LXIV.
Simul nuntiato (nuntiato: abl. abs. with the past participle used alone and followed by completing infinitive clause) regem Artaxian (regem Artaxian: see ch. 56 for the crowning of Zeno with the name of Artaxias.) Armeniis a Germanico datum, decrevere patres ut Germanicus atque Drusus ovantes urbem introirent. (ut Germanicus atque Drusus ovantes urbem introirent: ‘that Germanicus and Drusus should enter the city receiving an ovation’; though much less than a full triumph, ovations were still reserved for members of the imperial family.) structi et arcus circum latera templi Martis Vltoris (templi Martis Ultoris: the temple of Mars the Avenger is in the forum of Augustus situated NE of the Roman Forum between the forum of Vespasian to the south and the forum of Trajan to the north, east of the Capitoline hill. The temple was built to memorialize Augustus’ vengeance on the assassins of Julius Caesar, his adoptive father.) cum effigie Caesarum, laetiore Tiberio quia pacem sapientia firmaverat quam si bellum per acies confecisset. igitur Rhescuporim quoque, Thraeciae regem, astu adgreditur. (Rhescuporim quoque, Thraeciae regem, astu adgreditur: adgreditur is historical present: ‘with diplomacy he also kept in check Rhescuporis, king of Thrace’; the kingdom of Trace in NE Greece was still extant at this time, although its coastal regions facing the Aegean Sea and the Thracian Chersonese had been added earlier to the neighboring province of Macedonia) omnem eam nationem Rhoemetalces tenuerat; quo defuncto (quo defuncto: quo relates to Rhoemetalces in the previous clause, thus the abl. quo defuncto is not fully absolute as to grammatical autonomy. Deviations of this kind from the rule occur in many writers and in all ages, but Tacitus, the steadiest user of the abl. abs., derogates more than most. defuncto, the perfect participle of defungor, has active meaning, lit. ‘having completed his life.’) Augustus partem Thraecum Rhescuporidi fratri eius, partem filio Cotyi permisit. in ea divisione arva et urbes et vicina Graecis Cotyi, quod incultum ferox adnexum hostibus, (adnexum hostibus: ‘adjacent’ or ‘in close proximity to enemies’; hostibus is dat. with adnecto. The enemies in this case could be raiding parties from tribes in the not distant Balkan Mountains, or the Bastarnae and Scythian tribes mentioned in next chapter.) Rhescuporidi cessit: (Cotyi … Rhescuporidi cessit: Cotyi and Rhescuporidi are datives of the indirect object with cessit.) ipsorumque regum ingenia, illi mite et amoenum, huic atrox avidum et societatis impatiens erat. (ipsorumque regum ingenia, illi mite et amoenum, huic atrox avidum … erat: conciseness carried too far: Tacitus means that the characters of the two kings reflect the nature of their respective countries, one pleasant, the other rough: lit. ‘the natures of the kings themselves [were equally at variance], one mild and charming, the other fierce and grasping’; illi and huic are datives of possessor with erat: ‘that one had … , this one had …’, with ingenium understood in both cases.) sed primo subdola concordia egere: (primo subdola concordia egere: ‘at first they lived in pretended harmony’) mox Rhescuporis egredi finis, vertere in se Cotyi data et resistenti vim facere, (mox Rhescuporis egredi finis, vertere in se Cotyi data et resistenti vim facere: ‘soon Rhescuporis started to ignore boundaries, take to himself lands given to Cotys, and do violence to anyone resisting,’ egredi, vertere, facere are historical infinitives.) cunctanter sub Augusto, quem auctorem utriusque regni, si sperneretur, vindicem metuebat. (cunctanter sub Augusto, quem auctorem utriusque regni, si sperneretur, vindicem metuebat: ‘hesitantly under Augustus, whom he feared as the avenger, if he, the architect of either kingdom, were slighted’; si sperneretur: subjunctive for potential condition) enimvero (enimvero : here denoting contrast with what precedes, ‘but’, ‘however’) audita mutatione principis immittere latronum globos, excindere castella, causas bello. (audita mutatione principis immittere latronum globos, excindere castella, causas bello: ‘having heard of the change of ruler, [he began] to send across the border packs of bandits and to raze to the ground [Cotys’] forts, sufficient causes for war.’ Tacitus is notorious for omitting any verb that can easily be understood from the context, here coepit, governing the two objective infinitives immittere and ex(s)cindere, of which the acc. causas is apposition.)