[Sidenote:—­12—­] At the conclusion of exhortations of this sort and others like them he raised the signal for battle.  Thereupon they approached each other, the barbarians making a great outcry intermingled with menacing incantations, but the Romans silently and in order until they came within a javelin’s throw of the enemy.  Then, while the foe were advancing against them at a walk, the Romans started at a given word and charged them at full speed, and when the clash came easily broke through the opposing ranks; but, as they were surrounded by the great numbers, they had to be fighting everywhere at once.  Their struggle took many forms.  In the first place, light-armed troops might be in conflict with light-armed, heavy-armed be arrayed against heavy-armed, cavalry join issue with cavalry; and against the chariots of the barbarians the Roman archers would be contending.  Again, the barbarians would assail the Romans with a rush of their chariots, knocking them helter-skelter, but, since they fought without breastplates, would be themselves repulsed by the arrows.  Horseman would upset foot-soldier, and foot-soldier strike down horseman; some, forming in close order, would go to meet the chariots, and others would be scattered by them; some would come to close quarters with the archers and rout them, whereas others were content to dodge their shafts at a distance:  and all these things went on not at one spot, but in the three divisions at once.  They contended for a long time, both parties being animated by the same zeal and daring.  Finally, though late in the day, the Romans prevailed, having slain numbers in the battle, beside the wagons, or in the wood:  they also captured many alive.  Still, not a few made their escape and went on to prepare to fight a second time.  Meanwhile, however, Buduica fell sick and died.  The Britons mourned her deeply and gave her a costly burial; but, as they themselves were this time really defeated, they scattered to their homes.—­So far the history of affairs in Britain.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 62 (a.u. 815)] [Sidenote:—­13—­] In Rome Nero had before this sent away Octavia Augusta, on account of his concubine Sabina, and subsequently he put her to death.  This he did in spite of the opposition of Burrus, who tried to prevent his sending her away, and once said to him:  “Well, then, give her back her dowry” (by which he meant the sovereignty).  Indeed, Burrus used such unmitigated frankness that on one occasion, when he was asked by the emperor a second time for an opinion on matters regarding which he had already made clear his attitude, he answered bluntly:  “When I have once had my say about anything, don’t ask me again.”  So Nero disposed of him by poison.  He also appointed to command the Pretorians a certain Ofonius Tigillinus, who outstripped all his contemporaries in licentiousness and bloodiness. [It was he who won Nero away from them and made light of his colleague Rufus.] [Footnote:  Foenius Rufus.] To him the famous sentence of Pythias is said to have been directed.  She had proved the only exception when all the other attendants of Octavia had joined Sabina in attacking their mistress, despising the one because she was in misfortune and toadying to the other because her influence was strong.  Pythias alone had refused though cruelly tortured to utter lies against Octavia, and finally, as Tigillinus continued to urge her, she spat in his face, saying: