The ancient Germans in general did not practise poly gamy ; and even when their princes married more wives than one, it was done only for the sake of multiplyinu their alliances. There was no law prohibiting divorces, but the force of example and customs rendered them extremely rare. The adultness was whipped through the village ; and neither wealth nor beauty could save her from this punish ment, or procure her a second husband. The Germans treated their women very differently from other barbarous and ancient nations ; regarding them with esteem and con fidence ; consulting them on every occasion of importance, and believing that they were inspired by the gods with a larger portion of sanctity and wisdom than had been be stowed upon the men. The funerals of the Germans were remarkable for their plainness, and freedom from pomp and show ; only the bodies of illustrious men w ere burnt with certain kinds of wood. The funeral pile was not, as among the Romans, covered with garments and rich per fumes. The arms of the deceased, and sometimes his horse, were committed to the flames. A mound of earth was reared for his tomb : they then deposited the ashes in urns. The passion of the ancient Germans for play was extremely powerful. In their sober moments they applied to dice, as to a serious and important concern, and with such resolved and blind eagerness to gain or lose, that when every thing else was gone, they risked their liberty and persons on the last throw. The loser, though more pow erful or more noble than the winner, submitted to volunta ry slavery, and suffered himself to be bound and sold. Still, however, notwithstanding the strong and general preva lence of the spirit of gaming, some shame was attached to it, which induced the winner, as speedily as possible, to dispose of the slave he had acquired in this way, by com merce, in order to wipe off the scandal of the transaction. The slaves of the Germans were much better treated, and of a higher class than the slaves of the Romans ; each had his own dwelling ; he was indeed bound to give his master, from the fruits of his own labour, a certain portion of grain, and a certain number of cattle ; but when he had given these, his labour was his own. As soon as the ancient Germans rose from sleep, which they seldom did till broad day-light, they first bathed, generally in warm water ; they then sat down to their meal, each on a distinct seat, and at a separate table. Their drink was a liquor extracted, with very little art, from wheat or barley, and fermented to a spirit. Those bordering on the Rhine, purchased wine : their food was simple, consisting of wild apples, venison, or coagulated milk. They were temperate in what they ate, hut quite the reverse in what they drank.
Such were the ancient Germans, and their manners are not only interesting, as exhibiting the state of a people be fore they emerged from barbarism ; but the contemplation of them is instructive in more than one respect. In the first place, we may clearly trace among the Germans that respect for the female sex, which so decidedly and honour ably distinguishes the modern nations of Europe, from the Greeks and Romans. In the second place, even amidst the forests of Germany, as has been frequently remarked, the germs of civil liberty—of that enlightened liberty which Britain enjoys—may be traced ; and lastly, among the same people, evidently existed many institutions remarkably similar to the institutions of CHIVALRY, as has already been shewn under that article.
II. Before proceeding to a sketch of the principal revo lutions of the Germanic empire, it may be proper to pre mise a very brief and rapid view of the more prominent and important points in the history of Germany before that empire was formed.
The invasion of Italy by the Cimbri and Teutoncs; their defeat by Marius, A. M. 3909 ; the invasion of Gaul by
the borderers of the Rhine, under Arioristus, and their de feat by Julius C:rsar, A. M. 3950, are almost the only events of consequence in the history of Germany, before the Christain era, of which we have any certain account. "When Caesar had completed the conquest of Gaul, he di vided it into the Celtic, the Aquitanic, and the Belgic pro vinces ; in the last, all the German provinces on the left side of the Rhine were comprised. In the reign of Augus tus, a further division took place, and the country lying be tween the Meuse, the Scheldt, and the Rhine, was separa ted from Belgic Gaul, and formed into a province, called Germaniasis-Rhonanas. In A. M. 3995, the famous Ar minius, at the head of the Cherusci, massacred three Ro man legions under Varus, between the Lippe and the Ems. In the third century of the Christian xra, the German tribes formed different associations for their common de fence against the Romans. Of these the most remarkable were the Saxons, comprising those who dwelt on each side of the Elbe ; the Alemanni, formed by the nations between the Rhine, the Mayne, and the Lech ; the Francici, by the nations between the Rhine, the Mayne, and the Weser ; and the Thuringians, by the nations between the Mayne, the Danube, and the Martz. Charlemagne was the first who united Germany under one sceptre. The name of Oriental France, may be traced in Franconia ; the people of Hesse and Thuringia were incorporated by a similarity of religion and government. The Alemanni still continued the faith ful confederates of the Francs. The hereditary dukes of Bavaria, having repeatedly revolted against the emperor, their power was shared among the counts of the empire. The north of Germany from the Rhine, and beyond the Elbe, was still hostile and pagan ; but after a war of thirty three years, the Saxons were subdued and converted. Be yond the Elbe, the Slavi occupied modern Prussia, Poland, and Bohemia ; the first union of the last of these countries with the Germanic body, took place under Charlemagne. Soon after the reign of this monarch, his empire was di ided ; and one of his grandsons, Lewis the German, ob tained for his share all Germany from the Rhine to the Oder, and the three cantons of Mentz, Spire, and Worms. These were called Francia Orientalis, and afterwards the kingdom of Germany. Till the reign of Charles the Bald, the Teutonic or German was the language of the court. In his time, the Romanic, afterwards called the French language, came into use. The three kingdoms were re united in Charles the Fat ; but when he was deposed by his subjects, they were again separated. From the con fines of the kingdoms of France and Germany, two new kingdoms arose ; viz. Lorraine and Burgundy ; the former comprehended part of Germany, viz. Alsace, the Palatinate, Treves, Cologne, Juliers, and Liege. Soon after the di vision of the empire of Charlemagne, the feudal system gained a consistency and firm footing, so that by degrees it overpowered the influence and authority of his descendants. In consequence of the weakness of the Carlovingian princes, the dukes and counts converted their hereditary posses sions, which they parcelled out among their barons, and those among their vassals. The principal of these in Ger many were, the Dukes of Franconia, Saxony, Bavaria, Su tibia, and Lorraine. These usurpations, joined to the in capacity of the Carlovingian princes, caused the house of Charlemagne to decline rapidly. In Germany, on the ab dication of Charles the Fat, the people, from respect to the memory of Charlemagne, placed the crown on the head of Arnold, a natural son of Carloman, and after the decease of Arnold, on Louis, his son. On the death of Louis, they elected a duke of Franconia for their king, and then a Sax on line of princes.