XI.
De minoribus rebus principes consultant; de majoribus omnes: ita tamen, ut ea quoque, quorum penes plebem arbitrium est, apud principes pertractentur. Coeunt, nisi quid fortuitum et subitum inciderit, certis diebus, cum aut inchoatur luna aut impletur: nam agendis rebus hoc auspicatissimum initium credunt. Nec dierum numerum, ut nos, sed noctium computant. Sic constituunt, sic condicunt: nox ducere diem videtur. Illud ex libertate vitium, quod non simul, nec ut jussi conveniunt, sed et alter et tertius dies cunctatione coeuntium absumitur. Ut turbae placuit, considunt armati. Silentium per sacerdotes, quibus tum et coercendi jus est, imperatur. Mox rex vel principes, prout aetas cuique, prout nobilitas, prout decus bellorum, prout facundia est, audiuntur, auctoritate suadendi magis, quam jubendi potestate. Si displicuit sententia, fremitu aspernantur; sin placuit, frameas concutiunt. Honoratissimum assensus genus est, armis laudare.
11.
On matters of minor weight the chiefs decide; on more important questions the entire tribe participate, but in such a manner that even issues that are within the people’s purview are first debated by the leaders. Unless something unforeseen and urgent occurs, they convene on stated days, when the moon is either new or full, since they believe that to be the most propitious time for acting on matters of consequence. They do not reckon by days, as we do, but by nights: they see night as the introduction to the day, so they arrange their activities and set appointments accordingly. The freedom they enjoy has a serious drawback, in that they do not assemble at the same time nor in response to a convocation, but two or even three days are wasted for lack of punctuality. When, finally, the multitude decides to begin the meeting, all take their seats fully armed. The priests, who have the power on such occasions to enforce order, command silence; then the king or the leading members of the tribe, each according to age, nobility, military fame, or eloquence, are listened to, but the deference of the audience depends more on the speaker’s ability to persuade than on his official authority. If the advice heard fails to please, it is turned down with loud groans; if the audience agrees, they clash their spears. The most honorific form of approbation is by the din of arms.
XII.
Licet apud concilium accusare quoque et discrimen capitis intendere. Distinctio poenarum ex delicto: proditores et transfugas arboribus suspendunt; ignavos et imbelles et corpore infames coeno ac palude, injecta insuper crate, mergunt. Diversitas supplicii illuc respicit, tanquam scelera ostendi oporteat, dum puniuntur, flagitia abscondi. Sed et levioribus delictis, pro modo poenarum, equorum pecorumque numero convicti mulctantur: pars mulctae regi vel civitati, pars ipsi, qui vindicatur, vel propinquis ejus exsolvitur. Eliguntur in iisdem conciliis et principes, qui jura per pagos vicosque reddunt. Centeni singulis ex plebe comites, consilium simul et auctoritas, adsunt.
12.
It is permitted to bring charges and to have capital offenses tried before the assembly. Punishment varies in accordance with the crime. Hanging from trees awaits traitors and deserters. Those guilty of cowardice, effeminacy, and sodomy are drowned in the mire of swamps and covered with latticework. This diversity in the punishment rests on the belief that offences must be laid open to view during punishment, depravity must be hidden. Lighter crimes are also subject to penalties that are commensurate to the fault. Those convicted are fined a certain number of horses and cattle. Half of these goes to the king or to the tribe, half devolves to the plaintiff himself or to his relatives. The magistrates in charge of justice through the districts and communities are also elected in these same assemblies. One hundred assistants, each chosen from among the people, support the magistrate with their advice and authority.
XIII.
Nihil autem neque publicae neque privatae rei, nisi armati agunt. Sed arma sumere non ante cuiquam moris, quam civitas suffecturum probaverit. Tum in ipso concilio, vel principum aliquis vel pater vel propinquus scuto frameaque juvenem ornant: haec apud illos toga, hic primus juventae honos: ante hoc domus pars videntur, mox reipublicae. Insignis nobilitas, aut magna patrum merita, principis dignationem etiam adolescentulis assignant: ceteris robustioribus ac jampridem probatis aggregantur; nec rubor, inter comites aspici. Gradus quin etiam et ipse comitatus habet judicio ejus, quem sectantur: magnaque et comitum aemulatio, quibus primus apud principem suum locus, et principum, cui plurimi et acerrimi comites. Haec dignitas, hae vires, magno semper electorum juvenum globo circumdari, in pace decus, in bello praesidium. Nec solum in sua gente cuique, sed apud finitimas quoque civitates id nomen, ea gloria est, si numero ac virtute comitatus emineat: expetuntur enim legationibus et muneribus ornantur et ipsa plerumque fama bella profligant.
13.
They do not transact any business, be it public or private, unless they are armed, but no young man is permitted to carry arms before the community has ascertained his aptitude. Then, in the assembly itself, either one of the chiefs or the father or one of the relatives hands him a spear and a shield. To the Germans these arms are what the toga is to us, the first distinction bestowed on their youth. Before this ceremony a youngster is considered part of a family; after it, he belongs to the tribe. A noble birth or the great merits of his fathers qualify him, even if still very young, for the dignity of a chief. These striplings then merge with the others, men in their prime already tested in action, and feel no shame to be seen among the followers of some chieftain. On the contrary, this kind of apprenticeship has a hierarchy of its own, based on the esteem each is held by the leader to whose retinue they belong. Competition is keen, both between the followers to know who has first place with the chief and between the chiefs to know who has the most and the bravest followers. It is both an honor and a source of power to be always surrounded by a crowd of hand-picked young men that secures renown in peace and protection in war. And the prestige and glory of having the largest and the strongest following are not confined to one’s own tribe, but extends to neighboring tribes as well: in fact, such chiefs are courted by embassies, honored with gifts, and often their fame alone decides a war.
XIV.
Cum ventum in aciem, turpe principi virtute vinci, turpe comitatui, virtutem principis non adaequare. Jam vero infame in omnem vitam ac probrosum, superstitem principi suo ex acie recessisse. Illum defendere, tueri, sua quoque fortia facta gloriae ejus assignare, praecipuum sacramentum est. Principes pro victoria pugnant; comites pro principe. Si civitas, in qua orti sunt, longa pace et otio torpeat plerique nobilium adolescentium petunt ultro eas nationes, quae tum bellum aliquod gerunt; quia et ingrata genti quies, et facilius inter ancipitia clarescunt, magnumque comitatum non nisi vi belloque tuentur: exigunt enim principis sui liberalitate illum bellatorem equum, illam cruentam victricemque frameam. Nam epulae et, quanquam incompti, largi tamen apparatus pro stipendio cedunt: materia munificentiae per bella et raptus. Nec arare terram, aut expectare annum, tam facile persuaseris, quam vocare hostes et vulnera mereri. Pigrum quinimmo et iners videtur, sudore acquirere, quod possis sanguine parare.
14.
In combat it is shameful for the chieftain to be bested in valor by his men and for his men not to equal the chieftain’s courage. But truly disgraceful and a lifelong stain on one’s honor is to return alive from a battle in which the chieftain has fallen. To help and shield him, even to give him credit for one’s own glorious deeds is a warrior’s first and sacred duty. As the chief fights for victory, so his men fight for him. If the native tribe is overtaken by the stagnation of a long peace, many of these noble youths go of their own accord in search of those nations engaged at that point in one war or another, for not only is inaction hateful to these peoples, but also they can win glory more readily amid the dangers of conflict, since they cannot afford a large retinue except through violence and war. In fact, their followers rely on the generosity of their chief for that special warhorse or for that famous spear, bloodstained and victorious in combat. [Apart from such gifts], sumptuous banquets, though poorly arranged, yet abundantly provided, are their only pay. The source of this munificence lies in wars and rapine. You would not be able to persuade them to cultivate the land and rely on the harvest so easily as to provoke an enemy and reap wounds. Nay, in their eyes it is even a sign of laziness and lack of spirit to procure by the sweat of one’s brow what you could obtain by shedding blood.
XV.
Quotiens bella non ineunt, non multum venatibus, plus per otium transigunt, dediti somno ciboque, fortissimus quisque ac bellicosissimus nihil agens, delegata domus et penatium et agrorum cura feminis senibusque et infirmissimo cuique ex familia: ipsi hebent; mira diversitate naturae, cum iidem homines sic ament inertiam et oderint quietem. Mos est civitatibus ultro ac viritim conferre principibus vel armentorum vel frugum, quod pro honore acceptum, etiam necessitatibus subvenit. Gaudent praecipue finitimarum gentium donis, quae non modo a singulis, sed publice mittuntur: electi equi, magna arma, phalerae, torquesque. Jam et pecuniam accipere docuimus.
15.
During the interludes between wars, hunting takes up some of their time, but they spend most of it in idleness, giving themselves up to sleep and food. The bravest in combat do nothing, leaving the cares of the household, both material and spiritual, and the tillage of the land to the women, the older men, and the weakest members of the family. As to the warriors themselves, they just loaf about, a true oddity of nature given that the same men, who love inactivity so much, hate peace. It is a custom among the German tribes to give a part of their herds or of the harvest to the chief on a voluntary and individual basis. This is accepted as a sign of respect, but also provides for his needs. They are particularly pleased with gifts from neighboring tribes, which are sent not only by individuals, but by entire communities: select horses, costly arms, metal plaques, and neck chains. As for money, we Romans have already taught them to accept it as well.
XVI.
Nullas Germanorum populis urbes habitari, satis notum est: ne pati quidem inter se junctas sedes. Colunt discreti ac diversi, ut fons, ut campus, ut nemus placuit. Vicos locant, non in nostrum morem, connexis et cohaerentibus aedificiis: suam quisque domum spatio circumdat, sive adversus casus ignis remedium, sive inscitia aedificandi. Ne caementorum quidem apud illos aut tegularum usus: materia ad omnia utuntur informi et citra speciem aut delectationem. Quaedam loca diligentius illinunt terra ita pura ac splendente, ut picturam ac lineamenta colorum imitetur. Solent et subterraneos specus aperire, eosque multo insuper fimo onerant, suffugium hiemi et receptaculum frugibus: quia rigorem frigorum ejusmodi locis molliunt: et, si quando hostis advenit, aperta populatur, abdita autem et defossa aut ignorantur, aut eo ipso fallunt, quod quaerenda sunt.
16.
That Germans do not live in cities is well known: they do not even like that their houses be joined to others. They dwell separate, away from one another, depending on whether a water source, a clearing, or a grove influences their choice of a site where to settle. Villages are laid out, not after our manner with structures joined together and supporting each other, but in such a way that each house has empty space all around, either as a precaution against fire or because of ignorance of other methods of building. Also, they do not make use of either stones or tiles in construction. The wood of trees, rough as it comes from the forest, answers all their needs, though devoid of beauty or charm. Yet, they coat with greater care certain parts of the buildings using a kind of earth of such purity and brilliance as to resemble paint and strokes of color. Besides, it is a common practice among them to excavate underground chambers and to pile on top large mounds of manure to serve as shelters from the winter and storage of crops, since inside such places the rigors of winter temperatures are much attenuated. In case of attack, the invader devastates the open country, while the hidden caves are either missed or are ignored since a search is necessary to find them.
XVII.
Tegumen omnibus sagum, fibula, aut, si desit, spina consertum: cetera intecti totos dies juxta focum atque ignem agunt. Locupletissimi veste distinguuntur, non fluitante, sicut Sarmatae ac Parthi, sed stricta et singulos artus exprimente. Gerunt et ferarum pelles, proximi ripae negligenter, ulteriores exquisitius, ut quibus nullus per commercia cultus. Eligunt feras, et detracta velamina spargunt maculis pellibusque belluarum, quas exterior Oceanus atque ignotum mare gignit. Nec alius feminis quam viris habitus, nisi quod feminae saepius lineis amictibus velantur, eosque purpura variant, partemque vestitus superioris in manicas non extendunt, nudae brachia ac lacertos: sed et proxima pars pectoris patet.
17.
They all wear a cloak held close in front by a pin or, for want of it, a thorn. As the rest of the body is unprotected, they spend entire days on the hearth by the fire. The most affluent among them are notable for their tight-fitting dress that sets off the shape of their limbs, quite unlike the loose floating garments of the Parthians and Sarmatians. The skins of wild animals are also worn, which are prepared in a casual manner by the Germans living near the bank of the Rhine and the Danube, but with much greater care by those farther inland, since no other clothing is available to them through the trade with us. They select the animals with the best fur and once the skins are removed, they diversify by inserting the spots from the hides of marine animals native to the exterior ocean or some sea unknown to us. Women dress the same way as men, except that fairly often they wear linen clothes which they ornate with purple. No sleeves are attached to the top of the dress, leaving arms and forearms bare and even the adjacent parts of the chest are left exposed.
XVIII.
Quanquam severa illic matrimonia; nec ullam morum partem magis laudaveris: nam prope soli barbarorum singulis uxoribus contenti sunt, exceptis admodum paucis, qui non libidine, sed ob nobilitatem, plurimis nuptiis ambiuntur, Dotem non uxor marito, sed uxori maritus offert. Intersunt parentes et propinqui, ac munera probant: munera non ad delicias muliebres quaesita, nec quibus nova nupta comatur: sed boves et frenatum equum et scutum cum framea gladioque. In haec munera uxor accipitur: atque invicem ipsa armorum aliquid viro affert: hoc maximum vinculum, haec arcana sacra, hos conjugales deos arbitrantur. Ne se mulier extra virtutum cogitationes extraque bellorum casus putet, ipsis incipientis matrimonii auspiciis admonetur, venire se laborum periculorumque sociam, idem in pace, idem in proelio passuram ausuramque: hoc juncti boves, hoc paratus equus, hoc data arma denuntiant; sic vivendum, sic pereundum: accipere se, quae liberis inviolata ac digna reddat, quae nurus accipiant rursus, quae ad nepotes referantur.
18.
Regardless of such nudity, their marriage customs are severe, no other aspect of their moral code being more laudable. In fact, almost unique among barbarians, the Germans are content with one wife, with the exception of very few who surround themselves with a large number of wives, not because of their excessive sensuality, but rather as an appurtenance of their high rank. It is the husband that brings a dowry to the wife, not the reverse; her parents and relatives are present at the ceremony to inspect and approve the gifts, which are not chosen to satisfy a woman’s whims or to adorn her person with, but items like oxen, a horse broken to the saddle, a shield with sword and spear. On the strength of such gifts a wife is given to the husband and she in turn makes him a present of some arms: in the eyes of the Germans this is the supreme bond between the married pair, these are the sacred rites and the gods of their espousals. To discourage the wife from thinking she is excused from deeds of valor and exempt from the risks of war, she is admonished by the authority of the very ritual consecrating the new marriage, that she comes as the sharer of her husband’s toils and dangers, expected to endure and dare alike in peace and in war. That is what the yoked oxen, the saddled horse, the arms offered in gift enjoin her to do: to live and die so as never to forget that the things she is now receiving are to be passed to the children inviolate and untarnished, to be in turn handed down by the daughters in law to her own grand-children.
XIX.
Ergo septa pudicitia agunt, nullis spectaculorum illecebris, nullis conviviorum irritationibus corruptae. Litterarum secreta viri pariter ac feminae ignorant. Paucissima in tam numerosa gente adulteria; quorum poena praesens et maritis permissa. Accisis crinibus, nudatam, coram propinquis, expellit domo maritus, ac per omnem vicum verbere agit: publicatae enim pudicitiae nulla venia: non forma, non aetate, non opibus maritum invenerit. Nemo enim illic vitia ridet: nec corrumpere et corrumpi saeculum vocatur. Melius quidem adhuc eae civitates, in quibus tantum virgines nubunt, et cum spe votoque uxoris semel transigitur. Sic unum accipiunt maritum, quo modo unum corpus unamque vitam, ne ulla cogitatio ultra, ne longior cupiditas, ne tanquam maritum, sed tanquam matrimonium ament. Numerum liberorum finire, aut quemquam ex agnatis necare, flagitium habetur: plusque ibi boni mores valent, quam alibi bonae leges.
19.
Women, therefore, lead a chaste life, their virtue being uncorrupted by the lewdness of spectacles and the stimulations of banquets. Covert exchanges of messages are unknown, both men and women being ignorant of the secrets of writing. Among a people so numerous, adulteries are very few. Retribution is immediate and in the hands of the husband. The woman is shorn of her hair, stripped of her clothes before the eyes of her relatives, driven from the house naked, and flogged by the husband all the way through the village. There is no pity for a woman known to have been unchaste. She will never find a husband, regardless of her beauty, age, or fortune. No one indeed makes light of vice in this country: to corrupt and be corrupted is never dismissed as being the spirit of the age. Some tribes go even further, as only virgins are given in marriage and the hopes and wishes of being a wife are realized only once. They accept only one husband just as they accept having one body and one life, so that there may be no further thought, no future yearning about marriage. Women must learn to love not so much their husbands as, you may say, the married state. To limit the number of children, or do away with any offspring coming after the birth of an heir is considered an infamy, proof that in Germany good morals have more power than good laws in other countries.
XX.
In omni domo nudi ac sordidi, in hos artus, in haec corpora, quae miramur, excrescunt. Sua quemque mater uberibus alit, nec ancillis ac nutricibus delegantur. Dominum ac servum nullis educationis deliciis dignoscas: inter eadem pecora, in eadem humo degunt; donec aetas separet ingenuos, virtus agnoscat. Sera juvenum Venus; eoque inexhausta pubertas: nec virgines festinantur; eadem juventa, similis proceritas: pares validaeque miscentur; ac robora parentum liberi referunt. Sororum filiis idem apud avunculum, qui ad patrem honor. Quidam sanctiorem arctioremque hunc nexum sanguinis arbitrantur, et in accipiendis obsidibus magis exigunt; tanquam et in animum firmius, et domum latius teneant. Heredes tamen successoresque sui cuique liberi: et nullum testamentum. Si liberi non sunt, proximus gradus in possessione fratres, patrui, avunculi. Quanto plus propinquorum, quo major affinium numerus, tanto gratiosior senectus, nec ulla orbitatis pretia.
20.
In each home children, grimy and scantily clad, grow into those limbs and large frames that so excite our admiration. Every mother nurses at the breast her own offspring and never gives them into the care of maids or nurses. You cannot tell apart the master of the house from the slave by any sign of refinement. Both live in the same place with the livestock and sleep on the same bare ground, until the age of bearing arms separates the freeborn and love of war takes him for herself. Venus comes late to German lads, therefore their virility is undiminished. Maidens are not pushed into marrying: they have the same youthful vitality as the males, the same stature. They form with their husbands well-assorted pairs, equal in strength and likely to produce offspring having the vigor of the parents. The maternal uncle feels as much regard for the children of his sisters as the father himself. Certain German tribes hold this bond more sacred and more compelling and insist on it in their demands for hostages, since it secures a stronger hold on loyalties and wider powers over the family [than the tie between father and son]. On the other hand, the father always has his own children as heirs and successors, without the need of a will. If he has no children, his brothers, his paternal and his maternal uncles respectively come next in the line of succession. The larger the number of blood relatives and of connections by marriage, the more respected his old age. Being childless offers no rewards.