“They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger… they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor… They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses, and all of this they hail as the construction of empire. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Mercury is the deity whom they chiefly worship, and on certain days they deem it right to sacrifice to him even with human victims.

Who the first inhabitants of Britain were, whether natives or immigrants, remains obscure; one must remember we are dealing with barbarians.

And the few that survive are no longer what we once were. Just as Rome of old explored the limits of freedom, so have we plumbed the depths of slavery, robbed by informers even of the interchange of speech. Fifteen whole years-no small part of a mans life.-taken from us-all the most energetic have fallen to the cruelty of the emperor. Refresh and try again. They choose dark nights for battle, and, by the dread and gloomy aspect of their death-like host, strike terror into the foe, who can never confront their strange and almost infernal appearance. They have pillaged the world: when the land has nothing left for men who ravage everything, they scour the sea. Its punishment is instant, and at the pleasure of the husband. They make a desert and call it “peace”.”, “The good fortune of Virginius was crowned by having the most eloquent of panegyrists”, “For indolence itself acquires a charm; and sloth, however odious at first, becomes at length engaging”, “CNAEUS JULIUS AGRICOLA was born at the ancient and illustrious colony of Forumjulii. No one in Germany laughs at vice, nor do they call it the fashion to corrupt and to be corrupted. For in former times, it was not by land but on shipboard that those who sought to emigrate would arrive; and the boundless and, so to speak, hostile ocean beyond us, is seldom entered by a sail from our world.

For in former times, it was not by land but on shipboard that those who sought to emigrate would arrive; and the boundless and, so to speak, hostile ocean beyond us, is seldom entered by a sail from our world. Accordingly they fight individually and are collectively conquered.”, “Think of it. The Germans themselves I should regard as aboriginal, and not mixed at all with other races through immigration or intercourse. Subscribe Tacitus — Roman Historian Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire.

If an enemy is rich, they are greedy, if he is poor, they crave glory. Welcome back. Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others. Step by step they were led to things which dispose to vice, the lounge, the bath, the elegant banquet. Free Daily Quotes. Noble character is best appreciated in those ages in which it can most readily develop. Refresh and try again. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Germania Tacitus Quotes. To abandon your shield is the basest of crimes; nor may a man thus disgraced be present at the sacred rites, or enter their council; many, indeed, after escaping from battle, have ended their infamy with the halter. All this in their ignorance, they called civilization, when it was but a part of their servitude.”, “The derivation of German is Wehr mann, a warrior, or man of war.”, “The infliction of punishments was committed to the priests, in order to give them more solemnity, and render them less invidious.”. On the whole, one would say that their strength is in their infantry, which fights along with the cavalry; admirably adapted to the action of the latter is the swiftness of certain foot soldiers, who are picked from the entire youth of their country, and stationed in front of the line. Their common support they have from the chase, women as well as men; for with these the former wander up and down, and crave a portion of the prey. All this is unauthenticated, and I shall leave it open. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors . He cuts off the hair [112] of the offender, strips her, and in presence of her relations expels her from his house, and pursues her with stripes through the whole village.”, “He did not even court reputation, an object to which men of worth frequently sacrifice, by ostentation or artifice: equally avoiding competition with, his colleagues, [33] and contention with the procurators”, “I concur in opinion with those who deem the Germans never to have intermarried with other nations; but to be a race, pure, unmixed, and stamped with a distinct character.”, “He bore this calamity, not with the ostentatious firmness which many have affected, nor yet with the tears and lamentations of feminine sorrow; and war was one of the remedies of his grief.”, “Terror and dread alone are the weak bonds of attachment; which once broken, they who cease to fear will begin to hate.”, “The Vindili, to whom belong the Burgundiones, Varini, Carini, and Guttones; the Ingaevones, including the Cimbri, Teutoni, and Chauci; the Istaevones, near the Rhine, part of whom are the midland Cimbri; the Hermiones, containing the Suevi, Hermunduri, Catti, and Cherusci; and the Peucini and Bastarnae, bordering upon the Dacians.”, “Thus, by the Salic law, tit. If we become increasingly humble about how little we know, we may be more eager to search. Hence, too, a liking sprang up for our style of dress, and the "toga" became fashionable. And when in their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace.”, “Rarely will two or three tribes confer to repulse a common danger. Remarkable Last Words (or Near-Last Words). Refresh and try again. Welcome back. Neither East nor West can sate their appetite. Nor other shelter have they even for their babes, against the violence of tempests and ravening beasts, than to cover them with the branches of trees twisted together; this a reception for the old men, and hither resort the young. Yet I find some small satisfaction in acknowledging the bondage we once suffered. They even say that an altar dedicated to Ulysses, with the addition of the name of his father, Laertes, was formerly discovered on the same spot, and that certain monuments and tombs with Greek inscriptions, still exist on the borders of Germany and Rhaetia. Error rating book. Germania by Tacitus 1,169 ratings, 3.96 average rating, 74 reviews Germania Quotes Showing 1-2 of 2 “Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished.” tacitus, germania quotes Sep 27, 2020 | Uncategorized If an enemy is rich, they are greedy, if he is poor, they crave glory.
All this in their ignorance they called civilisation, when it was but a part of their servitude.”, “At length they gradually deviated into a taste for those luxuries which stimulate to vice; porticos, and baths, and the elegancies of the table; and this, from their inexperience, they termed politeness, whilst, in reality, it constituted a part of their slavery.”, “We have indeed left an impressive example of subservience.

He likewise provided a liberal education for the sons of the chiefs, and showed such a preference for the natural powers of the Britons over the industry of the Gauls that they who lately disdained the tongue of Rome now coveted its eloquence. Tacitus is considered to be one of the greatest Roman historians. Tacitus' other writings discuss oratory , Germania , and the life of his father-in-law, Agricola, the general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain, mainly focusing on his campaign in Britannia . Their shields are black, their bodies dyed. For, to accustom to rest and repose through the charms of luxury a population scattered and barbarous and therefore inclined to war, Agricola gave private encouragement and public aid to the building of temples, courts of justice and dwelling-houses, praising the energetic, and reproving the indolent. xxxiii, 5, a fine of 600 denarii (about 9_l._) is imposed upon "every free man who shall accuse another of throwing down his shield, and running away, without being able to prove it.”, “It is no use trying to escape their arrogance by submission or good behaviour. Our motto is: Don't quote it if you can't source it.
The Germans themselves I should regard as aboriginal, and not mixed at all with other races through immigration or intercourse. They plunder, they butcher, they ravish, and call it by the lying name of “empire”. Good habits are here more effectual than good laws elsewhere. “Tacitus was son- in-law to Agricola; and while filial piety breathes through his work, he never departs from the integrity of his own character.” ― Tacitus, The Germany and the Agricola of Tacitus Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished.”. We would have lost our memories as well as our tongues had it been as easy to forget as to be silent.”, “Not that I would reject those resemblances of the human figure which are engraven in brass or marbles but as their originals are frail and perishable, so likewise are they: while the form of the mind is eternal, and not to be retained or expressed by any foreign matter, or the artist's skill, but by the manners of the survivors.”, “The name Cornelius was a common one among the Romans, so that from it we can draw no inference.”, “Tacitus was son- in-law to Agricola; and while filial piety breathes through his work, he never departs from the integrity of his own character.”, “We read that when Arulenus Rusticus published the praises of Paetus Thrasea, and Herennius Senecio those of Priscus Helvidius, it was construed into a capital crime; [3] and the rage of tyranny was let loose not only against the authors, but against their writings;”, “Adultery is extremely rare among so numerous a people. [9] Both his grandfathers were imperial procurators, [10] an office which confers the rank of equestrian nobility”, “His mother was Julia Procilla, a lady of exemplary chastity.”, “Reason and riper years tempered his warmth; and from the study of wisdom, he retained what is most difficult to compass,—moderation.”, “The people of Germany appear to me indigenous, [12] and free from intermixture with foreigners, either as settlers or casual visitants”, “The following winter passed without disturbance, and was employed in salutary measures. Tacitus, The Agricola”, “Step by step they were led to things which dispose to vice, the lounge, the bath, the elegant banquet.