Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 6
De Bello Gallico 6.21
The gods and life of the Germans
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VI. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō6.21.1Germānī multum ab hāc cōnsuētūdine differunt.
The Germans differ greatly from this way of life.
6.21.1Nam neque druidēs habent, quī rēbus dīvīnīs praesint, neque sacrificiīs student.
For they have no Druids to preside over religious matters, and they take no interest in sacrifices.
6.21.2Deōrum numerō eōs sōlōs dūcunt, quōs cernunt et quōrum apertē opibus iuvantur, Sōlem et Vulcānum et Lūnam, reliquōs nē fāmā quidem accēpērunt.
They count as gods only those they can see and by whose power they are plainly helped, the Sun, Vulcan and the Moon; the rest they have not heard of even by report.
Note. Sōlem et Vulcānum et Lūnam: Caesar's picture of German religion is simplified; Tacitus later names other gods.
6.21.3Vīta omnis in vēnātiōnibus atque in studiīs reī mīlitāris cōnsistit: ab parvulīs labōrī ac dūritiae student.
Their whole life is spent in hunting and in military pursuits; from childhood they devote themselves to toil and hardship.
6.21.3Quī diūtissimē impūberēs permānsērunt, maximam inter suōs ferunt laudem: hōc alī statūram, alī vīrēs nervōsque cōnfirmārī putant.
Those who have stayed chaste longest win the greatest praise among their people; they believe that this increases their height and strengthens their bodily power and sinews.
Note. hōc: 'by this', ablative of means, referring to their chastity. alī: present passive infinitive of alō, 'nourish, increase'.
6.21.5Intrā annum vērō vīcēsimum fēminae nōtitiam habuisse in turpissimīs habent rēbus;
To have had knowledge of a woman before the age of twenty they count among the most shameful things;
6.21.5cuius reī nūlla est occultātiō, quod et prōmiscuē in flūminibus perluuntur et pellibus aut parvīs rēnōnum tegimentīs ūtuntur magnā corporis parte nūdā.
and there is no concealment of this, because they bathe together in the rivers and wear skins or small fur cloaks, leaving a large part of the body bare.
Note. rēnōnum: rēnōnēs were short cloaks of fur or reindeer skin. magnā corporis parte nūdā: ablative absolute.
Vocabulary
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cōnsuētūdō, -inis f. | custom, habit; way of life |
| differō, differre, distulī, dīlātum | differ; scatter, put off |
| nam, conj. | for |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| druidēs, -um m. pl. | the Druids (Gallic priests) |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| dīvīnus, -a, -um | divine, of the gods |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| sacrificium, -ī, n. | sacrifice |
| studeō, -ēre, -uī | be eager, give attention, apply oneself |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| sōlus, -a, -um | alone |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| cernō, cernere, crēvī, certus or crētus | discern, perceive, make out |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| apertē (adv.) | openly, plainly |
| ops, opis f.; pl. opēs, -um | help; (pl.) resources, wealth, power |
| iuvō, -āre, iūvī, iūtum | help |
| sōl, sōlis, m. | sun |
| lūna, -ae f. | moon |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| fāma, -ae, f. | report, rumor |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| vēnātiō, -ōnis, f. | hunting |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| studium, -ī, n. | eagerness, zeal; study, pursuit |
| mīlitāris, -e | military, warlike; rēs mīlitāris, art of war, warfare |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| parvulus, -a, -um | very small, petty |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| dūritia, -ae f. | hardness; hardship, endurance |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| impūbēs, -eris | under the age of puberty; chaste |
| permaneō, -manēre, -mānsi, -mānsus | remain |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| laus, laudis f. | praise, glory |
| alō, -ere, -uī, -tus | nourish |
| statūra, -ae f. | height, size |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| nervus, -ī, m. | sinew, muscle |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| cōnfirmō, -firmāre, -firmāvī, -firmātus | strengthen, establish; declare, assert |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| intrā, prep. with acc. | within |
| annus, -ī, m. | year |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| vīcēsimus, -a, -um | twentieth |
| fēmina, -ae, f. | woman |
| nōtitia, -ae f. | knowledge, acquaintance |
| turpis, -e | disgraceful |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| occultātiō, -ōnis f. | concealment |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| prōmiscuē (adv.) | together, without distinction |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| perluō, -ere, -luī, -lūtus | wash; (passive) bathe |
| pellis, -is, f. | hide, skin, pelt |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| rēnō, -ōnis m. | reindeer skin, fur cloak |
| tegimentum, -ī n. | covering |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus | use |
| corpus, corporis, n. | body |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| nūdus, -a, -um | naked, bare |