Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: The offers of Galerius were rejected with firmness , his friendship refused , and it was not long before he discovered that unless he retreated , he might have succumbed to the fate of Severus .
Simplified: The offers of Galerius were rejected with firmness , his friendship refused . Unless he retreated , he might meet the fate of Severus .