in their self-interest to appear affable, but the Romans are nothing like us and you must never think they are.
” Many generations ago they abandoned me reverence of nature and began substituting manmade images in human form to serve as their gods, an idea they stole from the Greeks. The Romans are great thieves,” he added contemptuously.
“But while the Hellenes retained a certain sensitivity to the natural world, the Romans have none. I have heard that the only nature gods they acknowledge are sun and moon and sea, and even those have human forms and identities.
“Making gods in their own image has given the Romans an exaggerated idea of Roman importance. They assume mat because they make gods they have the authority of gods. They have ^ acquired a lust to control, which they call a desire for order and i seek to impose on everyone else.
62 Morgan Llywetyn
“The Roman concept of order does not suit Celtic people. Our free-flowing spirits are not comfortable in square boxes and communities where even access to water is regulated. We arc accustomed to free water and tribal ownership of the earth upon which we live, we elect our own leaders and celebrate the Source.
‘ *The Romans have chosen the rigidity of their manmade order over the flow of nature’s pattern. Such an arrangement cannot endure forever, of course. A paving stone can be laid over grass, but the pattern is never still. Beneath the stone, the roots will
continue to grow. They will press against their barrier until someday they break through and lift green arms toward the sun.
“Meanwhile, the Romans have chosen to disregard the inevitability of natural law and have created their own lawmaking body, which they call the senate. The senate designs laws to fit the worid the way Romans want it to be, not the way it is.”
Some of the council were listening intently, I noticed. A few looked bored. Generally the elders were paying more attention than the princes.
Menua said, “I am told that its citizens believe Rome is the center of the universe. Because me existence of the Otherwodd challenges Rome’s authority, they ignore matters of the spirit and concentrate on the flesh. Those gods of theirs are only to satisfy fleshly needs and have nothing to do with keeping Man and Earth and Spirit in harmony.
“As interpreters of natural law, we druids have always sought to clarify our vision of nature in order to see beyond the visible to the invisible, the forces that underlie and shape existence. We know that humans are inseparable from the Otherworid because our bodies house immortal spirits-The Romans, however, believe one brief lifetime is all they have, and the belief has made them frantic and greedy.
‘ *I cannot understand the Roman way of thinking but it dismays me. If such people ever gain dominance here we will find ourselves trapped in their rigid worid and it will cripple us.”
I found the idea as terrible as having my living spirit trapped inside my dead body. But strangely, some of the council were unmoved. Men like Tasgetius refused to see any danger in the Roman presence in Gaul. “We need the Romans here, “Tasgetius insisted. “They are our source for wine and spices and our market for furs and surplus produce.”
Others agreed there might be some eventual military threat but were swaggeringly confident that Gauls could defeat any soft
DRUIDS 63
southerners. As for the idea of something as nebulous as Roman influence being a danger, they scoffed.
A third group, including Nantorus and Menua’s own kinsman the prince Cotuatus, was finally convinced but was not able to sway the rest. The factions fell to arguing among themselves with much shouting and fist pounding, resolving nothing.
Menua left in disgust. 1 trotted after him. We had not gone far when Nantorus hurried up to us, panting. Too many wounds had left him a battered man. “It is unfortunate, Menua,” he said. “But you know how they are… .”
“They’re
” Many generations ago they abandoned me reverence of nature and began substituting manmade images in human form to serve as their gods, an idea they stole from the Greeks. The Romans are great thieves,” he added contemptuously.
“But while the Hellenes retained a certain sensitivity to the natural world, the Romans have none. I have heard that the only nature gods they acknowledge are sun and moon and sea, and even those have human forms and identities.
“Making gods in their own image has given the Romans an exaggerated idea of Roman importance. They assume mat because they make gods they have the authority of gods. They have ^ acquired a lust to control, which they call a desire for order and i seek to impose on everyone else.
62 Morgan Llywetyn
“The Roman concept of order does not suit Celtic people. Our free-flowing spirits are not comfortable in square boxes and communities where even access to water is regulated. We arc accustomed to free water and tribal ownership of the earth upon which we live, we elect our own leaders and celebrate the Source.
‘ *The Romans have chosen the rigidity of their manmade order over the flow of nature’s pattern. Such an arrangement cannot endure forever, of course. A paving stone can be laid over grass, but the pattern is never still. Beneath the stone, the roots will
continue to grow. They will press against their barrier until someday they break through and lift green arms toward the sun.
“Meanwhile, the Romans have chosen to disregard the inevitability of natural law and have created their own lawmaking body, which they call the senate. The senate designs laws to fit the worid the way Romans want it to be, not the way it is.”
Some of the council were listening intently, I noticed. A few looked bored. Generally the elders were paying more attention than the princes.
Menua said, “I am told that its citizens believe Rome is the center of the universe. Because me existence of the Otherwodd challenges Rome’s authority, they ignore matters of the spirit and concentrate on the flesh. Those gods of theirs are only to satisfy fleshly needs and have nothing to do with keeping Man and Earth and Spirit in harmony.
“As interpreters of natural law, we druids have always sought to clarify our vision of nature in order to see beyond the visible to the invisible, the forces that underlie and shape existence. We know that humans are inseparable from the Otherworid because our bodies house immortal spirits-The Romans, however, believe one brief lifetime is all they have, and the belief has made them frantic and greedy.
‘ *I cannot understand the Roman way of thinking but it dismays me. If such people ever gain dominance here we will find ourselves trapped in their rigid worid and it will cripple us.”
I found the idea as terrible as having my living spirit trapped inside my dead body. But strangely, some of the council were unmoved. Men like Tasgetius refused to see any danger in the Roman presence in Gaul. “We need the Romans here, “Tasgetius insisted. “They are our source for wine and spices and our market for furs and surplus produce.”
Others agreed there might be some eventual military threat but were swaggeringly confident that Gauls could defeat any soft
DRUIDS 63
southerners. As for the idea of something as nebulous as Roman influence being a danger, they scoffed.
A third group, including Nantorus and Menua’s own kinsman the prince Cotuatus, was finally convinced but was not able to sway the rest. The factions fell to arguing among themselves with much shouting and fist pounding, resolving nothing.
Menua left in disgust. 1 trotted after him. We had not gone far when Nantorus hurried up to us, panting. Too many wounds had left him a battered man. “It is unfortunate, Menua,” he said. “But you know how they are… .”
“They’re
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