LXIX.
At Iulius Auspex e primoribus Remorum, vim Romanam pacisque bona dissertans et sumi bellum etiam ab ignavis, strenuissimi cuiusque periculo geri, (bellum …strenuissimi cuiusque periculo geri: ‘that war is waged at the peril of each bravest man’) iamque super caput legiones, (iamque super caput legiones: ‘that the legions were poised to fall upon them at any moment’.) sapientissimum quemque reverentia fideque, (reverentia fideque: hendiadys) iuniores periculo ac metu continuit: et (et: here epexegetic; introduces a clause that explains the ultimate effect of continuit: ‘in conclusion’, ‘in other words’) Valentini animum laudabant, consilium Auspicis sequebantur. constat obstitisse Treviris Lingonibusque apud Gallias, quod Vindicis motu cum Verginio steterant. (constat obstitisse Treviris Lingonibusque … quod Vindicis motu cum Verginio steterant: the subject of obstitisse is the rel. clause introduced by quod: ‘it is manifest that the fact that (quod) they had stood with Verginius in Vindex’ revolt prevented the Treveri and the Lingones from having their way’. Treveris Lingonibusque is dative with the intransitive obstare; for Vindex and Verginius Rufus see Book 1, ch. 8.) deterruit plerosque provinciarum aemulatio: quod bello caput? unde ius auspiciumque peteretur? (unde ius auspiciumque peteretur?: subjunctive in indir. question: ‘where would the legal system and the augural authority come from?’. The importance of the taking of auspices in the ancient world cannot be overemphasized. The ritual has now officially disappeared, but in Roman times it was practiced before any important public decision. Elections, state construction projects, declarations of war, military operations, etc. were not undertaken nisi aususpicato, ‘without taking the auspices’, a matter that required utmost attention, conducted according to a set of scrupulously followed rules by authorized persons only. These were elected officials (augures) duly appointed to the office, usually members of the aristocracy. Successful campaigns were said to have been carried through ductu et auspicio of the general whose name followed. It was illegal for a citizen to take auspices for personal motives.) quam, si cuncta provenissent, sedem imperio legerent? nondum victoria, iam discordia erat, aliis foedera, quibusdam opes virisque aut vetustatem originis per iurgia iactantibus: (per iurgia iactantibus: ‘boasting in angry outbursts’) taedio futurorum praesentia placuere. scribuntur ad Treviros epistulae (epistulae: the plural is used of a single missive, perhaps on the analogy of litterae.) nomine Galliarum ut abstinerent armis, impetrabili venia et paratis deprecatoribus, si paeniteret: (impetrabili venia et paratis deprecatoribus, si paeniteret: abl. abs. as the apodosis of a conditional sentence in indirect speech with potential (future) condition: ‘pardon being attainable and intercessors being ready to step in, if there were willingness to repent’. paeniteo is used impersonally when a subject is lacking.) restitit idem Valentinus obstruxitque civitatis suae auris, haud perinde instruendo bello intentus quam frequens contionibus. (haud perinde instruendo bello intentus quam frequens contionibus: ‘he was not as strenuous in getting ready for war as he was assiduous in speaking at public meetings’. haud perinde …quam: ‘not to the same degree as …’; Tacitus prefers the comparartive particle quam after haud perinde to the more classical ac; instruendo bello: to Latin ears the abl. gerundive, ‘in war to be prepared’, is better than the active gerund with direct object, instruendo bellum, ‘in preparing war’, though the latter construct is not incorrect.)