De Bello Gallico 6.14

6.14.1Druidēs ā bellō abesse cōnsuērunt neque tribūta ūnā cum reliquīs pendunt;

The Druids usually stay away from war and do not pay taxes along with the rest;

Note. cōnsuērunt: syncopated form of cōnsuēvērunt, 'they are accustomed'. ūnā: adverb, 'together'.

6.14.1mīlitiae vacātiōnem omniumque rērum habent immūnitātem.

they have exemption from military service and freedom from all other duties.

6.14.2Tantīs excitātī praemiīs et suā sponte multī in disciplīnam conveniunt et ā parentibus propinquīsque mittuntur.

Attracted by such great rewards, many come to their training of their own accord, and many are sent by their parents and relatives.

6.14.3Magnum ibi numerum versuum ēdiscere dīcuntur.

There they are said to learn by heart a great number of verses.

6.14.3Itaque annōs nōnnūllī vīcēnōs in disciplīnā permanent.

And so some remain in training for twenty years.

6.14.4Neque fās esse exīstimant ea litterīs mandāre, cum in reliquīs ferē rēbus, pūblicīs prīvātīsque ratiōnibus Graecīs litterīs ūtantur.

They do not think it right to commit these teachings to writing, though in almost all other matters, in public and private accounts, they use Greek letters.

Note. Graecīs litterīs: the Greek alphabet, not the Greek language.

6.14.4Id mihi duābus dē causīs īnstituisse videntur, quod neque in vulgum disciplīnam efferrī velint neque eōs, quī discunt, litterīs cōnfīsōs minus memoriae studēre: quod ferē plērīsque accidit, ut praesidiō litterārum dīligentiam in perdiscendō ac memoriam remittant.

They seem to me to have established this for two reasons: because they do not want their doctrine to be spread among the common people, and because they do not want those who learn to rely on writing and pay less attention to memory: for it happens to most people that, relying on writing, they slacken their diligence in learning thoroughly and their memory.

Note. quod … velint: the subjunctive gives the reasons as the Druids' own (or as Caesar's guess). quod ferē plērīsque accidit: quod refers to the whole idea that follows.

6.14.5In prīmīs hoc volunt persuādēre, nōn interīre animās, sed ab aliīs post mortem trānsīre ad aliōs, atque hōc maximē ad virtūtem excitārī putant metū mortis neglēctō.

Above all they want to persuade people that souls do not perish but pass after death from one body to another, and they think that this most of all spurs men to courage, since the fear of death is disregarded.

Note. This is the transmigration of souls. metū mortis neglēctō: ablative absolute, 'the fear of death being disregarded'.

6.14.6Multa praetereā dē sīderibus atque eōrum mōtū, dē mundī ac terrārum magnitūdine, dē rērum nātūrā, dē deōrum immortālium vī ac potestāte disputant et iuventūtī trādunt.

Besides this they discuss many things about the stars and their motion, the size of the universe and of the earth, the nature of things, and the power and might of the immortal gods, and they pass these on to the young.