Druides rebus divinis intersunt, sacrifica
The Druids are concerned with sacred things,
publica ac privata procurant, religiones
they attend to public and private sacrifices
interpretantur: ad hos magnus numerus
and they explain religious questions. A great
adulescentium discendi causa concurrit,
number of young men flock to them to learn
magnoque hi sunt apud eos honore. nam fere
and they are held in great honour among
de omnibus controversiis publicis privatisque
them. For they make decisions about nearly
constituunt, et, si quod facinus admissum est,
all public and private disputes and if any crime
si caedes facta, si de hereditate, de finibus
has been committed, if any murder has been
controversia est, Druides rem decernunt,
done, if there is a dispute about inheritance
praemia poenasque constituunt. si quis aut
or about boundaries the Druids decide the
privatus aut publicus eorum decreto non
matter and fix rewards and punishments. If
stetit, sacrificiis interdicunt: haec poena apud
any public or private individual has disobeyed
eos est gravissima. ei quibus ita interdictum
their decree, they ban them from 9sacrifices.
est numero impiorum ac scelestorum
This punishment is the most serious one
habentur; eis omnes decedunt, aditum
among them. Those who have been banned in
sermonemque fugiunt, ne quid ex contagione
the way are reckoned in the number of evil
incommodi accipiant; neque eis petentibus ius
men and criminals. Everyone avoids them and
redditur neque honos ullus datur. his autem
refuses to approach them or talk with them in
omnibus Druidibus praeest unus, qui
case they receive some harm from contact
summam inter eos habet auctoritatem. hoc
with them. Justice is not given to them if they
mortuo, aut is qui ex reliquis excellit dignitate
ask for it nor is any honour given to them. But
succedit, aut, si sunt multi pares, suffragio
one man is in change of all these Druids, who
Druidum, nonnumquam etiam armis, de
has supreme authority among them. When
principatu contendunt. disciplina eorum in
this man dies either the man who stands out
Britannia reperta atque inde in Galliam
from the rest in merit succeeds him, or if
translata esse existimatur, et nunc ei, qui
there are many equals, they compete for the
diligentius eam rem cognoscere volunt,
leadership either by vote of the Druids or
plerumque in Britanniam discendi causa
sometimes even with weapons. The Druids’
proficiscuntur.
training is believed to have been invented in
Britain and to have been brought from there
to Gaul and now those who want to learn that
doctrine more deeply generally set off to
Britain to learn.
Druides a bello abesse solent neque tributa
Druids are accustomed to being exempt from
una cum reliquis pendunt; militae vacationem
warfare and they do not pay taxes together
omniumque rerum immunitatem habent.
with the rest of the Gauls. They have
Tantis praemiis excitati et sua sponte multi in
exemption from military service and freedom
disciplinam conveniunt et a parentibus
from all duties. Attracted by such great
propinquisque mittuntur. magnam ibi
rewards many people flock to this training
numerum versuum ediscere dicuntur; itaque
both of their own accord and are sent by their
nonnulli viginti annos in disciplina permanent.
parent and relatives. They are said to learn a
neque fas esse existimant hos versus litteris
great number of verses there by heart; and
mandare, cum in reliquis fere rebus Graecis
so, some remain in training for twenty years.
litteris utantur. id mihi duabus de causis
They do not think it right to entrust these
instituisse videntur, quod neque in vulgum
verses to writing, although in nearly all other
disciplinam efferri velint, neque eos, qui
things they uses Greek letters. They seem to
discunt, litteris confisos minus memoriae
me to have established that for two reasons:
studere. in primis hoc volunt persuadere,
because they do not want their doctrine to be
animas non perire, sed ab allis post mortem
spread amongst the common people and
transire ad alios, atque hoc maxime homines
because they do not want those who learn,
ad virtutem excitari putant metu mortis
relying on the written word, to pay less
neglecto. Multa praeterea de sideribus atque
attention to memory. In particular they wish
eorum motu, de mundi ac terrarum
to persuade the people of this: that souls do
magnitudine, de rerum natura, de deorum
not die but after death pass from one body to
immortalium vi ac potestate disputant et
another and from this belief especially they
iuventuti tradunt.
think that men are spurred onto courage, with
fear of death disregarded. Moreover, they
discuss many things about the stars and their
movement, about the size of the universe and
the earth, about the nature of things, about
the strength and power of the immortal gods
and they pass this down to the young people.
natio omnis Gallorum est magnopere
The entire nation of the Gauls is deeply
dedita religionibus, atque ob eam causam ei,
devoted to religion and because of that
qui sunt affecti gravioribus morbis quique in
reason those who have been affect by more
proeliis periculisque versantur, aut pro
serious illnesses and those who are engaged
victimis homines immolant aut se
in battles or dangers either sacrifice men as
immolaturos esse vovent administrisque ad
sacrificial victims or vow that they will
ea sacrificia Druidibus utuntur, quod, nisi pro
sacrifice them and they employ Druids as
vita hominis reddatur hominis vita, non posse
assistants for these sacrifices because they
deorum immortalium numen placari
think that, unless a man’s life is offered up for
arbitrantur: publiceque eiusdem generis
a man’s life the divine power of the immortal
habent instituta sacrificia. alli simulacra
gods cannot be appeased, and they have
ingenti magnitudine habent, quorum membra
sacrifices established publicly of this same
viminibus contexta vivis hominibus complent;
sort. Some have images of immense size
simulacris incensis homines flamma
whose limbs, woven from willow branches,
circumventi pereunt. supplicia eorum qui in
they fill with living men. When the images
furto aut in latrocinio aut aliqua noxia sint
have been set on fire, the men die engulfed in
comprehensi gratiora deis immortalibus esse
flames. They think that the punishment of
arbitrantur; sed, cum copia eius generis
those who have been caught in theft or in
defecit, etiam ad innocentium supplicia
robbery or in some other offense are more
descendunt.
pleasing to the immortal gods but when the
supply of that kind of men has run out, they
even stoop to the execution of innocent men.
Suetonius igitur Monam insulam, incolis
Therefore, Suetonius prepared to attack
validam et receptaculum perfugarum, aggredi
Mona, the island of Anglesey, well supplied
parat: navibus pedites equites vado secuit aut
with inhabitants and a haven for refugees.
adnates equis transierunt. stabat pro litore
The infantry crossed on boats, the cavalry
diversa acies, densa armis virisque
followed in the shallows or swimming next to
intercursantibus feminis; quae in modum
their horses. The varied battle-line was
Furiarum veste ferali, crinibus deiectis faces
standing on the shore, close-packed with
praeferebant; Druidesque circum, preces diras
armed men, with women running about
sublatis ad caelum minibus funderntes
between them, who in funeral clothes, in the
novitiate aspectus perculerunt milites it
manner of Furies, with their hair dishevelled,
wuase haerentibus membris immobile corpus
were brandishing torches, and round about
vulnerius praeberent. deinde hortante duce et
the Druids, with their hands raised to the sky,
se ipsi stimulantes ne muliebre et fanatiucm
pouring out terrible curses, overawed our
agmen timerent, inferunt signa sternuntque
soldiers by the strangeness of the sight so
obvios et igni suo incolcunt. praesidium
that, as if with paralysed limbs they presented
posthac impositum est victis excisique sunt
their unmoving bodies to wounds. Then with
luci superstitionibus sacri: nam Druides cruore
their general urging them on and they
captivo adolere aras et hominum fibris
themselves spurring themselves on not to
consulere deos fas habebant.
fear a column of women and fanatics, they
carried the standards forward and cut down
those in their way and enveloped them in
their own fire. After this a garrison was
imposed on the conquered men and the
groves sacred to these savage superstitions
were cut down; for the Druids considered it
right to make offerings on the altars with the
blood of captive and to consult the gods with
human intestines.
rex Icenorum Prautagus, divitiis diu clarus,
Prasutagus, the king of the Iceni, famous for a
Caesarem heredem duasque filias scripserat,
long time for his wealth, had made Caesar his
tali obsequio ratus et regnum et domum
heir along with his two daughters, thinking
suam procul iniuria futuram esse. quod contra
that by such obedience both his kingdom and
vertit, adeo ut regnum a centurionibus,
his home would be far from harm. And this
domus a servis velut capta vastarentur. iam
turned out quite the opposite, to such an
primum uxor eius Boudica verberata et filiae
extent that his kingdom was plundered by the
stupro violatae sunt: principes omnes
centurions and his home by his slaves, as if it
Icenorum, quasi Romani totam regionem
had been captured. Now at first his wife
muneri accepissent, avitis bonis exuuntur, et
Boudica was beaten and his daughters were
propinqui regis inter servos habebantur. qua
violated by rape, all the chiefs of the Iceni, as
contumelia et metu graviorum permoti, quod
if the Romans had received the whole region
in formam provinciae cesserant, rapiunt arma;
as a gift, were deprived of their ancestral
commoti sunt ad rebellionem Trinobantes et
goods and the relatives of the king were
qui alii, nondum servitio fracti, recipere
treated among the slaves. Alarmed by this
libertatem occultis coniurationibus
humiliation and by fear of more serious things
pepigerant. acerrimum in veteranos odium;
because they had been reduced to the state
qui in coloniam Camulodunum nuper deducti
of a province, they took up arms; the
pellebant domibus Trinobantes, exturbabant
Trinobantes were roused to rebellion and
agris, captivos vel servos appellabant;
others, who not yet broken by slavery, vowed
militesque superbiam saevitiamque
to recapture their freedom through secret
veteranorum incitabant similitudine vitae et
conspiracies. The fiercest hatred was towards
spe eiusdem licentiae. ad hoc, templum divo
the veterans, who, having recently been
Claudio exstructum quasi arx aeternae
brought into the colony of Camulodonum,
dominationis aspiciebatur, electique
were driving the Trinobantes from their
sacerdotes specie religionis omnes fortunas
homes, expelling them from their fields and
suas effundebant. nec
calling them captives or slaves; and the
difficile videbatur
delere coloniam nullis munimentis saeptam;
soldiers were encouraging the arrogance and
quod ducibus nostris parum provisum erat,
the violence of the veterans, owing to the
cum amoenitati prius quam usui
similarity in their lifestyles and in hope of the
consuluissent. iam Suetonio erant quarta
same freedom to misbehave. In addition to
decima legio cum vexillariis vicensimae et e
this the temple constructed to the divine
proximis auxiliares, decem ferme milia
Claudius was regarded as a citadel of eternal
armatorum: contendere et acie congredi
domination and the priests who had been
parat. eligitque locum angustis faucibus et a
chosen were pouring out all of their fortunes
tergo silvis clausum; sciebat enim nihil
under the pretence of religion. Nor did it
hostium esse nisi in fronte, et apertam esse
seem difficult to destroy a colony surrounded
planitiem sine metu insidiarum. igitur
by no fortifications. A fact which had been
legionarii instructi sunt frequentes ordinibus,
considered too little by our leaders, since they
levi armatura circumstante; equites
had payed attention to its pleasantness rather
conglobati pro cornibus adstiterunt. at
than its practicality. Now Suetonius had the
Britannorum copiae passim per catervas et
fourteenth legion with detachments of the
turmas exultabant, tanta multitudo quanta
twentieth and auxiliaries from the
non alias, et animo adeo feroci ut coniuges
neighbouring area, almost 10,000 armed men.
quoque testes victoriae secum
He prepared to hurry and join battle. And he
choose a place with a narrow entrance and
closed in from behind by woods; for he knew
that there were no enemy except in front of
him and that the plain was open with no fear
of ambush therefore the legionaries were
drawn up densely in their lines, with the light
troops surrounding them; the cavalry stood
by massed together in front of the wings. But
the troops of the Britons were rushing out
wildly everywhere through troops of soldiers
and cavalry. Such a number as never before
and with spirit so fierce that they also dragged
their wives along with them as witnesses of
their victory and they placed them on the
wagons which they had put at the edge of the
plane.
traherent, plaustrisque imponerent quae ad
And now at first the legion, giving no ground
extremam planitiem posuerant. ac primum
and defended by the narrowness of the
legio gradu immota et angustiis loci defensa,
location, after it had used up its weapons,
postquam in appropinquantes hostes certo
with accurate throws at the approaching
iactu tela exhauserat, tamquam cuneo erupit.
enemy charged in wedge formation. The
auxiliares quoque impetum faciunt; et equites
auxiliaries also made an attack and the
protentis hastis perfringunt quod obvium et
cavalry, with their spears stretched forth
validum erat. ceteri terga praebuerunt, difficili
broke through that which was in their way
effugio, quia circumiecta plaustra saepserant
and strong. The others turned tail but their
abitus. et milites ne feminis quidem
escape was difficult because the wagons
parcebant, confixaque telis etiam iumenta
which had been placed around them blocked
corporum cumulum auxerant. eo die milites
their escape routes and the soldiers spared
laudem claram et parem antiquis victoriis
not even the women and even the baggage
pepererunt: qippe sunt qui paulo minus quam
animals, pierced with weapons, had increased
octoginta milia Britannorum cecidisse tradant,
the heap of bodies. On that day the soldiers
militum quadringentis ferme interfectis nec
acquired glory which was famous and equal to
multo amplius vulneratis. Boudica vitam
the victories of old. Indeed, there are those
veneno finivit.
who say that a few less that 80,000 of the
Britons had fallen and that about 400 of our
soldiers were killed and not many more were
wounded, Boudica ended her life with poison.