XII.
Caesar transgressus Visurgim indicio perfugae cognoscit delectum ab Arminio locum pugnae; convenisse et alias nationes in silvam Herculi sacram (convenisse et alias nationes in silvam Herculi sacram: object infinitive clause (G. 527, R. 1) after cognoscit: ‘…that other nations had also convened in a forest sacred to Hercules’; foremost among these nations would be the Angrivarii, the Bructeri, the Chamavi; for the reference to Hercules cf. also fuisse apud eos et Herculem memorant, primumque omnium virorum fortium ituri in proelia canunt in Germania, ch. 3.) ausurosque nocturnam castrorum oppugnationem. habita indici fides et cernebantur ignes, (habita indici fides et cernebantur ignes: et is here confirmatory: ‘credence was given to the spy, and in fact [German] watch fires were seen.’) suggressique propius speculatores (suggressi … speculatores: ‘scouts gone up close to investigate …’; the verb suggredior is found used only in Tacitus and Sallust (cf. Oxford Lat. Dictionary).) audiri fremitum equorum inmensique et inconditi agminis murmur (inconditi agminis murmur: ‘the droning sound of an untidy mass of men on the advance’) attulere. igitur propinquo summae rei discrimine (propinquo summae rei discrimine: ‘the jeopardy of the supreme trial approaching’) explorandos militum animos ratus, quonam id modo incorruptum foret secum agitabat. (explorandos militum animos ratus, quonam id modo incorruptum foret secum agitabat: ’convinced that the mood of the soldiers ought to be sounded, he debated with himself in just which way it could be [found] sincere.’ The interrogative pronominal adjective quonam brings in an indirect question with subjunctive. The rest of the chapter is in oratio obliqua after agitabat.) tribunos et centuriones laeta saepius quam comperta nuntiare, libertorum servilia ingenia, amicis inesse adulationem; (amicis inesse adulationem: ‘that flattery was inherent in friends’; insum requires dative, though is also found with in + abl.) si contio vocetur, illic quoque quae pauci incipiant reliquos adstrepere. (si contio vocetur, illic quoque quae pauci incipiant reliquos adstrepere: ‘that if an assembly were called, there also what a few bring forward, all the rest noisily approve.’ si vocetur is potential (type II) condition; vocetur does not comply with the sequence of tenses called for after a hist. verb of saying (agitabat). Tacitus, and Latin historians in general, pay little heed to the rule and often use present subjunctive in preference to the imperfect (here vocaretur), finding the latter less compelling and direct. The apodosis is infinitive in indir. discourse and incipiant in the rel. clause is subjunctive for the same reason.) penitus noscendas mentes, cum secreti et incustoditi inter militaris cibos spem aut metum proferrent. (penitus noscendas mentes, cum secreti et incustoditi inter militaris cibos spem aut metum proferrent: ‘that the soldiers’ minds were to be known from deep down, when, left to themselves and unobserved, they express their hopes and fears during their army meals.’ An example of narrative cum giving the circumstances accompanying the action of the main verb. Another example is cum …laudibus ferrent [et] …faterentur in the chapter below )