but took refuge in the swamps and in the forests, hoping to exhaust their opponents in some other way, so that the latter as in the days of Julius Caesar would sail back empty-handed. [-20-] Plautius accordingly had considerable trouble in searching for them.—­They were not free and independent but were parceled out among various kings.—­When at last he did find them, he conquered first Caratacus and next Togodumnus, children of Cynobelinus, who was dead.  After the flight of those kings he attached by treaty a portion of the Bodunni, ruled by a nation of the Catuellani.  Leaving a garrison there he advanced farther.  On reaching a certain river, which the barbarians thought the Romans would not be able to cross without a bridge,—­a conviction which led them to encamp in rather careless fashion on the opposite bank,—­he sent ahead Celtae who were accustomed to swim easily in full armor across the most turbulent streams.  These fell unexpectedly upon the enemy, but instead of shooting at any of the men confined themselves to wounding the horses that drew their chariots and consequently in the confusion not even the mounted warriors could save themselves.  Plautius sent across also Fiavius Vespasian, who afterward obtained the imperial office, and his brother Sabinus, a lieutenant of his.  So they likewise got over the river in some way and killed numbers of the foe, who were not aware of their approach.  The survivors, however, did not take to flight, and on the next day joined issue with them again.  The two forces were rather evenly matched until Gnaeus Hosidius Geta, at the risk of being captured, managed to conquer the barbarians in such a way that he received triumphal honors without having ever been consul.

Thence the Britons retired to the river Thames at a point near where it empties into the ocean and the latter’s flood-tide forms a lake.  This they crossed easily because they knew where the firm ground in this locality and the easy passages were; but the Romans in following them up came to grief at this spot.  However, when the Celtae swam across again and some others had traversed a bridge a little way up stream, they assailed the barbarians from many sides at once and cut down large numbers of them.  In pursuing the remainder incautiously they got into swamps from which it was not easy to make one’s way out, and in this way lost many men.

[-21-] Shortly after Togodumnus perished, but the Britons so far from yielding stood together all the more closely to avenge his death.  Because of this fact and his previous mishap Plautius became alarmed, and instead of advancing farther proceeded to guard what he had already gained and sent for Claudius.  He had been notified to do this in case he met with any particularly stubborn resistance, and a large reinforcement for the army, consisting partly of elephants, had been assembled in advance.