The Britons, they who were possessed at once of bravery and skill, armed
with their huge swords and small bucklers, quite eluded our missive
weapons, or beat them quite off, whilst of their own they poured a torrent
upon us, till Agricola encouraged three Batavian cohorts and two of the
Tungrians, to close with the enemy and bring them to an engagement hand to
hand; as what was with those veteran soldiers a long practice, and become
familiar, but to the enemy very uneasy and embarrassing, as they were
armed with very little targets and with swords of enormous size. For, the
swords of the Britons, which are blunt at the end, are unfit for grapling
and cannot support a close encounter. Hence the Batavians thickened their
blows, wounded them with the iron bosses of their bucklers, mangled their
faces, and, bearing down all who withstood them upon the plain, were
already carrying the attack up to the hills: insomuch that the rest of the
cohorts, incited by emulation and sudden ardour, joined with those and
made havoc of all whom they encountered. Nay, such was the impetuosity and
hurry of the victory, that many were left behind but half dead, others not
so much as wounded.
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