XXXIV
‘Si novae gentes atque ignota acies constitisset, aliorum exercituum exemplis vos hortarer: (si …acies constitisset, …vos hortarer: use of imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive in conditional sentences contrary to fact: pluperfect refers to past time, imperfect to present.) nunc vestra decora recensete, vestros oculos interrogate. Hi sunt, quos proximo anno unam legionem furto noctis adgressos clamore debellastis; (clamore debellastis: cf. ch. 26.) hi ceterorum Britannorum fugacissimi ideoque tam diu superstites. Quo modo silvas saltusque penetrantibus fortissimum quodque animal (fortissimum quodque animal: ‘all most determined animals’) contra ruere, (penetrantibus …contra ruere: contra is adv. not prep., ‘fly aggressively at those who enter [their den]’; ruere, here with dat., is usually with ad + acc.; ruere or ruerunt is gnomic perf. in that it relates to a fact true for all times; it is translated by English present) pavida et inertia (pavida et inertia: supply animalia) ipso agminis sono (agminis sono: i.e. by the hunters’ trample) pellebantur, sic acerrimi Britannorum iam pridem ceciderunt, reliquus est numerus ignavorum et metuentium. Quos quod tandem invenistis, non restiterunt, sed deprehensi sunt; (non restiterunt, sed deprehensi sunt: ‘they did not stand their ground, they just were overtaken’.) novissimae res (novissimae res: or novissima = ‘the worst of things’, especially in Tacitus) et extremus metus torpore (extreme metu torpor: ‘paralysis because of extreme fear’) defixere aciem in his vestigiis, in quibus pulchram et spectabilem victoriam ederetis. Transigite cum expeditionibus, imponite quinquaginta annis magnum diem, adprobate rei publicae numquam exercitui imputari potuisse aut moras belli aut causas rebellandi’. (numquam exercitui imputari potuisse aut moras belli aut causas rebellandi: ‘that neither the delays of the war nor the causes of the rebellion could ever be imputed to the army’.)