It was one of his proudest accomplishments that he had added more territory to the empire than anyone else. But his advice to his successor was to keep the empire within its current boundaries. Revolts in Germany and Illyricum had forced on Augustus the realization that, no matter what the gods said, "Rome's power was not as unlimited as he had once supposed" (Wells 78). But each attempt to settle on boundaries for such an empire meant that the peoples located at the rim had to be fought off indefinitely. It sometimes seemed easier merely to extend the Roman peace to yet another part of the world. Completely subduing a tribe was better than having to fight it forever.
This had already been the case with Caesar's invasion of Britain. The provinces of Belgica and Gallia Lugdunensis both contained subjects who were related to the tribes that had migrated to Britain in earlier centuries. Britons sometimes attempted to incite the Gauls to rebellion against the Romans and exiled Britons occasionally appealed to the Romans for help in regaining their lands. These were signs of a degree of "military and political intermingling" between Gaul and Britain "which would make it difficult for the Romans, having conquered the one, to defer for long the conquest of the other" (Blair 33). In addition the troops that were employed in keeping the Gallic provinces subdued could also be used just as well to secure Britain. It was with these practical goals in mind that
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