The ancient Germans were distinguished by their blue eyes, red hair, and large stature. Their children were always kept naked and dirty ; every mother suckled her own infants, and did not commit them to the care of maid servants or nurses. There was no distinction in the mode of rearing the master and slave. They lived among the same cattle, and lay on the same ground, till age caused them to be separated, and superior valour marked out the free born. They were not permitted to marry early in life; the more numerous a person's kinsmen and relations by marriage were, the more comfortable and respectable was his old age : it was no advantage, but rather consider ed a misfortune and disgrace, to be childless. The uncle, by the mother's side, regarded his nephews with the same affection as their father : every man's children were his heirs and successors, without any testament : if there were no issue, the brothers of the deceased inherited the pro perty, and then his uncles, by his father's or mother's side. The ancient Germans were utterly ignorant of arts and agriculture. Tacitus expressly says, that in his time they had no citie:i; and though Ptolemy reckons up 90 places, which he calls cities, in all probability they were only rude fortifications, erected to secure the women, children, and cattle, while the men were engaged in warfare. They had not even regular and connected villages, but each individual fixed his dwelling where it suited his convenience, or pleas ed his fancy. Neither stones, nor bricks, nor tiles, were employed in erecting their habitations. They were equal ly rude and ill supplied with respect to their government. The clothing used by all the Germans was a loose mantle, fastened with a clasp, or, when that could not be procured, with a thorn. The rich, however, sometimes were cloth ed in a gannet:A, girt close, and spewing the shape of every limb. The tribes who dwelt towards the north clothed themselves in furs: the dress of the women was not dif ferent from that of the men, except that they sometimes wore linen robes of their own manufacture, and adorned them with purple. The principal employment of the men, in time of peace, consisted in hunting the various sorts of game, with which the forests ol Germany were plentifully stocked : their herds of cattle formed the principal object and source of their wealth. The country, though consider ably varied, was in general covered with woods, or de formed by marshes : and the indolence and ignorance of the inhabitants prevented them from rendering any large portion of it fit for the growth of corn. Gold, silver, and iron, were extremely scarce : the scarcity of iron appear ed from their weapons, which, for the most part, were spears tipt with a short and narrow piece of iron. With this spear, and with a shield, their cavalry went to battle. The infantry had also missile weapons, which they threw to a great distance, with wonderful force and unerring aim. Their warriors were either naked, or dressed in a loose and light mantle. Their shields of wood, or osier, were dis tinguished and ornamented with a variety of colours ; some of the chiefs wore cuirasses, and a few helmets. Their "horses were slow, unmanageable, and not remarkable for their beauty. On their cavalry, therefore, they seldom placed much reliance in the hour of battle, their principal strength in general consisting in their infantry, which were drawn up either mixed with the cavalry, or in several deep columns by themselves. They fought by families and clans; and while they fought, they were encouraged by the pre sence of their wives and children. Their mothers and wives dressed their wounds ; carried refreshments to them while fighting ; and exhorted them to deeds of bravery. Their armies were totally devoid of discipline ; they rush ed to battle with dissonant shouts. Sometimes, by their na tive valour, they prevailed over the disciplined troops of the Romans ; but they knew not how to rally or retire ; a re pulse was a sure defeat ; and when they were defeated, the destruction of their army almost inevitably followed.
The ancient Germans in general enjoyed great freedom ; there were, however, some exceptions. Tacitus informs us, that among the Suiones riches were held in honour ; and that they were therefore subjects to an absolute mo narch, who, instead of entrusting his people with the free use of arms, as in the rest of Germany, committed them to the custody of slaves. The same historian mentions, that the Sitones were sunk even below servitude ; they obeyed a woman The rest of the German tribes either had no king, or chose their kings solely on account of their nobili ty and valour. The power of the former was restrained
and defined by law or usage ; and the latter commanded rather by example than authority. As soon as a youth, born of free parents, attained the age of manhood, lie was admitted into the general council of his nation, invested with a spear and shield, and henceforth regarded as a mem ber of the commonwealth. This general council met either at stated periods, or on sudden emergencies. To it was entrusted the trial of public offences, the election of magis trates, and the concerns of peace and war. Sometimes a select council prepared the business for the assembly ; but the executive power was vested exclusively in the people. The applause of the assembly was generally signified by a loud clashing of shields and spears. The magistrates were chosen from a regard to birth and merit. To each was assigned a guard, and a council of one hundred per sons. The disposal of the landed property within their district was absolutely vested in their hands, and they dis tributed it every year according to a new division; but they were not permitted to punish with death, to imprison, or even to strike a private citizen, except such magistrates as had the command in time of war. None but the priests were permitted to put to death, to bind, or to scourge, in order that punishment might appear to proceed from the gods, and not from their fellow-citizens.
Their chiefs were desirous of being surrounded by youths of noble birth and tried valour ; and the youths of this description were no less anxious to be numbered among the faithful companions of some renowned chief. In the hour of danger, it was shameful for the chief to be su• passed in valour by his companions, and disgraceful to them not to emulate the behaviour of their chief. To out live his fan in battle was infamy ; while to protect his per son was their pride and honour. In time of peace, the chiefs sent their companions into some distant country to acquire renown. The horse, or the lance, were the re wards of valour and enterprise, which the companions ex pected and received. At his board they were entertained ; this was their only pay.
The ancient Germans had no temples, brit performed their religious rites in groves, or in woods, forests, and desert places. They adored the sun, the moon, the fire, and the earth. Jupiter was worshipped under the name of Thor, or Thoran, the Thunderer. Odin, or \Vodin, ap pears to have been their Mars, or god of battle. The su preme deity was worshipped under the name of Esus, or Hesus, and under the emblem of an oak, which was conse crated to him. They had no druids, though their priests bore some resemblance to them in several points of their authority. The priests exerted the influence which they possessed over the fears and superstition of their country men, frequently to very useful purposes. They maintained silence and decency in the popular assemblies ; and during a solemn procession of the goddess Ertha, the sound of war was hushed, quarrels were suspended, arms laid aside, and the blessings of peace and harmony were enjoyed. In war, too, the influence of the priests was conspicuous. The consecrated standards, which during peace were kept con cealed from the vulgar eye in the recesses of the sacred groves, were placed in the front of the battle ; and the ar my of their enemies was devoted in the most solemn man ner to the gods of war and of thunder. They were taught by their priests, that a brave man was the favourite of their gods ; while the coward, who had lost his shield, was de voted equally to contempt and banishment in this world, and shut out from the enjoyments of a future state. A life spent in arms, and a glorious death in battle, they were taught assuredly led to a happy futurity, either in this or in another world. The Germans paid the greatest atten tion to omens, particularly to that species of divination that was performed by means of twigs, marked in a particular manner, and laid on a white cloth. One presage of futuri ty, Tacitus says, was peculiar to them, that derived from the neighing of horses ; but this was also much regarded by the Persians ; and perhaps may be regarded as an addi tional proof of the opinion, that the Goths, and consequent ly the Germans, originated in Persia. Another kind of di vination, to which they had recourse in wars of doubtful issue, was to oblige a captive of the enemy to fight with one of their countrymen : the event of the war was sup posed to be foretold by the issue of this single combat.