LIII.
Sequens annus (sequens annus: 18 A.D.) Tiberium tertio, Germanicum iterum consules habuit. sed eum honorem Germanicus iniit apud urbem Achaiae Nicopolim, (apud urbem Achaiae Nicopolim: Achaia was the Roman province comprising most of modern Greece. Nicopolis, lit. ‘city of victory’, near today’s Preveza, was founded by Caesar Octavian, later Augustus, to honor the battle of Actium (31 B.C.), in which he defeated the forces of Marc Antony and Cleopatra. The city was near the Ionian coast in Epirus, at the north end of the Ambracian gulf, where the decisive naval engagement had occurred. At the south end of the gulf was the promontory of Actium, where Antony had his camp before the battle. Speaking of camps, Nicopolis was built where Octavian’s camp had stood.) quo venerat per Illyricam oram viso fratre Druso in Delmatia agente, Hadriatici ac mox Ionii maris adversam navigationem perpessus. igitur paucos dies insumpsit reficiendae classi; (reficiendae classi: dat. gerundive in place of ad + acc. to express purpose, ‘for the fleet to be repaired’) simul sinus Actiaca victoria inclutos et sacratas ab Augusto manubias castraque Antonii cum recordatione maiorum suorum adiit. (sinus Actiaca victoria inclutos et sacratas ab Augusto manubias castraque Antonii cum recordatione maiorum suorum adiit: ‘he visited the gulf made famous by the victory at Actium, the trophies consecrated by Augustus, and the camp of Antony, places that summoned up in him the remembrance of his ancestors. cum recordatione: probably abl. of accompaniment, though manner or even instrument cannot be excluded; sinus is plural, referring to the many curves in the coastline of the Ambracian gulf. manubias: here a trophy consisting of the spoils of war; Actiaca victoria is abl. of cause or agent.) namque ei, ut memoravi, avunculus Augustus, avus Antonius erant, (ei … avunculus Augustus, avus Antonius erant: ei is dat. of possessor with erant, ‘he had Augustus as uncle and Antony as grandfather’; Augustus was actually Germanicus’ granduncle: see ch. 43.) magnaque illic imago tristium laetorumque. hinc ventum Athenas, (hinc ventum Athenas: with names of cities place to which is expressed by simple accusative; ventum [est] is impersonal use of the passive, ‘it was come to Athens’.) foederique sociae et vetustae urbis datum ut uno lictore uteretur. (foederique sociae et vetustae urbis datum [est] ut uno lictore uteretur: lit. ‘to the treaty [with us] of that allied and ancient city, it was granted as a favor that he should use only one lictor’; Athens was a free city, exempted from tribute by special dispensation from Rome, thus outside the consular powers of Germanicus. By reducing the number of lictors (the symbol of power) from twelve to one only, who thereby became no more than a personal attendant, an accensus such as a noble lady or a priest might have, he was reassuring the people of Athens – a very touchy lot – that he was there as a friend. The verb dare is here complemented by a ut clause; dare is also found with infinitive of purpose. See A.G. 460, a.) excepere Graeci quaesitissimis honoribus, vetera suorum facta dictaque praeferentes quo plus dignationis adulatio haberet. (vetera suorum facta dictaque praeferentes quo plus dignationis adulatio haberet: ‘putting forward the ancient deeds and sayings of their nation, so that their adulation should gain more status’; quo replaces ut in final clauses when a comparative is present.)