Dio Cassius Roman History Bk LV, Ch.

19 - 23
19 1 While these events were happening in the city, Aulus Plautius, a senator of great renown,
made a campaign against Britain; for a certain Bericus, who had been driven out of the island as a
result of an uprising, had persuaded Claudius to send a force thither. 2 Thus it came about that
Plautius undertook this campaign; but he had difficulty in inducing his army to advance beyond
Gaul. For the soldiers were indignant at the thought of carrying on a campaign outside the limits of
the known world, and would not yield him obedience until Narcissus, who had been sent out by
Claudius, mounted the tribunal of Plautius and attempted to address them. 3 Then they became
much angrier at this and would not allow Narcissus to say a word, but suddenly shouted with one
accord the well-known cry, "Io Saturnalia" (for at the festival of Saturn the slaves don their masters'
dress and old festival), and at once right willingly followed Plautius. Their delay, however, had
p417made their departure late in the season. 4 They were sent over in three divisions, in order that
they should not be hindered in landing, as might happen to a single force, and in their voyage
across they first became discouraged because they were driven back in their course, and then
plucked up courage because a flash of light rising in the east shot across to the west, the direction
in which they were sailing. So they put in to the island and found none to oppose them. 5 For the
Britons as a result of their inquiries had not expected that they would come, and had therefore not
assembled beforehand. And even when they did assemble, they would not come to close quarters
with the Romans, but took refuge in the swamps and the forests, hoping to wear out the invaders in
fruitless effort, so that, just as in the days of Julius Caesar, they should sail back with nothing
accomplished.
20 1 Plautius, accordingly, had a deal of trouble in searching them out; but when at last he did find
them, he first defeated Caratacus and then Togodumnus, the sons of Cynobellinus, who was dead.
2 (The Britons were not free and independent, but were divided into groups under various kings.)
After the flight of these kings he gained by capitulation a part of the Bodunni, who were ruled by a
tribe of the Catuellani; and leaving a garrison there, he advanced farther and came to a river. The
barbarians thought that Romans would not be able to cross it without a bridge, and consequently
bivouacked in rather careless fashion on the opposite bank; but he sent across a detachment of
Germans, who were p419accustomed to swim easily in full armour across the most turbulent
streams. 3 These fell unexpectedly upon the enemy, but instead of shooting at any of the men they
confined themselves to wounding the horses that drew their chariots; and in the confusion that
followed not even the enemy's mounted warriors could save themselves. Plautius thereupon sent
across Flavius Vespasian also (the man who afterwards became emperor) and his brother
Sabinus, who was acting as his lieutenant. 4 So they, too, got across the river in some way and
killed many of the foe, taking them by surprise. The survivors, however, did not take to flight, but on
the next day joined issue with them again. The struggle was indecisive until Gnaeus Hosidius
Geta, after narrowly missing being captured, finally managed to defeat the barbarians so soundly
that he received the ornamenta triumphalia, though he had not been consul. 5 Thence the Britons
retired to the river Thames at a point near where it empties into the ocean and at flood-tide forms a
lake. This they easily crossed because they knew where the firm ground and the easy passages in
this region were to be found; 6 but the Romans in attempting to follow them were not so
successful. However, the Germans swam across again and some others got over by a bridge a
little way up-stream, after which they assailed the barbarians from several sides at once and cut
down many of them. In pursuing the remainder incautiously, they got into swamps from which it
was difficult to make their way out, and so lost a number of men.
21 1 Shortly afterwards Togodumnus perished, but the p421Britons, so far from yielding, united all
the more firmly to avenge his death. Because of this fact and because of the difficulties he had
encountered at the Thames, Plautius became afraid, and instead of advancing any farther,
proceeded to guard what he had already won, and sent for Claudius. 2 For he had been instructed
to do this in case he met with any particularly stubborn resistance, and, in fact, extensive
equipment, including elephants, had already been got together for the expedition.

When the message reached him, Claudius entrusted affairs at home, including the command of the
troops, to his colleague Lucius Vitellius, whom he had caused to remain in office like himself for a
whole half-year; and he himself then set out for the front. 3 He sailed down the river to Ostia, and
from there followed the coast to Massilia; thence, advancing partly by land and partly along the
rivers, he came to the ocean and crossed over to Britain, where he joined the legions that were
waiting for him near the Thames. 4 Taking over the command of these, he crossed the stream, and
engaging the barbarians, who had gathered at his approach, he defeated them and captured
Camulodunum,13 the capital of Cynobellinus. Thereupon he won over numerous tribes, in some
cases by capitulation, in others by force, and was saluted as imperator several times, contrary to
precedent; 5 for no man may receive this title more than once for one and the same war. He
deprived the conquered of their arms and handed them over to Plautius, bidding him also
subjugate p423the remaining districts. Claudius himself now hastened back to Rome, sending
ahead the news of his victory by his sons-inlaw Magnus and Silanus. 22 1 The Senate on learning
of his achievement gave him the title of Britannicus and granted him permission to celebrate a
triumph. They voted also that there should be an annual festival to commemorate the event and
that two triumphal arches should be erected, one in the city and the other in Gaul, because it was
from that country that he had set sail when he crossed over to Britain. 2 They bestowed upon his
son the same title as upon him, and, in fact, Britannicus came to be in a way the boy's regular
name. Messalina was granted the same privilege of occupying front seats that Livia had enjoyed
and also that of using the carpentum.14
3 These were the honours the senate bestowed upon the reigning family; but they hated the
memory of Gaius so much that they decreed that all the bronze coinage which had his likeness
stamped upon it should be melted down. And yet, though this was done, the bronze was converted
to no better user, for Messalina made statues of Mnester, the actor, out of it. 4 For inasmuch as he
had once been on intimate terms with Gaius, she made this offering as a mark of gratitude for his
consenting to lie with her. For she was desperately enamoured of him, and when she found herself
unable in any way either by making him promises or by frightening him to persuade him to have
intercourse with her, she had a talk with her husband and asked him that the man should be
p425compelled to obey her, pretending that she wanted his help for some different purpose. 5
Claudius accordingly told Mnester to do whatever he should be ordered to do by Messalina; and
thus it came about that he lay with her, in the belief that this was the thing he had been
commanded to do by her husband. Messalina also adopted this same method with various other
men and committed adultery, feigning that Claudius knew what was going on and countenanced
her unchastity.
23 1 Portions of Britain, then, were captured at this time in the manner described. Later, when
Gaius Crispus and Titus Statilius were consuls (the former for the second time), Claudius came to
Rome after an absence of six months, of which he had spent only sixteen days in Britain, and
celebrated his triumph. In this he followed precedent, even ascending the steps of the Capitol on
his knees, with his sons-inlaw supporting him on either side. 2 To the senators who had taken part
in the campaign with him he granted the ornamenta triumphalia, and this not alone to the exconsuls but to the rest as well, a thing he was accustomed to do most lavishly on other occasions
on the slightest excuse. To Rufrius Pollio, the prefect,15 he granted an image and a seat in the
senate as often as he should go in to that body with the emperor; 3 and lest he should appear to
be making an innovation in this respect, he declared that Augustus had done the same thing in the
case of a certain Valerius, a Ligurian. He also distinguished Laco, the former prefect of the nightwatch and now procurator of the Gauls, in the same manner and also by giving him the rank of an
ex-consul. 4 Having p427attended to these matters, he held the triumphal festival, assuming a kind
of consular power for the occasion. The festival was celebrated in both theatres at the same time;
and in the course of the spectacles he often absented himself while others took charge in his
place. 5 He had announced as many horse-races as could take place in a day, yet there were not
more than ten of them. For between the different races bears were slain, athletes contested, and
boys summoned from Asia performed the Pyrrhic dance. 6 Another festival, likewise in honour of
his victory, was given by the artists of the stage with the consent of the senate. All this was done on
account of the successes in Britain; and in order that other peoples should more readily come to

terms, it was voted that all the agreements that Claudius or his lieutenants should make with any
peoples should be binding, the same as if made by the senate and people.