XVIII.
Per idem tempus Chauci nulla dissensione domi et morte Sanquinii alacres, dum Corbulo adventat, inferiorem Germaniam incursavere duce Gannasco, qui natione Canninefas, auxiliare stipendium meritus, post transfuga, levibus navigiis praedabundus Gallorum maxime oram vastabat, (Chauci nulla dissensione domi et morte Sanquinii alacres, dum Corbulo adventat, inferiorem Germaniam incursavere duce Gannasco, … Canninefas, auxiliare stipendium meritus, post transfuga, levibus navigiis praedabundus Gallorum maxime oram vastabat: ‘the Chauci, there being no infighting at home and emboldened by the death of Sanquinius, while Corbulo was not yet arrived, raided Lower Germany, their leader being Gannascus, a Canninefate having served as auxiliary [in our forces], later a deserter; engaged in plundering (predabundus), he was ravaging especially the coast of Gaul with some light vessels.’ Chauci: located between the rivers Ems and Weser, north of the Cherushi. Canninefas: the Canninefates lived on the north side of the mouth of the Rhine, with the Batavi east of them and the Frisii immediately north. Sanquinii: Quintus Sanquinius Maximus was mentioned in Book 6, ch. 4. That he was given command of the army of Lower Germany and that he was replaced at his death by Corbulo did no doubt receive mention in the lost part of the Annals. Corbulo: Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, a famous general, makes here his first appearance in the surviving Annals and will be a dominant figure in the books ahead. He may have been the son of the Corbulo mentioned in Book 3, ch. 31. nulla disse3nsione domi and duce Gannasco are ablatives abs.; auxiliare stipendium meritus: lit. ‘having deserved auxiliary pay’ or ‘having drawn pay as one of the auxiliaries’) non ignarus ditis et imbellis esse. at Corbulo provinciam ingressus magna cum cura et mox gloria, cui principium illa militia fuit, triremis alveo Rheni, ceteras navium, ut quaeque habiles, per aestuaria et fossas adegit; (Corbulo … magna cum cura et mox gloria, cui principium illa militia fuit, triremis alveo Rheni, ceteras navium, ut quaeque habiles, per aestuaria et fossas adegit: ‘Corbulo, with the painstaking planning that soon brought him glory, to which this campaign was the prelude, had his warships advance by the main course of the Rhine and the smaller vessels, in the measure that each was suitable (ut habiles), by the estuaries and canals.’ cui principium illa militia fuit: cui refers to gloria and is dative of possessor with fuit, ‘the glory, which had that operation as its beginning’; illa conveys emphasis.) luntribusque hostium depressis et exturbato Gannasco, (luntribus hostium depressis et exturbato Gannasco: abl. abs.: ‘the boats of the enemy being sunk and Gannascus driven away’) ubi praesentia satis composita sunt, legiones operum et laboris ignavas, populationibus laetantis, veterem ad morem reduxit, (legiones operum et laboris ignavas, populationibus laetantis, veterem ad morem reduxit: ‘he restored the legions, neglectful of duty and work and abandoning themselves to pillage, to their ancient discipline.’ populationibus laetantis: the verb laetor takes abl. with or without in.) ne quis agmine decederet nec pugnam nisi iussus iniret. (ne quis agmine decederet nec pugnam nisi iussus iniret: subjunctive for prohibition (negative command ) in virtual oratio obliqua: ‘[he directed] that no one must break ranks [on the march or in action], nor engage the enemy unless ordered’; the tense of decederet and iniret is dictated by the historical reduxit, or a verb of saying derived from it.) stationes vigiliae, diurna nocturnaque munia in armis agitabantur; feruntque militem quia vallum non accinctus, atque alium quia pugione tantum accinctus foderet, morte punitos. (ferunt militem quia vallum non accinctus, atque alium quia pugione tantum accinctus foderet, morte punitos: ‘they say that [two] soldiers were punished with death, [one] because he was digging a breastwork without wearing arms, the other for wearing only his dagger.’ The term vallum, usually referring to a palisade on top of an agger, applies to many kinds of defences and even burial mounds. quia foderet: see note for quia … valescant in ch. 15.) quae nimia et incertum an falso iacta originem tamen e severitate ducis traxere; (quae nimia et incertum an falso iacta originem tamen e severitate ducis traxere: ’these rumors exaggerated, if not falsely proffered, derived their origin from the severity of the general.’ The locution incertum an has the dubitative value of ‘if not… ‘, as shown in the above translation, and is equivalent to ‘perhaps’; quae at the start of a clause does not introduce an authentic relative clause, being replaceable in English by a demonstrative (‘these rumors’). See note for quod nunc segnius fieri in ch. 15.) intentumque et magnis delictis inexorabilem scias cui tantum asperitatis etiam adversus levia credebatur. (intentumque et magnis delictis inexorabilem scias cui tantum asperitatis etiam adversus levia credebatur: ‘you may be sure (scias) that a man was strict and inexorable to serious offences, to whom such rigor was credited against light failings.’ scias is use of potential subjunctive in the indefinite second person singular of verbs of thinking, saying, believing, and the like. A.G. 447, 2.)