XXVII
Cuius conscientia (cuius conscientia: ‘the knowledge of this’; cuius relates to the notion, expressed in the last sentence of ch. 26, that victory had been within reach) ac fama ferox exercitus (exercitus: ‘of the army’) nihil virtuti suae invium (nihil virtuti suae invium [esse]: ‘that nothing was insurmountable to its valor’) et penetrandam Caledoniam inveniendumque tandem Britanniae terminum (fremebant …penetrandam Caledoniam inveniendumque … Britanniae terminum [esse]: the actual subjects of fremebant are conscientia and fama; lit. ‘the sense that … and the perception that …were fretting that Caledonia should be penetrated and the final limit of Britain found’) continuo proeliorum cursu fremebant. Atque illi modo cauti ac sapientes prompti post eventum ac magniloqui erant. Iniquissima haec bellorum condicio est: prospera omnes sibi vindicant, adversa uni imputantur. At Britanni non virtute se victos, sed occasione et arte (occasione et arte: hendiadys) ducis rati, nihil ex adrogantia remittere, quo minus iuventutem armarent, coniuges ac liberos in loca tuta transferrent, coetibus et sacrificiis conspirationem civitatum sancirent. (nihil ex adrogantia remittere, quo minus iuventutem armarent, coniuges ac liberos…transferrent,…conspirationem civitatum sancirent: quo minus or quominus is used in neg. final clauses after a verb of preventing or refusing, the subjunctive being mandatory; cf. G. 548, note 2; lit. ‘they did not at all desist from their arrogance that they should the less arm their youth, move away their wives and children, and approve the alliance of the tribes’; remittere is inf. of narration.) Atque ita inritatis utrimque animis (irritatis animis: ‘in a vindictive mood’) discessum.