I have tested your mettle many times and always found it good. Thanks to you the neighbouring countries are subject to me. You have heard the Romans' order, the tenor of the letter, and the overbearingness and arrogance of their demands. They have provoked and threatened us enough, but if God protects us, we shall do away with the Romans. They are rich and have great power, and now we must carefully consider what we can properly and reasonably say and do.
Trouble is dealt with better when a strategy has been worked out in advance.
If someone sees the arrow in flight, he must get out of the way or shield himself. That is how we must proceed. The Romans want to shoot at us, and we must get ready so that they cannot wound us. But first I shall reply how matters stand with regard to Britain. The Britons could not defend themselves against him, and he exacted tribute from them by force.