Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/305

 B. iv. c. iv. 2. GAUL. THE BELG^. 291 ships were constructed of solid wood,) 1 but whenever their ships were borne near to his by the wind, the Romans rent the .Sails by means of scythes fixed on long handles : 2 for the sails [of their ships 1 are made of leather to resist the violence of the winds, and managed by chains instead of cables. They construct their vessels with broad bottoms and high pnnp* and prows, on account of the tides. They are built o/ thp fooH of the oak, oF which there is abundance. On this account, in- stead of fitting the planks close together, they leave interstices between them ; these they fill with sea-weed to prevent the wood from drying up in dock for want of moisture ; for the sea-weed is damp by nature, but the oak dry and arid. In my opinion these Yeneti were the founders of the Yeneti in the Adriatic, for almost all theTother Keltic nations in Italy have passed over from the country beyond the Alps, as for instance, the Boii 3 and Senones. 4 They are said to be Paphlagonians merely on account of a similarity of name. However, I do not maintain my opinion positively ; for in these matters probability is quite sufficient. The Osismii are the people whom Pytheas calls Ostimii ; they dwell on a promontory which projects considerably into the ocean, but not so far as Pytheas and those who follow him assert. 5 As for the nations between the Seine and the Loire, some are contiguous to the Sequani, others to the Arverni. 2. The entire race which now goes by the name of Gallic, or Galatic, 6 is warlike, passionate, and always ready for fi^ht- ing, but otherwise simple and not malicious. If irritated, they rush in crowds to the conflict, openly and without any circumspection ; and thus are easily vanquished by those who employ stratagem. For any one may exasperate them when, where, ancTunder whatever pretext he pleases ; he will al- Neque enira his nostrae rostro nocere poterant; tanta erat in his firmitudo. Caesar, lib. iii. c. 13. 2 Vide Caesar, lib. iii. c. 14. 3 The Boii, who passed into Italy, established themselves near to Bologna. " * The Senones, or inhabitants of Sens, are thought to have founded .Sienna in Italy. The promontory of Calbium, the present Cape Saint-Mahe, is here alluded to. 6 Gosselin observes, " These people called themselves by the name of Kelts ; the Greeks styled them Galatae, and the Latins Galli or Gauls." u 2