DBG Book 6, Chapters 13-20
In omni Gallia eorum hominum, qui aliquo sunt numero atque honore, genera sunt duo. Nam plebes paene servorum habetur loco, quae nihil audet per se, nullo adhibetur consilio. Plerique, cum aut aere alieno aut magnitudine tributorum aut iniuria potentiorum premuntur, sese in servitutem dicant nobilibus: in hos eadem omnia sunt iura, quae dominis in servos. Sed de his duobus generibus alterum est druidum, alterum equitum. Illi rebus divinis intersunt, sacrificia publica ac privata procurant, religiones interpretantur: ad hos magnus adulescentium numerus disciplinae causa concurrit, magnoque hi sunt apud eos honore. Nam fere de omnibus controversiis publicis privatisque constituunt, et, si quod est admissum facinus, si caedes facta, si de hereditate, de finibus controversia est, idem decernunt, praemia poenasque constituunt; si qui aut privatus aut populus eorum decreto non stetit, sacrificiis interdicunt. Haec poena apud eos est gravissima. Quibus ita est interdictum, hi numero impiorum ac sceleratorum habentur, his omnes decedunt, aditum sermonemque defugiunt, ne quid ex contagione incommodi accipiant, neque his petentibus ius redditur neque honos ullus communicatur. His autem omnibus druidibus praeest unus, qui summam inter eos habet auctoritatem. Hoc mortuo aut si qui ex reliquis excellit dignitate succedit, aut, si sunt plures pares, suffragio druidum, nonnumquam etiam armis de principatu contendunt. hi certo anni tempore in finibus Carnutum, quae regio totius Galliae media habetur, considunt in loco consecrato. Huc omnes undique, qui controversias habent, conveniunt eorumque decretis iudiciisque parent. Disciplina in Britannia reperta atque inde in Galliam translata esse existimatur, et nunc, qui diligentius eam rem cognoscere volunt, plerumque illo discendi causa proficiscuntur.
In all Gaul, there are two classes of those men, who are with any number and honor. For the common people is held nearly in the position of slaves, who dares nothing through itself, [and] is summoned to no plan. A great many, when they are burdened either by debt [unfavorable coin] or by the large size of taxes or by the injury of the more powerful, surrender themselves into slavery to nobles: [to whom] there are all the same authorities over those, which [are] as masters over slaves. But, from these two classes, one is of the Druids, the other of the equestrians. Those intervene in sacred matters, attend to public and private sacrifices, interpret religious rites: to these a great number of young men rushes for the reason of learning, and these are with great honor among them. For they decide about nearly all public and private disputes, and, if any crime has been committed, if murder has been done, if there is dispute about inheritance, about borders, the same (men) decide, they establish rewards and penalties; if anyone, either an individual or mass, did not abide by the creed of them, they exclude (him) from sacrifices. This punishment is very serious among them. These, for whom it has been excluded thus, are held in the number of the ungodly and the infamous; all forsake them, shun access and conversation, so that they might not receive anything of trouble from contact, neither justice is restored to those seeking (it), nor any honor is shared. However, one is in command of all these Druids, who has the highest authority among them. With this (man) having died, either if anyone excels from the remaining in merit, he succeeds, or, if more are similar, by vote of the Druids; sometimes they even fight about leadership with arms. These, at a fixed time of the year, on the borders of the Carnutes, which region is held as the middle of all Gaul, settle in a place h/b consecrated. Hither all (men) everywhere, who have disputes, assemble and obey the decisions and judgements of them. The system is thought to have been discovered in Britannia and, from that place, to have been transferred into Gallia, and now, (those) who want to learn that thing more carefully, very many proceed to that (place) for the reason of being taught.
6.13
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Druides a bello abesse consuerunt neque tributa una cum reliquis pendunt; militiae vacationem omniumque rerum habent immunitatem. Tantis excitati praemiis et sua sponte multi in disciplinam conveniunt et a parentibus propinquisque mittuntur. Magnum ibi numerum versuum ediscere dicuntur. Itaque annos nonnulli vicenos in disciplina permanent. Neque fas esse existimant ea litteris mandare, cum in reliquis fere rebus, publicis privatisque rationibus Graecis litteris utantur. Id mihi duabus de causis instituisse videntur, quod neque in vulgum disciplinam efferri velint neque eos, qui discunt, litteris confisos minus memoriae studere: quod fere plerisque accidit, ut praesidio litterarum diligentiam in perdiscendo ac memoriam remittant. In primis hoc volunt persuadere, non interire animas, sed ab aliis post mortem transire ad alios, atque hoc maxime ad virtutem excitari putant metu mortis neglecto. Multa praeterea de sideribus atque eorum motu, de mundi ac terrarum magnitudine, de rerum natura, de deorum immortalium vi ac potestate disputant et iuventuti tradunt.
Druids are accustomed to be away from war, nor they pay taxes together with the remaining; they have exemption of military service and exemption of all things. H/b excited by so great rewards and by their own accord, many assemble into learning and are sent by parents and relatives. There, they are said to learn thoroughly a great number of verses. Therefore several remain in learning for twenty years. Nor they think that it is proper to commit these with letters, although for nearly the remaining things, public and private transactions, they use Greek letters. This seems to me to have been adopted concerning two reasons, because they want neither the system to be made known to the common people, nor them, who learn, having relied on letters, to strive after memory less; because it nearly happens to a great many that, by the safety of letters, they release the painstaking care in learning thoroughly and memory. They want to persuade this in the foremost, that souls do not die, but that they cross from some to others after death, and by this especially they think that (men) are excited to virtue, with fear of death h/b disregarded. Furthermore, they discuss and teach to the youth many (things) about the stars and the movement of them, about the large size of the world and of lands, about the nature of things, about the strength and authority of the immortal gods.
6.14
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Alterum genus est equitum. Hi, cum est usus atque aliquod bellum incidit (quod fere ante Caesaris adventum quotannis accidere solebat, uti aut ipsi iniurias inferrent aut illatas propulsarent), omnes in bello versantur, atque eorum ut quisque est genere copiisque amplissimus, ita plurimos circum se ambactos clientesque habet. Hanc unam gratiam potentiamque noverunt.
The other class is of the equestrians. These, when there is need and any war arises (which, nearly every year before the arrival of Caesar, was accustomed to happen, that either they were inflicting injuries or they were repelling (injuries) h/b inflicted), all are engaged in war, and as each of them is most noble in descent and in resources, thus (each) has very many vassals and clients around himself. They know this one influence and supremacy.
6.15
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Natio est omnis Gallorum admodum dedita religionibus, atque ob eam causam, qui sunt adfecti gravioribus morbis quique in proeliis periculisque versantur, aut pro victimis homines immolant aut se immolaturos vovent administrisque ad ea sacrificia druidibus utuntur, quod, pro vita hominis nisi hominis vita reddatur, non posse deorum immortalium numen placari arbitrantur, publiceque eiusdem generis habent instituta sacrificia. Alii immani magnitudine simulacra habent, quorum contexta viminibus membra vivis hominibus complent; quibus succensis circumventi flamma exanimantur homines. Supplicia eorum qui in furto aut in latrocinio aut aliqua noxia sint comprehensi gratiora dis immortalibus esse arbitrantur; sed, cum eius generis copia defecit, etiam ad innocentium supplicia descendunt.
The whole nation of the Gauls is very much h/b devoted to religious ceremonies, and for this reason, (those) who have been afflicted with more serious diseases and who are engaged in battles and trials, either sacrifice people as victims or vow that they will sacrifice and use Druids as priests for these sacrifices, because they believe that, unless the life of a person is returned for the life of a person, the divine will of the immortal gods is not able to be appeased; and, publicly, they have sacrifices of such kind h/b prepared. Others have statues with immense large size, of which the limbs, h/b woven together with osiers, they fill up with living people; with which h/b burned, people, h/b surrounded by fire, are killed. They believe that the sacrificings of those who have been arrested in theft or in robbery or other crime are more pleasing to the immortal gods; but, when the supply of that kind is insufficient, they even resort to sacrificings of innocent (men).
6.16
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Deum maxime Mercurium colunt. Huius sunt plurima simulacra: hunc omnium inventorem artium ferunt, hunc viarum atque itinerum ducem, hunc ad quaestus pecuniae mercaturasque habere vim maximam arbitrantur. Post hunc Apollinem et Martem et Iovem et Minervam. De his eandem fere, quam reliquae gentes, habent opinionem: Apollinem morbos depellere, Minervam operum atque artificiorum initia tradere, Iovem imperium caelestium tenere, Martem bella regere. Huic, cum proelio dimicare constituerunt, ea quae bello ceperint plerumque devovent: cum superaverunt, animalia capta immolant reliquasque res in unum locum conferunt. Multis in civitatibus harum rerum exstructos tumulos locis consecratis conspicari licet; neque saepe accidit, ut neglecta quispiam religione aut capta apud se occultare aut posita tollere auderet, gravissimumque ei rei supplicium cum cruciatu constitutum est.
They especially worship the god Mercury. There are, to him, very many statues: they bear that this (is) the inventor of all arts, that this (is) the guide of roads and journeys, they think that this has the greatest power toward acquisitions of wealth and commercial enterprises. After this, (they worship) Apollo and Mars and Jupiter and Minerva. About these they nearly have the same opinion, which the remaining clans (have): that Apollo wards off illnesses, that Minerva teaches the origins of labors and handicrafts, that Jupiter holds the authority of the celestial ones, that Mars directs wars. To this, when they decided to contend in battle, generally they devote those (things) which they have seized in war: when they have conquered, they sacrifice animals h/b captured and they collect remaining things into one place. In many states, it is permitted to observe mounds of these things h/b built in places h/b consecrated; nor it often happens, that anyone, with religion h/b disregarded, dares either to conceal (things) h/b seized among themselves or to to remove (things) h/b placed, and the most serious punishment with torture has been established for this thing.
6.17
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Galli se omnes ab Dite patre prognatos praedicant idque ab druidibus proditum dicunt. Ob eam causam spatia omnis temporis non numero dierum sed noctium finiunt; dies natales et mensum et annorum initia sic observant ut noctem dies subsequatur. In reliquis vitae institutis hoc fere ab reliquis differunt, quod suos liberos, nisi cum adoleverunt, ut munus militiae sustinere possint, palam ad se adire non patiuntur filiumque puerili aetate in publico in conspectu patris adsistere turpe ducunt.
All Gauls declare that they are descended from father Dis, and they say that this has been handed down from the Druids. On account of this reason, they determine the periods of every time not by the number of days but of nights; they observe birthdays and the beginnings of months and years so that day follows night. In remaining habits of life, in this they differ from nearly the remaining (peoples), because they do not allow their children, except after they have grown up, such that they are able to endure the duty of military service, to approach to themselves publicly, and they consider (it) shameful that a son with childish age stands in public in the presence of (his) father.
6.18
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Viri, quantas pecunias ab uxoribus dotis nomine acceperunt, tantas ex suis bonis aestimatione facta cum dotibus communicant. Huius omnis pecuniae coniunctim ratio habetur fructusque servantur: uter eorum vita superarit, ad eum pars utriusque cum fructibus superiorum temporum pervenit. Viri in uxores, sicuti in liberos, vitae necisque habent potestatem; et cum paterfamiliae illustriore loco natus decessit, eius propinqui conveniunt et, de morte si res in suspicionem venit, de uxoribus in servilem modum quaestionem habent et, si compertum est, igni atque omnibus tormentis excruciatas interficiunt. Funera sunt pro cultu Gallorum magnifica et sumptuosa; omniaque quae vivis cordi fuisse arbitrantur in ignem inferunt, etiam animalia, ac paulo supra hanc memoriam servi et clientes, quos ab eis dilectos esse constabat, iustis funeribus confectis una cremabantur.
Men, how much properties they have received from wives with the name of dowry, so much they share from their own estates, with appraisal h/b made with the dowries. An account of all this wealth is held jointly and profits are maintained: which of them will have survived, to him a part of each comes through with profits of earlier times. Men have the power of life and of death over wives, just as over children; and when the father of a family, h/b born from a distinguished position, has died, his relatives assemble and, if the situation about the death comes into suspicion, they have an investigation about the wives in slavish manner and, if it has been ascertained, they kill (those) h/b tormented with fire and all torturing devices. Funerals are, for the civilization of the Gauls, splendid and expensive; and they import into the fire all (things) which they believe to have been (dear) to the heart for the living, even animals, and, slightly before this tradition, slaves and clients, whom it was depending on to have been loved by them, with proper funerals h/b finished, are burned together.
6.19
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Quae civitates commodius suam rem publicam administrare existimantur, habent legibus sanctum, si quis quid de re publica a finitimis rumore aut fama acceperit, uti ad magistratum deferat neve cum quo alio communicet, quod saepe homines temerarios atque imperitos falsis rumoribus terreri et ad facinus impelli et de summis rebus consilium capere cognitum est. Magistratus quae visa sunt occultant quaeque esse ex usu iudicaverunt multitudini produnt. De re publica nisi per concilium loqui non conceditur.
The states, which are considered to serve their public affair more fitly, have (it) h/b sanctioned by laws, that, if anyone has received anything about the commonwealth by report or by rumor of neighbors, that he should report to the magistrate and not share with any other, because it has been learned that reckless and ignorant men are frequently terrified by false rumors and are incited to misdeeds and seize a plan about the highest matters. The magistrates conceal (things) which seemed (best), and they reveal (things) which they consider to be of use to the multitude. It is not permitted to speak about the commonwealth except through council.
6.20
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Is this it?
This is never it. Keep studying, b0ss
