XLV.
Sic compositis praesentibus haud minor moles supererat ob ferociam quintae et unetvicesimae legionum, (quintae et unetvicesimae legionum: the two legions that had started the revolt. See ch. 31.) sexagesimum apud lapidem (loco Vetera nomen est) (sexagesimum apud lapidem (loco Vetera nomen est): lit. ‘near the sixtieth milestone [from the oppidum Ubiorum] (the name for the place is Vetera)’; the full name was Vetera Castra, ‘the Old Camp’. As noted in ch. 37, Vetera was at the confluence of the Rhine and the Lippe, near modern Xanten, between Wesel and Cleves.) hibernantium. nam primi seditionem coeptaverant: atrocissimum quodque facinus horum manibus patratum; (atrocissimum quodque facinus horum manibus patratum: idiomatic use of quisque with superlatives: ‘all the most vicious crimes were committed by their hands’. Cf. A.G. 313, b.) nec poena commilitonum exterriti nec paenitentia conversi iras (iras: Tacitus is rather fond of using the plural of abstract names, perhaps to expand their meaning.) retinebant. igitur Caesar arma classem socios demittere Rheno parat, (Caesar arma classem socios demittere Rheno parat: example of asyndeton, the omission of conjunctions between items in a series to convey a sense of speed and urgency; demittere Rheno: ‘to send by way of the Rhine’; parat is historical present.) si imperium detrectetur, bello certaturus. (si imperium detrectetur, bello certaturus: ‘if his authority is scorned, he will wage war.’ The conditional sentence has present subjunctive in the protasis, for potential, yet untested condition and periphrastic future in the apodosis (cf. L 2081). For dramatic effect the action is imagined as occurring in the present (repraesentatio, cf. G. 654, Note and A.G. 585, b., Note).)