Germ. 13.1Nihil autem neque pūblicae neque prīvātae reī nisi armātī agunt.They transact no business, however, public or private, unless armed. Germ. 13.1Sed arma sūmere nōn ante cuiquam mōris quam cīvitās suffectūrum probāverit.But it is not their custom for anyone to take up arms before the state has approved him as likely to prove capable. Germ. 13.1Tum in ipsō conciliō vel prīncipum aliquis vel pater vel propinquī scūtō frameāque iuvenem ōrnant: haec apud illōs toga, hic prīmus iuventae honōs;Then in the council itself either one of the chiefs or his father or his relatives equip the young man with a shield and a framea: this is their toga, this the first honour of youth; Germ. 13.1ante hoc domus pars videntur, mox reī pūblicae.before this they are seen as part of a household, thereafter of the state. Germ. 13.2Īnsignis nōbilitās aut magna patrum merita prīncipis dignātiōnem etiam adulēscentulīs adsignant: cēterīs rōbustiōribus ac iam prīdem probātīs adgregantur, nec rubor inter comitēs aspicī.Outstanding nobility or great services by their fathers win the rank of chief even for mere youths: they are attached to the others, who are stronger and long since proven, and there is no shame in being seen among the companions.
Germ. 13.3Gradus quīn etiam ipse comitātus habet, iūdiciō eius quem sectantur;Indeed, the retinue itself has grades, at the judgement of the man they follow; Germ. 13.3magnaque et comitum aemulātiō, quibus prīmus apud prīncipem suum locus, et prīncipum, cui plūrimī et ācerrimī comitēs.and there is great rivalry both among the companions, as to who shall have the first place with his chief, and among the chiefs, as to who shall have the most numerous and the keenest companions. Germ. 13.4Haec dignitās, hae vīrēs: magnō semper ēlēctōrum iuvenum globō circumdarī in pāce decus, in bellō praesidium.This is rank, this is strength: to be always surrounded by a large band of chosen young men is a distinction in peace, a protection in war. Germ. 13.4Nec sōlum in suā gente cuique, sed apud fīnitimās quoque cīvitātēs id nōmen, ea glōria est, sī numerō ac virtūte comitātūs ēmineat;And not only in his own people but among neighbouring states too a man has this name and this glory, if his retinue stands out in number and valour; Germ. 13.4expetuntur enim lēgātiōnibus et mūneribus ōrnantur et ipsa plērumque fāma bella prōflīgant.for such men are sought out by embassies and honoured with gifts, and often by their very reputation they bring wars to an end.