Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/80

44 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE of winter; but Tacitus makes them take warm baths in cold weather and sleep late in the morning. As Caesar knew them, they lived mainly on milk, cheese, and flesh, and raised little grain. Swine and horses, as well as cattle, were used for food. Poultry and bees were kept, and a fermented drink called "mead" was made from the honey. It is a moot point whether they had private or communal landownership. Caesar and Tacitus imply that the community controlled the distribution of land ; and it seems likely that the plots held by different individuals were ploughed and tilled together, while forest; swamp, and pasture land were not subdivided, but used by all in common. In the time of Tacitus their cul- tivation was not at all intensive and they had plenty of spare land. They had no cities and little that could be called commerce or industry. Trade was mere barter except as merchants from the Roman Empire introduced coins. From the barbarians these traders got amber, furs, goose feathers, and slaves. Capital and interest were unknown to the Ger- mans. Those who lived along the seacoast had rude boats, but considerable nautical skill and a passionate love for sea voyages. They had almost no art, but were fond of orna- ments of gold, and we can perhaps trace the germ of medie- val heraldry and coats of arms in the remark of Tacitus that "their shields are distinguished by very carefully selected colors." He also mentions their "ancient songs," but they seem to have had no written literature except the brief Runic inscriptions which are occasionally found, written in letters copied from those of Greece and Rome. From the accounts of Caesar and Tacitus one might judge that these barbarians were a thoughtful people, capable of Mental reflection and argument. Thus, Caesar says that traits tney ff er man y reaS ons for their custom of re- distributing the land annually among the clans and kinship groups, which reasons he proceeds to list. He also gives the reasons why they lay waste the land about them in all direc- tions. Tacitus represents them as thinking it inconsistent with the sublimity of celestial beings to confine the gods within walls or to liken them to the human face and form.