waies how to flée out of the countrie: they shall not be once able so
much as to abide the noise and clamor of so manie thousands as we
are héere assembled, much lesse the force of our great puissance and
dreadfull hands. If ye therefore (said she) would wey and consider
with your selues your huge numbers of men of warre, and the causes why
ye haue mooued this warre, ye would surelie determine either in this
battell to die with honour, or else to vanquish the enimie by plaine
force, for so (quoth she) I being a woman am fullie resolued, as for
you men ye maie (if ye list) liue and be brought into bondage."

"Neither did Suetonius ceasse to exhort his people: for though he
trusted in their manhood, yet as he had diuided his armie into three
battels, so did he make vnto ech of them a seuerall oration, willing
them not to feare the shrill and vaine menacing threats of the
Britains, sith there was among them more women than men, they hauing
no skill in warrelike discipline, and heereto being naked without
furniture of armour, would foorthwith giue place when they should
féele the sharpe points of the Romans weapons, and the force of them
by whom they had so often béene put to flight. In manie legions (saith
he) the number is small of them that win the battell. Their glorie
therefore should be the more, for that they being a small number
should win the fame due to the whole armie, if they would (thronging
togither) bestow their weapons fréelie, and with their swoords and
targets preasse forward vpon their enimies, continuing the slaughter
without regard to the spoile, they might assure themselues when the
victorie was once atchiued to haue all at their pleasures."

Such forwardnesse in the souldiers followed vpon this exhortation of
the couragious generall, that euerie one prepared himselfe so readilie
to doo his dutie, and that with such a shew of skill and experience,