After the fall of the Western Empire the Franks step into the foreground
and show themselves of all the German tribes the most capable of founding
a stable government. From the first they were distinguished from the
others by their superior military discipline, and by their pride and
ambition. They had always been looked upon as formidable warriors. Few
of them wore helmets and mail; their breasts and backs were covered
only by the shield. From the hips downward they wrapped themselves in
close-fitting linen or leather, so as to display each man’s tall, upright
form. Their principal weapon was the two-edged battle-axe, which served
for throwing as well as striking. They also carried frightful javelins
with barbed points. Their own laws describe them as brave warriors,
profound in their plans, manly and healthy in body, handsome, bold,
impetuous, and hardy. But their enemies, perhaps with some justice,
denounced them as the most faithless and cruel of men. The distinguishing
ornament of the kings was their hair, which was left uncut, flowing
freely over the shoulder. The people were still heathen, untamed and
uncivilized, yet in constant intercourse with the Romans in Gaul.[A]