§4.4.3τούτων δὲ τοὺς Βέλγας ἀρίστους φασίν, εἰς πεντεκαίδεκα ἔθνη διῃρημένους, τὰ μεταξὺ τοῦ Ῥήνου καὶ τοῦ Λίγηρος παροικοῦντα τὸν ὠκεανόν, ὥστε μόνους ἀντέχειν πρὸς τὴν τῶν Γερμανῶν ἔφοδον, Κίμβρων καὶ Τευτόνων.
Of these, they say the Belgae are the bravest, who are divided into fifteen tribes, dwelling along the ocean between the Rhine and the Liger, so that they alone held out against the invasion of the Germans, namely the Cimbri and Teutones.
αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν Βελγῶν Βελλοάκους ἀρίστους φασί, μετὰ δὲ τούτους Σουεσσίωνας.
Of the Belgae themselves, they say the Bellovaci are the bravest, and after these the Suessiones.
τῆς δὲ πολυανθρωπίας σημεῖον· εἰς γὰρ τριάκοντα μυριάδας ἐξετάζεσθαί φασι τῶν Βελγῶν πρότερον τῶν δυναμένων φέρειν ὅπλα.
As a proof of their large population, they say that formerly three hundred thousand of the Belgae who were able to bear arms were mustered.
εἴρηται δὲ καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἐλουηττίων πλῆθος καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἀρουέρνων καὶ τὸ τῶν συμμάχων, ἐξ ὧν ἡ πολυανθρωπία φαίνεται καὶ ὅπερ εἶπον ἡ τῶν γυναικῶν ἀρετὴ πρὸς τὸ τίκτειν καὶ ἐκτρέφειν τοὺς παῖδας.
The number of the Helvetii, of the Arverni, and of their allies has also been mentioned, from which their large population is apparent, and, as I said, the virtue of the women in bearing and rearing children.
σαγηφοροῦσι δὲ καὶ κομοτροφοῦσι καὶ ἀναξυρίσι χρῶνται περιτεταμέναις, ἀντὶ δὲ χιτώνων σχιστοὺς χειριδωτοὺς φέρουσι μέχρι αἰδοίων καὶ γλουτῶν.
They wear sagums (cloaks), let their hair grow long, and use tight-fitting trousers; and instead of tunics they wear slit, sleeved garments reaching down to their private parts and buttocks.
ἡ δʼ ἐρέα τραχεῖα μὲν ἀκρόμαλλος δέ, ἀφʼ ἧς τοὺς δασεῖς σάγους ἐξυφαίνουσιν οὓς λαίνας καλοῦσιν· οἱ μέντοι Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ἐν τοῖς προσβορροτάτοις ὑποδιφθέρους τρέφουσι ποίμνας ἱκανῶς ἀστείας ἐρέας.
Their wool is coarse but thick-napped, from which they weave the thick sagums which they call lainae; however, the Romans, even in the most northerly parts, breed skin-clad flocks with quite fine wool.
ὁπλισμὸς δὲ σύμμετρος τοῖς τῶν σωμάτων μεγέθεσι, μάχαιρα μακρὰ παρηρτημένη παρὰ τὸ δεξιὸν πλευρόν, καὶ θυρεὸς μακρὸς καὶ λόγχαι κατὰ λόγον καὶ μάδαρις, πάλτου τι εἶδος.
Their armor is in proportion to the size of their bodies: a long sword hung by their right side, a long shield, spears in proportion, and a madaris, which is a kind of javelin.
χρῶνται δὲ καὶ τόξοις ἔνιοι καὶ σφενδόναις·
Some also use bows and slings.
ἔστι δέ τι καὶ γρόσφῳ ἐοικὸς ξύλον, ἐκ χειρὸς οὐκ ἐξ ἀγκύλης ἀφιέμενον, τηλεβολώτερον καὶ βέλους, ᾧ μάλιστα καὶ πρὸς τὰς τῶν ὀρνέων χρῶνται θήρας.
There is also a wooden weapon similar to a grosphus, which is cast by hand and not by a thong, and travels farther than an arrow, which they use especially for hunting birds.
χαμευνοῦσι δὲ καὶ μέχρι νῦν οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ καθεζόμενοι δειπνοῦσιν ἐν στιβάσι.
Most of them even up to the present sleep on the ground, and they dine sitting on straw beds.
τροφὴ δὲ πλείστη μετὰ γάλακτος καὶ κρεῶν παντοίων, μάλιστα δὲ τῶν ὑείων καὶ νέων καὶ ἁλιστῶν.
Their food consists mostly of milk and all kinds of meat, especially pork, both fresh and salted.
αἱ δʼ ὕες καὶ ἀγραυλοῦσιν ὕψει τε καὶ ἀλκῇ καὶ τάχει διαφέρουσαι· κίνδυνος γοῦν ἐστι τῷ ἀήθει προσιόντι, ὡσαύτως καὶ λύκῳ.
Their pigs are kept in the open air, excelling in size, strength, and speed; at any rate, it is dangerous for a stranger to approach them, and likewise for a wolf.
τοὺς δʼ οἴκους ἐκ σανίδων καὶ γέρρων ἔχουσι μεγάλους θολοειδεῖς, ὄροφον πολὺν ἐπιβάλλοντες.
They have large dome-shaped houses made of planks and wickerwork, throwing a great deal of thatch over them.
οὕτως δʼ ἐστὶ δαψιλῆ καὶ τὰ ποίμνια καὶ τὰ ὑοφόρβια ὥστε τῶν σάγων καὶ τῆς ταριχείας ἀφθονίαν μὴ τῇ Ῥώμῃ χορηγεῖσθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πλείστοις μέρεσι τῆς Ἰταλίας.
Their flocks and herds of pigs are so abundant that an abundance of sagums and salt-meat is supplied not only to Rome but also to most parts of Italy.
ἀριστοκρατικαὶ δʼ ἦσαν αἱ πλείους τῶν πολιτειῶν· ἕνα δʼ ἡγεμόνα ᾑροῦντο κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν τὸ παλαιόν, ὡς δʼ αὕτως εἰς πόλεμον εἷς ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους ἀπεδείκνυτο στρατηγός· νυνὶ δὲ προσέχουσι τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων προστάγμασι τὸ πλέον.
Most of their governments were aristocratic; and in ancient times they used to choose one leader annually, and likewise one general was appointed for war by the multitude; but now they attend for the most part to the commands of the Romans.
ἴδιον δὲ τὸ ἐν τοῖς συνεδρίοις συμβαῖνον· ἐὰν γάρ τις θορυβῇ τὸν λέγοντα καὶ ὑποκρούσῃ, προσιὼν ὁ ὑπηρέτης ἐσπασμένος τὸ ξίφος κελεύει σιγᾶν μετʼ ἀπειλῆς, μὴ παυομένου δέ, καὶ δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον ποιεῖ τὸ αὐτό, τελευταῖον δὲ ἀφαιρεῖ τοῦ σάγου τοσοῦτον ὅσον ἄχρηστον ποιῆσαι τὸ λοιπόν.
There is a peculiar custom that occurs in their assemblies: for if anyone makes a disturbance for the speaker and interrupts him, the officer, approaching with drawn sword, commands him to be silent with a threat; and if he does not cease, he does the same a second and a third time, and finally cuts off so much of his sagum as to make the remainder useless.
τὸ δὲ περὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας, τὸ διηλλάχθαι τὰ ἔργα ὑπεναντίως τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῖν, κοινὸν καὶ πρὸς ἄλλους συχνοὺς τῶν βαρβάρων ἐστί.
As for the fact concerning the men and the women, that their tasks are shifted in a manner contrary to ours, this is common also to many other barbarians.
§4.4.4παρὰ πᾶσι δʼ ὡς ἐπίπαν τρία φῦλα τῶν τιμωμένων διαφερόντως ἐστί, βάρδοι τε καὶ ὀυάτεις καὶ δρυΐδαι·
Among all of them, generally speaking, there are three classes that are held in exceptional honor: the Bards, the Vates, and the Druids.
βάρδοι μὲν ὑμνηταὶ καὶ ποιηταί, ὀυάτεις δὲ ἱεροποιοὶ καὶ φυσιολόγοι, δρυΐδαι δὲ πρὸς τῇ φυσιολογίᾳ καὶ τὴν ἠθικὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκοῦσι·
The Bards are singers of hymns and poets, the Vates are performing sacrifices and natural philosophers, and the Druids, in addition to natural philosophy, also practice moral philosophy.
δικαιότατοι δὲ νομίζονται καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πιστεύονται τάς τε ἰδιωτικὰς κρίσεις καὶ τὰς κοινάς, ὥστε καὶ πολέμους διῄτων πρότερον καὶ παρατάττεσθαι μέλλοντας ἔπαυον, τὰς δὲ φονικὰς δίκας μάλιστα τούτοις ἐπετέτραπτο δικάζειν.
They are considered the most just, and for this reason they are entrusted with both private and public decisions, so that they even arbitrated wars in former times and stopped those who were about to draw up for battle, and murder cases especially were committed to them to decide.
ὅταν τε φορὰ τούτων ᾖ, φορὰν καὶ τῆς χώρας νομίζουσιν ὑπάρχειν.
When there is an abundance of these men, they believe there is an abundance of the land as well.
ἀφθάρτους δὲ λέγουσι καὶ οὗτοι καὶ ἄλλοι τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ τὸν κόσμον, ἐπικρατήσειν δέ ποτε καὶ πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ.
Both these and others say that souls and the universe are indestructible, but that at some time both fire and water will prevail.