XXIX
Initio aestatis (initio aestatis: 84 A.D.) Agricola domestico vulnere ictus, anno ante natum filium amisit. Quem casum neque ut plerique fortium virorum ambitiose, neque per lamenta rursus (rursus: ‘on the other hand’) ac maerorem muliebriter tulit, et in luctu bellum inter remedia erat. Igitur praemissa classe, quae pluribus locis praedata magnum et incertum terrorem faceret, (quae pluribus locis praedata… terrorem faceret: example of rel. clause replacing a final clause: ‘which [fleet] was to spread terror by making forays in various places’; praedata: the perf. participle of the deponent praedor has active meaning, i.e. ‘having made forays’.) expedito exercitu, cui ex Britannis fortissimos et longa pace exploratos addiderat, ad montem Graupium (ad montem Graupium: the exact location of Mount Graupius has not yet been established; some experts place it where the Moray plain begins, in the vicinity of Keith, SE of Lossiemouth and Elgin; others suggest Bennachie, a range of hills further south, in Aberdeenshire near Inverurie.) pervenit, quem iam hostis insederat. Nam Britanni nihil fracti pugnae prioris eventu et ultionem aut servitium expectantes, tandemque docti (tandemque docti: ‘having learnt at last’) commune periculum concordia propulsandum, (periculum concordia propulsandum [esse]: ‘that the danger was to be averted by concord’; for the periphrastic propulsandum cf. regrediendum …cedendum …admonebant ch. 25.) legationibus et foederibus omnium civitatium vires exciverant. Iamque super triginta milia armatorum aspiciebantur, (aspiciebantur: ‘were to be seen’) et adhuc adfluebat omnis iuventus et quibus cruda ac viridis senectus, (et [hi] quibus cruda ac viridis senectus [erat]: lit. ‘and those for whom old age was fresh and green’) clari bello et sua quisque decora gestantes, cum inter pluris duces virtute et genere praestans nomine Calgacus apud contractam multitudinem proelium poscentem in hunc modum locutus fertur: (Calgacus …locutus [esse] fertur: example of personal construction in infinitive clauses governed by passive forms of verbs of saying; compare with impersonal construction: Calgacum …locutum [esse] ferunt)