Agr. 11.1Cēterum Britanniam quī mortālēs initiō coluerint, indigenae an advectī, ut inter barbarōs, parum compertum.As for what people first inhabited Britain, whether natives or immigrants, little is known for certain, as is usual among barbarians. Agr. 11.1Habitūs corporum variī atque ex eō argūmenta.Their physical types vary, and from this arguments are drawn. Agr. 11.2Namque rutilae Caledoniam habitantium comae, magnī artūs Germānicam orīginem adsevērant;For the red hair and large limbs of those who inhabit Caledonia proclaim a German origin; Agr. 11.2Silurum colōrātī vultūs, tortī plērumque crīnēs et positā contrā Hispāniā Hibērōs veterēs trāiēcisse eāsque sēdēs occupāsse fidem faciunt;the swarthy faces of the Silures, their usually curly hair, and the position of Spain opposite them make it credible that Iberians of old crossed over and occupied those lands; Agr. 11.2proximī Gallīs et similēs sunt, seu dūrante orīginis vī, seu prōcurrentibus in dīversa terrīs positiō caelī corporibus habitum dedit.those nearest the Gauls are also like them, whether because the force of their origin endures, or because, where the lands jut out towards each other, the climate has given their bodies their appearance.
Agr. 11.3In ūniversum tamen aestimantī Gallōs vīcīnam īnsulam occupāsse crēdibile est.On the whole, however, to one considering it broadly, it is credible that the Gauls occupied the neighbouring island. Agr. 11.4Eōrum sacra dēprehendās superstitiōnum persuāsiōnēs;You may detect their rites and their superstitious beliefs; Agr. 11.4sermō haud multum dīversus, in dēposcendīs perīculīs eadem audācia et, ubi advēnēre, in dētrectandīs eadem formīdō.their language is not very different, there is the same boldness in challenging dangers, and, when the dangers have come, the same fear in shirking them. Agr. 11.5Plūs tamen ferōciae Britannī praeferunt, ut quōs nōndum longa pāx ēmollierit.The Britons, however, display more ferocity, as being people whom long peace has not yet softened. Agr. 11.5Nam Gallōs quoque in bellīs flōruisse accēpimus;For we have heard that the Gauls too once flourished in war; Agr. 11.5mox segnitia cum ōtiō intrāvit, āmissā virtūte pariter ac lībertāte.later sloth came in along with ease, and their courage was lost together with their liberty. Agr. 11.5Quod Britannōrum ōlim victīs ēvēnit: cēterī manent quālēs Gallī fuērunt.This has happened to those of the Britons who were conquered long ago: the rest remain as the Gauls once were.