LI.
Caesar avidas legiones quo latior populatio foret (quo latior populatio foret: quo replaces ut in purpose clauses, especially when a comparative is present.) quattuor in cuneos dispertit; (quattuor in cuneos dispertit: Tacitus uses cuneus (a special kind of attack formation) to mean a stationary or marching column.) quinquaginta milium spatium ferro flammisque pervastat. non sexus, non aetas miserationem attulit: profana simul et sacra et celeberrimum illis gentibus templum quod Tanfanae vocabant (templum quod Tanfanae vocabant: nothing is known of this deity and its worship. Since the Germans did not confine their gods inside buildings (cf. Germania, Ch. 9), we may assume that this ‘temple’ was an outdoor place of worship, such as a sacred grove, which the Romans felled to the ground.) solo aequantur. sine vulnere milites, qui semisomnos, inermos aut palantis ceciderant. excivit ea caedes Bructeros, Tubantes, Vsipetes, (Bructeros, Tubantes, Vsipetes: the Bructeri and the Usipetes are mentioned in Germania, ch. 32, 33. The Bructeri were above the river Lippe, between the Rhine and the southern stretch of the river Ems, around modern Munster. The Usipetes (or Usipii or Usipi) were settled east of the Rhine between Cologne in the north and Koblenz in the south, near the confluence of the Moselle. The Tubantes, not mentioned in Germania, were along the eastern portion of the Lippe, on its south side. All three tribes were well placed to interfere with the operations of Germanicus’ army.) saltusque, per quos exercitui regressus, insedere. (saltusque, per quos exercitui regressus, insedere: exercitui is dat. of possessor with an implied erat: lit. ‘they took control of the forested gorges through which the return route for the army was.’ insedere is from insido not insideo.) quod gnarum duci incessitque itineri et proelio. (quod gnarum duci incessitque itineri et proelio: ‘that being known to Germanicus, he advanced [ready] for the march and the fighting.’ itineri and proelio are datives of purpose.) pars equitum et auxiliariae cohortes ducebant, mox prima legio, et mediis impedimentis sinistrum latus unetvicesimani, dextrum quintani clausere, vicesima legio terga firmavit, post ceteri sociorum. sed hostes, donec agmen per saltus porrigeretur, (donec agmen … porrigeretur: ‘until the marching column became stretched out’: the subjunctive after donec (‘until’) is justified when intent and suspense are involved, but Tacitus often uses it even when a classical writer would prefer the indicative.) immoti, dein latera et frontem modice adsultantes, tota vi novissimos incurrere. turbabanturque densis Germanorum catervis leves cohortes, (tota vi novissimos incurrere. turbabanturque densis Germanorum catervis leves cohorts: ‘they invested the rearguard with full force; the light auxiliary cohorts were thrown in disarray by dense hordes of the Germans.’) cum Caesar advectus ad vicesimanos voce magna hoc illud tempus obliterandae seditionis (hoc illud tempus obliterandae seditionis [esse]: hoc is adverb, ‘here’: lit. ‘that here was the desired moment (illud tempus) for the mutiny to be wiped from memory.’ illud is highly emphatic, especially in combination with the dative gerundive expressing not only purpose, but duty and necessity as well.) clamitabat: (cum Caesar … clamitabat: example of inverse cum with indicative: the cum clause, normally subordinate, contains the main idea and is put last, whereas the main verb, here turbabantur, appears secondary in importance. Cf. G. 581 and L. 1869.) pergerent, properarent (pergerent, properarent: hortatory subjunctives in oratio obliqua; in oratio recta: pergite and properate) culpam in decus vertere. exarsere animis unoque impetu perruptum hostem redigunt in aperta caeduntque: simul primi agminis copiae evasere silvas castraque communivere. (evasere … communivere: for evaserunt and communiverunt; the latter is from communio or commoenio.) quietum inde iter, fidensque recentibus ac priorum oblitus (fidensque recentibus ac priorum oblitus: fido is followed by locative ablative (cf. L. 1349), and oblitus by genitive, though it is also often found with acc.: lit. ‘trusting in the successes fresh in their memory and having no remembrance of past crimes, …’; recentibus and priorum are respectively abl. of recentia and gen. of priora, used as neuter plural nouns.) miles in hibernis locatur.