LXVII.
Interea Iulius Sabinus (Iulius Sabinus: cf. ch. 55) proiectis foederis Romani monumentis (monumentis: usually tables of bronze containing records of treaties and displayed on pillars or other structures in full view of the public) Caesarem se salutari iubet magnamque et inconditam popularium turbam in Sequanos (in Sequanos: they were settled in the region around modern Besancon, along the east side of the Saone; the Lingones faced them on the west side of the river.) rapit, conterminam civitatem et nobis fidam; nec Sequani detractavere (nec detractavere certamen: ‘did not refuse battle’) certamen. fortuna melioribus adfuit: fusi Lingones. Sabinus festinatum temere proelium pari formidine deseruit; utque famam exitii sui faceret, (utque famam exitii sui faceret: ‘for the purpose of creating the rumor of his own death’; sui and not eius inasmuch as Sabinus is the subject of the clause; compare with amicorum eius below. ) villam, in quam perfugerat, cremavit, illic voluntaria morte interisse creditus. sed (sed: sed has no adversative force here, as ‘but’ in English. It seems that Latin writers use sed to breal off or conclude a topic or argument, in the same way they may use it to resume a topic after a digression, or in passing to an altogether different line of thinking. Translators in most cases offer no English equivalent or approximation.) quibus artibus latebrisque vitam per novem mox annos traduxerit, (quibus artibus … traduxerit: subjunctive for rel. clause in indir. discourse governed by reddemus; the perfect traduxerit corresponds to the perfct indicative traduxerunt of direct discourse.) simul amicorum eius (amicorum eius: eius and not sui, given that Sabinus is nor the subject of the clause.) constantiam et insigne Epponinae uxoris exemplum suo loco reddemus. (suo loco reddemus: the part of the Historiae where Tacitus may have told the story has gone lost, but we know from other historians, such as Plutarch, that Sabinus, his wife, and his children were executed under Vespasian when they were found.) Sequanorum prospera acie belli impetus stetit. resipiscere paulatim civitates fasque et foedera respicere, (resipiscere … respicere: ‘came to their senses again …paid heed again to …’.) principibus Remis, qui per Gallias edixere ut missis legatis in commune consultarent, libertas an pax placeret. (principibus Remis, qui per Gallias edixere ut missis legatis in commune consultarent, libertas an pax placeret: abl. abs. governing a relative clause and, indirectly, a purpose clause and an indirect double questions. Such adaptations of the abl. abs. are rarely, if ever, found in classical writers: ‘the Remi being the first who announced throughout Gaul that they were to deliberate in common, through delegates sent [by each tribe], whether peace or liberty was preferred’. The Remi were a tribe of northern Gaul living in the region around Reims, ENE of Paris, between the rivers Meuse and Oise.)