---
title: "Gallic War — Book V"
author: "Julius Caesar"
translator: "W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Classical Latin"
section: 14 of 58
url: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/14/
cite: "Julius Caesar, tr. W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, Gallic War — Book V, section 14. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/14/"
---

# Gallic War — Book V

*Julius Caesar, tr. W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn*

## 14. Book V — Chapter 14

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/14/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/14/#p-N

[¶0] The most civilized of all these nations are they who inhabit Kent, which is entirely a maritime district, nor do they differ much from the Gallic customs.

> Latin: Ex his omnibus longe sunt humanissimi qui Cantium incolunt, quae regio est maritima omnis, neque multum a Gallica differunt consuetudine.

[¶1] Most of the inland inhabitants do not sow corn, but live on milk and flesh, and are clad with skins. All the Britains, indeed, dye themselves with woad, which occasions a bluish color, and thereby have a more terrible appearance in fight.

> Latin: Interiores plerique frumenta non serunt, sed lacte et carne vivunt pellibusque sunt vestiti. Omnes vero se Britanni vitro inficiunt, quod caeruleum efficit colorem, atque hoc horridiores sunt in pugna aspectu;

[¶2] They wear their hair long, and have every part of their body shaved except their head and upper lip.

> Latin: capilloque sunt promisso atque omni parte corporis rasa praeter caput et labrum superius.

[¶3] Ten and even twelve have wives common to them, and particularly brothers among brothers, and parents among their children; but if there be any issue by these wives, they are reputed to be the children of those by whom respectively each was first espoused when a virgin.

> Latin: Vxores habent deni duodenique inter se communes et maxime fratres cum fratribus parentesque cum liberis; sed qui sunt ex his nati, eorum habentur liberi, quo primum virgo quaeque deducta est.