Non tamen ausus oppidum Batavorum armis tueri, raptis quae ferri poterant, ceteris iniecto igni, in insulam concessit, gnarus deesse navis efficiendo ponti, neque exercitum Romanum aliter transmissurum: quin et diruit molem a Druso Germanico factam Rhenumque prono alveo in Galliam ruentem, disiectis quae morabantur, effudit.
Yet he didn't have the courage to protect the capital of the Batavians. Instead, he took everything that could be carried and burned the remaining things before retreating to the island. He was aware that Cerialis didn't have boats to construct a bridge and that there was no other way to transport the Roman army across the river. Furthermore, he ruined the dike that Drusus Germanicus had built. In doing so, he eliminated the blockade that had been preventing the Rhine from flowing freely into Gaul through an unobstructed passage.