fluence of riches. The
multitudes were divided into two classes--the people of the
country, and the people of the town. The first formed the tribes or
the clans of the noble families. The client belonged to his patron,
whose domains he cultivated, whose standard he followed in war,
under whom he was a member of a little patriarchal aristocracy; his
duty was to defend him to the death from, and against all: to
abandon his patron in circumstances of danger, passed for the
consummation of disgrace, and even for a crime. The people of the
towns, from their situation, removed from the influence of the old
hierarchy of the tribes, enjoyed greater liberty, and fortunately
found themselves in a situation to maintain and to defend it.
Beneath the mass of the people came the slaves, who do not appear
to have been very numerous. The two privileged orders caused the
yoke of their despotism to weigh, turn by turn, upon Gaul. Turn by
turn they exercised absolute authority, and lost it by a series of
political revolutions. The history of the government of the Gauls
offers, then, three very distinct periods: that of the reign of the
priests, or of the theocracy--that of the reign of the chiefs of
the tribes, or of the military aristocracy--lastly, that of the
popular constitutions, founded on the principle of election, and on
the will of the majority. The epoch which we are about to treat of,
accomplished that last and great revolution; and popular
constitutions, although still ill assured, at last ruled over all
Gaul at the commencement of the first age."--(II. 71-73.)

M. Thierry recognises in the Gauls the traces of two distinct religions.
He says--

"When we examine attentively the character of the facts relative to
the religious belief of the Gauls, we are led to recognise two
systems of ideas, two bodies of symbols and superstitions
altogether distinct--in a word, two religions: the one altogether
sensible, derived from the adoration of natural phenomena, and by
its forms, as well as by its literal development, reminding us of
the polytheism of the Greeks; the other founded upon a material
pantheism, metaphysical, mysterious, sacerdotal, and presenting the
most astonishing conformity with the religions of the East. That
last has received the name of druidism, fr