LVIII.
Inter quae ab rege Parthorum Artabano legati venere. miserat amicitiam ac foedus memoraturos, (amicitiam ac foedus memoraturos: ‘to revive the memory of their friendly alliance’; memoraturos: in later writers the future infinitive is found expressing intention or purpose (A.G. 499, 2.); amicitiam ac foedus may be hendiadys; another example is decore ac modestia below.) et cupere novari dextras, daturumque honori Germanici ut ripam Euphratis accederet: (cupere novari dextras, daturumque honori Germanici ut ripam Euphratis accederet: in indirect speech after memoraturos: lit. ‘that he desired to renew their bonds in person and that for the honor of Germanicus he would concede to come to the bank of the Euphrates [to meet him]’; novari dextras: the ‘right hands’ clasped in greeting or in sign of agreement were a symbol of friendly relations; when a personal meeting could not be arranged, a model of the clasped right hands would be sent as a token of goodwill.) petere interim ne Vonones in Syria haberetur neu proceres gentium propinquis nuntiis ad discordias traheret. (petere interim ne Vonones in Syria haberetur neu proceres gentium propinquis nuntiis ad discordias traheret: ‘that for the moment he was asking that Vonones should not be kept in Syria in order to avoid that he should encourage to revolt the nobles of the kingdom, given the short distance for messengers.’ propinquis nuntiis: probably abl abs., ‘messengers being quite near’, i.e. ‘messengers (or messages) having short distances to travel’; SE Syria had an extensive common border with Parthia. ne …neu: ne introduces a negative purpose clause, neu adds a second.) ad ea Germanicus de societate Romanorum Partorumque magnifice, de adventu regis et cultu sui (de adventu regis et cultu sui: ‘as to the coming of the king and the honor to himself …’; de adventu …cultu: abl. of respect; sui, ‘of himself’, is reflexive pronoun, in that it always refers to the subject, thus has no nominative; sui is genitive, sibi dative, se acc. and abl.) cum decore ac modestia (cum decore ac modestia: abl. of manner) respondit. Vonones Pompeiopolim, (Pompeiopolim: Pompeiopolis is in Cilicia in southern Turkey, near the city of Mersin, west of Tarsus.) Ciliciae maritimam urbem, amotus est. datum id non modo precibus Artabani, sed contumeliae Pisonis (datum id non modo precibus Artabani, sed contumeliae Pisonis: lit. ‘this was not only granted because of Artabanus’ request, but for an affront of Piso, ….’ precibus is abl. of cause; contumeliae is dat. of purpose.) cui gratissimus erat ob plurima oflicia et dona quibus Plancinam devinxerat.