*Civitas, a fingle Perfon: Nor were the particular* CommonCommonwealths under the Dominion of the Populace, or wealth.

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 thefe 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 Council, whatever feem'd to relate to the whole Body of the Commonwealth, was appointed and eftablish'd. Cornelius Tacitus, in his 3d Book, reckons Sixty-four Civitates; by which is meant (as Cæfar explains it) fo many Regions or Diftricts; 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 Adui, the Rhemi and Arverni to have been. And therefore Dumnorix the Aduan, when Cæfar fent to have him flain, began to refift, and to defend himfelf, and to implore the Affiftance of his Fellow-Citizens; often crying out, That he was a Freeman, and Member of a Free Commonwealth, lib. 5. cap To the like purpose Strabo writes in his Fourth Book †: Moft af their Commonwealths (fays he) were Govern'd by the Advice of the Nobles: but every Year they anciently chofe a Magiftrate; as alfo "the People chofe a General to manage their "Wars. The like Cafar, lib. 6. cap. 4. writes in thefe Words: "Thofe Commonwealths which

σαν

+ 'Aescueglial or a πλείες Η πολιτειῶν. ἕνα δ' ἡγεμόνα πριν ο κατ' ενιαυτόν τὸ παλαιὸν, ὡς δ' αύτως εἰς πόλεμον εἷς ὑπὸ τὸ πλήθος απεδείκνυτο σρατηγός.

3.

༣.

are efteem'd to be under the best Admini"ftration, have made a Law, that if any

"Man

r

Man chance to hear a Rumor or Report abroad among the Bordering People, which concerned the Commonwealth, he ought to in"form the Magiftrates of it, and communicate c it to no body elfe. The Magiftrates conceal " what they think proper,and acquaint the Mul❝titude with the reft: For of Matters relating "C 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 (says he) 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 vaft Concourfe CC from all Parts to that Town. And lib. 6. cap. I. Cafar having fummon'd the Council of Gaul to meet early in the Spring, as he had before determin'd: Finding that the CC Senones, Carnutes and Treviri came not when CC all the reft came, he adjourned the Council to Paris. And, lib. 7. cap. 6. fpeaking of Vercingetorix," He promis'd himfelf, that he fhou'd be able by his Diligence to unite fuch Commonwealths to him as diffented from the

35

35

"

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 CC to withstand.

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 Custom

C 2

G

to

to carefs all those 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 several Commonwealths. These they joyned with in Friendship and Society, and by mof: honourablé publick Decrees called them their Friends and Confederates and many of thefe 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 Cuftoms came to be changed by Time, were afterwards called by the Names of Dukes, Earls and Marquilles.

Of the Commonwealths or Cities, fome were much more potent than others; and upon these the leffer Commonwealths depended; these they put themselves under for Protection: Such weak Cities Cæfar 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. s. that when Tarqui nius 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 Edui 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

the

the other hand, the Sequani (tho' Borderers on the Edui) were under the Protection of the Arverni, lib. 1. cap. 12. lib. 6. cap. 4. The Ro

mans finding fuch-like Diffentions to be for their Intereft; that is, proper Opportunities to enlarge their own Power, did all they cou'd to foment them: And therefore made a League with the Adui, whom (with a great many Compliments) they ftyled Brothers and Friends of the People of Rome. Under the Protection and League of the Edui, I find to have been firft the Senones, with whom fome time before the Parifians had joyn'd their Commonwealth in League and Amity. Next, the Bellouaci, who had nevertheless a great City of their own, abounding in Numbers of People, and were of principal Authority and Repute among the Belga, lib. 2. cap. 4. and lib. 7. cap. 7. Cæfar reckons the Centrones, Grudii, Lavaci, Pleumofi, Gordunni, under the Dominion of the Nervii, lib. 5. cap. 11. He names the Eburones and Condrufii as Clients of the Treviri, lib. 4. cap. 2. And of the Commonwealth of the Veneti (these are in Armorica or Britanny) he writes, that their Domination extended over all thofe Maritime Regions; and that almoft all that frequented thofe Seas were their Tributaries, lib. 3. cap. 2. But the Power of the Arverni was fo great, that it not only equall'd that of the Edui, but a little before Cæfar's arrival, had got most of their Clients and Dependents from them, lib. 6. cap. 4. lib. 7. cap. 1o. Whereupon, as Strabo writes in his 4th Book, they made War against Cafar with Four hundred thousand Men under the Conduct of their General Vercingetorix. These were very averfe to Kingly Government: So that Celtillus, Father to Vercingetorix, a Man

a Man of great Power and Reputation (reckon'd the firft Man in all Gaul,) was put to Death, by Order of his Commonwealth, for afpiring to the Kingdom. The Sequani, on the other hand, had a King, one Catamantales, to whom the Romans gave the title of their Friend and Ally, lib. 1. cap. 2. Alfo the Sueffiones, who were Mafters of moft large and fertile Territories, with 12 great Cities, and cou'd mufter Fifty thousand fighting Men, had a little before that time Divitiacus, the most potent Prince of all Gallia for their King; he had not only the Command of the greateft part of Belge, but even of Britanny. At Cæfar's arrival they had one Galba for their King, lib. 2. cap. 1, In Aquitania, the Grandfather of one Pifo an Aquitanian, reigned, and was called Friend by the People of Rome, lib. 4. cap. 3. The Senones, a People of great ftrength and authority among the Gauls, had for fome time Moritafgus their King; whofe Ancestors had also been Kings in the fame place, lib. 5. cap. 13. The Nitiobriges, or Agenois, had Olovico for their King; and he also had the Appellation given him of Friend by the Senate of Rome, lib. 7.

cap. 6.

But concerning all thefe Kingdoms, one thing is remarkable, and must not lightly be paft by; which is, That they were not hereditary, but conferr'd by the People upon fuch as had the reputation of being juft Men. Secondly, That they had no arbitrary or unlimited Authority, but were bound and circumfcribed by Laws; fo that they were no lefs accountable to, and fubject to the Power of the People, than the People was to theirs; infomuch that thofe Kingdoms feem'd nothing else but Magiftracies for life.

For