ere not inclined to endure,
for the prominent men longed for their former ascendency and the masses
preferred their accustomed constitution to foreign domination. They did
not openly revolt, since they saw there were many Roman soldiers near
the Rhine and many in their own territory; but they received Varus,
pretending they would execute all his commands, and took him far away
from the Rhine into Cheruscis near the Visurgis. There by behaving in a
most peaceful and friendly manner they led him to believe that they could
be trusted to live submissively without soldiers. [-19-] Consequently he
did not keep his legions together as was proper in an enemy's country,
and many of the men he distributed to helpless communities who asked it,
for the supposed purpose of guarding certain localities, or arresting
robbers, or escorting provision trains. Those deepest in the conspiracy
and the leaders of the plot and of the war, among others Armenius and
Segimerus, were his constant companions and often entertained him. He,
accordingly, became confident and expecting no harm not only refused to
believe all such as suspected the truth and advised him to be on his
guard, but even rebuked them on the ground that they were needlessly
disturbed and slandered his friends. Then there came an uprising, first
of those dwelling at a distance from him, purposely contrived, that Varus
should march against them and be easier overcome while on his journey
through what he deemed a friendly country, and that he might not at once
know that all were his enemies and guard himself against all of them. It
turned out precisely so. They escorted him on his setting out, and begged
to be excused from attendance[2] in order to gather auxiliaries (as they
said), after which they would quickly come to his assistance. So then
they took charge of forces already in waiting, and after killing the
different bodies of soldiers for whom they had previously asked they
encountered him in the midst of forests by this time hard to traverse.
There they showed themselves as enemies instead of subjects and wrought
many deeds of fearful injury. [-20-] The mountains had an uneven surface
broken by ravines, and the trees, standing close together, were extremely
tall. Hence the Romans even before the enemy assaulted them were having
hard work in felling, road making, and bridging places that required it.
They had with them many wagons and many beasts of burden as in a time of
peac