Germania and Agricola Part 28

_Silvis--emuniendis_==viis per silvas et paludes muniendis. E.

_Semel_. _Once for all_, G. 19.--_Emit_, sc. tributis pendendis; _pascit_, sc. frumento praebendo. E.

_Portus, quibus exercendis_. W. and Dr. explain this of collecting revenue at the ports (i.e. farming them), a thing unknown to the early Britons; Wr. of rowing, servile labor. Why not refer it to the _construction_ or _improvement_ of harbors? By rendering _exercendis, working, improving_, we make it applicable alike to harbors, mines and fields.--_Reservemur_. Subj. in a relative clause denoting a purpose. H.

500; Z. 567.

_Potuere_. Observe the ind., where we use the potential. It is especially frequent with _possum, debeo_, &c. Z. 518 and 519.

_Nonne_ implies an affirmative answer. Z. 352, and H. 346, II. 1. 2.

_In poenitentiam_, al. in praesentiam. The general idea is essentially the same with either reading. _Non in praesentiam==not to obtain our freedom, for the present merely. Non in poenitentiam==not about to obtain our freedom merely to regret it_, i.e. in such a manner as the Brigantes, who forthwith lost it by their _socordia_.

x.x.xII. _Nisi si_==nisi forte, cf. note, G. 2: nisi si patria.

_Pudet dictu_. The supine after _pudet_ is found only here. Quintilian however has _pudendum dictu_. Cf. Or. in loc.; and Z. 441. 443.

_Commendent_, etc. _Although they give up their blood to_ (i.e. _shed it in support of_) _a foreign tyrant_.--_Tamen_ is ant.i.thetic to _licet_: _although_ they give, _yet longer enemies, than slaves_ (of Rome).

_Metus--est_. _It is fear and terror_ (sc. that keep them in subjection), _weak bonds of affection_.

_Removeris--desierint_. Fut. perf. Cf. note, G. 23: _indulseris_.

_Nulla--aut alia_. Some of the Roman soldiers had lost all attachment to country and could not be said to have any country; others had one, but it was not Britain, it was far away.

_Ne terreat_. The third person of the imperative is for the most part avoided in ordinary language; and the pres. subj. is used in its stead.

Z. 529, Note.

_Nostras ma.n.u.s_, i.e. those ready to join us and aid our arms, viz. (as he goes on to say), the Gauls and Germans, as well as the Britons now in the Roman ranks.--_Tamquam_==_just as_ (_tam-quam_). Dod. renders, _just as certainly as_.

_Vacua.--Dest.i.tute of soldiers.--Senum_, sc. veterani et emeriti. Cf.

note, 15. _Aegra==disaffected_. Cf. H. 2, 86.

_Hic dux_, etc. _Here a general, here an army_ (sc. the Roman, awaits you); _there tributes, mines_, &c. (and you must conquer the former or endure the latter--these are your only alternatives).

_In hoc campo est_. _Depends on this battle field_.--T. has laid out all his strength on this speech. It can hardly be matched for martial force and sententious brevity. It breathes, as it should in the mouth of a Briton, an indomitable spirit of liberty, and reminds us, in many features, of the concentrated and fiery eloquence, which has so often roused our American Indians to defend their altars and revenge their wrongs.

x.x.xIII. _Ut barbaris moris_. Al. et barbari moris. But compare 39: ut Domitiano moris erat; His. 1, 15: ut moris est. Supply _est_ here: _as is the custom of_ (lit. _to_) _barbarians_. Z. 448, & H. 402, I.

_Agmina_, sc. conspiciebantur.--_Procursu_ is the means by which the gleam of armor was brought into view.

_Acies_, sc. Britannorum. The _Roman_ army was still within the camp, cf.

_munimentis coercitum_, below.

_Coercitum_==qui coerceri potest. The part, used in the sense of a verbal.

So _monstratus_, G. 31, which, Freund says, is Tacitean. The perf. part.

pa.s.s. with negative prefix _in_ often takes this sense. Z. 328. Cf. note, His. 5, 7: _inexhaustum_.

_Octavus annus_. This was Agricola's _seventh summer_ in Britain. See note 29: _initio aestatis_. But it being now later in the season, than when he entered Britain, he was now entering on his _eighth year_. Cf.

Rit. in loc.

_Virtute--Romani_. _By the valor and favoring auspices of the Roman Empire_. War was formerly carried on auspiciis _Populi_ Rom. But after Augustus, auspiciis _Imperatoris_ or _Imperii_ Rom.

_Expeditionibus--proeliis_. These words denote the _time_ of _poenituit_ (_in_ or _during_ so many, etc.)--_Patientia_ and _labore_ are abl. after _opus_.

_Terminos_. Acc. after _egressi_ (H. 371, 4): _having transcended the limits_. Cf. Z. 387.

_Fama, rumore_. Synonyms. Also _castris, armis_. Cf. note, 30.

_Vota--aperto_. _Your vows and your valor now have free scope_ (are in the open field), cf. note 1: _in aperto_.

_In frontem_. Ant.i.th. to _fugientibus_. Hence==progredientibus.

_Hodie_. _To-day_, i.e. _in our present circ.u.mstances of prosperity_.

Wr.

_Nec--fuerit_. _Nor will it have been inglorious_, sc. when the thing shall have been _done_ and men shall look _back_ upon our achievements.

The fut. perf. is appropriate to such a conception.

_Naturae fine_. Cf. note, G. 45: _illuc usque natura_.

x.x.xIV. _Hortarer_. Literally, _I would be exhorting you_. The use of the imperf. subj. in hypothetical sentences, where we should use a plup. (I would have exhorted you), is frequent both in Greek and Latin, even when it denotes a _complete_ past action, cf. Z. 525. When the action is not complete, as here, the Latin form is at once more lively and more exact than the English.--_Proximo anno_. This same expression may signify either the next year, or the last year. Here of course: _the last year_, referring to the battle described in 26, cf. also note 29: _Initio aestatis_.

_Furto noctis_. Cf. Virg. Aen. 9, 397: fraude noctis.

_Contra ruere_. _Rush forth to meet, penetrantibus_, etc. R. and Wr. take _ruere_ for perf. 3d pl. instead of _ruerunt_, since T. uses the form in _ere_ much more than that in _erunt_. Rit. makes it inf. after _solet_ understood, or rather implied in _pelluntur_, which==_pelli solent_.

_Quos--quod_. _Whom, as to the fact that you have at length found (it is not because) they have taken a stand, but they have been overtaken_. Cf.

Wr. and Or. in loc. On _deprehensi_, cf. note, 7. On _quod==as to this, that_, see examples in Freund, or in any Lexicon.

_Novissimae--vestigiis_. _The extremity of their circ.u.mstances, and their bodies_ (motionless) _with terror have brought them to a stand for battle on this spot_, etc. One MS. reads _novissime_ and omits _aciem_, which reading is followed in the common editions.

_Extremo metu_ is to be closely connected with _corpora_. For the sense of _defixere_, cf. Ann. 13, 5: pavore defixis.

_Ederetis_. Subj. cf. H. 500, 2; Z. 556, a.

_Transigite c.u.m expeditionibus_==finite expeditiones. Dr. Cf. G. 19: c.u.m spe--transigitur, note.

_Quinquaginta annis_. So many years, it might be said to be in round numbers, though actually somewhat _less_ than fifty years, since the dominion of Rome was first established in Britain under the Emperor Claudius. Cf. 13, supra.--The speech of A. is not equal to that of Galgacus. He had not so good a cause. He could not appeal to the sacred principles of justice and liberty, to the love of home and household G.o.ds. But he makes the best of a bad cause. The speech is worthy of a Roman commander, and touches with masterly skill all those chords in a Roman soldier's breast, that were never touched in vain.

x.x.xV. _Et==both_. Both while he was speaking and after he had ceased, the soldiers manifested their ardor, etc.

_Instinctos_. Cf. note 16: instincti.

_Aciem firmarent_==aciem firmam facerent, of which use there are examples not only in T., but in Liv. Dr. The auxiliary foot _formea_ or _made up_ (not merely strengthened) _the centre_.--_Affunderentur. Were attached to_.--_Pro vallo. On the rampart_; properly on the fore part of it. Cf.

note, H. 1, 29.