Rousing each other
by this and like language, under the leadership of Boudicea, a woman of
kingly descent (for they admit no distinction of sex in their royal
successions), they all rose in arms. They fell upon our troops, which were
scattered on garrison duty, stormed the forts, and burst into the colony
itself, the head-quarters, as they thought, of tyranny. In their rage and
their triumph, they spared no variety of a barbarian's cruelty. Had not
Paullinus on hearing of the outbreak in the province rendered prompt
succour,
Britain would have been lost. By one
successful engagement, he brought it back to its former obedience, though
many, troubled by the conscious guilt of rebellion and by particular dread
of the legate, still clung to their arms. Excellent as he
BOUDICEA'S REVOLT CRUSHED |
was in other respects, his policy
to the conquered was arrogant, and exhibited the cruelty of one who was
avenging private wrongs. Accordingly Petronius Turpilianus was sent out to
initiate a milder rule. A stranger to the enemy's misdeeds and so more
accessible to their penitence, he put an end to old troubles, and,
attempting nothing more, handed the province over to Trebellius Maximus.
Trebellius, who was somewhat indolent, and never ventured on a campaign,
controlled the province by a certain courtesy in his administration. Even
the barbarians now learnt to excuse many attractive vices, and the
occurrence of the civil war gave a good pretext for inaction. But we were
sorely troubled with mutiny, as troops habituated to service grew
demoralised by idleness. Trebellius, who had escaped the soldiers' fury by
flying and hiding himself, governed henceforth on sufferance, a disgraced
and humbled man. It was a kind of bargain; the soldiers had their licence,
the general had his life; and so the mutiny cost no bloodshed. Nor did
Vettius Bolanus, during the continuance of the civil wars, trouble
Britain with discipline. There was the same inaction
with respect to the enemy, and similar unruliness in the camp, only Bolanus,
an upright man, whom no misdeeds made odious, had secured affection in
default of the power of control.
