Caesar's First Expedition to Britain

Book XXXIX, Chapters 50-53 (55BC)

50 Caesar, then, at this time was the first of the Romans to cross the
Rhine, and later, in the consulship of Pompey and Crassus, he crossed
over to Britain. This country is sixty miles distant, by the shortest way,
from the Belgic mainland, where the Morini dwell, and extends alongside
the rest of Gaul and nearly all of Spain, reaching out into the sea. To the
very earliest of the Greeks and Romans it was not even known to exist,
while to their descendants it was a matter of dispute whether it was a
continent or an island; and accounts of it have been written from both
points of view by many who knew nothing about it, because they had not
seen it with their own eyes nor heard about it from the natives with their
own ears, but indulged in surmises according to the scholarly sect or the
branch of learning to which they severally belonged. In the lapse of time,
however, it has been clearly proved to be an island, first under Agricola,
the propraetor, and now under the emperor Severus.
51 To this land, then, Caesar decided to cross, now that he had won over
the Morini and the rest of Gaul was quiet. He made passage with the
infantry by the most desirable course, but did not select the best landingplace; for the Britons, apprised beforehand of his voyage, had secured all
the landings on the coast facing the mainland. Accordingly, he sailed
around a certain projecting headland, coasted along the other side of it,
and disembarking there in the shoals, conquered those who joined battle
with him and gained a footing on dry land before numerous assistance
could come, after which he repulsed this attack also. Not many of the
barbarians fell, for their forces consisted of chariot-drivers and cavalry and
so easily escaped the Romans whose cavalry had not yet arrived; but
alarmed at the reports about them from the mainland and because they
had dared to cross at all and had managed to set foot upon the land, they
sent to Caesar some of the Morini, who were friends of theirs, to see about
terms of peace.
52 Upon his demanding hostages, they were willing at the time to give
them; but when the Romans began to encounter difficulties by reason of a
storm which damaged both the fleet that was present and also the one on
the way, they changed their minds, and though not attacking the invaders
openly, since their camp was strongly guarded, they took some men who
had been sent out to forage for provisions on the assumption that the
country was friendly, and destroyed them all, save a few, to whose rescue
Caesar came in haste. After that they assaulted the camp itself of the
Romans. Here they accomplished nothing, but fared badly; they would not
make terms, however, until they had been defeated many times. Indeed,
Caesar would have had no thought of making peace with them at all,
except that the winter was approaching and that he was not equipped
with a sufficient force to continue fighting at that season, since the
additional force coming to his aid had met with mishap, and also that the
Gauls in view of his absence had begun an uprising; so he reluctantly

concluded a truce with them, demanding many hostages this time also,
but obtaining only a few.
53 So he sailed back to the mainland and put an end to the disturbances.
From Britain he had won nothing for himself or for the state except the
glory of having conducted an expedition against its inhabitants; but on
this he prided himself greatly and the Romans at home likewise magnified
it to a remarkable degree. For seeing that the formerly unknown had
become certain and the previously unheard-of accessible, they regarded
the hope for the future inspired by these facts as already actually realized
and exulted over their expected acquisitions as if they were already within
their grasp; hence they voted to celebrate a thanksgiving for twenty days.

Caesars Second British Expedition

Book XL, Chapters 1-4 (54BC)
1 These were the occurrences in Rome while the city was passing through
its seven-hundredth year. In Gaul during the year of these same consuls,
Lucius Domitius and Appius Claudius, Caesar among other undertakings
constructed ships of a style half-way between his own swift vessels and
the native ships of burden, endeavouring to make them at once as light
and as seaworthy as possible and capable of being left high and dry
without injury. When the weather became fit for sailing, he crossed over
again to Britain, giving as his excuse that the people of that country,
thinking that he would never make trial with them again because he had
once retired empty-handed, had not sent all the hostages they had
promised; but the truth of the matter was that he mightily coveted the
island, so that he would certainly have found some other pretext, if this
had not offered itself. He came to land at the same place as before, no
one daring to oppose him because of the number of his ships and the fact
that they approached many points on the shore at the same time; and he
quickly gained possession of the harbour.
2 The barbarians, then, for the reason stated were unable to hinder his
approach, and being more afraid than before, because he had come with a
larger army, they carried away all their most valuable things into the most
wooded and overgrown portions of the neighbouring country. After they
had put them in safety by cutting down the surrounding wood and piling
more upon it row after row until their goods were in a sort of stockade,
they proceeded to annoy the Roman's foraging parties. Indeed, after being
defeated in a certain battle on open ground they drew the invaders in
pursuit to their retreat, and killed many in their turn. Soon after, when a
storm had once more damaged the Roman's ships, the natives sent for
allies and set out against their naval arsenal itself, with Cassivellaunus,
regarded as the foremost of the chiefs in the island, at their head. The
Romans upon meeting them were at first thrown into confusion by the
attack of their chariots, but later opened ranks, and by letting them pass
through and then from the side hurling their weapons at the men as they

rushed past, made the battle equal. For the time being both parties
remained where they were.
3 Later, however, the barbarians, after being victorious over the infantry
but being defeated by the cavalry, withdrew to the Thames, where they
encamped after cutting off the ford by means of stakes, some visible, and
some under water. But Caesar by a powerful assault forced them to leave
the stockade and later on by siege drove them from their fortress, while
others repulsed a party of theirs that attacked the ships in the harbour.
Then they became terrified and made terms, giving hostages and
agreeing to pay a yearly tribute.
4 Thus Caesar departed entirely from the island and left no body of troops
behind in it; for he believed that such a force would be in danger while
passing the winter in a foreign land and that it might be inadvisable for
him to remain away from Gaul for any considerable period; hence he was
satisfied with his present achievements, in the fear that if he reached out
for more, he might be deprived even of these. It seemed that here again
he had done right, as was, indeed, proved by the event. For when he had
gone to Italy, intending to winter there, the Gauls, though each nation
contained many garrisons, nevertheless became restless and some of
them openly revolted. Now if this had happened while he was staying in
Britain through the winter season, all Gaul would have been in a turmoil.