selves in the woods, and waiting till our men had quitted their arms and were mowing the corn they suddenly attacked them, killed some and put the rest into disorder surrounding them at the same time with their horses and chariots.
Here then he gives the extraordinary account to which I referred. He says "Their way of fighting with their chariots is this, they drive their chariots on all sides throwing their darts, so that by the very terror of the horses and noise of the wheels they often break the ranks of the enemy. When they have forced their way into the midst of the cavalry, they quit their chariots and fight on foot; meantime the drivers retire a little and place themselves in such a way as to favor the retreat of their countrymen should they happen to be overpowered. "Thus," he says, "they perform the part both of nimble horsemen and stable infantry, and by daily exercise have attained such skill that even in steep and difficult places they can stop their horses at full speed, turn them which way they will, run along the pole, rest on the yoke and throw themselves again into the chariots with the utmost celerity."
Thrown into confusion by this new mode of fighting (perturbatis nostris novitate pugnæ) it is clear from Cæsar's own account that he had the greatest difficulty in holding his ground, and even in being able to get back to Gaul, where he immediately hastened back without obtaining any successful result. This was all he had to boast of his first invasion, when from his own account he found evidently a well cultivated country, inhabited by an intelligent people who knew how to act in well combined measures as well as with great bravery for their defence.
After having settled his affairs on his return to the Continent both in Gaul and Italy, Cæsar prepared himself for his second invasion of Britain with all the advantages his previous experience suggested. Now however instead of 100 vessels as before he got together a fleet of 800 vessels and instead of 2 legions or 13,000 troops he took 5 legions and 800 cavalry, upwards of 30,000 effective troops. This surely affords a sufficient proof that he had found it was no contemptible enemy he had to encounter. He did not however meet with the same desperate resistance as before the Britons being probably intimidated as Cæsar suggests by the immense fleet that was approaching their shores. Still they seem to have disputed every step of his progress according to his own account, and though he says he took one of their fastnesses and repulsed their various attacks, yet it is clear that the Britons constantly acted on the offensive more than
