V.
Ceterum Tiberio haud ingratum accidit turbari res Orientis, (Tiberio haud ingratum accidit turbari res Orientis: lit. ‘the fact that the situation of the Orient was perturbed was not displeasing to Tiberius.’) ut ea specie (ea specie: ‘under that pretext’) Germanicum suetis legionibus abstraheret (suetis legionibus abstraheret: abl. of separation with abstraho (Ernout) novisque provinciis impositum dolo simul et casibus obiectaret. at ille, quanto acriora in eum studia militum et aversa patrui voluntas, celerandae victoriae intentior, (quanto acriora in eum studia militum et aversa patrui voluntas, celerandae victoriae [tanto] intentior: Tacitus often omits tanto or eo maius in the main clause of a comparative sentence: lit. ‘the more intense the devotion of the soldiers to him and hostile the intentions of his uncle, the more earnest [he was] for victory to be hastened.’ intentus is often followed by dat. gerundive.) tractare proeliorum vias et quae sibi tertium iam annum belligeranti saeva vel prospera evenissent. ([intentior] tractare proeliorum vias et quae sibi tertium iam annum belligeranti saeva vel prospera evenissent: [deeply anxious] to ponder on the plans for the war and on the setbacks and victories he had met with in three years of fighting’; tertium iam annum: to express by a numeral the time elapsed from a point in the past up to and including the present, Latin uses iam + the acc. of the cardinal number increased by one. Germanicus had campaigned in 14 and 15 A.D. and was now about to start his third year of war. quae sibi …belligeranti … evenissent: sibi …belligeranti is dat. with evenissent, ‘things that had happened to him warring’; evenissent is subjunctive by modal attraction, in that the rel. clause is governed by the infinitive tractare (cf. A.G. 593).) fundi Germanos acie et iustis locis, iuvari silvis, paludibus, (fundi Germanos acie et iustis locis, iuvari silvis, paludibus, …: acc. + infinitive in oratio obliqua revealing Germanicus’ musings: ‘[he saw] that the Germans were routed in a regular battle and on equitable ground, [but] were advantaged by forests and swamps, …’) brevi aestate et praematura hieme; suum militem haud perinde vulneribus quam spatiis itinerum, damno armorum adfici; (haud perinde … quam … adfici: ‘that they were afflicted not so much by …as by …’) fessas Gallias ministrandis equis; (fessas Gallias ministrandis equis: ‘that the Gallic provinces were exhausted by their having to supply horses’, lit. ‘by horses having to be supplied’. The Gauls had initially been quite eager to help Germanicus (see Book 1, ch. 71), but their enthusiasm was now gone.) longum impedimentorum agmen opportunum ad insidias, defensantibus iniquum. (defensantibus iniquum: ‘difficult for the defenders’) at si mare intretur, promptam ipsis possessionem et hostibus ignotam, (at si mare intretur, promptam ipsis possessionem [esse] et hostibus ignotam: lit. ‘but that, if the sea were entered into, the invasion would be quick for them and without warning for the enemy’. Others prefer a different interpretation: ‘if they entered the sea, of that route, unknown to the enemy, they would be masters in no time.’ The Germans had no fleet with which to oppose the Romans. ipsis and hostibus are datives of interest; si …intretur: subjunctive for condition in indirect speech; the present intretur is more direct and alive than the more dista imperfect intraretur.) simul (simul: ‘besides’, ‘in addition’) bellum maturius incipi legionesque et commeatus pariter vehi; integrum equitem equosque per ora et alveos fluminum media in Germania fore. (media in Germania fore: ‘that they would be right in the heart of Germany’)