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
togither) bestow their weapons freelie, and with their swoords and
targets preasse forward vpon their enimies, continuing the slaughter
without regard to the spoile, they might assure themselues when the
victorie was once atchiued to haue all at their pleasures."
Such forwardnesse in the souldiers followed vpon this exhortation of
the couragious generall, that euerie one prepared himselfe so readilie
to doo his dutie, 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 able 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 vtterlie discomfited.
[Sidenote: 80000 Britains slaine.]
There were slaine of the Britains that day few lesse than 80000
[*_sic_]
thousand*, as Tacitus writeth.
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