the Germans with the Gauls, saying that the former had no Druids to
preside over matters of religion, and that they paid no attention to
sacrifices.

In his work on divination, Cicero, too, refers to the profession which
the Druids made of natural science, and of the power of foretelling the
future, and instances the case of the AEduan Diviciacus, his brother's
guest and friend. Nothing is here said by Cicero of the three classes
implied in Diodorus, but Timagenes (quoted in Ammianus) refers to the
three classes under the names 'bardi,' 'euhages' (a mistake for 'vates'),
and 'drasidae' (a mistake for 'druidae'). The study of nature and of the
heavens is here attributed to the second class of seers (vates). The
highest class, that of the Druids, were, he says, in accordance with the
rule of Pythagoras, closely linked together in confraternities, and by
acquiring a certain loftiness of mind from their investigations into
things that were hidden and exalted, they despised human affairs and
declared the soul immortal. We see here the view expressed that socially
as well as intellectually the Druids lived according to the Pythagorean
philosophy. Origen also refers to the view that was prevalent in his
time, that Zamolxis, the servant of Pythagoras, had taught the Druids the
philosophy of Pythagoras. He further states that the Druids practised
sorcery. The triple division of the non-military aristocracy is perhaps
best given by Strabo, the Greek geographer, who here follows Posidonius.
The three classes are the Bards, the Seers (ouateis=vates), and Druids.
The Bards were hymn-writers and poets, the Seers sacrificers and men of
science, while the Druids, in addition to natural science, practised also
moral philosophy. They were regarded as the justest of men, and on this
account were intrusted with the settlement of private and public
disputes. They had been the means of preventing armies from fighting
when on the very verge of battle, and were especially intrusted with the