rated respect which soldiers of a legion might
show to the Praetor, but met him on a respectful equality, which showed
how highly they rated their own manhood.

From our Roman standard, his remarks to his men would seem very wanting
in eloquence, for there were no graces nor metaphors to be found in
them, and yet they were short, strong and to the point. At any rate it
was very clear that they were to the minds of his hearers. He began by
reminding them that they had left their own country because the land was
all taken up, and that there was no use returning there, since there was
no place where they could dwell as free and independent men. This island
of Britain was but sparsely inhabited, and there was a chance that every
one of them would be able to found a home of his own.

"You, Whitta," he said, addressing some of them by name, "you will found
a Whitting hame, and you, Bucka, we shall see you in a Bucking hame,
where your children and your children's children will bless you for the
broad acres which your valour will have gained for them." There was no
word of glory or of honour in his speech, but he said that he was aware
that they would do their duty, on which they all struck their swords
upon their shields so that the Britons on the beach could hear the
clang. Then, his eyes falling upon me, he asked me whether I was the
messenger from Vortigern, and on my answering, he bid me follow him into
his cabin, where Lanc and Hasta, the other chiefs, were waiting for a
council.

Picture me, then, my dear Crassus, in a very low-roofed cabin, with
these three huge Barbarians seated round me. Each was clad in some sort
of saffron tunic, with a chain-mail shirt over it, and a helmet with the
horns of oxen on the sides, laid upon the table before him. Like most of
the Saxon chiefs, their beards were shaved, but they wore their hair
long and their huge light-coloured moustaches drooped down on to their
shoulders. They are gentle, slow, and somewhat heavy in their bearing,
but I can well fancy that their fury is the more terrible when it does
arise.

Their minds seem to be of a very practical and positive nature, for they
at once began to ask me a series of question upon the numbers of the
Britons, the resources of the kingdom, the conditions of its trade, and
other such subjects. They then set to work arguing over the information
which I had given, and became so absorbed in their own contention that I
believe there were