How did Bacchus reward their care? […] They blended the notes of different musical instruments with their voices, and adapted the style and matter of their songs to the inclination of their hearers. […] The Germans had, however, their own deities and their own superstitions. […] When the Romans established their own worship in the country, they endeavored, according to their usual policy, to conciliate the conquered tribes by adopting their gods, and placing their images in the temples which they built. […] The bards held a still higher rank: they preserved in their verses the mystic learning of the priests, the traditions of their race, and the great actions of their heroes.