Germ. 5.1Terra etsī aliquantō speciē differt, in ūniversum tamen aut silvīs horrida aut palūdibus foeda, hūmidior quā Galliās, ventōsior quā Nōricum ac Pannoniam aspicit;The land, although it differs somewhat in appearance, is on the whole either bristling with forests or foul with marshes, wetter where it faces the Gauls, windier where it faces Noricum and Pannonia; Germ. 5.1satis ferāx, frūgiferārum arborum impatiēns, pecorum fēcunda, sed plērumque imprōcēra.it is fertile enough for sown crops, unkind to fruit-bearing trees, rich in flocks, but these are mostly undersized. Germ. 5.2Nē armentīs quidem suus honor aut glōria frontis: numerō gaudent, eaeque sōlae et grātissimae opēs sunt.Not even the cattle have their proper beauty or glory of brow: it is in numbers that they rejoice, and these are their only and their most cherished wealth. Germ. 5.3Argentum et aurum propitiīne an īrātī Diī negāverint dubitō.Whether the gods have denied them silver and gold in kindness or in anger, I am not sure. Germ. 5.3Nec tamen adfirmāverim nūllam Germāniae vēnam argentum aurumve gignere: quis enim scrūtātus est?Yet I would not assert that no vein in Germany produces silver or gold: for who has searched?
Germ. 5.4Possessiōne et ūsū haud perinde adficiuntur: est vidēre apud illōs argentea vāsa, lēgātīs et prīncipibus eōrum mūnerī data, nōn in aliā vīlitāte quam quae humō finguntur.They are not much moved by possessing and using it: one may see among them silver vessels, given as gifts to their envoys and chiefs, held no more precious than those that are moulded from clay. Germ. 5.4Quamquam proximī ob ūsum commerciōrum aurum et argentum in pretiō habent fōrmāsque quāsdam nostrae pecūniae agnōscunt atque ēligunt: interiōrēs simplicius et antīquius permūtātiōne mercium ūtuntur.However, those nearest to us value gold and silver for the purposes of trade, and recognise and pick out certain issues of our money: those further inland practise the simpler and more ancient exchange of goods. Germ. 5.5Pecūniam probant veterem et diū notam, serrātōs bīgātōsque.The money they approve is old and long familiar, coins with serrated edges and those stamped with a two-horse chariot. Germ. 5.5Argentum quoque magis quam aurum sequuntur, nūllā adfectiōne animī, sed quia numerus argenteōrum facilior ūsuī est prōmisca ac vīlia mercantibus.They also go after silver rather than gold, from no liking for it, but because a quantity of silver pieces is handier to use for those who buy cheap goods of every kind.