8.13. “Come, then, to share in pains and perils, and undertake the charge of defending Gaul, ready to relieve the afflicted regions with every bounty. And if it becomes necessary to engage with the enemy, take your place with sure footing amid the standard-bearers themselves; be a thoughtful advisor of daring in due season, animate the warriors by taking the lead with utmost caution, strengthen them when in disorder with reinforcements, modestly rebuke the slothful, and be present as a most faithful witness at the side of the strong, as well as of the weak.”
8.13. “Adesto igitur laborum periculorumque particeps, et tutelam ministerii suscipe Galliarum, omni beneficentia partes levaturus afflictas: et si hostilibus congredi sit necesse, fixo gradu consiste inter signiferos ipsos, audendi in tempore consideratus hortator, pugnantes accendens praeeundo cautissime, turbatosque subsidiis fulciens, modesteque increpans desides, verissimus testis adfuturus industriis et ignavis.”
8.14. “Therefore, urged by the great crisis, go forth, yourself a brave man, ready to lead men equally brave. We shall stand by each other in turn with firm and steadfast affection, we shall campaign at the same time, and together we shall rule over a pacified world, provided only God grants our prayers, with equal moderation and conscientiousness. You will seem to be present with me everywhere, and I shall not fail you in whatever you undertake. In fine, go, hasten, with the united prayers of all, to defend with sleepless care the post assigned you, as it were, by your country herself.”
8.14. “Proinde urgente rei magnitudine, perge vir fortis, ducturus viros itidem fortes. Aderimus nobis vicissim amoris robusta constantia, militabimus simul, una orbem pacatum, deus modo velit quod oramus, pari moderatione pietateque recturi. Mecum ubique videberis praesens, et ego tibi quodcumque acturo non deero. Ad summam i, propera sociis omnium votis, velut assignatam tibi ab ipsa re publica, stationem cura pervigili defensurus.”
8.15. After this address was ended, no one held his peace, but all the soldiers with fearful din struck their shields against their knees (this is a sign of complete approval; for when, on the contrary, they smite their shields with their spears it is an indication of anger and resentment), and it was wonderful with what great joy all but a few approved Augustus’ choice and with due admiration welcomed the Caesar, brilliant with the gleam of the imperial purple.
8.15. Nemo post haec finita reticuit, sed militares omnes horrendo fragore scuta genibus illidentes (quod est prosperitatis indicium plenum; nam contra cum hastis clipei feriuntur, irae documentum est et doloris) immane quo quantoque gaudio praeter paucos Augusti probavere iudicium, Caesaremque admiratione digna suscipiebant, imperatorii muricis fulgore flagrantem.
8.16. Gazing long and earnestly on his eyes, at once terrible and full of charm, and on his face attractive in its unusual animation, they divined what manner of man he would be, as if they had perused those ancient books, the reading of which discloses from bodily signs the inward qualities of the soul. And that he might be regarded with the greater respect, they neither praised him beyond measure nor less than was fitting, and therefore their words were esteemed as those of censors, not of soldiers.
8.16. Cuius oculos cum venustate terribilis, vultumque excitatius gratum, diu multumque contuentes, qui futurus sit colligebant velut scrutatis veteribus libris, quorum lectio per corporum signa pandit animorum interna. Eumque ut potiori reverentia servaretur, nec supra modum laudabant, nec infra quam decebat, atque ideo censorum voces sunt aestimatae, non militum.
8.17. Finally, he was taken up to sit with the emperor in his carriage and conducted to the palace, whispering this verse from the Homeric song:By purple death I’m seized and fate supreme.This happened on the sixth of November of the year when Arbetio and Lollianus were consuls.
8.17. Susceptus denique ad consessum vehiculi, receptusque in regiam, hunc versum ex Homerico carmine susurrabat:ἔλλαβε πορφύρεος φάνατος καὶ μοῖρα κραταιή. Haec diem octavum iduum Novembrium gesta sunt, cum Arbetionem consulem annus haberet et Lollianum.
8.18. Then, within a few days, Helena, the maiden sister of Constantius, was joined in the bonds of wedlock to the Caesar; and when everything had been prepared which the imminence of his departure demanded, taking a small suite, he set out on the first of December, escorted by Augustus as far as the spot marked by two columns, lying between Laumello and Pavia, and came by direct marches to Turin. There he was staggered by serious news, which had lately been brought to the emperor’s court but had purposely been kept secret, for fear that the preparations might come to nothing.
8.18. Deinde diebus paucis Helena virgine, Constanti sorore, eidem Caesari iugali foedere copulata, paratisque universis quae maturitas proficiscendi poscebat, comitatu parvo suscepto, kalendis Decembribus egressus est deductusque ab Augusto ad usque locum duabus columnis insignem, qui Laumellum interiacet et Ticinum, itineribus rectis Taurinos pervenit, ubi nuntio percellitur gravi, qui nuper in comitatum Augusti perlatus, de industria silebatur, ne parata diffluerent.
8.19. The news stated that Cologne, a city of great renown in Lower Germany, after an obstinate siege by the savages in great force, had been stormed and destroyed.
8.19. Indicabat autem Coloniam Agrippinam, ampli nominis urbem in secunda Germania, pertinaci barbarorum obsidione reseratam magnis viribus et deletam.
8.20. Overwhelmed by sorrow at this, the first omen, as it were, of approaching ills, he was often heard to mutter in complaining tones that he had gained nothing, except to die with heavier work.
8.20. Quo maerore perculsus, velut primo adventantium malorum auspicio, murmurans querulis vocibus saepe audiebatur: nihil se plus assecutum, quam ut occupatior interiret.
8.21. But when he reached Vienne and entered the city, all ages and ranks flocked together to receive him with honour, as a man both longed for and efficient; and when they saw him afar off, the whole populace with the immediate neighbourhood, saluted him as a commander gracious and fortunate, and marched ahead of him with a chorus of praise, the more eagerly beholding royal pomp in a legitimate prince. And in his coming they placed the redress of their common disasters, thinking that some helpful spirit had shone upon their desperate condition.
8.21. Cumque Viennam venisset, ingredientem optatum quidem et impetrabilem honorifice susceptura omnis aetas concurrebat et dignitas, proculque visum plebs universa, cum vicinitate finitima, imperatorem clementem appellans et faustum, praevia consonis laudibus celebrabat, avidius pompam regiam in principe legitimo cernens: communiumque remedium aerumnarum in eius locabat adventu, salutarem quendam genium affulsisse conclamatis negotiis arbitrata.
8.22. Then an old woman, who had lost her sight, on inquiring who had entered and learning that it was the Caesar Julian, cried out that he would repair the temples of the Gods.
8.22. tunc Tune anus quaedam orba luminibus, cum percontando quinam esset ingressus, Iulianum Caesarem comperisset, exclamavit hunc deorum templa reparaturum.
9.1. Now, since—as the lofty bard of Mantua said of old—a greater work undertake, a greater train of events ariseth before me, I think now a suitable time to describe the regions and situation of the Gauls, for fear that amid fiery encounters and shifting fortunes of battle I may treat of matters unknown to some and seem to follow the example of slovenly sailors, who are forced amid surges and storms to mend their worn sails and rigging, which might have been put in order with less danger.
9.1. Proinde quoniam—ut Mantuanus vates praedixit excelsus—“maius opus moveo” maiorque mihi rerum nascitur ordo, Galliarum tractus et situm ostendere puto nunc tempestivum, ne inter procinctus ardentes, proeliorumque varios casus, ignota quibusdam expediens imitari videar desides nauticos, attrita lintea cum rudentibus, quae licuit parari securius, inter fluctus resarcire coactos et tempestates.
9.2. The ancient writers, in doubt as to the earliest origin of the Gauls, have left an incomplete account of the matter, but later Timagenes, a true Greek in accuracy as well as language, collected out of various books these facts that had been long forgotten; which, following his authority, and avoiding any obscurity, I shall state clearly and plainly.
9.2. Ambigentes super origine prima Gallorum, scriptores veteres notitiam reliquere negotii semiplenam, sed postea Timagenes, et diligentia Graecus et lingua, haec quae diu sunt ignorata collegit ex multiplicibus libris. Cuius fidem secuti, obscuritate dimota, eadem distincte docebimus et aperte.
9.3. Some asserted that the people first seen in these regions were Aborigines, called Celts from the name of a beloved king, and Galatae (for so the Greek language terms the Gauls) from the name of his mother. Others stated that the Dorians, following the earlier Hercules, settled in the lands bordering on the Ocean.
9.3. Aborigines primos in his regionibus quidam visos esse firmarunt, Celtas nomine regis amabilis et matris eius vocabulo Galatas dictos—ita enim Gallos sermo Graecus appellat—alii Dorienses antiquiorem secutos Herculem oceani locos inhabitasse confines.
9.4. The Drysidae say that a part of the people was in fact indigenous, but that others also poured in from the remote islands and the regions across the Rhine, driven from their homes by continual wars and by the inundation of the stormy sea.
9.4. Drysidae memorant re vera fuisse populi partem indigenam, sed alios quoque ab insulis extimis confluxisse et tractibus transrhenanis, crebritate bellorum et alluvione fervidi maris sedibus suis expulsos.
9.5. Some assert that after the destruction of Troy a few of those who fled from the Greeks and were scattered everywhere occupied those regions, which were then deserted.
9.5. Aiunt quidam paucos post excidium Troiae fugitantes Graecos ubique dispersos disperses loca haec occupasse tunc vacua.
9.6. But the inhabitants of those countries affirm this beyond all else, and I have also read it inscribed upon their monuments, that Hercules, the son of Amphytrion, hastened to destroy the cruel tyrants Geryon and Tauriscus, of whom one oppressed Spain, the other, Gaul; and having overcome them both that he took to wife some high-born women and begat numerous children, who called by their own names the districts which they ruled.
9.6. Regionum autem incolae id magis omnibus asseverant, quod etiam nos legimus in monumentis eorum incisum, Amphitryonis filium Herculem ad Geryonis et Taurisci saevum tyrannorum perniciem festinasse, quorum alter Hispanias, alter Gallias infestabat; superatisque ambobus, coisse cum generosis feminis suscepisseque liberos plures, et eos partes quibus imperitabant suis nominibus appellasse.
9.7. But in fact a people of Asia from Phocaea, to avoid the severity of Harpalus, prefect of king Cyrus, set sail for Italy. A part of them founded Velia in Lucania, the rest, Massilia in the region of Vienne. Then in subsequent ages they established no small number of towns, as their strength and resources increased. But I must not discuss varying opinions, which often causes satiety.
9.7. A Phocaea vero Asiaticus populus, Harpali inclementiam vitans, Cyri regis praefecti, Italiam navigio petit. Cuius pars in Lucania Veliam, alia condidit in Viennensi Massiliam: dein secutis aetatibus oppida, aucta virium copia, instituere non pauca. Sed declinanda varietas saepe satietati coniuncta.
9.8. Throughout these regions men gradually grew civilised and the study of the liberal arts flourished, initiated by the Bards, the Euhages and the Druids. Now, the Bards sang to the sweet strains of the lyre the valorous deeds of famous men composed in heroic verse, but the Euhages, investigating the sublime, attempted to explain the secret laws of nature. The Druids, being loftier than the rest in intellect, and bound together in fraternal organisations, as the authority of Pythagoras determined, were elevated by their investigation of obscure and profound subjects, and scorning all things human, pronounced the soul immortal.
9.8. Per haec loca hominibus paulatim excultis, viguere studia laudabilium doctrinarum, inchoata per bardos et euhagis et drasidas drysidas. Et Bardi quidem fortia virorum illustrium facta, heroicis composita versibus, cum dulcibus lyrae modulis cantitarunt, Euhages vero scrutantes sublimia, leges naturae pandere conabantur internas. Drysidae ingeniis celsiores, ut auctoritas Pythagorae decrevit, sodaliciis astricti consortiis, quaestionibus occultarum rerum altarumque erecti sunt, et despectantes humana, pronuntiarunt animas immortales.
10.1. This country of Gaul, because of its lofty chains of mountains always covered with formidable snows, was formerly all but unknown to the inhabitants of the rest of the globe, except where it borders on the coast; and bulwarks enclose it on every side, surrounding it naturally, as if by the art of man.
10.1. Hanc Galliarum plagam ob suggestus montium arduos, et horrore nivali semper obductos, orbis residui incolis antehac paene ignotam, nisi qua litoribus est vicina, munimina claudunt undique natura velut arte circumdata.
10.2. Now on the southern side it is washed by the Tuscan and the Gallic Sea; where it looks up to the heavenly Wain, it is separated from the wild nations by the channels of the Rhine. Where it lies under the west-sloping sun it is bounded by the Ocean and the Pyrenaean heights; and where it rises towards the East it gives place to the bulk of the Cottian Alps. There King Cottius, after the subjugation of Gaul, lay hidden alone in their defiles, trusting to the pathless ruggedness of the region; finally, when his disaffection was allayed, and he was admitted to the emperor Octavian’s friendship, in lieu of a remarkable gift he built with great labour short cuts convenient to travellers, since they were midway between other ancient Alpine passes, about which I shall later tell what I have learned.
10.2. Et a latere quidem australi, Tyrrheno alluitur et Gallico mari; qua caeleste suspicit plaustrum, a feris gentibus fluentis distinguitur Rheni; ubi occidentali subiecta est sideri, oceano et altitudine Pyrenaea arcetur; unde ad solis ortus attollitur, aggeribus cedit Alpium Cottiarum; quas rex Cottius perdomitis Galliis, solus in angustiis latens, inviaque locorum asperitate confisus, lenito tandem tumore, in amicitiam principis Octaviani receptus molibus magnis exstruxit, ad vicem memorabilis muneris, compendiarias et viantibus opportunas, medias inter alias Alpes vetustas, super quibus comperta paulo postea referemus.
10.3. In these Cottian Alps, which begin at the town of Susa, there rises a lofty ridge, which scarcely anyone can cross without danger.
10.3. In his Alpibus Cottiis, quarum initium a Segusione est oppido, praecelsum erigitur iugum, nulli fere sine discrimine penetrabile.
10.4. For as one comes from Gaul it falls off with sheer incline, terrible to look upon because of overhanging cliffs on either side, especially in the season of spring, when the ice melts and the snows thaw under the warmer breath of the wind; then over precipitous ravines on either side and chasms rendered treacherous through the accumulation of ice, men and animals descending with hesitating step slide forward, and waggons as well. And the only expedient that has been devised to ward off destruction is this: they bind together a number of vehicles with heavy ropes and hold them back from behind with powerful efforts of men or oxen at barely a snail’s pace; and so they roll down a little more safely. And this, as we have said, happens in the spring of the year.
10.4. Est enim e Galliis venientibus prona humilitate devexum, pendentium saxorum altrinsecus visu terribile praesertim verno tempore, cum liquente gelu nivibusque solutis flatu calidiore ventorum, per diruptas utrimque angustias et lacunas, pruinarum congerie latebrosas, descendentes cunctantibus plantis homines et iumenta procidunt et carpenta; idque remedium ad arcendum exitium repertum est solum, quod pleraque vehicula vastis funibus illigata pone cohibente virorum vel boum bourn nisu valido vix gressu reptante, paulo tutius devolvuntur. Et haec (ut diximus) anni verno contingunt.
10.5. But in winter the ground, caked with ice, and as it were polished and therefore slippery, drives men headlong in their gait and the spreading valleys in level places, made treacherous by ice, sometimes swallow up the traveller. Therefore those that know the country well drive projecting wooden stakes along the safer spots, in order that their line may guide the traveller in safety. But if these are covered with snow and hidden, or are overturned by the streams running down from the mountains, the paths are difficult to traverse even with natives leading the way.
10.5. Hieme vero humus crustata frigoribus et tamquam levigata ideoque labilis incessum praecipitantem impellit; et patulae valles per spatia plana glacie perfidae vorant non numquam transeuntes. Ob quae locorum callidi eminentes ligneos stilos per cautiora loca defigunt, ut eorum series viatorem ducat innoxium; qui si nivibus operti latuerint, aut montanis defluentibus rivis eversi, calles agrestibus praeviis difficile pervadunt.
10.6. But from the peak of this Italian slope a plateau extends for seven miles, as far as the post named from Mars; from there on another loftier height, equally difficult to surmount, reaches to the peak of the Matrona, so called from an accident to a noble lady. After that a route, steep to be sure, but easier to traverse extends to the fortress of Briançon.
10.6. A summitate autem huius Italici clivi, planities ad usque stationem nomine Martis per septem extenditur milia, et hinc alia celsitudo erectior, aegreque superabilis, ad Matronae porrigitur verticem, cuius vocabulum casus feminae nobilis dedit. Unde declive quidem iter sed expeditius ad usque castellum Brigantiam patet.
10.7. The tomb of the prince, who, as we said, built these roads, is at Susa next to the walls, and his shades are devoutly venerated for a double reason: because he had ruled his subjects with a just government, and when admitted to alliance with the Roman state, procured eternal peace for his nation.
10.7. Huius sepulcrum reguli, quem itinera struxisse rettulimus, Segusione est moenibus proximum, manesque eius ratione gemina religiose coluntur, quod iusto moderamine rexerat suos, et asscitus in societatem rei Romanae, quietem genti praestitit sempiternam.
10.8. And although this road which I have described is the middle one, the short cut, and the more frequented, yet there are also others, constructed long before at various times.
10.8. Et licet haec quam diximus viam media sit et compendiaria, magisque celebris, tamen etiam aliae multo antea temporibus sunt constructae diversis.
10.9. Now the first of these the Theban Hercules, when travelling leisurely to destroy Geryon and Tauriscus, constructed near the Maritime Alps and gave them the name of the Graian Alps. And in like manner he consecrated the castle and harbour of Monaco to his lasting memory. Then, later, after the passage of many centuries, the name Pennine was devised for these Alps for the following reason.
10.9. Et primam Thebaeus Hercules, ad Geryonem exstinguendum (ut relatum est) et Tauriscum lenius gradiens, prope maritimas composuit Alpes, hisque Graiarum indidit nomen; Monoeci similiter arcem et portum ad perennem sui memoriam consecravit. Deinde emensis postea saeculis multis, hac ex causa sunt Alpes excogitatae Poeninae.
10.10. Publius Cornelius Scipio, father of the elder Africanus, when the Saguntines, famous both for their catastrophies and their loyalty, were besieged by the Africans with persistent obstinacy, wishing to help them, crossed to Spain with a fleet manned by a strong army. But as the city had been destroyed by a superior force, and he was unable to overtake Hannibal, who had crossed the Rhone three days before and was hastening to the regions of Italy, by swift sailing he crossed the intervening space-which is not great-and watched at Genoa, a town of Liguria, for Hannibal’s descent from the mountains, so that if chance should give him the opportunity, he might fight with him in the plain while exhausted by the roughness of the roads.
10.10. Superioris Africani pater Publius Cornelius Scipio, Saguntinis memorabilibus aerumnis et fide, pertinaci destinatione Afrorum obsessis, iturus auxilio, in Hispaniam traduxit onustam manu valida classem, sed civitate potiore Marte deleta, Hannibalem sequi nequiens, triduo ante transito Rhodano, ad partes Italiae contendentem, navigatione veloci intercurso spatio maris haut longo, degressurum montibus apud Genuam observabat, Liguriae oppidum, ut cum eo (si copiam fors dedisset) viarum asperitate fatigato decerneret in planitie.
10.11. At the same time, having an eye to the common welfare, he advised his brother, Gnaeus Scipio, to proceed to Spain and hold off Hasdrubal, who was planning to burst forth in like manner from that quarter. But Hannibal learned of this from deserters, and being of a nimble and crafty wit, came, under the guidance of natives from among the Taurini, through the Tricasini and the extreme edge of the Vocontii to the passes of the Tricorii. Starting out from there, he made another road, where it hitherto had been impassable; he hewed out a cliff which rose to a vast height by burning it with flames of immense power and crumbling it by pouring on vinegar; then he marched along the river Druentia, dangerous with its shifting eddies, and seized upon the district of Etruria. So much about the Alps; let us now turn to the rest of the country.
10.11. Consulens tamen rei communi, Cn. Scipionem fratrem ire monuit in Hispanias, ut Hasdrubalem exinde similiter erupturum arceret. Quae Hannibal doctus a perfugis, ut erat expeditae mentis et callidae, Taurinis ducentibus accolis, per Tricasinos et oram Vocontiorum extremam, ad saltus Tricorios venit. Indeque exorsus, aliud iter antehac insuperabile fecit; excisaque rupe in immensum elata, quam cremando vi magna flammarum acetoque infuso dissolvit, per Druentiam flumen, gurgitibus vagis intutum, regiones occupavit Etruscas. Hactenus super Alpibus. Nunc ad restantia veniamus.
11.1. In early times, when these regions lay in darkness as savage, they are thought to have been threefold, divided into Celts (the same as the Gauls), the Aquitanians, and the Belgians, differing in language, habits and laws.
11.1. Temporibus priscis, cum laterent hae partes ut barbarae, tripertitae fuisse creduntur in Celtas eosdemque Gallos divisae, et Aquitanos et Belgas, lingua institutis legibusque discrepantes.
11.2. Now the Gauls (who are the Celts) are separated from the Aquitanians by the Garonne river, which rises in the hills of the Pyrenees, and after running past many towns disappears in the Ocean.
11.2. Et Gallos quidem (qui Celtae sunt) ab Aquitanis Garumna disterminat flumen, a Pyrenaeis oriens collibus, postque oppida multa transcursa, in oceano delitescens.
11.3. But from the Belgians this same nation is separated by the Marne and the Seine, rivers of identical size; they flow through the district of Lyons, and after encircling in the manner of an island a stronghold of the Parisii called Lutetia, they unite in one channel, and flowing on together pour into the sea not far from Castra Constantia.
11.3. Belgis vero eandem gentem Matrona discindit et Sequana, amnes magnitudinis geminae; qui fluentes per Lugdunensem, post circumclausum ambitu insulari Parisiorum castellum, Lutetiam nomine amine, consociati, meantesque protinus prope astra Constantia funduntur in mare.
11.4. Of all these nations the Belgae had the reputation in the ancient writers of being the most valiant, for the reason that being far removed from civilised life and not made effeminate by imported luxuries, they warred for a long time with the Germans across the Rhine.
11.4. Horum omnium apud veteres Belgae dicebantur esse fortissimi, ea propter quod ab humaniore cultu longe discreti, nec adventiciis effeminati deliciis, diu cum transrhenanis certavere Germanis.
11.5. The Aquitanians, on the contrary, to whose coasts, as being near at hand and peaceable, imported wares are conveyed, had their characters weakened to effeminacy and easily came under the sway of Rome.
11.5. Aquitani enim, ad quorum litora ut proxima placidaque, merces adventiciae convehuntur, moribus ad mollitiem lapsis, facile in dicionem venere Romanam.
11.6. All the Gauls, ever since under the perpetual pressure of wars they yielded to the dictator Julius, have been governed by an administration divided into four parts. Of these Gallia Narbonensis by itself comprised the districts of Vienne and Lyons; the second had control of all Aquitania; Upper and Lower Germany, as well as the Belgians, were governed by two administrations at that same time.
11.6. Regebantur autem Galliae omnes, iam inde uti crebritate bellorum urgenti cessere Iulio dictatori, potestate in partes divisa quattuor, quarum Narbonensis una Viennensem intra se continebat et Lugdunensem; altera Aquitanis praeerat universis; superiorem et inferiorem Germaniam Belgasque duae iurisdictiones eisdem rexere temporibus.
11.7. But now the provinces over the whole extent of Gaul are reckoned as follows: The first province (beginning on the western front) is Lower, or Second, Germany, fortified by the wealthy and populous cities of Cologne and Tongres.
11.7. At nunc numerantur provinciae per omnem ambitum Galliarum: secunda Germania, prima ab occidentali exordiens cardine, Agrippina et Tungris munita, civitatibus amplis et copiosis.
11.8. Next comes First, or Upper, Germany where besides other free towns are Mayence and Worms and Spires and Strasburg, famous for the disasters of the savages.
11.8. Dein prima Germania, ubi praeter alia municipia Mogontiacus est et Vangiones, et Nemetae et Argentoratus, barbaricis cladibus nota.
11.9. After these the First province of Belgium displays Metz and Treves, splendid abode of the emperors.
11.9. Post has Belgica prima Mediomatricos praetendit et Treveros, domicilium principum clarum.
11.10. Adjoining this is the Second province of Belgium, in which are Amiens, a city eminent above the rest, and Chalôns and Rheims.
11.10. Huic annexa secunda est Belgica, qua Ambiani sunt, urbs inter alias eminens, et Catelauni et Remi.
11.11. In the Seine province we see Besançon and Augst, more important than its many other towns. The first Lyonnese province is made famous by Lyons, Châlon-sur-Saône, Sens, Bourges, and Autun with its huge ancient walls.
11.11. Apud Sequanos Bisontios videmus et Rauracos, aliis potiores oppidis multis. Lugdunensem primam Lugdunum Lugdunus ornat et Cabillona Cabyllona et Senones et Biturigae et moenium Augustuduni magnitudo magnitude vetusta.
11.12. As for the second Lyonnese province, Rouen and Tours make it distinguished, as well as Evreux and Troyes. The Graian and Pennine Alps, not counting towns of lesser note, have Avenche, a city now abandoned, to be sure, but once of no slight importance, as is even yet evident from its half-ruined buildings. These are the goodly provinces and cities of Gaul.
11.12. Secundam enim Lugdunensem Rotomagi et Turini, Mediolanum ostendunt et Tricasini; Alpes Graiae et Poeninae exceptis obscurioribus habent et Aventicum, desertam quidem civitatem sed non ignobilem quondam, ut aedificia semiruta nunc quoque demonstrant. Haec provinciae urbesque sunt splendidae Galliarum.
11.13. In Aquitania, which trends towards the Pyrenees mountains and that part of the Ocean which extends towards Spain, the first province is Aquitania, much adorned by the greatness of its cities; leaving out numerous others, Bordeaux and Clermont are conspicuous, as well as Saintorige and Poitiers.
11.13. In Aquitania quae Pyrenaeos montes et eam partem spectat oceani quae pertinet ad Hispanos, prima provincia est Aquitanica, amplitudine civitatum admodum culta omissis aliis multis, Burdigala et Arverni excellunt, et Santones et Pictavi.
11.14. The “Nine Nations” are ennobled by Auch and Bazas. In the Narbonese province Eauze, Narbonne, and Toulouse hold the primacy among the cities. The Viennese province rejoices in the distinction conferred by many cities, of which the most important are Vienne itself, Aries and Valence; and joined to these is Marseilles, by whose alliance and power we read that Rome was several times supported in severe crises.
11.14. Novem populos Ausci commendant et Vasatae. In Narbonensi Elusa et Narbona et Tolosa principatum urbium tenent. Viennensis civitatum exsultat exultat decore multarum, e quibus potiores sunt Vienna ipsa et Arelate et Valentia; quibus Massilia iungitur, cuius societate et viribus in discriminibus arduis fultam aliquotiens legimus Romam.
11.15. Near these are Aix-en-Provence, Nice, Antibes, and the Isles d’Hyères.
11.15. His prope Salluvii sunt et Nicaea et Antipolis, insulaeque Stoechades.
11.16. And since we have reached these parts in the course of our work, it would be unfitting and absurd to say nothing of the Rhone, a river of the greatest celebrity. Rising in the Pennine Alps from a plenteous store of springs, the Rhone flows in headlong course towards more level places. It hides its banks with its own stream and bursts into the lagoon called Lake Leman. This it flows through, nowhere mingling with the water outside, but gliding along the surface of the less active water on either hand, it seeks an outlet and forces a way for itself by its swift onset.
11.16. Et quoniam ad has partes opere contexto pervenimus, silere super Rhodano, maximi nominis flumine, incongruum est et absurdum. A Poeninis Alpibus effusiore copia fontium Rhodanus fluens, et proclivi impetu ad planiora degrediens, proprio agmine ripas occultat, et paludi sese ingurgitat, nomine Lemanno, eamque intermeans, nusquam aquis miscetur externis, sed altrinsecus summitates undae praeterlabens segnioris, quaeritans exitus, viam sibi impetu veloci molitur.
11.17. From there without any loss of volume it flows through Savoy and the Seine Province, and, after going on for a long distance, it grazes the Viennese Province on the left side and the Lyonnese on the right side. Next, after describing many meanders, it receives the Arar, which they call the Sauconna, flowing between Upper Germany and the Seine Province, and gives it its own name. This point is the beginning of Gaul, and from there they measure distances, not in miles but in leagues.
11.17. Unde sine iactura rerum per Sapaudiam fertur et Sequanos, longeque progressus, Viennensem latere sinistro perstringit, dextro Lugdunensem, et emensus spatia flexuosa, Ararim quem Sauconnam appellant, inter Germaniam primam fluentem et Sequanos, suum in nomen assciscit, qui locus exordium est Galliarum. Exindeque non millenis passibus sed leugis itinera metiuntur.
11.18. After this the Rhone, enriched by the tributary waters of the Isère, carries very large craft, which are frequently wont to be tossed by gales of wind, and having finished the bounds which nature has set for it, its foaming waters are mingled with the Gallic Sea through a broad bay which they call Ad Gradus at about the eighteenth milestone distant from Arles. Let this suffice for the topography of the region; I shall now describe the appearance and manners of its people.
11.18. Dein Isarae Rhodanus aquis advenis locupletior, vehit grandissimas naves, ventorum difflatu iactari saepius assuetas, finitisque intervallis quae ei natura praescripsit, spumeus Gallico mari concorporatur, per patulum sinum quem vocant Ad gradus, ab Arelate octavo decimo ferme lapide disparatum. Sit satis de situ locorum. Nunc figuras et mores hominum designabo.
12.1. Almost all the Gauls are of tall stature, fair and ruddy, terrible for the fierceness of their eyes, fond of quarrelling, and of overbearing insolence. In fact, a whole band of foreigners will be unable to cope with one of them in a fight, if he call in his wife, stronger than he by far and with flashing eyes; least of all when she swells her neck and gnashes her teeth, and poising her huge white arms, proceeds to rain punches mingled with kicks, like shots discharged by the twisted cords of a catapult.
12.1. Celsioris staturae et candidi paene Galli sunt omnes et rutili, luminumque torvitate terribiles, avidi iurgiorum, et sublatius insolentes. Nec enim eorum quemquam adhibita uxore rixantem, multo se fortiore et glauca, peregrinorum ferre poterit globus, tum maxime cum illa inflata cervice suffrendens, ponderansque niveas ulnas et vastas, admixtis calcibus emittere coeperit pugnos, ut catapultas tortilibus nervis excussas.
12.2. The voices of most of them are formidable and threatening, alike when they are good-natured or angry. But all of them with equal care keep clean and neat, and in those districts, particularly in Aquitania, no man or woman can be seen, be she never so poor, in soiled and ragged clothing, as elsewhere.
12.2. Metuendae voces complurium et minaces, placatorum iuxta et irascentium, tersi tamen pari diligentia cuncti et mundi, nec in tractibus illis, maximeque apud Aquitanos, vir poterit aliquis videri vel femina, licet perquam pauper, ut alibi frustis squalere pannorum.
12.3. All ages are most fit for military service, and the old man marches out on a campaign with a courage equal to that of the man in the prime of life; since his limbs are toughened by cold and constant toil, and he will make light of many formidable dangers. Nor does anyone of them, for dread of the service of Mars, cut off his thumb, as in Italy: there they call such men “murci,” or cowards.
12.3. Ad militandum omnis aetas aptissima, et pari pectoris robore senex ad procinctum ducitur et adultus, gelu duratis artubus et labore assiduo, multa contempturus et formidanda. Nec eorum aliquando quisquam (ut in Italia) munus Martium pertimescens, pollicem sibi praecidit, quos localiter murcos appellant.
12.4. It is a race greedy for wine, devising numerous drinks similar to wine, and some among them of the baser sort, with wits dulled by continual drunkenness (which Cato’s saying pronounced a voluntary kind of madness) rush about in aimless revels, so that those words seem true which Cicero spoke when defending Fonteius: “The Gauls henceforth will drink wine mixed with water, which they once thought poison.”
12.4. Vini avidum genus, affectans ad vini similitudinem multiplices potus, et inter eos humiles quidam, obtunsis ebrietate continua sensibus, quam furoris voluntariam speciem esse Catoniana sententia definivit, raptantur discursibus vagis, ut verum illud videatur quod ait defendens Fonteium Tullius: “Gallos post haec dilutius esse poturos quod illi venenum esse arbitrabantur.”
12.5. These regions, and especially those bordering on Italy, came gradually and with slight effort under the dominion of Rome; they were first essayed by Fulvius, then undermined in petty battles by Sextius, and finally subdued by Fabius Maximus, on whom the full completion of this business (when he had vanquished the formidable tribe of the Allobroges) conferred that surname.
12.5. Hae regiones, praecipueque confines Italicis, paulatim levi sudore sub imperium venere Romanum, primo temptatae per Fulvium, deinde proeliis parvis quassatae per Sextium, ad ultimum per Fabium Maximum domitae. Cui negotii plenus effectus, asperiore Allobrogum gente devicta, hoc indidit cognomentum.
12.6. Now the whole of Gaul (except where, as the authority of Sallust informs us, it was impassable with marshes), after losses on both sides during ten years of war the dictator Caesar subdued and joined to us in an everlasting covenant of alliance. I have digressed too far, but I shall at last return to my subject.
12.6. Nam omnes Gallias (nisi qua paludibus inviae fuere, ut Sallustio docetur auctore) post decennalis belli mutuas clades subegit Caesar dictator, societatique nostrae foederibus iunxit inxit aeternis. Evectus sum longius; sed remeabo tandem ad coepta.
13.1. After Domitianus was dispatched by a cruel death, his successor Musonianus governed the East with the rank of pretorian prefect, a man famed for his command of both languages, from which he won higher distinction than was expected.
13.1. Domitiano crudeli morte consumpto, Musonianus eius successor sucessor orientem praetoriani regebat potestate praefecti, facundia sermonis utriusque clarus. Unde sublimius quam sperabatur eluxit.
13.2. For when Constantine was closely investigating the different religious sects, Manichaeans and the like, and no suitable interpreter could be found, he chose him, as a person recommended to him as competent; and when he had done that duty skilfully, he wished him to be called Musonianus, whereas he had hitherto had the name of Strategius. From that beginning, having run through many grades of honour, he rose to the prefecture, a man intelligent in other respects and satisfactory to the provinces, mild also and well-spoken, but on any and every occasion, and especially (which is odious) in hard-fought lawsuits and under all circumstances greedily bent upon filthy lucre. This became clearly evident (among many other instances) in the investigations set on foot regarding the death of Theophilus, governor of Syria, who, because of the betrayal of Gallus Caesar, was torn to pieces in an onslaught of the rabble upon him; on which occasion sundry poor men were condemned, although it was known that they had been away when this happened, while the wealthy perpetrators of the foul crime were set free after being stripped of their property.
13.2. Constantinus enim cum limatius superstitionum quaereret sectas, Manichaeorum et similium, nec interpres inveniretur idoneus, hunc sibi commendatum ut sufficientem elegit; quem, officio functum perite, Musonianum voluit appellari, ante Strategium dictitatum, et ex eo percursis honorum gradibus multis, ascendit ad praefecturam, prudens alia tolerabilisque provinciis, et mitis et blandus, sed ex qualibet occasione, maximeque ex controversis litibus (quod nefandum est) et in totum lucrandi aviditate sordescens, ut inter alia multa, evidenter apparuit in quaestionibus agitatis super morte Theophili Syriae consularis, proditione Caesaris Galli, impetu plebis promiscuae discerpti, ubi damnatis pauperibus, quos cum haec agerentur, peregre fuisse constabat, auctores diri facinoris exutis patrimoniis absoluti sunt divites.
13.3. He was matched by Prosper, who was at that time still representing the cavalry commander in Gaul and held military authority there, an abject coward and, as the comic poet says, scorning artifice in thieving and plundering openly.
13.3. Hunc Prosper adaequabat, pro magistro equitum agente etiam tum in Galliis, militem regens, abiecte ignavus et (ut ait comicus) arte despecta furtorum rapiens propalam.
13.4. While these men were in league and enriching themselves by bringing mutual gain one to the other, the Persian generals stationed by the rivers, while their king was busied in the farthest bounds of his empire, kept raiding our territories with predatory bands, now fearlessly invading Armenia and sometimes Mesopotamia, while the Roman officers were occupied in gathering the spoils of those who paid them obedience.
13.4. Quis concordantibus, mutuaque commercia vicissim sibi conciliando locupletatis, Persici duces vicini fluminibus, rege in ultimis terrarum suarum terminis occupato, per praedatorios globos nostra vexabant, nunc Armeniam aliquotiens Mesopotamiam confidentius incursantes, Romanis ductoribus ad colligendas oboedientium exuvias occupatis.