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out and neglected. Now tho' the Misfortunes that have befallen our Commonwealth are commonly attributed to our Civil Diffentions, I found upon Enquiry these are not so properly to be called the Caufe as the Beginning of our Mifchiefs. And Polybius, that grave judicious Hiftorian, teaches us in the first place to diftinguish the Beginning from the Caufe of any Accident. Now I affirm the Caufe to have been that great Blow which our Conftitution "Lewis the received about 100 Tears ago from that * Prince who ('tis manifeft) first of all broke in upon the noble and folid Inftitutions of our Anceftors. And as our natural Bodies when put out of joint by violence, can never be recover'd but by replacing and restoring every Member to its true pofition, fo neither can we reafonably hope our Commonwealth fhou'd be reftor'd to Health, till through Divine Affiftance it shall be put into its true and natural State again.

XI.

And because your Highness has always approv'd your felf a true Friend to our Countrey;1 thought it my Duty to infcribe, or as it were to confecrate this Abstract of our Hiftory to your Patronage. That being guarded by so powerful a Protection, it might with greater Authority and Safety come abroad in the World. Farewell,moft Illuftrious Prince; May the great God Almighty for ever blefs and profper your most noble Family.

12 Kal. Sep.

1574.

Your Highness's most Obedient,

Francis Hotoman.

Francogallia.

CHA P. I.

The State of Gaul, before it was
Reduced into a Province by the
Romans.

M

Y Design being to give an Account of the Laws andÖrdinances of our Francogallia, as far as it may tend to the Service of our Commonwealth, in its prefent Circumftances; I think it proper, in the first place, to fet forth the State of Gaul, before it was reduced into the Form of a Province by the Romans: For, what Cæfar, Polybius, Strabo, Ammianus, and other Writers have told us concerning the Origin, Antiquity & Valour of that People, the Nature and Situation of their Country, and their private Customs, is fufficiently known to all Men, tho' but indifferently Learned.

We are therefore to understand, that the State of Gaul was fuch at that time, that neither was the whole under the Government of a

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*Civitas, a fingle Perfon: Nor were the particular * CommonCommon- wealths under the Dominion of the Populace, or

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the Nobles only; but all Gaul was fo divided
into Commonwealths, that the most part were
Govern'd by the Advice of the Nobles; and these
were called Free; the reft had Kings: But every
one of them agreed in this Inftitute, that at a
certain time of the Year a publick Council of the
whole Nation fhould be held; in which Coun-
cil, whatever feem'd to relate to the whole
Body of the Commonwealth, was appointed and
establish'd. Cornelius Tacitus, in his 3d Book,
reckons Sixty-four Civitates; by which is meant
(as Cæfar explains it) fo many Regions or Di-
ftricts; in each of which, not only the fame
Language, Manners and Laws, but alfo the fame
Magiftrates were made ufe of. Such, in many
places of his Hiftory, he principally mentions
the Cities of the Edui, the Rhemi and Arverni
to have been. And therefore Dumnorix the
Aduan, when Cafar fent to have him flain, be-
gan to refift, and to defend himself, and to im-
plore the Affiftance of his Fellow-Citizens; oft-
en crying out, That he was a Freeman, and
Member of a Free Commonwealth, lib. 5. cap. 3.
To the like purpofe Strabo
writes in his Fourth Book †:
Most of their Commonwealths
"(fays he) were Govern'd by
"the Advice of the Nobles:

+ 'Aeistreglinaì hoav ai πλείες Η πολιτειών. ένα δ' ειγεμόνα άρβυλο κατ' ενιαυτόν τὸ παλαιὸν ὡς δ' αύ τως εἰς πόλεμον εἰς ὑπὸ το πλήθος απεδείκνυτο τρατηγός.

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but every Year they anciently chofe a Magiftrate; as alfo ❝f the People chofe a General to manage their "Wars. The like Cafar, lib. 6. cap. 4. writes in thefe Words: "Thofe Commonwealths which

are efteem'd to be under the beft Adminiftration, have made a Law, that if any

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"Man chance to hear a Rumor or Report a

98

broad among the Bordering People, which concerned the Commonwealth, he ought to inform the Magiftrates of it, and communicate it to no body else. The Magiftrates conceal " what they think proper,and acquaint the Mul❝titude with the reft: For of Matters relating

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to the Community, it was not permitted to any "Perfon to talk or difcourfe, but in Council. Now concerning this Common-Council of the whole Nation, we fhall quote these few Paffages out of Cæfar." They demanded (fays he)

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lib. 1. cap. 12. a General Council of all Gallia to "be fummon'd; and that this might be done by Cafar's confent. Alfo, lib. 7. cap. 12.-CC a Council of all Gallia was fummon'd to meet CC at Bibracte; and there was a vast Concourse "from all Parts to that Town.--- And lib. 6. Сс cap. I.--- Cæfar having fummon'd the Council of Gaul to meet early in the Spring, as he had before determin'd: Finding that the Senones, Carnutes and Treviri came not when "all the reft came, he adjourned the Council CC to Paris. And, lib. 7. cap. 6. fpeaking of Vercingetorix, "He promis'd himself, that he "fhou'd be able by his Diligence to unite fuch CC Commonwealths to him as diffented from the "reft of the Cities of Gaul, and to Form a "General Council of all Gallia; the Power of which, the whole World fhould not be able to withstand.

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Now concerning the Kings which ruled over certain Cities in Gallia, the fame Author makes mention of them in very many places: out of which this is particularly worthy our Obfervation; That it was the Romans Cuftom

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to carefs all thofe Reguli whom they found proper for their turns: That is, fuch as were bufy Men, apt to embroil Affairs, and to fow Diffentions or Animofities between the feveral Commonwealths. These they joyned with in Friendship and Society, and by most honourable publick Decrees called them their Friends and Confederates and many of these Kings purchafed at a great Expence this Verbal Honour from the Chief Men of Rome. Now the Gauls called fuch, Reges, or rather Reguli, which were chofen, not for a certain term, (as the Magiftrates of the Free Cities were) but for their Lives; tho' their Territories were never fo fmall and inconfiderable: And thefe, when Customs came to be changed by Time, were afterwards called by the Names of Dukes, Earls and Marquiffes.

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Of the Commonwealths or Cities, fome were thefe much more potent than others; the leffer Commonwealths depended; these they put themselves under for Protection: Such weak Cities Cafar fometimes calls the Tributaries and Subjects of the former; but, for the moft part he says, they were in Confederacy with them. Livius writes, lib. 5. that when Tarquinius Prifcus reigned in Rome, the Bituriges had the principal Authority among the Celta, and gave a King to them. When Cæfar first enter'd Gaul, A. U. C. 695, he found it divided into two Factions; the Adui were at the Head of the one, the Arverni of the other, who many Years contended for the Superiority: But that which greatly increas'd this Contention, was, Because the Bituriges, who were next Neighbours to the Arverni, were yet in fide & imperio; that is, Subjects and Allies to the Edui. On

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