XXXI.
“Liberos cuique ac propinquos suos natura carissimos esse voluit: hi per dilectus alibi servituri auferuntur; coniuges sororesque etiam si hostilem libidinem effugerunt, nomine amicorum atque hospitum polluuntur. Bona fortunaeque in tributum, ager atque annus in frumentum, corpora ipsa ac manus silvis ac paludibus emuniendis inter verbera et contumelias conteruntur. Nata servituti mancipia semel veneunt, atque ultro a dominis aluntur: Britannia servitutem suam cotidie emit, cotidie pascit. Ac sicut in familia recentissimus quisque servorum etiam conservis ludibrio est, sic in hoc orbis terrarum vetere famulatu novi nos et viles in excidium petimur; neque enim arva nobis aut metalla aut portus sunt, quibus exercendis reservemur. virtus porro ac ferocia subiectorum ingrata imperantibus; et longinquitas ac secretum ipsum quo tutius, eo suspectius. Ita sublata spe veniae tandem sumite animum, tam quibus salus quam quibus gloria carissima est. Brigantes femina duce exurere coloniam, expugnare castra, ac nisi felicitas in socordiam vertisset, exuere iugum potuere: nos integri et indomiti et in libertatem, non in paenitentiam [bel]laturi; primo statim congressu ostendamus, quos sibi Caledonia viros seposuerit.
31.
‘Nature mandates that children and kin are a man’s dearest possessions, yet they are wrested from us by conscription to end up as slaves in foreign lands. Our wives and sisters also, if they escape rape, are dishonoured by so-called guests and friends. Our treasured possessions are eaten up by the tribute, the harvest of our fields is requisitioned every year, our own bodies and muscles are worked to the bone building roads through marsh and forest, in return for lashes and insults. Men born to slavery go up for sale only once and, in addition, are fed by their masters. Britain pays for her own bondage every day and feeds her masters. As in a household any new slave is always the laughingstock of his fellows, so in a world long accustomed to bondage we worthless newcomers are marked down for elimination. We have no fertile land, no mines, no harbours for the working or running of which we might be spared. Moreover, bravery and fierceness in subjects are not pleasing to masters and our very remoteness and seclusion become more suspect the safer they are. Therefore, abandon all hopes of mercy, I urge you, and take heart, as men to whom both safety and honour are equally precious. The Brigantes, led by a woman, were able to set on fire a Roman colony, overrun a camp, and had not success soured into complacency, they could have shaken off the yoke. Our forces are intact and untamed and we are going to fight to be free men, not slaves. Let us show Rome right from the start what kind of men Caledonia has kept in reserve for her safety.’
XXXII.
“An eandem Romanis in bello virtutem quam in pace lasciviam adesse creditis? Nostris illi dissensionibus ac discordiis clari vitia hostium in gloriam exercitus sui vertunt; quem contractum ex diversissimis gentibus ut secundae res tenent, ita adversae dissolvent: nisi si Gallos et Germanos et (pudet dictu) Britannorum plerosque, licet dominationi alienae sanguinem commodent, diutius tamen hostis quam servos, fide et adfectu teneri putatis. Metus ac terror sunt infirma vincla caritatis; quae ubi removeris, qui timere desierint, odisse incipient. Omnia victoriae incitamenta pro nobis sunt: nullae Romanos coniuges accendunt, nulli parentes fugam exprobraturi sunt; aut nulla plerisque patria aut alia est. Paucos numero, trepidos ignorantia, caelum ipsum ac mare et silvas, ignota omnia circumspectantis, clausos quodam modo ac vinctos di nobis tradiderunt. Ne terreat vanus aspectus et auri fulgor atque argenti, quod neque tegit neque vulnerat. In ipsa hostium acie inveniemus nostras manus: adgnoscent Britanni suam causam, recordabuntur Galli priorem libertatem, tam deserent illos ceteri Germani quam nuper Usipi reliquerunt. Nec quicquam ultra formidinis: vacua castella, senum coloniae, inter male parentis et iniuste imperantis aegra municipia et discordantia. Hic dux, hic exercitus: ibi tributa et metalla et ceterae servientium poenae, quas in aeternum perferre aut statim ulcisci in hoc campo est. Proinde ituri in aciem et maiores vestros et posteros cogitate.’
32.
‘Do you think the Romans are as brave in war as they are wanton in peace? They owe their fame to our bickering and feuds. They turn the faults of the enemy to their army’s glory. Their army is made up of every possible race and is held together by success, as much as it is broken up by defeat, unless you believe that Gauls, Germans, and (I am ashamed to say) most Britons — Rome’s enemies far longer than her slaves –are bound to their foreign masters by loyalty and affection, much as they shed their blood for them. Fear and intimidation are poor substitutes for love: remove them and those who are no longer afraid will begin to hate. All the inducements for victory are on our side. No spouses are here to spur the Romans on, no parents to blame them for taking to their heels, and most of them have either no country of their own or have an alien one. Few in numbers, frightened by the unknown — the sky itself, the sea, the forests strange to their eyes – they are being handed to us by the gods as if they were already caught and bound. Be not frightened by their appearance, which is harmless, or by the gold and silver glitter of their standards, which neither protect them nor hurt us. We shall find helping hands in the enemy’s own ranks: the Britons will espouse their own cause, the Gauls will remember their past freedom, and the remaining Germans will forsake these Romans just as the Usipi did recently. Beyond the enemy facing us there is nothing to fear: empty forts, colonies of old men, mutinous and poorly governed towns enfeebled by constant bickering. Here you have the general and his army, there the tribute, the drudgery of the mines, and all the other evils of slavery. In this field lies the choice: to perpetuate these evils or avenge them right now. Therefore, as you advance into battle, think of both your ancestors and of your descendants.’
XXXIII.
Excepere orationem alacres, ut barbaris moris, fremitu cantuque et clamoribus dissonis. Iamque agmina et armorum fulgores audentissimi cuiusque procursu; simul instruebatur acies, cum Agricola quamquam laetum et vix munimentis coercitum militem accendendum adhuc ratus, ita disseruit: ‘septimus annus est, commilitones, ex quo virtute et auspiciis imperii Romani, fide atque opera vestra Britanniam vicistis. Tot expeditionibus, tot proeliis, seu fortitudine adversus hostis seu patientia ac labore paene adversus ipsam rerum naturam opus fuit, neque me militum neque vos ducis paenituit. Ergo egressi, ego veterum legatorum, vos priorum exercituum terminos, finem Britanniae non fama nec rumore, sed castris et armis tenemus: inventa Britannia et subacta. Equidem saepe in agmine, cum vos paludes montesve et flumina fatigarent, fortissimi cuiusque voces audiebam: “quando dabitur hostis, quando in manus [veniet]?” Veniunt, e latebris suis extrusi, et vota virtusque in aperto, omniaque prona victoribus atque eadem victis adversa. Nam ut superasse tantum itineris, evasisse silvas, transisse aestuaria pulchrum ac decorum in frontem, ita fugientibus periculosissima quae hodie prosperrima sunt; neque enim nobis aut locorum eadem notitia aut commeatuum eadem abundantia, sed manus et arma et in his omnia. Quod ad me attinet, iam pridem mihi decretum est neque exercitus neque ducis terga tuta esse. Proinde et honesta mors turpi vita potior, et incolumitas ac decus eodem loco sita sunt; nec inglorium fuerit in ipso terrarum ac naturae fine cecidisse.
33.
The speech was enthusiastically received with cheers, songs, and confused cries, as is the custom among barbarians. Now came the forming of battle lines, the sparkle of arms, and the boldest hastened to the front. As the two armies were being drawn up, Agricola, even if his troops were eager to fight and could hardly be contained within the entrenchments, decided they should be given further encouragement and addressed them thus:
‘Comrades in arms, by the power and under the auspices of Rome, and thanks to your loyalty and hard work, this is the seventh year since Britain has been subdued. In so many campaigns, in so many battles, whether the need was for courage against the enemy or for patience and arduous work almost beyond natural limits, never was there cause for me to complain of my men, nor for you of your general. And so together we have surpassed, I the limits reached by former governors, you those reached by previous armies. Now we hold these last outposts of Britain, not in our imagination through reports or hearsay, but with our camps and armed men. We have both discovered and conquered Britain. Granted, I would often hear on the march, when marshes and streams were wearing you down, some of the bravest among you exclaim: ‘When will the enemy offer themselves? When will they come up and fight?’ Well, they are coming, driven from their hideouts; the opportunity for which your prayers and valor awaited is here. Everything favours us on our path to victory and everything is against us in defeat. For, just as to have come such a long way, to have left the forests behind, to have crossed estuaries, is a great and glorious accomplishment if we press onwards, so, if we retreat, our success until today will be our greatest danger. We do not have their knowledge of the country, we do not have easy access to supplies as they do, but we have our hands and swords, and in this we have everything. For my part, I have long ago formed the conviction that to turn our backs to the enemy would be disastruous to both the army and its leader. Hence, not only is an honourable death preferable to a life of shame, but also safety and honour go hand in hand. Nor would it be inglorious to have fallen at the very confines of the earth and nature.’
XXXIV.
“Si novae gentes atque ignota acies constitisset, aliorum exercituum exemplis vos hortarer: nunc vestra decora recensete, vestros oculos interrogate. Hi sunt, quos proximo anno unam legionem furto noctis adgressos clamore debellastis; hi ceterorum Britannorum fugacissimi ideoque tam diu superstites. Quo modo silvas saltusque penetrantibus fortissimum quodque animal contra ruere, pavida et inertia ipso agminis sono pellebantur, sic acerrimi Britannorum iam pridem ceciderunt, reliquus est numerus ignavorum et metuentium. Quos quod tandem invenistis, non restiterunt, sed deprehensi sunt; novissimae res et extremus metus torpore defixere aciem in his vestigiis, in quibus pulchram et spectabilem victoriam ederetis. Transigite cum expeditionibus, imponite quinquaginta annis magnum diem, adprobate rei publicae numquam exercitui imputari potuisse aut moras belli aut causas rebellandi.’
34.
‘If facing us had been new tribes and an untried enemy, I would encourage you by the examples of other armies. Here you need only look back on your own exploits and question your own eyes. These are the men who a year ago attacked one of our legions under cover of darkness and whom you put to flight by shouting. They are the best in the whole island at running away and for that very reason they have survived for so long. Just as, when huntsmen enter a copse or a glen, the pluckiest animals charge at them, and the timid and the weak are frightened by the mere sound of men’s steps, so the most warlike of the Britons have fallen long ago and what is left is a herd of spineless cowards. At long last you have found them, not because they have stood up to you, but because you have driven them into a corner. The dire straits they are in and the paralysing effect of extreme fear have rooted them to this spot. And here you shall win a great and memorable victory. Bring your campaigning to a close, bestow a glorious day upon your fifty years of service, and prove to Rome that her army could never be accused of dragging on the war or of being the cause of the rebellion.’
XXXV.
Et adloquente adhuc Agricola militum ardor eminebat, et finem orationis ingens alacritas consecuta est, statimque ad arma discursum. Instinctos ruentisque ita disposuit, ut peditum auxilia, quae octo milium erant, mediam aciem firmarent, equitum tria milia cornibus adfunderentur. Legiones pro vallo stetere, ingens victoriae decus citra Romanum sanguinem bellandi, et auxilium, si pellerentur. Britannorum acies in speciem simul ac terrorem editioribus locis constiterat ita, ut primum agmen in aequo, ceteri per adclive iugum conexi velut insurgerent; media campi covinnarius eques strepitu ac discursu complebat. Tum Agricola superante hostium multitudine veritus, ne in frontem simul et latera suorum pugnaretur, diductis ordinibus, quamquam porrectior acies futura erat et arcessendas plerique legiones admonebant, promptior in spem et firmus adversis, dimisso equo pedes ante vexilla constitit.
35.
Though Agricola was still speaking, the enthusiasm of the soldiers was at a high pitch. A great stir followed the end of the speech and at once there was a rush to arms. He arranged his eager spirited troops in such a way that the auxiliaries, numbering eight thousand, were placed in support of his center, and three thousand cavalry were spread out on the wings. The legions were stationed in front of the camp rampart, to add great lustre to victory if no Roman blood were spilled, or to provide support in case of repulse. The enemy line, both to look imposing and to inspire terror, had taken position on higher ground with the first ranks on level ground and the rest of the troops so disposed together on a steep slope as to seem towering over us. The plain between us was filled with chariots noisily bustling about. Then, fearing the superior mass of the enemy might assail his men in front and on the flanks simultaneously, Agricola widened his ranks. Though the line was going to be extended too far and many officers were advising him to call in the legions, he remained more confident than they, firm before the danger. He had his horse taken away and took his place before the standards.
XXXVI.
Ac primo congressu eminus certabatur; simulque constantia, simul arte Britanni ingentibus gladiis et brevibus caetris missilia nostrorum vitare vel excutere, atque ipsi magnam vim telorum superfundere, donec Agricola quattuor Batavorum cohortis ac Tungrorum duas cohortatus est, ut rem ad mucrones ac manus adducerent; quod et ipsis vetustate militiae exercitatum et hostibus inhabile [parva scuta et enormis gladios gerentibus]; nam Britannorum gladii sine mucrone complexum armorum et in arto pugnam non tolerabant. Igitur ut Batavi miscere ictus, ferire umbonibus, ora fodere, et stratis qui in aequo adstiterant, erigere in collis aciem coepere, ceterae cohortes aemulatione et impetu conisae proximos quosque caedere: ac plerique semineces aut integri festinatione victoriae relinquebantur. Interim equitum turmae, [ut] fugere covinnarii, peditum se proelio miscuere. Et quamquam recentem terrorem intulerant, densis tamen hostium agminibus et inaequalibus locis haerebant; minimeque aequa nostris iam pugnae facies erat, cum aegre clivo instantes simul equorum corporibus impellerentur; ac saepe vagi currus, exterriti sine rectoribus equi, ut quemque formido tulerat, transversos aut obvios incursabant.
36.
At the outset the battle was fought at a distance. The Britons made use of their broadswords and small shields, with equal firmness and skill, to avoid or intercept our missiles and, on their side, showered us with dense volleys of spears and arrows. Then, Agricola directed four cohorts of the Batavi and two of the Tungri to engage the enemy at close quarters. This mode of fighting is familiar to these veteran soldiers, but awkward for Britons carrying small shields and enormous swords, for their swords are not pointed and are ill-suited for locked combat, which leaves no room to manoeuvre. And so the Batavi began to trade blows, knocking the enemy down with their shields, and stabbing them in the face. Soon the ranks that had been drawn up on level ground were cut down, and as the Batavi began to push their line up the slope, the other cohorts, spurred to greater effort by their example and spirited advance, set about slaughtering their nearest opponents and, in the rush of victory, left many behind who were only half dead or even unharmed. In the meantime, our cavalry squadrons (the charioteers had left the scene) intervened in the infantry battle, but though at first they spread fresh panic, they were in time hampered by the dense masses of the enemy and by the difficult terrain. Soon the cavalry action looked hardly like a battle, as those who were holding their ground as best they could on the slope were impelled forward by the weight of the horses. Time and again, driverless chariots and their terrified horses dashed about as panic urged them, running down anyone crossing their path or coming towards them.
XXXVII.
Et Britanni, qui adhuc pugnae expertes summa collium insederant et paucitatem nostrorum vacui spernebant, degredi paulatim et circumire terga vincentium coeperant, ni id ipsum veritus Agricola quattuor equitum alas, ad subita belli retentas, venientibus opposuisset, quantoque ferocius adcucurrerant, tanto acrius pulsos in fugam disiecisset. Ita consilium Britannorum in ipsos versum, transvectaeque praecepto ducis a fronte pugnantium alae aversam hostium aciem invasere. Tum vero patentibus locis grande et atrox spectaculum: sequi, vulnerare, capere, atque eosdem oblatis aliis trucidare. Iam hostium, prout cuique ingenium erat, catervae armatorum paucioribus terga praestare, quidam inermes ultro ruere ac se morti offerre. Passim arma et corpora et laceri artus et cruenta humus; et aliquando etiam victis ira virtusque. Nam postquam silvis adpropinquaverunt, primos sequentium incautos collecti et locorum gnari circumveniebant. Quod ni frequens ubique Agricola validas et expeditas cohortis indaginis modo et, sicubi artiora erant, partem equitum dimissis equis, simul rariores silvas equitem persultare iussisset, acceptum aliquod vulnus per nimiam fiduciam foret. Ceterum ubi compositos firmis ordinibus sequi rursus videre, in fugam versi, non agminibus, ut prius, nec alius alium respectantes: rari e vitabundi in vicem longinqua atque avia petiere. Finis sequendi nox et satietas fuit. Caesa hostium ad decem milia: nostrorum trecenti sexaginta cecidere, in quis Aulus Atticus praefectus cohortis, iuvenili ardore et ferocia equi hostibus inlatus.
37.
Of the enemy forces, those occupying the top of the hill had not yet engaged and did nothing except laugh at our small numbers. Gradually, as they saw us winning, they began to come down to outflank our forces, but Agricola, who had anticipated this move, dispatched four cavalry squadrons ( kept in reserve for just such emergencies) to intercept them. The more furiously they kept rushing at us, the more fiercely he threw them back and routed; thus their plan turned against themselves. By the general’s orders our cavalry moved away from the front of the fighting and attacked the enemy’s rear. Then a truly grand but gruesome spectacle was to be seen wherever the ground allowed access to the cavalry. Men were hunted down, wounded, taken captive only to be cut down if other fugitives fell in the pursuers’way. According to state of mind, large crowds of enemy fighters, arms in hand, turned tail before small numbers, whereas some, even unarmed, rushed at us and voluntarily offered up their lives. All around one saw weapons, corpses, severed limbs, and pools of blood. Now and then, even in defeat, there were tokens of righteous anger and great courage. For as they neared the forests in their flight, they would reform and, as they knew the ground, would swoop down on the foremost and least prudent of their pursuers. But Agricola was everywhere. He ordered his strong and lightly-armed cohorts, with a number of dismounted troopers, to comb the thicker woods — as do huntsmen looking for game – while some cavalry searched the more open woods. Without them, through excessive confidence, significant losses would have been sustained. When the enemy, however, saw our troops chasing them again in large strength and compact orders, they turned and ran, not in large companies as before, not each protective of his comrades, but scattered, avoiding one another, each seeking the shelter of distant and trackless wilderness. Night and weariness put an end to the chase. Enemy losses were about ten thousand, ours three hundred and sixty men, among them Aulus Atticus, a cohort commander, borne by youthful ardour and a rebellious horse into enemy hands.
XXXVIII.
Et nox quidem gaudio praedaque laeta victoribus: Britanni palantes mixto virorum mulierumque ploratu trahere vulneratos, vocare integros, deserere domos ac per iram ultro incendere, eligere latebras et statim relinquere; miscere in vicem consilia aliqua, dein separare; aliquando frangi aspectu pignorum suorum, saepius concitari. Satisque constabat saevisse quosdam in coniuges ac liberos, tamquam misererentur. Proximus dies faciem victoriae latius aperuit: vastum ubique silentium, secreti colles, fumantia procul tecta, nemo exploratoribus obvius. Quibus in omnem partem dimissis, ubi incerta fugae vestigia neque usquam conglobari hostis compertum (et exacta iam aestate spargi bellum nequibat), in finis Borestorum exercitum deducit. Ibi acceptis obsidibus, praefecto classis circumvehi Britanniam praecipit. Datae ad id vires, et praecesserat terror. Ipse peditem atque equites lento itinere, quo novarum gentium animi ipsa transitus mora terrerentur, in hibernis locavit. Et simul classis secunda tempestate ac fama Trucculensem portum tenuit, unde proximo Britanniae latere praelecto omni redierat.
38.
That night was for the victors indeed one of rejoicing over success and plunder. The Britons, amid the mingled wailings of men and women, were wandering about, dragging away the wounded, calling to the unhurt, and abandoning their homes, even setting them, in their anger, on fire. They would choose a hiding place only to desert it soon after; form some plan in concert with others, then act alone. Sometimes they would break into tears at the sight of their loved ones, more often they were roused to fury. It was common knowledge that some lay violent hands on their wives and children, as if in compassion for their fate. On the morrow, the true face of victory became more widely apparent. Deep silence all around, desolate hills, in the distance burnt cottages still smoking, not one human being met by our scouts, who were sent everywhere. When it became clear that the tracks of the fugitives pointed nowhere in particular and that the enemy was nowhere assembling, Agricola led the troops into the territory of the Boresti, as it was not possible to extend the war this late in the season. There he accepted hostages, then issued orders to the fleet commander to sail around Britain. He gave him the forces he needed and, in any case, terror had already spread ahead of the voyage. He himself by a slow march (so as to instill fear into the new tribes by the very tardiness of his advance) brought his infantry and cavalry into winter quarters. Meanwhile, the fleet, thanks to propitious weather and the reputation it had acquired, reached Trucculum, a harbour from which it had previously returned unimpaired after sailing along the shores of Britain nearest us.
XXXIX.
Hunc rerum cursum, quamquam nulla verborum iactantia epistulis Agricolae auctum, ut erat Domitiano moris, fronte laetus, pectore anxius excepit. Inerat conscientia derisui fuisse nuper falsum e Germania triumphum, emptis per commercia, quorum habitus et crinis in captivorum speciem formarentur: at nunc veram magnamque victoriam tot milibus hostium caesis ingenti fama celebrari. Id sibi maxime formidolosum, privati hominis nomen supra principem attolli: frustra studia fori et civilium artium decus in silentium acta, si militarem gloriam alius occuparet; cetera utcumque facilius dissimulari, ducis boni imperatoriam virtutem esse. Talibus curis exercitus, quodque saevae cogitationis indicium erat, secreto suo satiatus, optimum in praesentia statuit reponere odium, donec impetus famae et favor exercitus languesceret: nam etiam tum Agricola Britanniam obtinebat.
39.
This string of accomplishments, though Agricola had not magnified them in his reports by using inflated language, Domitian, as was his way, saluted with a joyful front, but with an anxious heart. He was only too conscious that his recent fake triumph over the Germans had been laughed at. In fact, slaves, whose clothes and hair might be made to pass for those of captives, had been purchased from the traders. But now here was a victory, both real and glorious, being celebrated and, with thousands of the enemy slain, attracting universal applause. This is exactly what he feared most: that the fame of a private citizen might rise above his own. If another man could have monopoly over military glory, then in vain had he stamped out the art of public speaking and the acquirements of urbane society. The other claims to fame he somehow could easily pretend not to see, but being a good general was an imperial quality. Tormented by these anxieties and wholly engrossed in his secret –a sure sign of bloody intent — he decided it was best to lay aside his hate for the time being, until the force of Agricola’s fame and the army’s favour should fade away. For, after all, Agricola still had control of Britain.
XL.
Igitur triumphalia ornamenta et inlustris statuae honorem et quidquid pro triumpho datur, multo verborum honore cumulata, decerni in senatu iubet addique insuper opinionem, Syriam provinciam Agricolae destinari, vacuam tum morte Atili Rufi consularis et maioribus reservatam. Credidere plerique libertum ex secretioribus ministeriis missum ad Agricolam codicillos, quibus ei Syria dabatur, tulisse, cum eo praecepto ut, si in Britannia foret, traderentur; eumque libertum in ipso freto Oceani obvium Agricolae, ne appellato quidem eo ad Domitianum remeasse, sive verum istud, sive ex ingenio principis fictum ac compositum est. Tradiderat interim Agricola successori suo provinciam quietam tutamque. Ac ne notabilis celebritate et frequentia occurrentium introitus esset, vitato amicorum officio noctu in urbem, noctu in Palatium, ita ut praeceptum erat, venit; exceptusque brevi osculo et nullo sermone turbae servientium inmixtus est. Ceterum uti militare nomen, grave inter otiosos, aliis virtutibus temperaret, tranquillitatem atque otium penitus hausit, cultu modicus, sermone facilis, uno aut altero amicorum comitatus, adeo ut plerique, quibus magnos viros per ambitionem aestimare mos est, viso aspectoque Agricola quaererent famam, pauci interpretarentur.
40.
Domitian, therefore, gave orders that triumphal decorations, the honour of a commendatory statue, with the addition of many words of praise, as well as the suggestion that the province of Syria, then made vacant by the death of the consular Atilius Rufus and reserved for prominent men, would be his, and whatever else is given in place of a regular triumph, be approved in the senate. A rumour many believed was that a certain freedman, one of the emperor’s confidential agents, had been sent to Agricola bearing a dispatch in which Syria was offered to him, with instructions to deliver the message only if Agricola was in Britain. This freedman, so the rumour went, met Agricola in the Channel and, without so much as speaking to him, returned to Domitian. Hard to say if this is true and if the emperor’s mind had contrived and arranged it all. Meanwhile, Agricola had transferred a peaceful and safe province to his successor. To prevent his entrance in Rome from exciting undue publicity by drawing large crowds, he avoided the attention of friends by arriving at night, and at night he repaired to the palace, just as he had been instructed. There he was received with a hasty kiss, but no words of welcome; he simply merged into the crowd of court attendants. He, in any case, tried to temper his military renown, offensive in the eyes of idle civilians, with other qualities. So, he plunged into a life of leisure and repose, dressing simply, cultivating an affable demeanour, and never having more than one or two friends accompany him. So well did he succeed that the many, whose habit it is to judge great men by their ostentation, after watching and studying Agricola, would puzzle as to the reason of his fame, and only a few were able to understand.