[-45-] “As to its being most just, then, for us to fight against him no one, I think, will have any contention to make.  And that he is neither invincible nor even a difficult adversary you can see from the other members of his race whom you have often conquered before and have recently conquered very easily, and you can calculate further from what we learn about the man himself.  For in general he has no native force that is united and welded together, and at present, since he is expecting no reverse, he utterly lacks preparation.  Again, not one of his countrymen would readily aid him, not even if he makes most tempting offers.  Who would choose to be his ally and fight against us before receiving any injury at our hands?  Is it not rather likely that all would cooeperate with us, instead of with him,—­from a desire to overthrow his principality, which joins theirs, and obtain from us some share of his territory?

“Even if some should band together, they would not prove at all superior to us.  For, to omit the rest,—­our numbers, our age, our experience, our deeds,—­who is there ignorant of the fact that we have armor over all our body alike, whereas they are for the most part naked, and that we employ both plan and arrangement, whereas they, unorganized, rush at everything in a rage.  Be sure not to dread their charge nor the greatness of either their bodies or their shout.  For voice never yet killed any man, and their bodies, having the same hands as we, can accomplish no more, but will be capable of much greater damage through being both big and naked.  And though their charge is tremendous and headlong at first, it is easily exhausted and lasts but a short time. [-46-] To you who have doubtless experienced what I mention and have conquered men like them I make these suggestions so that you need not appear to have been influenced by my talk and may really feel a most steadfast hope of victory as a result of what has already been accomplished.  However, a great many of the very Gauls who are like them will be our allies, so that even if these nations did have anything terrible about them, it will belong to us as well as to the others.

“Do you, then, look at matters in this way and instruct the rest.  I might as well tell you that even if some of you do hold opposite views, I, for my part, fight just as I am and will never abandon the position to which I was assigned by my country.  The tenth legion will be enough for me.  I am sure that they, even if there should be need of going through fire, would readily go through it naked.  The rest of you be off the quicker the better and cease consuming supplies here to no purpose, recklessly spending the public money, laying claim to other men’s labors, and appropriating the plunder gathered by others.”