[-49-] The Romans, seeing them advancing from their quarters, did not remain motionless, but made a forward dash which gave their opponents no chance to get carefully ordered, and by attacking with a charge and shout intercepted their javelins in which they had especial confidence.  In fact, they got into such close quarters with them that the enemy could not employ their pikes or long swords.  So the latter used their bodies in shoving oftener than weapons in fighting and struggled to overturn whoever they encountered and to knock down whoever withstood them.  Many deprived even of the use of the short swords fought with hands and mouths instead, dragging down their adversaries, biting, tearing, since they far surpassed them in the size of their bodies.  The Romans, however, did not suffer any great bodily injuries in consequence:  they closed with their foes and by their armor and skill somehow proved a match.  Finally, after carrying on that sort of battle for a very long time, late in the day they prevailed.  For their daggers, which were smaller than those of the Gauls and had steel blades, proved very useful to them:  moreover, the men themselves, constrained thereto by the very labor, lasted better than the barbarians because the endurance of the latter was not of like quality with the vehemence of their attacks.  The Gauls for these reasons were defeated:  they were not routed, merely because they were unable, through confusion and feebleness, to flee, and not because they lacked the wish.  Three hundred therefore, more or less, gathered in a body, opposed their shields on all sides of them and standing upright, apart from the press, proved hard to move by reason of their solidity:  so that they neither accomplished aught nor suffered aught.

[-50-] The Romans, when their warriors neither advanced against them nor fled but stood quietly in the same spot as if on towers, likewise laid aside first of all their short spears which could not be used:  and as they could not with their swords fight in close combat nor reach the others’ heads, where alone the latter, fighting with them exposed, were vulnerable, they threw down their shields and made an attack.  Some by a long run and others from close at hand leaped upon[46] the foes in some way and struck them.  At this many fell immediately, beneath a single blow, and many did not fall till after they were dead.  They were kept upright even when dead by the closeness of their formation.  In this way most of the infantry perished either there or near the wagons, according to how far they were pushed out of line toward them, with wives and children.  Ariovistus with fifty horsemen straightway left the country and started for the Rhine.  He was pursued, but not overtaken, and escaped on a boat ahead of his followers.  Of the rest the Romans entered the river to kill some, and others the chief himself took up and brought away.

DIO’S ROMAN HISTORY