The commentaries of C. Julius Cæsar of his warres in Gallia, and the civil warres betwixt him and Pompey / translated into English with many excellent and judicious observations thereupon ; as also The art of our modern training, or, Tactick practise, by Clement Edmonds Esquire, ... ; where unto is adjoyned the eighth commentary of the warres in Gallia, with some short observations upon it ; together with the life of Cæsar, and an account of his medalls ; revised, corrected, and enlarged.

CHAP. VIII.

Two sorts of men in Gallia, Druides and Equites.

THroughout all Gallia there are but two sorts of men that are of any reckoning or account:* 1.1 for the com∣mon people are in the nature of servants, and of no worth of them∣selves, nor admitted to any Parliament; but be∣ing kept under either by debts, or by great tri∣butes,* 1.2 or by the oppression of the mighty, do put themselves in the service of the Nobility, and are subject to the authority which the master hath over his Bond-slave. Of these two sorts, the one are Druides and the other Equites or Gentle∣men. The Druides, which are alwayes present at their Holy Duties, do give order for their pub∣lick and private sacrifices, and expound their Religion. To the Druides great numbers of the youth do resort for learnings sa••e, and have them in great honour and reputation; for they do determine almost of all controversies both publick and private: for if any offence be com∣mitted, as murther or man-slaughter, or any controversie arise touching their lands or inheri∣tance, they sentence it; rewarding the vertuous, and punishing the wicked. If any private man or State do not obey their decree, they interd••d him from holy duty, which is the greatest pu∣nishment that is amongst them. Such as are thus interdicted, are reputed in the number of impious and wicked men, every man leaves their company, and doth avoid to meet them, or speak with them, lest they should receive any hurt by their contagion: neither have they law or justice when they require it, nor any respect or honour that doth belong unto them. Over all the Druides there is one Primat, that hath au∣thority of the rest. At his decease if any one do excell the rest in dignity, he succeedeth: if ma∣ny equals are found, they go to election, and sometimes they contend about the primacy with force and arms. They meet at a certain time of the year in the confines of the Carnutes, which is the middle part of all Gallia, and there they sit in a sacred place: thither they resort from all parts that have controversies, and do obey their orders and judgements.* 1.3 The art and learning of the Druides was first found out in Britany, and from thence is thought to be brought into Gallia: and at this time such as will attain to the perfect knowledge of that dis∣cipline, do for the most part travell thither to learn it. The Druides are exempt from warfare and payments, and have an immunitie from all other duties: whereby it falleth out that many do be take themselves to that profession of their own free will, and divers others are sent to that school by their parents and friends. They are said to learn many verses, and that some do study therein twenty years. Neither is it lawfull for them to commit any thing to writing, beside that in other publick and private businesses they onely use the Greek tongue: and that as I take it for two causes; first, for that their learn∣ing may not become common and vulgar; se∣condly, that scholars might not trust so much to their writings as to their memory, as it hap∣peneth for the most part, that men rely upon the trust of books and papers, and in the mean time omit the benefit of good remembrance. They en∣deavour chiefly to teach men that their souls do not die, but that they do remove out of one body into another after death; and this they think to be very important to stir men up to vertue neg∣lecting the fear of death. They dispute further, and give many traditions to the youth touching the stars and their motion, the magnitude of the earth and the world, the nature of things, and the might and power of the Gods.

OBSERVATIONS.

THe quality and condition of the Druides is in this place very particularly described by Caesar,* 1.4 and may be reduced to these heads. First, their Office, extending both to things Divine and things temporall, whereby they executed the place both of Priests and of Judges. And for that purpose there was one known place ap∣pointed where they sate in judgement: and as I understand it, there was but one Terme in the year, which both began and ended their suits in law. The second thing is their Authority, having power to reward vertue and to punish vice. Thirdly, their priviledges and immunities, being free from contribution, from warfare, and all other burthens of the State. Fourthly, their do∣ctrine and learning, which was partly Theolo∣gicall, concerning the might and power of the gods, the immortality of the Soul; and partly philosophicall, touching the stars and their mo∣tion, the earth and the magnitude thereof. And lastly, their manner of learning, which was al∣together Pythagoricall, refusing the help of let∣ters and books, and committing their doctrine to the tradition of their Elders. But that which is specially to be observed,* 1.5 is, that this learning was not onely found out here in Brittanie, but such as would perfectly attain to the knowledge thereof, came into England to study the same, contrary to the experience which heretofore hath been observed of the Northern and Sou∣thern parts of the world: for as the South giveth a temper to the body fit for the science and con∣templation of Arts, whereby the mind being en∣larged and purified in her faculties, doth dive in∣to the secret depth of all learning, and censure the hidden mysteries thereof; so the Northern climats do bind in the powers of the soul, and restrain all her vertues to the use of the body, whereby they are said to have animam in digi∣tis,* 1.6 their soul in their fingers, not affording her that delight and contentment which is usually received by speculation. And thence it happeneth that all speculative arts and sciences, and what else soever concerneth the inward contemplati∣on of the mind, was found out and perfected by such as border upon the South, and from them it was brought by litle and litle into the Northern regions: and such as would be masters in the Arts they professed, went alwayes Southward for the attaining thereof. But here the South was beholding to the North, as well for their princi∣ples of Divinity, as for their Philosophie and morall learning, being as pure, as that which any heathen people ever drank of. Which pro∣veth an ancient singularity in the inhabitants of this Iland, touching the studie of Arts and mat∣ter of learning, and may with like evidence be proved from age to age even to this time. In witness whereof I appeal to the two Universities of this land,* 1.7 as a demonstration of the love which our Nation hath ever born to learning, being two such Magazins of arts and sciences, so beau∣tified with curious buildings, and supplied with indowments for the liberall maintenance of the Muses, inriched with Libraries of learned Works, adorned with pleasant places for the re∣freshing of wearied spirits, gardens, groves, walks, rivers, and arborets, as the like such A∣thens are not to be found in any part of the world.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Caesar.
• * 1.2

  Potestas vitae & necis
• * 1.3

  England.
• * 1.4

  Druides.
• * 1.5

  England.
• * 1.6

  By reason of the cu∣rious and artificiall works.
• * 1.7

  Oxford & Cambridge.