hese deeds, however, though of such
a character and carried on so openly, for a long while never came to the
notice of Claudius. Messalina gave him some attractive housemaids
for bedfellows and intercepted those who were able to afford him any
information,--some by kindness and some by punishments. Thus, at this
period, she succeeded in putting out of the way Catonius Justus, captain
of the pretorian guard, before he could carry out his intention of
telling the emperor something about these doings. And becoming jealous
of Julia, daughter of Drusus son of Tiberius, and later wife of Nero
Germanicus, just as she had been of the other Julia, she compassed her
death.--It was about then, also, that one of the knights on the charge of
having conspired against Claudius was hurled down, the Capitoline by the
tribunes and the consuls.

[-19-] At the same time that these events were happening in the City
Aulus Plautius, a senator of great renown, made a campaign against
Britain. The cause was that a certain Bericus, who had been ejected from
the island during a revolution, had persuaded Claudius to send a body of
troops there. This Plautius after he was made general had difficulty in
leading his army beyond Gaul. The soldiers objected, on the ground that
their operations were to take place outside the limits of the known
world, and would not yield him obedience until the arrival of Narcissus,
sent by Claudius, who mounted the tribunal of Plautius and tried to
address them. This made them more irritated than ever and they would not
allow the newcomer to say a word, but all suddenly shouted together the
well-known phrase: "Ho! Ho! the Saturnalia!" (For at the festival of
Saturn slaves celebrate the occasion by donning their masters' dress.)
After this they at once followed Plautius voluntarily, but their delay
had brought the expedition late in the season. Three divisions were made,
in order that they might not be hindered in advancing (as might happen
to a single force), and some of them in their voyage across became
discouraged because they were buffeted into a backward course, whereas
others acquired confidence from the fact that a flash of light starting
from the east shot across to the west, the direction in which they were
sailing. So they came to anchor on the shore of the island and found no
one to oppose them. The Britons as a result of their inquiries had not
expected that they would come and had therefore not assembled be