I.
Sisenna Statilio [Tauro] L. Libone consulibus mota Orientis regna provinciaeque Romanae, initio apud Parthos orto, qui petitum Roma acceptumque regem, quamvis gentis Arsacidarum, ut externum aspernabantur. is fuit Vonones, obses Augusto datus a Phraate. nam Phraates quamquam depulisset exercitus ducesque Romanos, cuncta venerantium officia ad Augustum verterat partemque prolis firmandae amicitiae miserat, haud perinde nostri metu quam fidei popularium diffisus.
1.
Under the consulate of Sisenna Statilius Tauro and of Lucius Libo, the kingdoms and the Roman provinces of the Orient were troubled by unrest, beginning with the Parthians, who after having petitioned and obtained a king from Rome, despised him for being a foreigner, even though he was a member of the Arsacian family. He was Vonones, whom Phraates had [years earlier] given hostage to Augustus. In fact, despite his having repulsed Roman armies and their generals, Phraates had shown all signs of complete deference to Augustus, and had sent part of his offspring to Rome to seal the bond of friendship, not so much out of fear of us, as rather through mistrust of his own compatriots.
II.
Post finem Phraatis et sequentium regum ob internas caedis venere in urbem legati a primoribus Parthis, qui Vononem vetustissimum liberorum eius accirent. magnificum id sibi credidit Caesar auxitque opibus. et accepere barbari laetantes, ut ferme ad nova imperia. mox subiit pudor degeneravisse Parthos: petitum alio ex orbe regem, hostium artibus infectum; iam inter provincias Romanas solium Arsacidarum haberi darique. ubi illam gloriam trucidantium Crassum, exturbantium Antonium, si mancipium Caesaris, tot per annos servitutem perpessum, Parthis imperitet? accendebat dedignantis et ipse diversus a maiorum institutis, raro venatu, segni equorum cura; quotiens per urbes incederet, lecticae gestamine fastuque erga patrias epulas. inridebantur et Graeci comites ac vilissima utensilium anulo clausa. sed prompti aditus, obvia comitas, ignotae Parthis virtutes, nova vitia; et quia ipsorum moribus aliena perinde odium pravis et honestis.
2.
Following the death of Phraates and of his successors to the throne caused by internal conflicts, an embassy from the grandees of the kingdom came to Rome to summon Vonones, the eldest of Phraates’ sons, back to Parthia. Augustus saw this as a great compliment to himself and was very generous in furnishing Vonones with everything he needed. Even the rude Parthian people accepted Vonones with great rejoicing, as always happens on the advent of a new ruler. Then shame crept in: Parthia had fallen from greatness, they grumbled, they had sought a king from another world, defiled by the mores of their enemies; the throne of the Arsacidae was now taken in and given out like any of the Roman provinces. Where was the glory of those who had destroyed Crassus, chased away Antony, if a servant of Caesar, bearing the marks of so many years of slavery, was now the master of Parthia? Their indignation was exacerbated by Vonones himself, whose behaviour conflicted with the people’s traditional ways of life: he rarely hunted, his interest in horses was feeble, he was trundled about in a litter whenever he appeared in the streets, and he showed contempt for the food and festivals of his country. His Greek following appeared ridiculous to Parthian eyes and so did his seal, which he impressed on things of little value. But his affability, his easy camaraderie, were virtues unknown to his subjects and were the same to them as new vices: being foreign to their customs, his qualities, whether good or bad, equally attracted hatred.
III.
Igitur Artabanus Arsacidarum e sanguine apud Dahas adultus excitur, primoque congressu fusus reparat viris regnoque potitur. victo Vononi perfugium Armenia fuit, vacua tunc interque Parthorum et Romanas opes infida ob scelus Antonii, qui Artavasden regem Armeniorum specie amicitiae inlectum, dein catenis oneratum, postremo interfecerat. eius filius Artaxias, memoria patris nobis infensus, Arsacidarum vi seque regnumque tutatus est. occiso Artaxia per dolum propinquorum datus a Caesare Armeniis Tigranes deductusque in regnum a Tiberio Nerone. nec Tigrani diuturnum imperium fuit neque liberis eius, quamquam sociatis more externo in matrimonium regnumque.
3.
The Parthians, therefore, called in Artabanus, a man of Arsacid blood, who had grown to adulthood among the Dahae and who, defeated in a first encounter, has repaired his losses and seized the throne. The vanquished Vonones found refuge in Armenia, which at the time had no king and, placed between the Romans and the Parthians, was hostile to us on account of Antony’s recent breach of faith. He had lured to his side Artavasdes, king of Armenia, under the mask of friendship, and after throwing him first in chains, in the end killed him. His son Artaxias, inimical to us because of his father’s memory, kept himself and his kingdom secure with the Parthian support of the Arsacidae. After Artaxias’ assassination, brought about by the treachery of his relatives, Augustus made Tigranes the new king of Armenia and had him escorted to his kingdom by Tiberius Nero. Tigranes’ reign, however, did not last long and neither did that of his two children, a son and a daughter, even though they had united in marriage — in keeping with a custom foreign to us — and shared the throne together.
IV.
Dein iussu Augusti inpositus Artavasdes et non sine clade nostra deiectus. tum Gaius Caesar componendae Armeniae deligitur. is Ariobarzanen, origine Medum, ob insignem corporis formam et praeclarum animum volentibus Armeniis praefecit. Ariobarzane morte fortuita absumpto stirpem eius haud toleravere; temptatoque feminae imperio, cui nomen Erato, eaque brevi pulsa, incerti solutique et magis sine domino quam in libertate profugum Vononen in regnum accipiunt. sed ubi minitari Artabanus et parum subsidii in Armeniis, vel, si nostra vi defenderetur, bellum adversus Parthos sumendum erat, rector Syriae Creticus Silanus excitum custodia circumdat, manente luxu et regio nomine. quod ludibrium ut effugere agitaverit Vonones in loco reddemus.
4.
Then, on Augustus’ orders, Artavasdes, was placed on the throne of Armenia, but was soon deposed, not without loss to ourselves. At this point, the task of pacifying Armenia was given to Gaius Caesar. He placed at the head of the country the Mede Ariobarzanes, very popular with the people for his imposing physical presence and gallant spirit. At his sudden death from an accident, the Armenians refused to be governed by anyone of his blood. They tried the rule of a woman, Erato by name, but soon drove her away. Confused and disorganized, more without a master than free, they accepted as king the fugitive Vonones, but as soon as Artabanus assumed a menacing posture, since little help was to be had from the Armenians themselves, and war with Parthia was inevitable, if we decided to support Vonones, the governor of Syria Creticus Silanus summoned Vonones to himself and kept him under surveillance, though he allowed him to retain the name and splendor of a king. We will relate at the appropriate time what subterfuges Vonones resorted to in order to extricate himself from this embarrassing situation.
V.
Ceterum Tiberio haud ingratum accidit turbari res Orientis, ut ea specie Germanicum suetis legionibus abstraheret novisque provinciis impositum dolo simul et casibus obiectaret. at ille, quanto acriora in eum studia militum et aversa patrui voluntas, celerandae victoriae intentior, tractare proeliorum vias et quae sibi tertium iam annum belligeranti saeva vel prospera evenissent. fundi Germanos acie et iustis locis, iuvari silvis, paludibus, brevi aestate et praematura hieme; suum militem haud perinde vulneribus quam spatiis itinerum, damno armorum adfici; fessas Gallias ministrandis equis; longum impedimentorum agmen opportunum ad insidias, defensantibus iniquum. at si mare intretur, promptam ipsis possessionem et hostibus ignotam, simul bellum maturius incipi legionesque et commeatus pariter vehi; integrum equitem equosque per ora et alveos fluminum media in Germania fore.
5.
In any case, the troubles in the Orient came as pleasant news to Tiberius: he could use that as a pretext to take Germanicus away from the legions that were so attuned to him, and at the same time expose him to the dangers of chance and the treachery of man by transferring him to new provinces. Germanicus, however, was all the more absorbed in speeding up victory the more intense was the devotion of the soldiers to him and the ill-will of his uncle. He pondered on the strategies to employ and on his successes and failures encountered in the recent campaigns. The Germans, he reflected, could be beaten in pitched battles and on suitable ground, but were favored by forests and swamps, by short summers and premature winters; his soldiers suffered less from their wounds than from the long marches and the wear and tear of arms and equipment. The Gallic provinces were unable to keep up with the demand for horses; the long convoys of transport vehicles were vulnerable to ambushes and difficult to protect. If they chose instead to go by sea, occupation of enemy territory would be swifter for them and unexpected by the enemy. It could be possible at the same time to begin the campaign earlier and transport both legions and supplies; the cavalry and their horses, conveyed by using the mouths and courses of the rivers, would arrive in the very heart of Germany unscathed and undiminished.
VI.
Igitur huc intendit, missis ad census Galliarum P. Vitellio et C. Antio. Silius et Anteius et Caecina fabricandae classi praeponuntur. mille naves sufficere visae properataeque, aliae breves, angusta puppi proraque et lato utero, quo facilius fluctus tolerarent; quaedam planae carinis, ut sine noxa siderent; plures adpositis utrimque gubernaculis, converso ut repente remigio hinc vel illinc adpellerent; multae pontibus stratae, super quas tormenta veherentur, simul aptae ferendis equis aut commeatui; velis habiles, citae remis augebantur alacritate militum in speciem ac terrorem. insula Batavorum in quam convenirent praedicta, ob facilis adpulsus accipiendisque copiis et transmittendum ad bellum opportuna. nam Rhenus uno alveo continuus aut modicas insulas circumveniens apud principium agri Batavi velut in duos amnis dividitur, servatque nomen et violentiam cursus, qua Germaniam praevehitur, donec Oceano misceatur: ad Gallicam ripam latior et placidior adfluens (verso cognomento Vahalem accolae dicunt), mox id quoque vocabulum mutat Mosa flumine eiusque inmenso ore eundem in Oceanum effunditur.
6.
So, he decided to go that way: he delegated to Publius Vitellius and Gaius Antius the census of the Gallic provinces and assigned to Silius, Anteius, and Caecina the construction of the fleet. It was estimated that one thousand ships would be sufficient and their construction was quickly completed. Some were short with narrow prows and sterns and a wide belly to better handle the waves; some had a flat bottom to beach themselves without damage; most had a rudder at both ends so that by inverting the handling of the oars, they could land one way or the other. Many were equipped with a bridge for the transport of war machines, but also handy for loading horses and supplies; all could accept sails and were propelled by oars: the warlike ardour of the soldiers lent a more impressive and menacing appearance to the ships. The island of the Batavi was chosen as the rendezvous point, because of its easy approaches, its suitability for collecting the troops and for transferring them to the zone of operations. The Rhine, in fact, flows continuous in one bed and in its course surrounds minor islands, but divides itself as if in two rivers near the beginning of the Batavian territory, conserves its name and impetus in the arm that carries it through Germany until it empties in the ocean. The second arm, wider and more placid, goes towards the Gallic bank. The locals call this arm by a new name, the Vahal, but even this name it exchanges with that of the river Mosa, through the immense mouth of which it flows to the sea.
VII.
Sed Caesar, dum adiguntur naves, Silium legatum cum expedita manu inruptionem in Chattos facere iubet: ipse audito castellum Lupiae flumini adpositum obsideri, sex legiones eo duxit. neque Silio ob subitos imbris aliud actum quam ut modicam praedam et Arpi principis Chattorum coniagem filiamque raperet, neque Caesari copiam pugnae obsessores fecere, ad famam adventus eius dilapsi: tumulum tamen nuper Varianis legionibus structum et veterem aram Druso sitam disiecerant. restituit aram honorique patris princeps ipse cum legionibus decucurrit; tumulum iterare haud visum. et cuncta inter castellum Alisonem ac Rhenum novis limitibus aggeribusque permunita.
7.
In the meantime, while waiting for the ships to assemble, Germanicus sent Silius, his deputy, to raid the Chatti; he himself, on hearing that a fort placed on the Lupia river was under siege, led six legions there. Silius was prevented by sudden rains from doing more than to scrape together some plunder and capture the wife and daughter of Arpus, the head of the Chatti. Germanicus, for his part, was given no chance to engage the besiegers, as they vanished when they heard he was coming. Before leaving, however, they had destroyed the tumulus recently erected in memory of Varus’ legions and the ancient altar dedicated to Drusus. He restored the altar and, at the head of the legions, he led the parade in honor of his father. As to the funeral mound [commemorating the lost legions] he did not think that raising it again was necessary. The territory between the fort Aliso and the Rhine was solidly reinforced by means of new barricades and ramparts.
VIII.
Iamque classis advenerat, cum praemisso commeatu et distributis in legiones ac socios navibus fossam, cui Drusianae nomen, ingressus precatusque Drusum patrem ut se eadem ausum libens placatusque exemplo ac memoria consiliorum atque operum iuvaret, lacus inde et Oceanum usque ad Amisiam flumen secunda navigatione pervehitur. classis Amisiae ore relicta laevo amne, erratumque in eo quod non subvexit et transposuit militem dextras in terras iturum; ita plures dies efficiendis pontibus absumpti. et eques quidem ac legiones prima aestuaria, nondum adcrescente unda, intrepidi transiere: postremum auxiliorum agmen Batavique in parte ea, dom insultant aquis artemque nandi ostentant, turbati et quidam hausti sunt. metanti castra Caesari Angrivariorum defectio a tergo nuntiatur: missus ilico Stertinius cum equite et armatura levi igne et caedibus perfidiam ultus est.
8.
The fleet having in the meantime arrived, Germanicus sent ahead the food supplies and assigned the legions and the auxiliaries to their ships. He then entered the canal named after Drusus, beseeching his father to be benign and propitious to his son daring to walk in his footsteps and to support him by his example and the memory of his designs and accomplishments. From there, after a prosperous journey through the lakes and the ocean, he reached as far as the river Amisia. He left the fleet at the mouth of the river on its left bank, a mistake on his part in that he did not convey the army further upstream and disembark the troops on the right bank, on the way to their future zone of operations. As a result, several days were wasted building bridges. At any rate, the cavalry and the legions bravely crossed the shallows of the estuary near the bed of the river before the rise of the tide, but the auxiliaries in the back of the column, among them the Batavi, while they recklessly challenged the waves to show off their swimming skills, were badly mauled and some even drowned. To Germanicus, who was measuring out a place for a camp, news was brought that the Angrivarii in their rear had defected. Stertinius was dispatched at once at the head of cavalry units and lightly armed auxiliaries, to punish the treason with fire and steel.
IX.
Flumen Visurgis Romanos Cheruscosque interfluebat. eius in ripa cum ceteris primoribus Arminius adstitit, quaesitoque an Caesar venisset, postquam adesse responsum est, ut liceret cum fratre conloqui oravit. erat is in exercitu cognomento Flavus, insignis fide et amisso per vulnus oculo paucis ante annis duce Tiberio. tum permissu * * progressusque salutatur ab Arminio; qui amotis stipatoribus, ut sagittarii nostra pro ripa dispositi abscederent postulat, et postquam digressi, unde ea deformitas oris interrogat fratrem. illo locum et proelium referente, quodnam praemium recepisset exquirit. Flavus aucta stipendia, torquem et coronam aliaque militaria dona memorat, inridente Arminio vilia servitii pretia.
9.
Between the Romans and the Cherusci ran the river Visurgis. Arminius came up to its bank accompanied by other notables of the tribe and asked if Germanicus had arrived. On being told that he had, he then requested to speak with his brother, who was serving in the Roman army with the surname of Flavus, a man well known for his loyalty and the loss of one eye from a wound received a few years earlier fighting under Tiberius. Permission to talk being granted, …Flavus advanced to the bank of the river and was greeted by Arminius, who told his escort to move further back, then asked that our archers, posted along the bank, be also retired. After this was done, he enquired of his brother the origin of the deformity in his face. Flavus named the place and the battle. Arminius then asked what reward he had received and the brother mentioned the increase in pay, the necklace, the crown, and other military distinctions, at all of which Arminius scoffed, finding them poor compensation indeed for his brother’s servitude.
X.
Exim diversi ordiuntur, hic magnitudinem Romanam, opes Caesaris et victis gravis poenas, in deditionem venienti paratam clementiam; neque coniugem et filium eius hostiliter haberi: ille fas patriae, libertatem avitam, penetralis Germaniae deos, matrem precum sociam; ne propinquorum et adfinium, denique gentis suae desertor et proditor quam imperator esse mallet. paulatim inde ad iurgia prolapsi quo minus pugnam consererent ne flumine quidem interiecto cohibebantur, ni Stertinius adcurrens plenum irae armaque et equum poscentem Flavum attinuisset. cernebatur contra minitabundus Arminius proeliumque denuntians; nam pleraque Latino sermone interiaciebat, ut qui Romanis in castris ductor popularium meruisset.
10.
Then they began to quarrel: one exalted the greatness of Rome, the might of Caesar, the severe penalties reserved for the vanquished, the clemency to those who came to surrender, the benign treatment accorded to his brother’s wife and son; the other countered with the sacred love of country, the ancestral freedoms, the duty to the gods of the home and of the German nation, to their mother, who, [Arminius said], was joining her prayers to his own, beseeching Flavus not to let himself be a deserter and traitor of his kindred by blood or marriage, in short, of his people, when he could be their defender. By gradual steps they descended to insults and were not far from coming to battle, regardless of the intervening river, had not Stertinius come in haste to hold back Flavus, who, in his fury, was demanding arms and a horse. Arminius could be seen on the other side full of menace, shouting he was ready to meet the challenge, for he blurted out most of the words in Latin, having served in Roman camps at the head of his people.