a 克劳狄一世：罗马帝国朱里亚·克劳狄王朝的第四任皇帝，公元41-54年在位。--译者注b 皮克特人：铁器时代晚期居住在苏格兰东部和北部的族群，属于凯尔特人的一支。--译者注c 哈德良长城：后来被罗马的塞维鲁皇帝重修并加固，晚期被叫做皮克特长城。
d 安东尼长城：在安东尼皇帝时代叫此名，后来被叫做格里姆堤坝。
e 苏格兰人：在那个时代，爱尔兰还属于苏格兰王国。公元4世纪，部分苏格兰人从爱尔兰本土过来，到了今天苏格兰地区，加入了皮克特人共同抵御罗马人。直到公元530年，他们才在不列颠岛的西部和今天的苏格兰地区定居下来。
05
CAESAR’S SECOND INVASION
恺撒的第二次入侵
barricaded，fenced.claymore，broad-sword.desolated，laid waste.disbanding，breaking up.
expeditions，undertakings；invasions.foraging，in search of food.fragments，broken pieces.
gloss，explain away；conceal.hostages，persons given up as pledges.legions，great divisions of infantry.rampart，wall.
retirement，withdrawing.
stockade，a place surrounded with stakes.
surprises，taking persons unawares.
1.The Britons never met Caesar in regular battle array.They knew that in a pitched battle they could not cope with trained soldiers.Their only hope of victory lay in wearing out the patience of the foe by surprises-a thing which their knowledge of every hill and valley，bush and cliff，made easy to them.Yet we would be doing injustice to those gallant men，if we forgot that their tactics and their knowledge of camp-making drew praise even from Caesar，whose laurels they somewhat dimmed.
2.The British army had mustered south of the Thames，under the commandof Cassibelan，during the ten days spent by Caesar in repairing his fleet.
At first，moving bands appeared on the hills around the Roman camp；but no attack was made，until a foraging party，consisting of three Roman legions and all the cavalry，moved out into the open country.
3.Then on rushed the Britons；but in their haste they overshot the mark，and dashed on the solid legions.To try to break the brazen wall was a hopeless task.Back they fell in huddled groups，shivered by the force of their own attack；and a Roman charge swept the fragments of their lines from the field.So severe was the check，that it led to the disbanding of the native army，and the retirement of Cassibelan across the Thames.
a Cassibelan -Called by Caesar Cassivelaunus.The different tribes of the Britons had joined together，and had made him commander-in-chief.
b Repairing....his fleet -It had been very much injured by a storm while the Romans were on shore.
4.To this river Caesar then forced a way，bent on following the active foe into the heart of his own country.The passage is thought to have been made ataa place called Cowey Stakes，near Chertsey，bwhere，so far back as the time ofBede，
tradition showed the spot.And no easy task it was to wade neck-deepthrough a great stream，the bed of which bristled with thick stakes of oakwood，while its opposite bank was lined with a fierce and angry foe.
5.Roman valour made light of the danger.Following the horse，the legions plunged in；and though for a time nothing but a swarm of helmeted heads appeared above the water，they struggled safely through，while the Britons retired in dismay at their daring.
6.Caesar then moved on the town of Cassibelan，which was a stockade in the Hertford woods surrounded by a rampart of clay，and barricaded by felled trees wherever woods or marshes left a weak point.The Roman town ofcVerulamium，not far from where St.Albansnow stands，is thought to have
been built on the site of Cassibelan‘s encampment；but this is very doubtful.
7.Wherever it may have stood，Caesar，guided to the stronghold by the envoys of certain friendly tribes，broke through the out-works，drove the defenders from their post，slaying many，and took possession of the great herds of cattle collected there，-a most welcome prize for his half-starved soldiers，who had been marching for days through a desolated land.
8.His town thus lost，the last hope of Cassibelan lay in the four kings of Kent，to whom he sent an urgent message，directing them to make a sudden attack on the Roman camp.It was made，but it failed；and nothing then remained but to sue for peace.Caesar was very ready to grant the petition.He knew that he was spending his strength to little purpose，and that to hold even the slight footing he had so hardly won would cost endless watching and toil.He went through the form of asking hostages，and of settling the amount of yearly tribute；and then he crossed to Gaul，leaving nothing but the earth-works of his deserted camps to mark his so-called conquest of the island.
9.No history of his two expeditions has reached us except that from his own pen，and it must be received with caution.Writing from his own point of view，he knew as well how to gloss a failure as to cover a retreat.In fact，he admits that in this instance their usual good fortune deserted the eagles.No doubt，wherever there was a standup fight，the Roman sword-knife prevailed over theBritish claymore；but on the ever-shifting masses of a British army，dashing toa Chertsey.-Nineteen miles southwest of London.
b The time of Bede.-Bede，or Beda，was author of an “Ecclesiastical History.”He died in 735A.D.
c St.Albans.-Twenty-one miles north-west of London.
the charge，and then melting into little groups of skirmishers，the legions could inflict no lasting defeat.It has been well said，that “a few hostages，a girdle of British pearls for Venus，and a splendid triumph，were the only fruits which Caesar reaped from his victory.”
中文阅读
1.不列颠人从未在正面战场上与恺撒的大军交锋，因为他们知道，面对这样训练有素的虎狼之师，直接对垒的话他们根本就不堪一击。他们的胜算全都冀望于打游击战，以此消耗敌人的耐性。他们对这里的一丘一壑、一草一木都了如指掌，不时搞些出其不意的突然袭击就成了他们的拿手好戏。不过这样说也许对这些英勇的先民们有些不公平，我们别忘了连恺撒本人，也对他们的作战策略与野外生存能力表示赞赏，这让恺撒的神圣光环多少有些黯淡失色。
2.公元前54年，不列颠的军队向南集结到泰晤士河，由卡瑟白兰a执掌帅印。大军按兵不动已经十天，原因是恺撒正忙着整修他的舰船b。起初，罗马军营周围的山丘上已经出现了不列颠人的移动部队，但并未展开攻击。没过多久，由三个罗马步兵团和所有骑兵组成的粮草部队行进到了一片旷野地带，战斗便打响了。
3.不列颠人一冲而上，不过似乎在慌乱中玩过了头，居然冲到了披坚执锐的罗马军团的面前，与他们短兵相接。要想击溃如此铜墙铁壁般的罗马军团根本不可能，于是不列颠军队立刻乱作一团，他们的鲁莽攻击现在让他们自己开始颤抖了。罗马军中一道令下，他们立刻就溃不成军，被风卷残云般扫荡得干干净净。如此惨败，直接使得本土军队彻底解散，卡瑟白兰也就从泰晤士河卷铺盖回家了。