13.
Throughout all Gaul there are two orders of
those men who are of any rank and dignity: for the commonality is held almost in
the condition of slaves, and dares to undertake nothing of itself, and is
admitted to no deliberation. The greater part, when they are pressed either by
debt, or the large amount of their tributes, or the oppression of the more
powerful, give themselves up in vassalage to the nobles, who possess over them
the same rights without exception as masters over their slaves. But of these two
orders, one is that of the Druids, the other that of the knights.
The former are engaged in things sacred, conduct the public and the private
sacrifices, and interpret all matters of religion. To these a large number of
the young men resort for the purpose of instruction, and they [the
Druids] are in great honor among them. For they determine
respecting almost all controversies, public and private; and if any crime has
been perpetrated, if murder has been committed, if there be any dispute about an
inheritance, if any about boundaries, these same persons decide it; they decree
rewards and punishments; if any one, either in a private or public capacity, has
not submitted to their decision, they interdict him from the sacrifices. This
among them is the most heavy punishment. Those who have been thus interdicted
are esteemed in the number of the impious and the criminal: all shun them, and
avoid their society and conversation, lest they receive some evil from their
contact; nor is justice administered to them when seeking it, nor is any dignity
bestowed on them. Over all these Druids one presides, who possesses
supreme authority among them. Upon his death, if any individual among the rest
is pre-eminent in dignity, he succeeds; but, if there are many equal, the
election is made by the suffrages of the Druids; sometimes they
even contend for the presidency with arms. These assemble at a fixed period of
the year in a consecrated place in the territories of the Carnutes,
which is reckoned the central region of the whole of Gaul. Hither all,
who have disputes, assemble from every part, and submit to their decrees and
determinations. This institution is supposed to have been devised in Britain, and to
have been brought over from it into Gaul; and now those who desire
to gain a more accurate knowledge of that system generally proceed thither for
the purpose of studying it.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.