X.
Exim diversi ordiuntur, (exim diversi ordiuntur: diversi is double entendre: ‘facing each other on the opposite side of the river’ and ‘voicing divergent views’; ordio is here transitive: ‘thereafter they traded conflicting arguments’; ordiuntur is hist. present.) hic magnitudinem Romanam, opes Caesaris et victis gravis poenas, in deditionem venienti paratam clementiam; neque coniugem et filium eius hostiliter haberi: (neque coniugem et filium eius hostiliter haberi: ‘[he claimed] that Arminius’ wife an child were hospitably treated’: Arminius’ pregnant wife had been recently captured by the Romans; cf. Book 1, ch. 57.) ille fas patriae, libertatem avitam, penetralis Germaniae deos, (ille fas patriae, libertatem avitam, penetralis Germaniae deos: three direct objects of an implied orditur: ‘the other cites the sacred rights of the fatherland, the atavistic German liberties, the domestic gods of Germany’; ille is Arminius, the correlative of hic, Flavus. penetrales deos = deos penates) matrem precum sociam; ne propinquorum et adfinium, denique gentis suae desertor et proditor quam imperator esse mallet. (matrem precum sociam; ne propinquorum et adfinium, denique gentis suae desertor et proditor quam imperator esse mallet: ‘[he reminds him of] their mother, the sharer of his prayers, lest he should choose to be the deserter and betrayer of his relatives by blood and marriage, ultimately of his nation, rather than their champion.’ ne …mallet: negative purpose clause in indir. speech after the implied orditur.) paulatim inde ad iurgia prolapsi (ad iurgia prolapsi: ‘having progressed gradually to insults’) quo minus pugnam consererent ne flumine quidem interiecto cohibebantur, ni Stertinius adcurrens plenum irae armaque et equum poscentem Flavum attinuisset. (quo minus pugnam consererent ne flumine quidem interiecto cohibebantur, ni Stertinius … Flavum attinuisset: ‘not even the intervening river was going to keep them from joining battle, if Stertinius had not restrained Flavus.’ quo minus or quominus introduces a purpose clause after a verb of preventing, here cohibeo; ne …cohibebantur, ni …attinuisset: plup. subjunctive in the protasis for unreal condition in the past and imperfect indicative in the apodosis (in place of the expected imperfect subjunctive) to express the certainty of the outcome had the intervention not occurred.) cernebatur contra minitabundus (minitabundus: ‘full of menace’) Arminius proeliumque denuntians; (proeliumque denuntians: ‘defying him [and the Roman army] to battle.’) nam pleraque Latino sermone interiaciebat, ut qui Romanis in castris ductor popularium meruisset. (ut qui Romanis in castris ductor popularium meruisset: ut qui …meruisset is relative clause of characteristic or tendency requiring subjunctive, its sense being consecutive (cf. G. 631): ‘as a man who had served in Roman camps, being the leader of his compatriots’; mereo has here the sense of ‘to earn pay as a soldier’.)