Cestus says this to Quintilius Varus, the son of the infamous general of the same name. The elder Quintilius Varus was in charge of the three legions stationed in Germany in 9 CE. He had as an advisor a German prince named Arminius who had been educated in Rome. As Varus was leading the legions from their summer to their winter camp he ran into an ambush in the Teutoburg Forest that had been planned by Arminius. 15,000-20,000 Roman soldiers were killed and many officers, including Varus, committed suicide; some soldiers were enslaved. Varus’ head was sent back to Rome. According to Suetonius, Augustus lamented “Quintili Vare, legiones redde!”

Archaeologists have found the remnants of a major battle between Romans and Germans that occurred during the reign of Augustus, with many Roman deaths, near Kalkreise Hill in Lower Saxony. This is generally accepted as the site of the defeat of Varus.