4.12. Queene Voadicia marcheth against the Romans, to whom she giueth a shamefull and bloudie ouerthrow without anie motion of mercie, dredfull examples of the Britains crueltie indiffe|rentlie executed without excep|tion of age or sex. The twelfe Chapter.
Queene Voadicia marcheth against the Romans, to whom she giueth a shamefull and bloudie ouerthrow without anie motion of mercie, dredfull examples of the Britains crueltie indiffe|rentlie executed without excep|tion of age or sex. The twelfe Chapter.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 _WHen Uoadicia had made an end of hir praier, she set forward against hir enimies, who at that time were desti|tute in déed of their lieutenant Paulinus Suetonius, being as then in Anglesey (as before ye haue heard.) Wherefore the Romans that were in Camelodunum sent for aid vnto Catus Decianus the procurator, Corn. Tacit. Catus Deci|anus procura|tor. that is, the emperours agent, treasurer, or receiuer, for in that citie (although it were inhabited by Romans) there was no great garrison of able men. Wherevpon the procurator sent them such aid as he thought he might well spare, which was not past two hundred men, and those not sufficientlie furnished either with weapon or armour.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 The citie was not compassed with anie rampire or ditch for defense, such as happilie were priuie to the conspiracie, hauing put into the heads of the Ro|mans that no fortification néeded: neither were the aged men nor women sent awaie, whereby the yoong able personages might without trouble of them the better attend to the defense of the citie: but euen as they had béene in all suertie of peace, and frée from suspicion of anie warre, they were suddenlie beset with the huge armie of the Britains, and so all went to spoile and fire that could be found without the in|closure of the temple, into the which the Romane souldiers (striken with sudden feare by this sudden comming of the enimies) had thronged themselues. Where being assieged by the Britains, within the space of two daies the place was woonne, and they that were found within it, slaine euerie mothers sonne.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 After this, the Britains incouraged with this vic|torie, went to méet with Petus Cerealis lieutenant of the legion, surnamed the ninth, and boldlie incoun|tering with the same legion, gaue the Romans the ouerthrow and slue all the footmen, so that Cerealis with much adoo escaped with his horssemen, and got him backe to the campe, and saued himselfe within the trenches. Catus the procurator being put in feare with this ouerthrow, and perceiuing what ha|tred the Britains bare towards him, hauing with his couetousnesse thus brought the warre vpon the head of the Romans, got him ouer into Gallia.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 But Suetonius aduertised of these dooings, came backe out of Anglesey, and with maruellous con|stancie marched through the middest of his enimies to London, being as then not greatlie peopled with Romans, though there was a colonie of them, but full of merchants, and well prouided of vittels: he was in great doubt at his comming thither, whether he might best staie there as in a place most conueni|ent, or rather séeke some other more easie to be defen|ded. At length considering the small number of his men of warre, and remembring how Cerealis had sped by his too much rashnesse, he thought better with the losing of one towne of saue the whole, than to put all in danger of irrecouerable losse. And there|with nothing mooued at the praier & teares of them which besought him of aid and succour, he departed, EEBO page image 45 and those that would go with him he receiued into his armie, those that taried behind were oppressed by the enimies: and the like destruction happened to them of Uerolanium, a towne in those daies of great fame, situat néere to the place where the towne of Saint Albons now standeth.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 The Britains leauing the castels and fortresses vnassaulted, followed their gaine in spoiling of those places which were easie to get, and where great plen|tie of riches was to be found, vsing their victorie with such crueltie, that they slue (as the report went) to the number of 70 thousand Romans,80000. saith Dion. and such as tooke their part in the said places by the Britains thus woon and conquered. For there was nothing with the Britains but slaughter, fire, gallowes, and such like, so earnestlie were they set on reuenge. They spared neither age nor sex: women of great nobilitie and woorthie fame they tooke and hanged vp naked, and cutting off their paps, sowed them to their mouthes, that they might séeme as if they suc|ked and fed on them, and some of their bodies they stretched out in length, and thrust them on sharpe stakes. All these things they did in great despite whi|lest they sacrificed in their temples, and made feasts, namelie in the wood consecrated to the honour of Andates, for so they called the goddesse of victorie whom they worshipped most reuerentlie.
4.13. P. Suetonius the Romane with a fresh power assalteth the Britains, whose armie consisted as well of women as men: queene Voadicia incourageth hir souldiers, so dooth Sue|tonius his warriors, both armies haue a sharpe con|flict, the Britains are discomfited and miserablie slaine, the queene dieth, Penius Posthumus killeth himselfe, the Britains are persecuted with fire, swoord, and famine, the grudge betweene Cassi|cianus and Suetonius, whome Poly|cletus is sent to reconcile, of his traine, and how the Bri|tains repined at him. The xiij. Chapter.
P. Suetonius the Romane with a fresh power assalteth the Britains, whose armie consisted as well of women as men: queene Voadicia incourageth hir souldiers, so dooth Sue|tonius his warriors, both armies haue a sharpe con|flict, the Britains are discomfited and miserablie slaine, the queene dieth, Penius Posthumus killeth himselfe, the Britains are persecuted with fire, swoord, and famine, the grudge betweene Cassi|cianus and Suetonius, whome Poly|cletus is sent to reconcile, of his traine, and how the Bri|tains repined at him. The xiij. Chapter.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 _IN this meane time there came ouer to the aid of Sue|tonius, the legion surnamed the 14, and other bands of souldiers and men of warre, to the number of ten thou|sand in the whole, wherevpon (chieflie bicause vittels began to faile him) he prepared to giue battell to his eni|mies, and chose out a plot of ground verie strong within straits, and backed with a wood, so that the e|nimies could not assault his campe but on the front: yet by reason of their great multitude and hope of victorie conceiued by their late prosperous successe, the Britains vnder the conduct of quéene Uoadicia aduentured to giue battell,The Bri|tains were at that time 230000. men, (as Dion wri|teth.) hauing their women there to be witnesses of the victorie, whome they pla|ced in charrets at the vttermost side of their field.
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Uoadicia, or Boudicia (for so we find hir written by some copies,Corn. Tacit. li. 15. and Bonuica also by Dion) hauing hir daughters afore hir,Dion Cassius. being mounted into a char|ret, as she passed by the souldiers of ech sundrie coun|trie, told them it was a thing accustomed among the Britains to go to the warres vnder the leading of women; but she was not now come foorth as one borne of such noble ancestors as she was descended from, to fight for hir kingdome and riches; but as one of the meaner sort, rather to defend hir lost liber|tie, and to reuenge hir selfe of the enimie, for their crueltie shewed in scourging hir like a vagabond, and shamefull deflouring of hir daughters: for the li|centious lust of the Romans was so farre spred and increased, that they spared neither the bodies of old nor yoong, but were readie most shame fullie to abuse them, hauing whipped hir naked being an aged wo|man, and forced hir daughters to satisfie their filthie concupiscence: but (saith she) the gods are at hand readie to take iust reuenge.
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The legion that presumed to incounter with vs is slaine and beaten downe. The residue kéepe them close within their holds, or else séeke waies how to flée out of the countrie: they shall not be once able so much as to abide the noise and clamor of so manie thousands as we are héere assembled, much lesse the force of our great puissance and dreadfull hands. If ye therefore (said she) would wey and consider with your selues your huge numbers of men of warre, and the causes why ye haue mooued this warre, ye would surelie determine either in this battell to die with honour, or else to vanquish the enimie by plaine force, for so (quoth she) I being a woman am fullie re|solued, as for you men ye maie (if ye list) liue and be brought into bondage.
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Neither did Suetonius ceasse to exhort his people: for though he trusted in their manhood, yet as he had diuided his armie into three battels, so did he make vnto ech of them a seuerall oration, willing them not to feare the shrill and vaine menacing threats of the Britains, sith there was among them more wo|men that men, they hauing no skill in warrelike dis|cipline, and heereto being naked without furniture of armour, would foorthwith giue place when they should féele the sharpe points of the Romans wea|pons, and the force of them by whom they had so of|ten béene put to flight. In manie legions (saith he) the number is small of them that win the battell. Their glorie therefore should be the more, for that they being a small number should win the fame due to the whole armie, if they would (thronging to|gither) bestow their weapons fréelie, and with their swoords and targets preasse forward vpon their eni|mies, continuing the slaughter without regard to the spoile, they might assure themselues when the victo|rie was once atchiued to haue all at their pleasures.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 Such forwardnesse in the souldiers followed vpon this exhortation of the couragious generall, that e|uerie one prepared himselfe so readilie to doo his du|tie, and that with such a shew of skill and experience, that Suetonius hauing conceiued an assured hope of good lucke to follow, caused the trumpets to sound to the battell. The onset was giuen in the straits, greatlie to the aduantage of the Romans, being but a handfull in comparison to their enimies. The fight in the beginning was verie sharpe and cruell, but in the end the Britains being a let one to another (by reason of the narrownesse of the place) were not a|ble to susteine the violent force of the Romans their enimies, so that they were constreind to giue backe, and so being disordered were put to flight, and vtter|lie discomfited.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 There were slaine of the Britains that day few lesse than 80000 thousand,80000. Bri|tains slaine. as Tacitus writeth. For the straits being stopped with the charrets, staied the flight of the Britains, so as they could not easi|lie escape: and the Romans were so set on reuenge, that they spared neither man nor woman, so that manie were slaine in the battell, manie amongst the charrets, and a great number at the woods side, which way they made their flight, and manie were taken prisoners. Those that escaped, would haue fought a new battell, but in the meane time Uo|adicia, or Bonuica deceassed of a naturall infirmi|tie, as Dion Cassius writeth, but other say that she poisoned hir selfe, and so died, because she would EEBO page image 46 not come into the hands of hir bloodthirstie enimies. There died of the Romans part in this most nota|ble battell 400, and about the like number were grieuouslie hurt and most pitifullie wounded.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Penius Posthumus maister of the campe of the second legion,Penius Posthumus sleteth him|selfe. vnderstanding the prosperous suc|cesse of the other Romane capteins, because he had defrauded his legion of the like glorie, and had refu|sed to obeie the commandements of the generall, contrarie to the vse of warre, slue himselfe.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 After this all the Romane armie was brought into the field to make an end of the residue of the warre. And the emperour caused a supplie to be sent out of Germanie being 2000 legionarie souldi ers, and 8 bands of aids, with 1000 horssemen, by whose comming the bands of the ninth legion were supplied with legionarie souldiers, and those bands and wings of horssemen were appointed to places where they might winter, and such people of the Britains as were either enimies, or else stood in doubt whether to be friends or enimies in déed, were persecuted with fire and sword.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 But nothing more afflicted them than famine, for whilest euerie man gaue himselfe to the warre, and purposed to haue liued vpon the prouision of the Romans and other their enimies, they applied not themselues to tillage, nor to anie husbanding of the ground,Iulius Cas|sictanus pro|curator. and long it was yer they (being a fierce kind of people) fell to embrace peace, by reason that Iulius Cassicianus, who was sent into Britaine as successor to Catus, fell at square with Sueto|nius, and by his priuat grudge hindered the prospe|rous successe of publike affaires. He sticked not to write to Rome, that except an other were sent to succéed in the roome that Suetonius did beare, there would be no end of the warres. Herevpon one Po|lycletus, which sometime had béene a bondman, was sent into Britaine, as a commissioner, to surueie the state of the countrie, to reconcile the legat and pro|curator, & also to pacifie all troubles within the Ile.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 The port which Polycletus bare was great, for he was furnished with no small traine that attended vpon him, so that his presence seemed verie dread|full to the Romans. But the Britains that were not yet pacified, thought great scorne to see such ho|norable capteins and men of warre as the Romans were to, submit themselues to the order of such a one as had béene a bondslaue.
4.14. In what state the Iland stood whiles Ar|uiragus reigned; the dissolute and loose gouernement of Petronius Turpilianus, Trebellius Maximus, and Victius Vo|lanus, three lieutenants in Britaine for the Romane emperours, of Iulius Fron|tinus who vanquished the Silures. The xiiij. Chapter.
In what state the Iland stood whiles Ar|uiragus reigned; the dissolute and loose gouernement of Petronius Turpilianus, Trebellius Maximus, and Victius Vo|lanus, three lieutenants in Britaine for the Romane emperours, of Iulius Fron|tinus who vanquished the Silures. The xiiij. Chapter.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 _IN place of Suetonius,Petronius Turpilia|nus lieu|tenant. was Petronius Turpilianus (who had latelie béene consull) ap|pointed to haue the gouer|nance of the armie in Bri|taine, the which neither trou|bling the enimie, nor being of the enimie in anie wise troubled or prouoked, did colour slouthfull rest with the honest name of peace and quietnesse, and so sat still without exploiting anie notable enterprise.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 AFter Turpilianus,Trebel|lius Max|imus lieu|tenant. Trebellius Maximus was made lieutenant of Britaine, who likewise with courteous demeanous sought to kéepe the Britains in rest rather than by force to compell them. And now began the people of the Ile to beare with plea|sant faults and flattering vices, so that the ciuill warres that chanced in those daies after the death of the emperour Nero at home, might easilie excuse the slouthfulnesse of the Romane lieutenants.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Moreouer, there rose dissention amongest their men of warre, which being vsed to lie abroad in the field, could not agrée with the idle life; so that Tre|bellius Maximus was glad to hide himselfe from the sight of the souldiers being in an vprore against him, till at length humbling himselfe vnto them further than became his estate, he gouerned by waie of intreatie, or rather at their courtesie. And so was the commotion staied without bloudshed, the armie as it were hauing by couenant obteined to liue li|centiouslie, and the capteine suertie to liue without danger to be murthered.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 NEither Uictius Uolanus that succéeded Maxi|mus whilest the time of the ciuill warres as yet endured,Victius Volanus lieutenãt. did trouble the Britains, vsing the same slacknesse and slouth that the other lieutenants had vsed before him, and permitted the like licence to the presumptuous souldiers: but yet was Uolanus innocent as touching himselfe, and not hated for a|nie notable crime or vice: so that he purchased fa|uour, although authoritie wanted.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 But after that the emperour Uespasianus had subdued his aduersaries, and atteined the imperiall gouernment, as well ouer Britaine as ouer other parts of the world,Cor. Tacitus. there were sent hither right no|ble capteins, with diuers notable bands of souldi|ers, and Petilius Cerialis being appointed lieute|nant, put the Britains in great feare, by inuading the Brigants the mightiest nation of all the whole Iland: and fighting manie battels, and some right bloudie with those people, he subdued a great part of the countrie at the last.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 AFter him succéeded as lieutenant of Britaine, one Iulius Frontinus,Iulius Frontinus lieutenãt. who vanquished and brought to the Romane subiection by force of armes the people called Silures, striuing not onelie a|gainst the stout resistance of the men, but also with the hardnesse & combersome troubles of the places.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶Thus may you perceiue in what state this Ile stood in the time that Aruiragus reigned in the same, as is supposed by the best histories of the old Britains: so that it may be thought that he gouer|ned rather a part of this land, than the whole, and bare the name of a king, the Romans not hauing so reduced the countrie into the forme of a prouince, but that the Britains bare rule in diuerse parts thereof, and that by the permission of the Romans, which neuerthelesse had their lieutenants and procu|ratours here, that bare the greatest rule vnder the aforesaid emperours.