LVI.
Igitur Germanicus quattuor legiones, quinque auxiliarium milia et tumultuarias catervas Germanorum cis Rhenum colentium (tumultuarias catervas Germanorum cis Rhenum colentium: ‘hastily levied masses of Germans living on this (the west) side of the Rhine’; that involved tribes like the Ubii, the Batavi, the Sugambri, and others.) Caecinae tradit; totidem legiones, duplicem sociorum numerum ipse ducit, (Caecinae tradit …, ipse ducit …: Caecina was given the four legions of Lower Germany. His mission was to prevent the Cherushi and the Marsi from coming to the assistance of the Chatti, thus his advance was in the region south of the Lippe and north of the Ruhr, as in the action described in ch. 50-51. Germanicus led the four legions of Upper Germany out of Mogontiacum (modern Mainz), replacing the legate Gaius Silius (cf. ch. 31) as army commander. His line of advance against the Chatti was towards Homburg, NE of Wiesbaden.) positoque castello super vestigia paterni praesidii in monte Tauno (in monte Tauno: the high ground north of the Main river, near Homburg.) expeditum exercitum (expeditum exercitum: ‘not cumbered by baggage’, probably left at the fortified position on Mount Taunus) in Chattos rapit, L. Apronio ad munitiones viarum et fluminum relicto. (L. Apronio ad munitiones viarum et fluminum relicto: Apronius had been consul in 8 A.D.; munitiones refers to the building of defensive works and the bridging of rivers.) nam (rarum illi caelo) siccitate et amnibus modicis inoffensum iter (inoffensum iter: ‘a march without interruptions’) properaverat, imbresque et fluminum auctus regredienti metuebantur. (imbresque et fluminum auctus regredienti metuebantur: the enclitic -que perhaps has here the slightly adversative value found occasionally with et: ‘but rains and the swelling of rivers were feared for him on his return.’ regredienti may be either dat. of interest or of agent with the passive metuebantur.) sed Chattis adeo inprovisus advenit, ut quod imbecillum aetate ac sexu statim captum aut trucidatum sit. (adeo inprovisus advenit, ut quod imbecillum aetate ac sexu statim captum aut trucidatum sit: ‘so suddenly did he appear that what was weak from age or sex was captured or cut down.’; consecutive sentence with adeo and ut introducing the main and dependent clause; the perfect subjunctives captum aut trucidatum sit expresses the result as a fact, in the way a perfect indicative would if the clause were not dependent . Note: result clauses do not follow the consecutio temporum; the tense to be used, present, imperfect, perfect, and (rarely) plup. subjunctive, depends on sense.) iuventus flumen Adranam (flumen Adranam: the Eder, which flows east or NE to join (south of Kassel) the river Fulda, itself a tributary of the Weser.) nando tramiserat, Romanosque pontem coeptantis arcebant. dein tormentis sagittisque (tormentis sagittisque: though usually translated as ‘with missiles and arrows’ or ‘engines and arrows’, it seems rather to be hendiadys, ‘with bolts shot by engines’; tormentis are machines operated by the power of ropes under tension (from torqueo), such as catapultae and ballistae, the ones resembling greatly magnified cross-bows for shooting darts, the others for hurling stones and other missiles.) pulsi, temptatis frustra condicionibus pacis, cum quidam ad Germanicum perfugissent, (cum … perfugissent: narrative or historical cum with subjunctive gives the circumstance immediately preceding or accompanying the action of the main verb (here sparguntur, hist. present).) reliqui omissis pagis vicisque in silvas disperguntur. Caesar incenso Mattio (Mattio: Mattium has not been identified with certainty; perhaps Maden, SSW of Kassel.) (id genti caput) aperta populatus vertit ad Rhenum, non auso hoste terga abeuntium lacessere, quod illi moris, quotiens astu magis quam per formidinem cessit. (non auso hoste terga abeuntium lacessere, quod illi moris, quotiens astu magis quam per formidinem cessit: the case of an abl. abs. followed by complementary infinitive governing a relative clause, which in turn governs a temporal clause introduced by quotiens: ‘the enemy not having been so bold as to harass our rear, which he had the habit of doing each time that he retreated with a strategy in mind rather than through fear’; quod illi moris [erat]: moris esse or in more esse is idiom, ‘to be usual’, moris being possessive genitive, ‘it was of their custom’; illi (i.e. the enemy) is dat. of possessor with implied erat; the construction is repeated in fuerat animus Cheruscis next, but with verb expressed; the temporal conjunction quotiens is normally with indicative, like postquam or quando. The simple ablative in astu and per + acc. in per formidinem are two ways to indicate means or instrument: Tacitus uses both for variety.) fuerat animus Cheruscis iuvare Chattos, sed exterruit Caecina huc illuc (huc illuc: usually huc et illuc, ‘here and there’) ferens arma; et Marsos congredi ausos prospero proelio cohibuit.