Book 1

1.1   All gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the belgae inhabit, another the aquitani, the third who are called celts in the language of their own, gauls in ours. All these differ in language, institutions, and laws among themselves. The Garumna river divides the Gauls from the Aquitani, the Metrona and Sequana divide the Gauls from the Belgians. Of all these the strongest are the Belgians, on account of which reason  they are the farthest absent from the culture and humanity of the province and least of all they often travel to those merchants and they import those things which pertain to the softening of minds. They are nearest to the Germans, who live across the Rhine, with whom they continuously wage war on account of which reason the Helvetii also excel over the  remaining Gauls in virtue, because nearly they content in battle daily with the Germans, when either they prohibit them from their own boundaries or they themselves wage war in their own boundaries. One part of those (i.e. germans) which it is said that  the gauls obtain, take its beginning from the Rhone river, it is contained by the Garumna river, by the ocean, and by the boundaries of the belgians, it even touches the Rhine river from the Sequani and the Helvtians, it turns to the north. The Belgians rise from the farthest  boundaries of Gaul, they pertain to the lower part of the Rhine river, they look into the north and the rising sun. Aquitania pertains to the Pyrenees mountain from the Garumna river and to that part of the ocean which is towards spain; they (i.e. aquitani as a whole) look among the setting of the sun and the north.

lingua/nostra/virtute- abl of respect (clarify things)

Effeminandos- gerundive

1.2 Among the helvetians, by far the noblest and richest was orgetorix. That man, when marcus messala and marcus pisone were consuls, having been drawn in by a desire of kingship, made a conspiracy of the nobility and persuaded the state that they go out from their own boundaries with all their troops; he persuaded them that it  would be easy to possess power of the whole of gaul, since they excelled above all in virtue. By this, he persuaded them to do this more easily because the helvetians are held together on all slides by nature of the region; on one side by the very wide and very high rhine river, which divides the heviatn land from the germans;on another side by the very high iura mountain, which is between squani and helvetians; on a third by lake geneva and the rhone river, which divides our province from the helvetians. Because of these things it happened that they could both wonder less widely and they were able to conduct war on their neighbors less easily; for which reason the men were afflicted by a great pain of desire of waging war. However, because of the multitude of men and because of the glory of war and courage, they were considering that they had  narrow boundaries they who were seeking 240 miles in longitude and 180 in latitude. Having been led by these things and having been moved by the authority of orgetorix they resolved those things which would pertain to provide for setting out, to buy up the greatest number possible of bests and wagons, to make the greatest sowings as possible so that the supply of grain would be sufficient on the journey,to confirm  peace and friendship with the nearest states. They led that two years was enough for them for accomplishing these things they confirm the setting out in the third year by law.

1.3 Orgeterix is tied down for accomplishing these things, he undertook an embassy for himself to the citizens. On that journey he persuades Casticus, son of Catamantaloedis,  whose father had obtained rule among the Sequani for many years and who had been called a friend of the roman people by the senate, he persuades Castius to occupy kingship in his city, because his father had it before; and he persuades the same to Dumnorix and Haedun, brother of Daviticus, who was obtaining leadership at that time in the state and had been accepted especially by the plebs to attempt the same and he gives his daughter to him in marriage. He approves to them that the things accomplished would be easy to complete, because he would obtain power of his state: that he did not doubt whether the Helvetians had much power of the whole of Gaul. He confirmed that they, with their troops and with their army, would unite the kingdoms for them. Having been drawn in by this speech they gave faith and a sworn oath among themselves and they hoped that they are able to possess the whole of gaul by the three most powerful and strongest peoples (i.e. dumnorix, orgetorix) that matter has been announced by judgment to the Helvettians according to their customs they urged orgetorix to state his case in chains; it was necessary to follow the condemned punishment that he be burned by fire. On the appointed day of stating a case Orgetorix brought together to the judgment all his family around 10,000 men from everywhere and he led together all his clients and his indebted a great number of which he was having to the same place he snatched himself through those (implied people) lest he state is case

Since the state, having been incited by this matter, they attempted to carry out their law of arms since the magistrates urge the multitude of men from the farms, orgetorix is dead; and a suspicion is not absent, as the helvetians consider that he himself brought death upon himself.

1.4 After his death, the Helvettians no less tried to do that which they decided. Where now they thought that they had been prepared for this matter they burnt down all their towns around 12 in number, their villages around 400, the remaining private buildings; they burnt all their grain except which they were going to carry with themselves, so that with the hope of returning home having been taken away they would be more prepared for approaching all dangers they ordered each person to bring for themselves from home ground food for three months. They persuade they Rauraci, the Tulingi, and the neighboring Latobrigi, to set out employed the same plan with their towns and with their burnt neighborhoods all together with them they were fighting the Boii who had dwelled across the Rhine and had crossed over into the Noican field and the Noreia, they adopted those having been received to themselves as allies for themselves.

There were two routes altogether by which routes they were able to depart from home one is the sequani, difficult and narrow, between the iura mountain and rhone river, by which one by one wagons were scarcely being led, however a very tall mountain was hanging over, so that very few men were easily able to prohibit them; the other through our (i.e. roman) province easier and quicker by much on account of which it is between the boundaries  Helvetti and the Allobroges who were recently at peace. The Rhone flowed and is crossed in no places in the shallows. The farthest town is of the Allobroges and the nearest town of the Helvetii to their boundaries is geneva. Out of that town a bridge extends to the Helvettians, they estimated that they either would persuade the Allobroges because they not yet were seeming in good faith toward the roman people or they would coerce them by force that they allow them to go through their own boundaries. With all the matters they stated a day of preparing for the setting out on which day all would convene to the bank of the Rhone, this day was March 28th when L. Pisone and A. Gabinio was consuls

1.7 Since it had been announced to Caesar, that they attempt to make a journey through our province, he hastens to set out from the city and hastens in as rapid marches as possible into lower gaul and he comes to Geneva, he commands the greatest number of soldiers as possible of the whole province (there was altogether in lower gaul one legion) he orders the bridge to be cut back which was towards geneva. When the Helvettians were more certain about his arrival, they sent ambassadors to him the noblest of the citizens whose embassy Nammeuis and Verucloetius were obtaining the first place, who were saying that he had in mind without any wrongdoing to make a journey through the province on account of which they were having no other journey: that he asks that it be allowed to do it for themselves with his permission. Caesar because he was remembering that Lucius Cassius the consul had been killed and that his army had been pushed by the Helvettians and sent under the yoke he was not thinking that he may not yield neither he was estimating that the men with a hostile mind, with an easiness of making a journey through the province having been given, would refrain from injury and wrongdoing. Nevertheless, he responded to the ambassadors so that a space is able to intervene while the soldiers whom he had commanded convened, that he would consume the day for deliberating: if they wish for anything they might return on the Ides of April.

Book 6

6.13 In all Gaul there are two kinds of all these peoples who are of some account and honor. For the plebians are considered nearly in the position of slaves, who dare nothing by themselves, they are admitted no council. And the many who when they are pressed out either by another's money or by a magnitude of taxes or by the injustice of the more powerful, they say that they are in servitude to the nobility: all laws are the same over them, which masters have over slaves. but about these two kinds the one is Druids the other are the knights. Those (Druids) men engaged in the divine matters, they cared for public and private sacrifices, they interpreted religious matters: these things a great number of youths clash for the sake of training, and these are among them in great honor. For nearly they decide about all public and private controversy and if any crime is committed if murder has been done if about inheritence or the contrevercy is about limits, they descide the same they decide rewards and  punishments; if anyone either private or public did not abide by the decision of them, they prohibit them from sacrifices. This punishment is the most serious among them. for whom it is so prohibited, these men are considered in the number of the impious and the wicked, all depart from them, they avoid approach and conversation, lest anything unsuitable receive out of contact neither law is returned to those seeking it nor are any honors imparted. However one man presides over all these Druids, who has the greatest authority among them.

With this one being dead either if anyone who excels out of the remaining succeeds in indignity, or if there are many more, a vote of the druids, and they contend sometimes also about the principate with weapons. These men in a certain amount of time they settle in a consecrated location in the boundaries of the carnutes which middle the region of all gaul is considered. All these who have controversies conviene to this place from everywhere and they obey the decrees and judgments of them. It is estimated that discipline in Britain was discovered and was carried from there into gaul, and now they, who want to understand this matter more diligently, frequently set out to that place for the sake of learning.The druids are accustomed to be absent from war nor do they pay tribute together with the remaining; they have an exemption of military service and immunity of all things. Excited by so great rewards many both conviene into the study on their own accord and are sent from their parents and relatives. They are said to learn a great number of verses there. and so some remain in study for twenty years. Nor do they estimate that it is divinely right to mandate these things to letters although in nearly the remaining affairs public and private reasonings they use greek letters. They seem to me to have instituted this for two causes, because they neither want the study to be brought into the common people nor those who learn to study relying upon literature less than memory: because it nearly happens to many men that with the assistance of literature they relax their study in learning thoroughly in memory. They want to persuade this in particular  that souls do not perish but cross from some to others after death and they think this especially to be aroused towards vriture with the fear of death having been neglected. Hereafter they dispute many things about the stars and motions of the world and the size of the earth about the nature of things about the force and power of the immortal gods and they hand them down to the youth.

6.15 The other kind is the knights. These, when there is a need and when some war occur (which before the arrival of caesar was accustomed to happen nearly every year, that they themselves carried on that either they themselves brought on injuries or pushed away those things carried on injustices) all these are engaged in war, and each one of them is very distinguished in birth and abundance, they have many vassals and clients around themselves. They acknowledged this one influence and power.

The nation of all of the gauls is completely devoted to religious matters. And for this reason, those who are afflicted by graver diseases and those who were engaged in battles and dangers, either they immolate men instead of sacrificial animals or they vow they will sacrifice and they use druids as performers for the sacrifice because unless the life of a man is given back for the life of a man they think that the divine spirit of the immortal gods is not able to be appeased and publicly they have sacrifices of the same sort. The others have likeness with immense size whose limbs covered with twigs  fill up with living men with which having been kindled the men having been surrounded by flame are killed. They think that the punishments of those who are seized in theft or in robbery or in some crime because it is more pleasing to the immortal gods. When a supply of this kind is given out punishments descend to the innocent. They especially worship the god mercury there are many likenesses of this one: they say this one is the inventor of all arts, this one is the leader of roads and journeys, and they think tha t this one has the greatest power to the profit of money and merchants. After this one Apollo and Mars and Jupiter and Minerva. About these they have nearly the same opinions as the rest of the people that Apolo dispels diseases, that Minerva hands down the begining of works and crafts, that Jupiter holds power of the heavens, and Mars rules wars. To this one (ie mars) when they resolve to contend in battle they vow these things which they began in war very much. When they overcome they sacrifice the captured animals and they bring the remaining things into one place. In many states it is permitted to look at the built up tombs of these things in sacred places; nor does it happen often that anyone with neglected religious things dare to hide the things seized among themselves or to take away the things placed, the most serious punishment of this kind is set up with torture.