10 



refitted, and if all were again utilised,this accounts 

 for 726 out of the 800. The remaining 74 are 

 doubtless those which Ceesar tells us were fitted 

 out by private individuals for their own conven- 

 ience. Now how many men does this number of 

 ships represent ? Fortunately Csesar himself en- 

 ables us to form a fairly approximate estimate. On 

 the return from Britain the year before two of his 

 ti"ansport ships hadbeenldelayed. These two,weare 

 told, carried about 300 troops, and it is safe to con- 

 clude that the transports built for the second expe- 

 dition would be able to carry at least as many men as 

 those formerly employed. We may reckon, therefore, 

 that every infantry troopship carried 150 men. 

 Another point that is quite clear from Ctesar's 

 narrative, is that he took ^nth him 2,000 cavalry. 

 Bearing m mind that the " tiu-ma," or troop of 30 

 horse, was the invariable unit of the Roman 

 cavalry, the conventional round term " a thousand 

 horse," in the pages of Ctesar, means as a matter 

 of fact only 990. without officers. The 2,000 he 

 hex-e mentions doubtless represents the comple- 

 ment of 66 ships, each carrying 30 horses. If we 

 also deduct another 60 ships for the transport of 

 extra baggage, we still have 600 available for 

 infantry. Reckoning only 130 instead of 150 men 

 to each of them, the number ean-ied in Caesar's 

 own troopships amounts to 78,000. To these must 

 bo added the troops carried in the 74 private ships 

 and the 60 baggage tiunsports. There are no 

 definite data by wMch to calculate the numbers 

 thus can-ied, but probably 50 men on an average 

 is under rather than over the mark. This would 

 bring up the total to at least 86,040 men. Now 

 Csesar himself tells us that on his second expetU- 

 tion his ou-n forces consisted of five legions, or, 

 reckoning 6,000 (the outside number) to a legion, 

 30,000 men ; but if the number of distinctively 

 Roman soldiers in a legion was the same then as 

 it was the following year (3,500), the proportion 

 of Roman troops was onl^' 17.5(H;) ; the other 12,500 

 would, tlierefore. consist of troops drafted from 

 his allies. In addition to these, his 2,000 cavaU-y 

 were also all non-Roman. The total number of 

 infantry was, as we have seen, somewhere about 

 86,000, Even if we reckon Ciesar's ovm Roman 

 legionaries at 30,000 men, and deduct them fronx 

 the total, wo find that the uiunber of non-Roman 

 troops which accompanied CiEsar on his expedition 

 really mounted up to not less than 56,000. Who, 

 then, wore these allies ? Fortunately, Ctesar 

 himself tells us, though, as is his wont when 

 speaking of his auxiliaries, inferentially rather 

 than directly. When Caesar arrived at Boulogne 

 he found that the cavalry of the whole of Gaul, 

 to the number of 4,000, had already assembled 

 there as well as the chief men of all the 

 State's. Of the.-jie Cte^ar decided to leave only a 

 verj' few in Gaul, taking the rest- of them with 

 }iim, bj' way of hostages, as he was afraid of 

 distiu'bauce in Gaul during his absence. Among 

 those likely to create a disturbance was " Dnm- 

 noiix, the Aeduan." When Ciesar first insisted on 

 Dumnorix accompanying him, that xinwilling ally 

 petitioned to be loft in Gaul. "He was not a good 

 sailor," he said, *' and the channel passage was 

 always trying to bilious constitutions. Besides 

 he had alanning presentiments of bad luck, and 



entertained coubcientious scruples to taking tho 

 voyage." When he found that Ciesar disregarded 

 alike his liver and his conscience, ho changed his 

 tactics and began to inti'igue with other princes 

 in the same predicament, to induce them to stay 

 behind with him. It is significant tlxat he failed 

 to find a single one to agree with him. All but 

 liimself regarded it as better business to go than 

 to stay. Twenty-five days passed, and the order 

 was given to embark. Just at that critical 

 moment it was discovered that Dumnorix and his 

 cavalry had disappeared. Caesar sent a great part 

 of the cavalry that remained to bring back the 

 fugitive ally ; or, if he refused to come, to kill him. 

 He refxised, and was slain. But, as Ca?sar remarks 

 with evident satisfaction, "the Aeduan cavalry all 

 returned to Ca?sar." It must not be assumed, 

 however, that the malcontents were many. By far 

 the greater number of the " chiefmen of all the 

 States " of Gaul were no doubt glad enough to 

 accept the opportunity of making war upon their 

 kindred States in Britain. After all, with many 

 of them, fighting was a business as well as a 

 pleasure. In Britain there was an appetizing 

 prospect of luiUmited loot. And if the plunder 

 should fall short, there were plenty of tribes to be 

 sold into slavery to pay expenses. When Coisar 

 tells us that he took the chiefs of all the States 

 with him there was no need to tell us that the 

 armies accompanied the cliiefs ; it would have 

 been simple lunacy to take away the generals 

 while he left their armies in full force behind him 

 in Ga\il. On the other hand, to take tiie chieftains 

 and their armies with him would not only add 

 immensely to the strength of his own legions, but 

 would at the same time guarantee the peace and 

 security of Gaul as his military base of operations. 

 It now begins to be possible to understand, both 

 the extraordinary number of auxiliaries on this 

 occasion, as well as who they wore. They wore 

 the troops of the Gaulish princes in his train. 

 Among them may have been contingents of Kelts 

 and Germans, but the bulk of them were im- 

 doubtedly Belgic, closely akin, in some cases 

 identical with, the people long settled on our 

 South-Eastern coast. If these by anticipation 

 can be called English, then, roughly speaking, 

 two-thirds of Caesar's army were English also. 

 At last the mighty fleet got under way, the vessels 

 started from Boulogne where the mouth of the 

 Liane oflered the safest harbour on the coast 

 opposite Gaul. A gentle breeze was blowing from 

 the Soutli-Wcst, and at daybre.tk they found them- 

 selves a little to the North of tho South Foreland ; 

 after the tide had tiunied and the current had 

 begim to bear them down Channel, the soldiers 

 were set to work with the oars, to take the shijjs 

 to shore at Deal and the flat coast adjoining. 

 The sight of 800 vessels all bearing down at once 

 on the IsLand produced its natural effect. Not a 

 defender was to be seen, and the vast army 

 disembarked undisturbed. Diu-ing the night 

 Caesar moved inland, probably vid Betteshanger 

 towards Canterbury, about 12 miles, when the 

 troops of the enemy appeared in sight. Early 

 next daj', that is, on the morning after the 

 landing, "they advanced," says Caesar, "with their 

 cavalry and war-chariots to the river (probably 



