GERMANY, 46o 
clergy of the eleventh centurj', was probably an imita* 
tion of this ancient cuftom. 
But the influence of religion was far more powerful 
to inflame, tlian to moderate, the fierce paffions of the 
Germans. Interefl: and fanaticifm often prompted its 
minifters to fanftify the mod daring and the mod iiiijuft 
enterprifes, by tlie approbation of Heaven, and full 
afTurances of fiiccefs. The confecrated ftandards, long 
revered in the groves of fuperftition, were placed in the 
front of the battle ; and the hoftile army was devoted 
with dire execrations to the gods of war and of thun¬ 
der. In the faith of foldiers, (and fuch as were tire 
Germans,) cowardice is the mod unpardonable oi fins. 
A brave man was the worthy favourite of their martial 
deities ; the wretcli, who had lod his diield, was alike- 
banifhed from the religious and the civil altemblies of 
his countrymen. Some tribes of the north feem to have 
embraced the doftrine of tranfmigration, others ima¬ 
gined a grofs paradife of immortal drunkennel's. All 
agreed, that a life fpent in arms, and a glorious death 
in battle, were the bed preparations for a happy futu¬ 
rity, either in this or in another world. 
The immortality fo fplendidly promifed by the prieds, 
was in fome degree conferred by the bards. That re- 
rnarkable order of men has defervedly attradted the no¬ 
tice of all who have attempted to invedigate the anti¬ 
quities of the Celts, the Scandinavians, and the Ger¬ 
mans. Their genius and charadter, as well as tlie reve¬ 
rence paid to their office, have been fiifiiciently illuf- 
trated. See the article Bard, vol. ii. p. 716. — But we 
cannot fo eafily e.xprefs, or even conceive, the enthu- 
lialm of arms and glory, which they kindled in the 
bread of their audience. Among a polifhed people, a 
tade for poetry is rather an amufement of tlie fancy, 
than a paflion of the foul. And yet, when in calm re¬ 
tirement we penile the combats defcribed by Homer or 
Tad'o, we are infenfibly feduced by the fidfion, and feel 
a momentary glow of martial ardour. But how faint, 
how cold, is the fenlation which a peaceful mind can re¬ 
ceive from folitary dudy ! It was in the hour of battle, 
or in the fead ol vidtory, that the bards celebrated the 
glory of heroes of ancient days, the ancedors of thole 
warlike chieftains, who lideiied with tranlport to tlieir 
artlefs but animated drains. The view of arms and of 
danger heightened the efteft of the military fong ; and 
the pallions which it tended to excite, the defire of 
fame, and the contempt of death, were tlie habitual 
fentimeiits of a German mind. 
^ Sucli vvas the charadter, fuch the manners, of tlie an¬ 
cient Germans, when attacked by Csefar. Their cli¬ 
mate, their want ol learning, of arts, and of laws, their 
notions of honour, of gallantry, and of religion, their 
fenfe of freedom, impatience of peace, and third of en. 
terprile, all contributed to form a nation of military 
heroes. And yet we lliall find, that, during more than 
two hundred and fifty years that elapl'ed from the defeat 
of Varus to the reign of Decius, thefe formidable bar¬ 
barians made but tew confiderable attempts, and not any 
material impredion, on the luxurious and enOaved pro¬ 
vinces of tlie Roman empire. Their progrefs was 
checked by their want of arms and difcipline, and their 
fury was diverted by the inteliine divifions of their own 
country. 
It has been obferved, and not without truth, that the 
command ot iron loon gives a nation the command of 
gold. But the rude tribes of Germany, alike deditute 
of both thole valuable metals, were reduced flowly to 
..acquire, by their unalTided drength, the polfellion of 
the one as well as of the other. The face of a German 
army dilplayed their paucity of iron. Swords, and the 
longer kind of lances, they could feldom ufe. Their 
frames (as they called them in their own language) 
were long fpears headed with a lharp but narrow iron 
point, and which, as occalion required, they either 
dajrted from a didance, or thruded in dole onlet. With 
Vol. Vill. No. 518. 
this fpear, and with a diield, their cavalry was con¬ 
tented. A multitude of darts, thrown with incredible 
force, were an additional relburce of the infantry. 
Their military drefs, when they wore any, was nothing 
more than a loofe mantle. A variety of colours was 
the only ornament of tlieir wooden or olier diields. 
Few of the chiefs were dldinguidied by cuirades, 
fcarcely any by helmets. Thougli tlie horfes of Ger¬ 
many were neither beautiful, fwife, nor praClifed in tlie 
llcilfiil evolutions of the manege, yet feveral of the na¬ 
tions obtained renown by their cavalry ; but, in general, 
the principal drength of the Germans confided in their 
infantry, which vras drawn up in feveral wedge-formed 
columns, according to the didinftion of tribes and fa- 
^nilies. Impatient of fatigue Q,r delay, thefe half-armed 
warriors- ruftied on to battle with didbnant diouts and 
difordered ranks; arid fometimes, by the effort of na¬ 
tive valour, prevailed over the condrained and more 
artificial bravery of dil'cipiined mercenaries. But as 
the barbarians poured forth their whole fouls cn the 
fird onfet, they knew not how to rally or to retire. A 
repulfe was a fitre defeat; and a defeat was mod com¬ 
monly attended with total dedruttion. 
About the year 55 before Chrid, Cfefar having fub- 
diied Belgic Gaul, hadened to oppofe the Ufipetes and 
Tenftheri, who had been driven out of Germany by the 
Suevi, and crolfed the Rhine, with a defign to fettle in 
Gaul. As loon as Caifar appeared, thefe Germans fenc 
him a deputation, offering to join him, provided he 
w'ould allign them lands. Csefar replied, that there was 
no room for them in Gaul ; upon which they fell upon 
fome Roman I'quadrons, and cut them in pieces. This 
I'o provoked Ctefar, that he immediately marched againd 
them, and piirfuing them to the conflux of the Rhi; e 
and the Maefe, the battle raged with fuch fury, that 
almod forty thoufand of the Germans are faid to have 
perilhed. After tliis, Ccefar being refolved to I'prcad 
the terror of the Roman name through Germany, built 
a bridge over the Rhine, and entered their country. In 
this expedition, however, he performed no rer. arkable 
exploit. A little before his death, he had projefted 
the conqued of Germany ; but his airaliination prevent¬ 
ed the execution of his defign. 
Soon after this event, the Rhseti of Germany invaded 
the Roman territory, and committed the greated dc- 
vadations. A gainli them w'as feiit Driifus, who found 
means to bring them t@ a battle; in which tlie Romans 
proved viflorious, and cut in pieces great numbers of 
the enemy. Thofe who efcaped the general daughter, 
being joined by the Viiidelici, took their route towards 
Gaul, with a defign to invade that province. But Au- 
gudus, upon the fird notice of their march, difpatrhed 
againd them Tiberius, who was no lefs fuccefsful tlian 
Drufus, in having given them a total overthrow. Thus 
were the Vindelici, the Rhaeti, and Norici, three of the 
nations in ancient Germany, lubdued. Tiberius, to 
keep the conquered countries in awe, planted two colo¬ 
nies in Vindelicia, and opened from thence a road into 
Rhaetia and Noricum. One of the cities which he built 
for the defence of his colonies, he called, from his lather 
Drufus, Drujomagm ; the other by the name ot Aiigudus, 
Augufta VinddicoTym\ which are now known by the names 
ot Mimminghen and Augsburg. 
In the mean time Drufus prepared to attack the Ger¬ 
mans who dwelt beyond the Rhine. They had previ- 
oully collected a mod formidable army, with which they 
were advancing tow'ards tlie Rhine, in order to invade 
Gaul. But Drufus defeated them as they attempted to 
crofs that river; and, purfuing his advantage, he over¬ 
threw them in a great battle, and following the courfe 
of the Rhine, approached tlie German ocean, reducing 
the Frifii and the Chauci between the Ems and the Elbe. 
After this fuccefs, Drufus built two forts to keep the 
conquered countries in awe ; the one at the confluence 
of the Lippe and the Alme, the other in the country of 
6 D the 
