Herewith the capteins and
tribunes discoursing the like, pricked forward the earnest willes
which their souldiers had to fight.
Ostorius perceiuing such courage and readie wils in the men of warre,
as well souldiers as capteins, began to bestirre himselfe, and left
nothing vndone that might serue to set forward their earnest desire to
battell. And hauing aduisedlie considered which waies were hard and
[Sidenote: Cornelius Tacitus Annal. lib. 12.]
vnpossible to be entered vpon, and which were most easie for his
people to find passage by, he led them foorth, being most earnestlie
bent to cope with the enimie.
Now hauing passed the water without any great difficultie, but comming
to the rampire, he lost manie of his people, so long as the fight was
continued with shot and casting of darts: but after that the Romans
couering themselues with their targets, came once close togither, and
approched vnder the rampire, they remooued away the stones which the
Britains had roughlie couched togither, and so came to ioine with them
at handblowes. The Britains being vnarmed, and not able to abide the
force of the armed men, withdrew to the top of the hilles, but as well
their enimies that were light armed, as the other with heauie armour,
followed and brake in among them, so as the Britains could not turne
them anie way to escape, for the light armed men with shot a farre
off, and the heauie armed with weapons at hand, sought to make
slaughter and wracke of them on ech side, so that this was a verie
dolefull day to the Britains.
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