Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/307

 B. iv. c. iv. 3. GAUL. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 293 Belgae are the Bellovaci, 1 and after them the Suessiones. The amount of their population may be estimated by the fact that formerly there were said to be 300,000 Belgae capable of bearing arms. 2 The numbers of the Helvetii, the Arverni, andlheir allies, have already been mentioned. All this is a proof both of the amount of the population ["of Gaul], and, as before remarked, of tEe fecundity of their women, and the ease with which they rearjth,gir_hildren. The Gauls wear the_sjigum, let their hair grow, and wearjshort breeches. In- stead of tunicsTIiey wear a slashed garment with sleeves de- scending aJittle below the hips'? The wool [of their sheep]] is coarse, but long ; from it they weave the thick saga called laines. However, in the northern parts the Eomans rear fioclfs of sheep which they cover with skins, and which pro- duce very fine wool. The equipment [of the Gauls] is in keeping with the size of their bodies ; they have a lonp: sword hanging at their right_side, a long_shield, and lances in propor- tion, together with a madaris somewhat resembling a jave- lin ; some of them also use bows and slings ; they have also a "piece of wood resembling a pilum, which they hurl not out of a thong, hiit from tlipir hfl.nd ; anri to a farther distance than an arrow. They principally make use of it in shooting birds. To the present day most of them lie on the ground, and take their me_als_seated on straw. They subsist princi- pally onjnilk and ajTkmdFoQ[e*sh, especially that of swine, which they eat bothTfresh^and salted. Their swine live in the fields, ancTsurpass in height, strength, and swiftness. To persons unaccustomed to approach them they are almost as dangerous as wolves. The people dwell in great houses arched, constructed~of planks and wicker, and covered with a heavy thatcheoLroof. They have sheep and swine in such abun- dance, that theysupply saga and salted pork in plenty, not only to Rome but to most parts of Italy. Their governments were for the most part aristocratic ; formerly they chose a governor every year, and a military leader was likewise' elected by the multitude. 4 At the present day they are mostly under sub- 1 The inhabitants of the Beauvoisis. 2 Vide Caesar, lib. ii. c. 4. 8 This slashed garment is the smock frock of the English peasant and the blouse of the continent. 4 Conf. Caesar, lib. vTTc. 13. Plebs pene servorum habetur loco, quae per se nihil audet, et nulli adhibetur consilio.