hunger, thirst, cold, or heat, as we can; for they require shade and protection, they require kneaded bread and wine and oil, and if the supply of any of these things fails them they simply perish.  For us, on the other hand, any root or grass serves as bread, any plant juice as olive oil, any water as wine, any tree as a house.  Indeed, this very region is to us an acquaintance and ally, but to them unknown and hostile.  As for the rivers, we swim them naked, but they even with boats can not cross easily.  Let us therefore go against them trusting boldly to good fortune.  Let us show them that they are hares and foxes trying to rule dogs and wolves.”

[Sidenote:—­6—­] At these words, employing a species of divination, she let a hare escape from her bosom, and as it ran in what they considered a lucky direction, the whole multitude shouted with pleasure, and Buduica raising her hand to heaven, spoke:  “I thank thee, Andraste, [Footnote:  Not much information is preserved regarding this indigenous goddess of Britain.  Reimar asserts that she is practically identical with Boccharte, Astarte, or Venus.] and call upon thee, who are a woman, being myself also a woman that rules not burden-bearing Egyptians like Nitocris, nor merchant Assyrians like Semiramis (of these things we have heard from the Romans), nor even the Romans themselves, as did Messalina first and later Agrippina;—­at present their chief is Nero, in name a man, in fact a woman, as is shown by his singing, his playing the cithara, his adorning himself:—­but ruling as I do men of Britain that know not how to till the soil or ply a trade yet are thoroughly versed in the arts of war and hold all things common, even children and wives; wherefore the latter possess the same valor as the males:  being therefore queen of such men and such women I supplicate and pray thee for victory and salvation and liberty against men insolent, unjust, insatiable, impious,—­if, indeed we ought to term those creatures men who wash in warm water, eat artificial dainties, drink unmixed wine, anoint themselves with myrrh, sleep on soft couches with boys for bedfellows (and past their prime at that), are slaves to a zither-player, yes, an inferior zither-player.  Wherefore may this Domitia-Nero woman reign no more over you or over me:  let the wench sing and play the despot over the Romans.  They surely deserve to be in slavery to such a being whose tyranny they have patiently borne already this long time.  But may we, mistress, ever look to thee alone as our head.”

[Sidenote:—­7—­] After an harangue of this general nature Buduica led her army against the Romans.  The latter chanced to be without a leader for the reason that Paulinus their commander had gone on an expedition to Mona, an island near Britain.  This enabled her to sack and plunder two Roman cities, and, as I said, she wrought indescribable slaughter.  Persons captured by the Britons underwent every form of most frightful treatment.  The conquerors