LXIX.
Pervaserat interim circumventi exercitus fama et infesto Germanorum agmine Gallias peti, ac ni Agrippina inpositum Rheno pontem solvi prohibuisset, erant qui id fiagitium formidine auderent. (ni Agrippina inpositum Rheno pontem solvi prohibuisset, erant qui id fiagitium formidine auderent: conditional sentence of the unreal type: see note for Caecina …circumveniebatur, ni prima legio sese opposuisset in ch. 65. erant qui …auderent: rel. clause of characteristic or tendency; the sense is consecutive, hence the subjunctive. See G. 631. The bridge on the Rhine was near the Roman camp of Vetera at Xanten, more precisely a little south of Xanten, at Birten.) sed femina ingens animi (femina ingens animi: genitive of quality after a noun, only possible if modified by an adjective. Cf. A.G. 345.) munia ducis per eos dies induit, (munia ducis …induit: induo has here the sense of ‘to assume’, ‘to take on responsibility of command’.) militibusque, ut quis inops aut saucius, vestem et fomenta dilargita est. (militibusque, ut quis inops aut saucius, vestem et fomenta dilargita est: ‘she distributed clothing and medicine to the troops, according as any soldier was in want or injured.’ In Tacitus quis is regularly for aliquis.) tradit C. Plinius (C. Plinius: Gaius Plinius, known as Pliny the Elder, wrote an account of all the wars between the Germans and the Romans in twenty-four books (some say twenty), now lost. According to his nephew, Pliny the Younger, he began his History of the German Wars while serving as cavalry commander in Lower Germany around 50 A.D. The work was perhaps the main source of information for Tacitus’ Germania and parts of the Annales.) Germanicorum bellorum scriptor, stetisse apud principium ponti laudes et grates reversis legionibus habentem. (laudes et grates reversis legionibus habentem: ‘having praise and expressions of gratitude for the returning legions’; laudes et grates …habentem: a variation on the more usual laudes grotesque agere.) id Tiberii animum altius penetravit: (id Tiberii animum altius penetravit: lit. ‘this conduct affected Tiberius’ feelings really deep.’ The comparative altius, without a second term of comparison, is translated by adding a modifier to the adverb, such as ‘especially’, ‘very’, ‘truly’, etc. The perfect penetravit (or related implied verb of thinking or saying) introduces oratio obliqua which lasts down to non quiverit. All present subjunctives of dependent clauses (intervisat, adeat, temptet, circumferat, velit) are in place of imperfect subjunctive and the only perfect subjunctive, quiverit, is in place of quivisset, according to tense sequence after a hist. main verb. Tacitus often ignores the rule to liven up the narrative in a more direct and immediate manner than the imperfect and pluperfect would.) non enim simplicis eas curas, nec adversus externos [studia] militum quaeri. nihil relictum imperatoribus, ubi femina manipulos intervisat, signa adeat, largitionem temptet, tamquam parum ambitiose filium ducis gregali habitu circumferat Caesaremque Caligulam appellari velit. (tamquam parum [esset] ambitiose filium ducis gregali habitu circumferat Caesaremque Caligulam appellari velit: ‘as if it were not enough (tamquam parum [esset]) that she paraded the general’s son in the dress of a common soldier and desired that a Caesar be called Caligula, in her quest for popularity (ambitiose).) potiorem iam apud exercitus Agrippinam quam legatos, quam duces; conpressam a muliere seditionem, cui nomen principis obsistere non quiverit. (conpressam [esse] a muliere seditionem, cui nomen principis obsistere non quiverit: a highly tendentious view of the events narrated in ch. 40-41: ‘that the mutiny, which an emperor’s name had been powerless to offer resistance to, had been repressed by a woman’) accendebat haec onerabatque Seianus, (Seianus: Lucius Aelius Sejanus, joint commander with his father of the Praetorian Guard. See ch. 24.) peritia morum Tiberii odia in longum iaciens, quae reconderet auctaque promeret. (peritia morum Tiberii odia in longum iaciens, quae reconderet auctaque promeret: the subject of reconderet and promeret is Tiberius himself: ‘with his knowledge of Tiberius’ character sowing hatreds for the years ahead, which [the prince] would bury and bring out [later] duly augmented.’ peritia is abl. of instrument. The relative clause with quae is here equivalent to a purpose clause with ut.)