Caesar De Bello Gallico Book VI

In omnī Galliā eōrum hominum, quī aliquō sunt numerō atque honōre, genera sunt duo.

In all Gaul, there are two classes of those people who are of any number and distinction.

Nam plēbēs paene servōrum habētur locō, quae nihil audet per sē, nūllō adhibētur cōnsiliō.

For the populace is held almost in the place of slaves, which dares nothing through itself, is brought into no council.

Plērīque, cum aut aere aliēnō aut magnitūdine tribūtōrum aut iniūriā potentiōrum premuntur, sēsē in servitūtem dicant nōbilibus:

The majority, when they are oppressed either by alien bronze, ot by the magnitude of taxes, or by the injury of the more powerful, declare themselves into slavery to the nobles:

quibus in hōs eadem omnia sunt iūra, quae dominīs in servōs.

\[to the nobles] there are all the same rights towards these that are to masters towards their slaves.

Sed dē hīs duōbus generibus alterum est Druidum, alterum equitum.

But of these two classes, one is of the Druids, the other of the knights.

Illī rēbus dīvīnīs intersunt, sacrificia pūblica ac prīvāta prōcūrant, religiōnēs interpretantur:

The former take part in religious matters, they attend to public and private sacrifies, they settle relgious disputes:

ad hōs magnus adulēscentium numerus disciplīnae causā concurrit, magnōque hī sunt apud eōs honōre.

To these a large number of young man gather for the sake of learning, and they are among them in great distinction.

Nam ferē dē omnibus contrōversiīs pūblicīs prīvātīsque cōnstituunt,

For they decide about almost all the controversies, public and private,

et, sī quod est admissum facinus, sī caedēs facta, sī dē hērēditāte, dē fīnibus contrōversia est, īdem dēcernunt, praemia poenāsque cōnstituunt;

and, if any crime has been committed, if slaughter has been done, if there is a controversy about inheritance, about lands, the same men decide, they decide prizes and penalities.

sī quī aut prīvātus aut populus eōrum dēcrētō nōn stetit, sacrificiīs interdicunt.

If anyone, either public or private, did not stand by their decree, they forbid them from sacrifices.

Haec poena apud eōs est gravissima.

This punishment is the most serious among them.

Quibus ita est interdictum, hī numerō impiōrum ac scelerātōrum habentur, hīs omnēs dēcēdunt,

To those it has been prohibited thus, these are held in the number of the infidel and the criminal, all forsake these men,

aditum sermōnemque dēfugiunt, nē quid ex contāgiōne incommodī accipiant,

they flee from their approach and conversation, lest they receive any trouble from contact,

neque hīs petentibus iūs redditur neque honōs ūllus commūnicātur.

neither is legal protection returned to these asking, nor is any honor shared.

Hīs autem omnibus Druidibus praeest ūnus, quī summam inter eōs habet auctōritātem.

However, above all these Druids, there is one, who is among them the highest authority.

Hōc mortuō aut sī quī ex reliquīs excellit dignitāte succēdit, aut, sī sunt plūrēs parēs, suffrāgiō Druidum,

With this having died, or if anyone out of the rest excels in prestige, he succeeds, or if there are more equal, by the vote of the Druids

nōnnumquam etiam armīs dē prīncipātū contendunt.

they compete about leadership, sometimes even by arms.

Hī certō annī tempore in fīnibus Carnutum, quae regiō tōtīus Galliae media habētur, cōnsīdunt in locō cōnsecrātō.

These assemble in a consecrated spot at a certain time of the year in the terriroties of the Carnutes, which region is held in the middle of all Gaul.

Hūc omnēs undique, quī contrōversiās habent, conveniunt eōrumque dēcrētīs iūdiciīsque pārent.

To here everyone from everywhere who have disputes gather, and they obey their decrees and judgements.

Disciplīna in Britanniā reperta atque inde in Galliam trānslāta esse exīstimātur,

The system is thought to have been discovered in Britain and transferred into Gaul from there,

et nunc, quī dīligentius eam rem cognōscere volunt, plērumque illō discendī causā proficīscuntur.

and now, they/those who want to learn this thing more diligently, frequently set off to that place for the sake of learning.

Druidēs ā bellō abesse cōnsuērunt neque tribūta ūnā cum reliquīs pendunt;

The Druids are accustomed to be away from war, and not pay taxes together with the rest;

mīlitiae vacātiōnem omniumque rērum habent immūnitātem.

They have exemption from military service and freedom from all things.

Tantīs excitātī praemiīs et suā sponte multī in disciplīnam conveniunt et ā parentibus propinquīsque mittuntur.

Having been excited by such great rewards, many gather for learning both by their own free will and are sent by their parents and relatives.

Magnum ibi numerum versuum ēdiscere dīcuntur.

There they are said to learn a large number of verses by heart.

Itaque annōs nōnnūllī vīcēnōs in disciplīnā permanent.

And so, some stay in learning for 20 years.

Neque fās esse exīstimant ea litterīs mandāre, cum in reliquīs ferē rēbus, pūblicīs prīvātīsque ratiōnibus, Graecīs litterīs ūtantur.

Nor do they think that it is right to entrust these things to letters, although they use Greek letters in almost [all] remaining things, in public and private transactions.

Id mihi duābus dē causīs īnstituisse videntur,

They seem to me to have established this for two causes,

quod neque in vulgum disciplīnam efferrī velint neque eōs, quī discunt, litterīs cōnfīsōs minus memoriae studēre:

because they neither want the learning to be taken our to the mass, nor that those, who learn, having relied on letters devote themselves less to memory:

quod ferē plērīsque accidit, ut praesidiō litterārum dīligentiam in perdiscendō ac memoriam remittant.

Because it happens to almost a majority, that because of the aid of letters, they abandon the diligence in learning by heart and memory.

In prīmīs hoc volunt persuādēre, nōn interīre animās,

They want to persuade [people] of this especially, that the souls do not perish,

sed ab aliīs post mortem trānsīre ad aliōs,

but they cross from some to others after death,

atque hōc maximē ad virtūtem excitārī putant metū mortis neglēctō.

and they think that [people] are most called to courage by this, with the fear of death having been neglected.

Multa praetereā dē sīderibus atque eōrum mōtū, dē mundī ac terrārum magnitūdine, dē rērum nātūrā, dē deōrum immortālium vī ac potestāte disputant et iuventūtī trādunt.

Besides, they discuss and transmit to the youth many things about the stars and their movement, about the universe and the magnitude of Earths, about the nature of things, about the force and power of the immortal gods.

Alterum genus est equitum.

The other class is of the knights.

Hī, cum est ūsus atque aliquod bellum incidit

These, whenever there is a need and any war happens

(quod ferē ante Caesaris adventum quotannīs accidere solēbat, utī aut ipsī iniūriās īnferrent aut illātās prōpulsārent),

(which was accusted to happen almost yearly before the arrival of Caesar, that either they themselves inflicted injuries or repelled inflicted ones),

omnēs in bellō versantur, atque eōrum ut quisque est genere cōpiīsque amplissimus,

all are engaged in war, and as each of them is the most illustrious in rank and troops,

ita plūrimōs circum sē ambactōs clientēsque habet.

thus he has around him the most vassals and clients.

Hanc ūnam grātiam potentiamque nōvērunt.

They know this single influence and power.

Nātiō est omnis Gallōrum admodum dēdita religiōnibus,

The whole nation of the gauls is very devoted to superstitions

atque ob eam causam, quī sunt adfectī graviōribus morbīs quīque in proeliīs perīculīsque versantur,

and for this cause, [those] who are afflicted by rather serious illnesses and who deal with battles and dangers,

aut prō victimīs hominēs immolant aut sē immolātūrōs vovent administrīsque ad ea sacrificia Druidibus ūtuntur,

either sacrifice men as victims or vow that they will sacrifice, and they use Druids as officiators for these sacrifices,

quod, prō vītā hominis nisi hominis vīta reddātur,

because, unless the life of a man is returned for the life of a man,

nōn posse deōrum immortālium nūmen plācārī arbitrantur,

they think that the will of the immortal gods cannot be appeased,

pūblicēque eiusdem generis habent īnstitūta sacrificia.

and they have sacrifices of the same kind established publicly.

Aliī immānī magnitūdine simulācra habent, quōrum contexta vīminibus membra vīvīs hominibus complent;

Others have statues of huge size, whose limbs woven with wicker they fill with living men;

quibus succēnsīs circumventī flammā exanimantur hominēs.

With these having been set on fire, the people surrounded by the flame are killed;

Supplicia eōrum quī in fūrtō aut in latrōciniō aut aliquā noxiā sint comprehēnsī grātiōra dīs immortālibus esse arbitrantur;

They think that the tortures of them/those who were arrested in theft, or in robbery, or in another offense, are more pleasing to the immortal gods;

sed, cum eius generis cōpia dēficit, etiam ad innocentium supplicia dēscendunt.

But, whenever a supply of this kind is missing, they stoop even to the punishments of innocents.

Deum maximē Mercurium colunt. Huius sunt plūrima simulācra:

They worship the god Mercury the most. There are many statues of him:

hunc omnium inventōrem artium ferunt, hunc viārum atque itinerum ducem, hunc ad quaestūs pecūniae mercātūrāsque habēre vim maximam arbitrantur.

They say that he is the inventor of all the arts, that he is the leader of the roads and journeys, they think that he has the greatest power for the pursuits of money and goods.

Post hunc Apollinem et Mārtem et Iovem et Minervam.

After this, Apollo and Mars and Jupiter and Minerva.

Dē hīs eandem ferē, quam reliquae gentēs, habent opīniōnem:

They have almost the same opinion about these as the remaning people:

Apollinem morbōs dēpellere, Minervam operum atque artificiōrum initia trādere, Iovem imperium caelestium tenēre, Mārtem bella regere.

that Apollo works of illnesses, that Minerva gives the principles of works and crafts, that Jupiter holds power over the Celestials, that Mars controls wars.

Huic, cum proeliō dīmicāre cōnstituērunt, ea quae bellō cēperint plērumque dēvovent:

To him, whenever they decide to fight in battle, they mostly vow those which they took in war:

cum superāvērunt, animālia capta immolant reliquāsque rēs in ūnum locum cōnferunt.

Whenever they win, they sacrifice captured animals and collect the remaining things in one pleace.

Multīs in cīvitātibus hārum rērum exstrūctōs tumulōs locīs cōnsecrātīs cōnspicārī licet;

In many states, it is permitted to spot built piles of these things in consecreated places;

neque saepe accidit, ut neglēctā quispiam religiōne aut capta apud sē occultāre aut posita tollere audēret,

nor did it happen often, that anyone dare either to hide captured things at one's house or to remove deposited things with religious rule having been neglected,

gravissimumque eī reī supplicium cum cruciātū cōnstitūtum est.

and the most severe punishment for this crime was set up with torture.

Gallī sē omnēs ab Dīte patre prōgnātōs praedicant idque ab Druidibus prōditum dicunt.

The Gauls claim that they all are descended from father Pluto, and they say that this has been handed down by the Druids.

Ob eam causam spatia omnis temporis nōn numerō diērum sed noctium fīniunt;

For this cause, they measure the periods of all time not by the number of days but of nights;

diēs nātālēs et mēnsum et annōrum initia sīc observant ut noctem diēs subsequātur.

They observe birthdays and the beginnings of months and years thus that day follows night.

In reliquīs vītae īnstitūtīs hōc ferē ab reliquīs differunt, quod suōs līberōs, nisi cum adolēvērunt,

In the remaining customs of life, they mostly differ from the others in this, that they do not allow their children, except when they group up,

ut mūnus mīlitiae sustinēre possint,

in order that they are able to sustain the duty of military service,

palam ad sē adīre nōn patiuntur fīliumque puerīlī aetāte in pūblicō in cōnspectū patris assistere turpe ducunt.

to go to them publicly and consider it shameful that a son of boyish age stand by in public in sight of his father.

Virī, quantās pecūniās ab uxōribus dōtis nōmine accēpērunt,

tantās ex suīs bonīs aestimātiōne factā cum dōtibus commūnicant.

Huius omnis pecūniae coniūnctim ratiō habētur frūctūsque servantur:

uter eōrum vītā superārit, ad eum pars utrīusque cum frūctibus superiōrum temporum pervenit.

Virī in uxōrēs, sīcutī in līberōs, vītae necisque habent potestātem;

et cum pater familiae illūstriōre locō nātus dēcessit, eius propinquī conveniunt et,

dē morte sī rēs in suspīciōnem vēnit, dē uxōribus in servīlem modum quaestiōnem habent et, sī compertum est,

ignī atque omnibus tormentīs excruciātās interficiunt.

Fūnera sunt prō cultū Gallōrum magnifica et sūmptuōsa;

omniaque quae vīvīs cordī fuisse arbitrantur in ignem īnferunt,

etiam animālia, ac paulō suprā hanc memoriam servī et clientēs,

quōs ab eīs dīlēctōs esse cōnstābat, iūstīs fūneribus cōnfectīs ūnā cremābantur.

Quae cīvitātēs commodius suam rem pūblicam administrāre exīstimantur, habent lēgibus sānctum,

sī quis quid dē rē pūblicā ā fīnitimīs rūmōre aut fāmā accēperit,

utī ad magistrātum dēferat nēve cum quō aliō commūnicet,

quod saepe hominēs temerāriōs atque imperītōs falsīs rūmōribus terrērī et ad facinus impellī et dē summīs rēbus cōnsilium capere cognitum est.

Magistrātūs quae vīsa sunt occultant quaeque esse ex ūsū iudicāvērunt multitūdinī prōdunt.

Dē rē pūblicā nisi per concilium loquī nōn concēditur.