XXI.
Nec minor Germanis (Germanis: dat. of possessor with implied erat) animus, sed genere pugnae et armorum superabantur, cum ingens multitudo artis locis praelongas hastas non protenderet, non colligeret, neque adsultibus et velocitate corporum uteretur, coacta stabile ad proelium; (coacta stabile ad proelium: coacta modifies multitudo: ‘forced to fight a static battle’) contra miles, cui (cui: dat. of advantage, or dativus commodi) scutum pecotri adpressum et insidens capulo manus, (insidens capulo manus: ‘the hand resting firmly on the hilt’; capulo is dat. with insideo.) latos barbarorum artus, nuda ora foderet viamque strage hostium aperiret, (cum … non protenderet, non colligeret, neque … uteretur … aperiret: causal cum is regularly followed by subjunctive. The combination of body armor, semicylindrical large shield, light javelin, and short, manageable sword, united with good training and iron discipline made the Roman soldiery practically invincible, unless taken at a vast disadvantage, as in Varus’ case.) ob continua pericula, sive (sive: here used as disjunctive conjunction like aut, without subordinating force.) illum recens acceptum vulnus tardaverat. quin et (quin et: adverbial phrase, an intensive that adds to what precedes: ‘even’, ‘also’) Inguiomerum, tota volitantem acie, (tota volitantem acie: ‘flitting all over the field’; acie is locative.) fortuna magis quam virtus deserebat. et Germanicus quo magis adgnosceretur (quo magis adgnosceretur: quo is regularly found replacing final ut when a comparative is present.) detraxerat tegimen capitii (tegimen capitii: the technical term galea for helmet is too prosaic and commonplace to suit Tacitus’ ear, so he uses a circumlocution instead.) orabatque insisterent caedibus: nil opus captivis, solam internicionem gentis finem bello fore. (orabat insisterent caedibus: nil opus captivis [esse], solam internicionem gentis finem bello fore: in oratio obliqua after orabat: ‘he urged his men to continue the slaughter, [saying that] there was no need of prisoners, and that only the total blotting out of that nation was going to put an end to the war.’ insisterent is hortative subjunctive in indir. speech; in direct speech: insistite; caedibus is dat. with insisto. nil opus captivis: abl. with opus; in fact, captivis is instrumental abl. (cf. A.G. 411 and Note.).) iamque sero diei (iamque sero diei: sero is adverb: ‘at a late hour of the day already, …’) subducit ex acie legionem faciendis castris: (faciendis castris: use of gerundive ablative to express purpose: ‘for the camp to be made’) ceterae ad noctem cruore hostium satiatae sunt. equites ambigue certavere.