X.
Exim validissimas praefecturas invisit; et reciperare Armeniam avebat, ni a Vibio Marso, Syriae legato, bellum minitante cohibitus foret. (reciperare Armeniam avebat, ni a Vibio Marso, Syriae legato, bellum minitante cohibitus foret: ‘he yearned to recover Armenia, had he not been prevented by Vibius Marsus, the legate of Syria, threatening war.’ For Vibius Marsus see Book 2, ch. 74 and 79, Book 4, ch. 56, Book 6, ch. 48. avebat, ni … cohibitus foret: conditional sentence with plup. subjunctive for unreal condition in the past; the imperfect indicative of the apodosis denotes confidence in the outcome had the condition not applied. Cf. G. 597, Remark 2.) atque interim Gotarzes paenitentia concessi regni et vocante nobilitate, cui in pace durius servitium est, contrahit copias. (Gotarzes paenitentia concessi regni et vocante nobilitate, cui in pace durius servitium est, contrahit copias: lit. ‘Gotarzes assembled an army, because of his repentance of the power yielded [to Vardanes] and the solicitations of the nobles, to whom obedience was harder to bear in time of peace.’ vocante nobilitate, cui … ‘: abl. abs. of causal sense; the singular cui refers to nobilitate: lit. ‘the nobles, to whom … , soliciting [him to return]. Contrahit and est are historical presents.) et hinc contra itum ad amnem Erinden; in cuius transgressu multum certato (hinc contra itum ad amnem Erinden; in cuius transgressu multum certato: ‘from this side (i.e., from Vardanes’ side) it was marched to battle as far as the Erindes river, at the crossing of which a long engagement was fought.’ itum [est] is impersonal use of the passive of an intransitive verb; certato is an ancient impersonal usage of the neuter perfect participle alone as abl. abs., lit. ‘it having been fought’. Other examples of the usage are auspicato, consulto, intestato, contestato, vadato, and the like. The river Erinden is probably the Charinda river, a small watercourse flowing into the south shore of the Caspian sea near the western border of Hyrcania.) pervicit Vardanes, prosperisque proeliis medias nationes subegit ad flumen Sinden, quod Dahas Ariosque disterminat. (pervicit Vardanes, prosperisque proeliis medias nationes subegit ad flumen Sinden, quod Dahas Ariosque disterminat: ‘Vardanes prevailed and in other successful battles subdued the intervening nations up to the river Sinden, which separates the Dahae and the Arii.’ Tacitus’ geography is doubtful: the river Sinden is unknown and in any case cannot separate the Dahae who lived along the southeastern coast of the Caspian sea and the Arii located far away, south of distant Bactria.) ibi modus rebus secundis positus: (ibi modus rebus secundis positus: ‘there an end (modus) was put to [Vardanes’] good fortune.’) nam Parthi quamquam victores longinquam militiam aspernabantur. igitur extructis monimentis, quibus opes suas testabatur nec cuiquam ante Arsacidarum tributa illis de gentibus parta, (extructis monimentis, quibus opes suas testabatur nec cuiquam ante Arsacidarum tributa illis de gentibus parta: abl. abs. with dependent relative clause: ‘memorials having been erected by which his exploits were corroborated and [the fact] that by no one before of the Arsacids tributes had been won from those peoples (illis de gentibus) [he had conquered].’ ante is adverb, not prep.; opes suas: the possessive suas refers to Vardanes, the logical, though not the grammatical, subject of the passage; cuiquam is poetic dative of the agent with parta [esse], occasionally found, especially in Tacitus, after passive verbs in place of a or ab and abl.) regreditur ingens gloria atque eo ferocior et subiectis intolerantior; qui dolo ante composito incautum venationique intentum interfecere, (dolo ante composito incautum venationique intentum interfecere: ‘in an ambush prepared beforehand, they killed him unheeding and wholly given to the chase.’) primam intra iuventam, sed claritudine paucos inter senum regum, si perinde amorem inter popularis quam metum apud hostis quaesivisset. (claritudine paucos inter senum regum, si perinde amorem inter popularis quam metum apud hostis quaesivisset: conditional sentence of the unreal type with pluperfect subjunctive in the protasis and (impliedly) in the apodosis: ‘in renown, he would have been ([fuisset]) among the few kings grown old on the throne, had he sought love amid his people in the same way as he had fear for his enemies.’ claritudine is abl. of specification; inter paucos senum regum: the genitive senum regum, ‘of old kings’, is partitive after paucos, a word indicating a part of something.) nece Vardanis turbatae Parthorum res inter ambiguos quis in regnum acciperetur. (nece Vardanis turbatae Parthorum res inter ambiguos quis in regnum acciperetur: ‘the affairs of Parthia were thrown into disarray by the murder of Vardanes, [the Parthians] vacillating among themselves (inter ambiguos) who should be called to the throne.’ quis … acciperetur: subjunctive in indirect question with interrogative quis) multi ad Gotarzen inclinabant, quidam ad Meherdaten prolem Phraatis, obsidio nobis datum: (quidam ad Meherdaten prolem Phraatis, obsidio nobis datum: ’some [inclined] to Meherdates, a scion of Phraates given hostage to us.’ obsidio is dative of purpose, ‘for hostageship’. The Phraates referred to here is Phraates IV, who had sent to Augustus four members of his family, two sons (Vonones and Phraates) and two grandsons, (Tiridates and Meherdates) as hostages, the last mentioned here. See notes in Book 6, ch. 31 and 32. ) dein praevaluit Gotarzes; potitusque regiam per saevitiam ac luxum adegit Parthos re s mittere ad principem Romanum occultas preces, quis permitti Meherdaten patrium ad fastigium orabant. (per saevitiam ac luxum adegit Parthos mittere ad principem Romanum occultas preces, quis permitti Meherdaten patrium ad fastigium orabant: ‘because of his cruelty and excesses [Gotarzes] forced the Parthians to send secret entreaties to the Roman emperor, by which (quis = quibus) they implored that Meherdates be allowed [to succeed] to the throne of his fathers.’ per saevitiam ac luxum: per + acc. can expresse cause.)