XVII
Sed ubi cum cetero orbe Vespasianus et Britanniam recuperavit, magni duces, egregii exercitus, minuta hostium spes. (duces…exercitus…spes: the implied verb for these subjects is most probably a form of esse, e.g. thus: ‘[now in Britain] the generals were capable men, the troops excellent, and the enemy’s plight hopeless’) Et terrorem statim intulit Petilius Cerialis, Brigantum civitatem, (Brigantum civitatem: in the area NW of York, up to the Solway Firth) quae numerosissima provinciae totius perhibetur, (quae… perhibetur: ‘which is reputed to be’) adgressus. Multa proelia, et aliquando non incruenta; magnamque Brigantum partem aut victoria amplexus est aut bello. (aut victoria…aut bello: open to interpretation, such as the one offered in the free translation) Et Cerialis quidem alterius successoris curam famamque obruisset: subiit sustinuitque molem (subiit sustinuitque molem: ‘he came up next and shouldered the gigantic burden.’) Iulius Frontinus, vir magnus, quantum licebat, validamque et pugnacem Silurum gentem (Silurum gentem: cf. note in ch. 11.) armis subegit, super virtutem hostium locorum quoque difficultates eluctatus.