus For he doubted not but he should find theym more treatable to deale with by reasoÌ„ of the late ouerthrow wheras if he should geue theÌ„ time of respit by thinstigation of the sayd Dumnacus they might be raysed agayn In the whych enterprise Fabius had maruelous good lucke and spede to recouer the Cities For the Caruntes who had bene disquietted ofteÌ„times before and yet wold neuer make mention of peace nowe geâ—ing hostages came in subiection And the rest of the Cities whych are situate in the furthest partes of Gallia borderyng vpon the sea whyche are called Armorike folowing thexample of the Caruntes at the comming of Fabius wyth his Legions condescended to hys commaundemeÌ„tes without delay Dumnacus being driuen out of his owne country waÌ„dring and lurking in corners alone was compelled to seeke thuttermost countryes of al Gallia But Drapes and Lucterius wheÌ„ they vnderstode that Caninius approched wyth hys army perceyuing they could not wtout manifest peryll enter wythin the bounds of the Prouince considering how the army pursewed theÌ„ nor yet raunge abroade and go a theuinge at theyr pleasure stayed together in the country of the Cadurkes There Lucterius who in times past whyle he was in his prosperitye was able to wey greatlye wyth hys countrye men and had gotten great estimation amonge the rude people as one that was euer a practiser of new deuises he toke wyth hys owne power and the power of Drapes a Towne called Urellodunum whych had ben in hys tuicion a place excelleÌ„tly wel fortified by the situacion therof and causeth the townesmen to take part wyth him Unto the whyche towne when Caninius oute of hande was come perceyuinge that all partes of the same were fortified with cragged clyffes insomuch that though no maÌ„ were there to defend it yet were it a harde matter for men in harnesse to get vp and seing that the mouables of the townes men were great the whych if they shoulde goe about to steale priuely away wyth they could not only not escape theyr horsemen but also not escape theyr fotâ—men he deuided his Cohorts into thre
ran through the bottom of the valley the whyche enuironed welnere al the hyl wheron the town stode rough stepe on all sydes The nature of the place would not suffer thys streame to be turned any other way For it ran in suche sort at the very fote of the hyll that there could be no dike cut low inough to drayne it The townes men had harde and very stepe comming down to it in so much that if our men withstode theÌ„ they could not wythout woundes or daunger of their liues eyther come down to the riuer or get vp the stepe hyll againe The whych distresse of theirs Cesar knowing of disposed archers slingers other artillery also against such places wheras was easiest coÌ„ming downe to kepe the townes meÌ„ froÌ„ the water of the riuer who afterward resorted for water al to one place For almost hard vnder the wals of the town there gushed out a great springe of water on that side where there was a space almost of thre huÌ„dred fote vnenuironed wyth the riuer Now when al the rest wished only Cesar perceiued that thys sprynge might be taken froÌ„ the townes men he began to rayse Uines directly against it toward the hil and to make mountes wyth great trauel and coÌ„tinual feighting For the townes men came running downe froÌ„ the higher ground and fought wyth our men aloof without daunger and wounded many of theÌ„ that preased vp wilfully Notwithstanding our men were not feared from bringing forward theyr Uines endeuoring to ouercome the crabbednes of the place with verye labor workes The same time they drew secret mines to the head of the spring the whych kind of work they might do wythout anye daunger or mystrust of their enemies A mount was cast vp of a six fote high thervpon was raised a Towre of ten stories not such a one as might reache to the heighth of the wals for that was not possible to bee done by anye work but such a one as might excede the top of the spryng FroÌ„ the whiche when darts were sent wyth engynes to the brym of the spryng so that the townes men coulde not fetche water wythout daunger not only all sortes of cattell but also a great number of men died for thyrst With the whych distres the townesmen being greatly feared filled barrels with grease pitch and shingles and setting them on fier rolled them down vpon our workes and at the same time also fought very earnestly to th entent wyth the peryl of feighting to kepe the Romanes from quenchinge the fier Sodeinlye there was a great flame in our works For whatsoeuer was throwen downe froÌ„ that stepe place the same being stayd agaynst the Uines and rampier toke hold vpon the things that staid them On the coÌ„trary part our souldiers albeit they were hindred both with the perlousenes of thencounter wyth the disaduauntage of the place yet they bare out all things wyth a stout courage For the thing was done both in a hygh place and also in the syght of our army and a great cry was raysed on both sides So that as much as euery maÌ„ could specially he that was notable to th entent his hardynesse might the better be knoweÌ„ wytnessed offred himself to the fier and the weapoÌ„s of his enemies Cesar when he saw very many of his men wounded coÌ„maunded his Cohorts to make a clymbing vp the hyl on al sides of the towne and to rayse a noyse as if they purposed to take the walles Wherw t the townesmen being put in feare for asmuch as they wist not what was a doyng in other places called backe their armed men from assaulting our works placed them vpon the wals So our men hauing respit froÌ„ feighting did quickly either quench the workes that were a fier or els cut theÌ„ of from the rest When the townesmen willfully resisted yea euen after they had lost a great number of their company by thirst coÌ„tinuing stil al in one mind at the length the veynes of the spring were cut of within the ground by mines turned a nother way By meanes whereof the fountayne of the running water was now drayned the whych thing so daunted the hearts of the townesmen that they beleued it not to bee wrought by mans policye but by the wyl of God therfore when they sawe there was none other remedy they yelded theÌ„selues Cesar being assured that his gentelnesse was throughly knowen to al folke therfore neding not to feare that it wold be imputed to the cruelnes of hys nature if he dealt any thyng sharply with them and besides that perceiuinge it might wel be thought he smallye regarded the good successe of hys owne affaires if by such sufferance diuers other should begin to rebel in sundry places demed it requisite to put the rest in feare by the punishment of them And therfore he cut of the haÌ„des of as many of theÌ„ as were able to beare armor and let them liue styl to th enteÌ„t the punishment of euil persoÌ„s might be more manifest to the world Drapes whom I declared to haue bene taken by Caninius whether it were for treafnes grief that he was in haÌ„ds or for feare of more grieuous punishment fasted a few dayes from meat so starued The same time Lucteriê° that escaped by flight from the battel as I shewed before fel into the handes of Epasnactus of Auvern For in often fletinge from place to place he was faine to commit himselfe to the courtesy of many bicause he thought he could neuer continue any loÌ„g time in a place wythout daunger forasmuch as hys hart misgaue him howe muche he had deserued to haue Cesar his heauy maister Epasnactus of Auuerne being a faithful frend to the people of Rome assone as he had gotten him into his hands caried him wtout any further delay bound vnto Cesar. In the mean while Labienus feighteth prosperously against the Treuires and hauing slain many both of the Treuires and also of the Germanes who denied no man helpe against the Romanes gate the chief of them aliue into hys handes among whom was Surus a Heduan a man both for maÌ„hod and for birth greatlye ennobled who all only of the Heduans had vnto that day coÌ„tinued in armes against the people of Rome WheÌ„ Cesar knew therof forasmuch as he saw his affaires went wel forward in al partes of Gallia weying with himself how al Celtica and Belgica were the former sommers coÌ„quered and subdued and that he had neuer hitherto visited Aquitaine sauing that he made a kind of entraÌ„ce into it by certain victoryes gotten by P. Crassus He weÌ„t thither with two Legions to th entent to bestowe the latter time of his sommers there The which thing as he had don al other before he dispatched quickly luckely For all the Cities of Aquitain sent ambassadors vnto him and gaue him hostages After thaccoÌ„plishment of which things he weÌ„t to Narbone with his gard
he continued on his iorney still hys espyals brought him worde that we were wythin fowrâ— and tweÌ„ty miles of Ariouistus host When Ariouistus knew that Cesar was comming towards him he sent Ambassadors to hym declaring that whereas heretofore he had demaunded to come to communication he was contented so to do seing he was come somewhat nerer and that he trusted he might now do it wythout dauÌ„ger Cesar refused not the profer For thinkyng he wold now come to amendment consideryng he offered of his own voluntary wil the thing he hadde before denied when it was requested he was in great hope that for the great benifites whych he and the people of Rome had bestowed vpon hym he wold vpon knowledge of hys demaundes desyst from hys stoubernnes And therfore the .v. day after was appoynted for communication In the meane whyle as Ambassadours were sent to and fro betwene them Ariouistus demaunded that Cesar should bring no foteman with hym to communication for he sayd he was afrayd to be surprised of hym by treason wherfore both parties to come wyth theyr horsemen otherwyse he wolde not come there Cesar bicause he neyther was willing that the communication should be broken for any bymatter nor yet durst put the French horsmeÌ„ in trust with his lyfe thought it most for his behofe to take all the Frenchmens horses from them to set vpon them the Legionary souldiâ—rs of the tenth Legion which he trusted most vnto that if he stode at any nede he might haue a faythfull band of hys friends about hym to gard hym The which thing when he had done one of the souldiers of the tenth Legion beyng somwhat merely disposed said that Cesar did more than he had promysed For wheras he had promised but to accept the tenth Legion in plare of the pretorian Cohort he had promoted them to be men of armes There was a great playne and in the same a baÌ„ke of earth of a good pretye bignesse This place was almost midway betwene both the campes and thyther they came to communication as is aforesayd The legion that Cesar had brought thither on horseback he placed about a two hundred paces from the sayd banke And likewyse the horsemen of Ariouistus stood a lyke distance of Ariouistus requested that they myght commune on horsebacke and bryng eche of them ten persons with them to the parly At sucâ—e time as they were come thither Cesar in the beginning of his oration rehersed the good turnes that Ariouistus had receyued by hym and by the people of Rome as that the Senate had vouchsaued to geue hym the name and title of king and to accompt hym as their frende and also had sent moste honorable and ryche presents vnto hym the whych thyngs he told hym had happened vnto fewe others and were not wont to be bestowed vpon any but such as the Romanes thought had highly deserued theym for some great good turn that they had done But he when as he had neyther accesse vnto theym nor anye iust cause why he should desire any such thing at theyr handes had atteyned those rewardes only of the mere curtesye and liberalitye of hym and the Senate Moreouer he did him to vnderstand how auncient and howe iuste causes of aliance and frendship there were betwene theym and the Heduanes what decrees had bene made for them by the Senate how oftentymes and how honorable How the Heduanes had euer held the Souereintie of al Gallia euen before such tyme as they desired our frendshyp It was the custome of the people of Rome that theyr friends and alyes should not only not lose any thynge of their own by them but also be encreased in fauor dignity and honor Now to haue that thyng wrung froÌ„ theÌ„ by force whych they had brought wyth theym when they fyrst entred in frendshyppe wyth the Romanes who coulde suffer it Afterwarde he made the lyke demaunde as he had done by hys Ambassadours that he should not make warre agaynst the Heduanes or theyr Alyes that he shuld surrender theyr hostages that if he could not send home agayne anye part of the Germanes at leastwhyse yet he shoulde suffer no mo to passe the Rhyne Ariouistus aunswered littel to the demaunds of Cesar but vaunted much of his owne prowesse He sayd he had passed the Rhyne not of hys own head but at the request and intreatance of the Galles themselues at whose pleasure he hadde lefte his owne countrye and kinred not with out great hope promise of reward for hys labor And nowe he had setled himselfe in Gallia by their consent they had geuen him hostages of their owne freewyll and he tooke such tribute of theim as conquerors are wont to sesâ—e theyr subiectes at by the lawe of Armes He had not made war agaynst the Frenchmen but the Frenchmen agaynste him For all the Cities of Gallia were assembled to besege him and had encamped themselues against hym all the whych power he had in one battell ouerthrowne and vanquyshed If they wold trye the matter by the sword againe he was ready to cope wyth them But yf they had rather haue peace they did wrong to wythholde their tribute whyche they had paied vnto that time with their good wils As for the frendship of the people of Rome be thought it ought to be an ornament and stay vnto hym and not an hinderance and that he had requested it in hope to haue fouÌ„d it so But yf the people of Rome shuld seke to release hys tribute and to pull awaye hys vassals that had submitted theÌ„ selues to hym he was euen as wyllyng to forsake theyr frendshyp as euer he was to request it Whereas he broughte ouer great numbers of Germanes into France he did it for to strengthen hymselfe and not to anoy the country Wherof there nedeth none other wytnes than thys that he came not but at theyr owne request and that he had made no war vpon other but only defended hymselfe He was come into Fraunce before the people of Rome who vntill that time neuer led their host out of the borders of their owne Prouince And what shoulde they meane to come wythin hys iurisdiction For as well was thys part of Fraunce hys prouince as the other part was ours And therefore as he were not to bee borne wythall yf he shulde haue inuaded our marches so dydde we hym wrong to intermedle within his iurisdiction And wheras Cesar had saide that the Heduanes were proclaymed friends by the Senate he made hym aunswer he was not so barbarous nor so vnskylfull of things but he knew wel inough that neither the Heduanes ayded the Romanes in theyr late war against the people of Sauoy and Daulphine nor the Romanes them in their quarels that they had wyth hym and the Sequanes Wherefore he had good cause to mystruste that Cesar vnder the color of feyned frendshyppe kept that army whych he had in Fraunce for none other pourpose but to oppresse
hym But if he gate hym not away and withdrew hys power out of those countreis he wold take him no lengar for hys frende but for hys enemy And yf he could kyll hym he was sure he should do a great pleasure to manye of the noble men and Prynces of Rome The which thing he had perfect knowledge of by their messengers of all whome he coulde purchase the good wil and frendship by his death But if he wold depart and leaue vnto hym the free possession of Fraunce he wold reward him hyghly for hys labor and loke what warres soeuer he wolde haue made he wold dispatch them wythout puttyng hym to any trauell daunger Cesar replyed manye things to thys purpose why he myght not desyst from hys enterpryse alledgyng that it stoode not with hys custome nor wyth the custome of the people of Rome to abandon their Alies that had wel deserued of them Neither coulde he see why Ariouistus should haue more right to chalenge Fraūce than the Romanes For Q. Fabius Maximus had hertofore vanquished the men of Auuerne and the People about Rhodes Rutenes and yet the peple of Rome pitiyng them did neither make their country a prouince nor put them to any tribute But if so be that respect ought to be had to tyme of most antiquity then had the Romanes most iust cause to reygne ouer Fraunce Or if the iudgement of the Senate oughte to be obserued then ought Fraunce to be free for as much as it was decreed that beinge conquered by battell it should styll enioy their owne lawes and customes Whyle theis things were a debating in the treatye it was told Cesar that Ariouistus horsemen were comyng toward the banke and that riding agaynst our horsemen they began to throwe darts and stones at theym Wheruppon Cesar made an ende of talking and wythdrew hym selfe to hys men commaunding theym that they should not cast any thyng at all agayne at theyr enemies For albeit that wythout any perill of hys chosen Legion he sawe he myght haue encountred wyth the horsmen of his ennemies yet notwythstanding he wold not geue occasion by puttyng his enemies to flyght to haue it said that breakyng promis with them he had entrapped them vnder pretence of communication When it was reported to the common souldiers how arrogantly Ariouistus had behaued himselfe in the treatie forbidding the Romanes all Fraunce and that hys men of armes had made assault vpon ours insomuch that by meanes therof the communication was broken of oure army began to be far more cheerfull and farre more desyrous to feight Twoo dayes after Ariouistus sent Ambassadours to Cesar certifying him that he was desirous to entreat with hym concerning those thyngs that had bene begon to be talked of and not brought to conclusiō Wherfore he wold he shuld eyther appoint a day to confer again or yf he wolde not so do that he shoulde sende some men of his with commission to commune wyth him Cesar thought it not good to cōmune personally with him any more the rather bicause the Germanes the day before had no stay of them selues but that they threwe darts at our men Agayn he thought that whomsoeuer of hys men he sent commissioner vnto hym shuld go in great daunger and shuld be cast into the hands of most sauage persons It semed most expedient to send vnto hym M. Ualerius Procillus the sonne of C. Ualerius Caburus a yong gentilman of singular vertue and humanity whose father had ben made free of the Citye by C. Ualerius Flaccus bothe bycause he was trusty and could speake the French tung perfectly the which Ariouistus vsed much by reason of long conuersation among the Frenchmen and also bicause there was no cause why the Germanes shuld worke any euil agaynst hym And with him he sent also M. Titius who vsed to resort as a guest to Ariouistus To theis men he gaue in charge that they shoulde diligently mark and iustly report vnto him what Ariouistus said Assone as Ariouistus saw thē in his Camp he cried out to theym in the presence of hys army asking them what they had to doe there and whyther they came as spyes When they went about to make theyr aūswer he wold not suffer them but by and by commited them to ward The same daye he remoued encamped vnder a hils syde about a six myles from Cesars Camp The next day after he marched wyth all hys power euen in the face of Cesars camp and pitched his tents a twoo myles beyonde hym of purpose to cut of his graine and victuals that was to be brought to him out of Burgundye From that daye forwarde by the space of fyue dayes together Cesar brought oute hys men before his camp and had theym in order of battel to thintent the if Ariouistus lifted to geue battel he might haue liberty when he wold But Ariouistus al this while kept his fotemē wythin the Camp and sent out his horsemen dailye to skirmysh This was the kinde of feight wherein the Germanes wer wel practised They were of theym six thousande men of armes and as many footemen verye swift of foote and strong whom the horsmen hadde chosen out of all the whole hoste euery man one for hys faufgard Theis they had always at hand wyth them in battell and vnto theis they resorted for succour If the horsmen wer any thing ouercharged theis stept euer in If any of thē were sore wounded or vnhorsed theis garded him about If the matter requyred eyther to aduenture far forward or to retire quickly back their swiftnes was such through continual exercyse that hanging vpon the horse-manes by th one hand thei wold run as faste as the horses When Cesar perceiued that Ariouistus kept hym self within his Camp to thintent he wold not any lengar be stopped from his victuals beyond the same place where the Germanes abode aboute syxhundred paces from their Camp he chose a grounde mete to encamp in and came thyther in three battels Two of theis battels he caused to stand styll ready in araye and the thyrd he willed to fortify the Camp This place was as I sayde before sixhundred paces from the ennemy Thyther sent Ariouistus about syxtene thousande footemen light harnessed wyth all hys horsmen to put our men in feare to prohybit them frō fortifiyng their camp Neuertheles Cesar as he had before determined commaunded twoo battelles to wythstand the enemy and the thyrd to go through wyth the worke When he had fortifyed the Campe he lefte two legions there and parte of hys hyred Souldiors that were there for his ayde and ledde hys other fower legions back again into his greater campe The next daye Cesar as he had pourposed before brought hys whole power out of both his camps and marching somewhat from hys greater camp set his men in order profered to geue hys enemies battel if they wold Whē he perceiued that they woulde not then come foorth