_Proximi ripae_. Near the banks of the Rhine and the Danube, so as to have commercial intercourse with the Romans. These having introduced the cloth and dress of the Romans, attached little importance to the manner of wearing their _skins_. But those in the interior, having no other apparel, valued themselves on the nice adjustment of them. _Cultus_, artificial refinement. Cf. note, 6. _Maculis pellibusque_, for maculatis pellibus or maculis pellium, perhaps to avoid the concurrence of genitives. _Belluarum--gignit. Oceanus_==terrae, quas Oceanus alluit; and _belluae_==lutrae, mustelae, erminiae, etc., so K. But Gr. says _belluae_ cannot mean such small creatures, and agrees with Lipsius, in understanding by it marine animals, seadogs, seals, &c. Freund connects it in derivation with [Greek: thaer], fera (bel==ber==ther==fer), but defines it as properly an animal remarkable for size or wildness. _Exterior Oceanus_==Oceanus extra orbem Romanum, further explained by _ignotum mare_. Cf. note, 2: adversus Oceanus. _Habitus_, here==vestitus; in § 4.==forma corporis. _Saepius, oftener_ than the _men_, who also wore linen more or less. Gün. _Purpura_. Facta e succo plantis et floribus expresso. Gün. _Nudae--lacertos_. Graece et poetice. Brachia a manu ad cubitum; lacerti a cubito ad humeros. XVIII. _Quanquam_==sed tamen, i.e. notwithstanding the great freedom in the dress of German women, yet the marriage relation is sacred. This use of _quanquam_ is not unfrequent in T., and sometimes occurs in Cic., often in Pliny. See Z. 341, N. _Qui ambiuntur_. This passage is construed in two ways: _who are surrounded_ (ambiuntur==circumdantur, cf. II. 5, 12.) _by many wives not to gratify lust, but to increase their rank and influence_ (_ob_ in the sense _for the sake of_, cf. ob metum, 2). Or thus: _who_ (take many wives) _not to gratify lust, but on account of their rank they are solicited to form many matrimonial alliances_. For _ambio_ in this sense and with the same somewhat peculiar construction after it, see H. 4, 51: _tantis sociorum auxiliis ambiri_; also Virg. Aen. 7, 333: connubiis ambire Latinum. The latter is preferable, and is adopted by Wr., K., Gr., &c. The former by Gün. and others. Ariovistus had two wives. Caes. B.G. 1, 53. _Probant_, cf. probaverit, 13, note.--_Comatur_. Subj. denoting the intention of the presents _with which she is to be adorned_. H 500, 1; Z. 567. _Frenatum_, bridled, _caparisoned==paratus_ below. _In haec munera_==[Greek: epi toutois tois dorois]. _In_==upon the basis of, _on condition of_. So Liv.: in has leges, in easdem leges.