XLIII.
Apud Aeduos maior moles exorta quanto civitas opulentior et comprimendi procul praesidium. (maior moles exorta [est] quanto civitas opulentior et comprimendi procul praesidium: moles is used here in the sense of ‘difficult undertaking’, ‘a vast task or labor’, referred to the rebellion, here implied: ‘[the rebellion] among the Aedui presented a greater problem, in so far as this nation [was] more opulent and the punitive remedy far away.’ comprimendi praesidium: lit. ‘the means of punishing’, where comprimendi is objective genitive gerund after a noun; cf. A.G. 348 and 504.) Augustodunum caput gentis armatis cohortibus Sacrovir occupaverat [ut] nobilissimam Galliarum subolem, liberalibus studiis ibi operatam, (ibi operatam: operatam is adj. modifying subolem: ‘busy’ or ‘engaged in that city’) et eo pignore parentes propinquosque eorum adiungeret; ([ut] … eo pignore parentes propinquosque eorum adiungeret: ‘[with the intention] of associating their parents and relatives to his party by means of that security (or hostages)’; eo pignore is abl. of instrument.) simul arma occulte fabricata iuventuti dispertit. quadraginta milia fuere, quinta sui parte legionariis armis, ceteri cum venabulis et cultris quaeque alia venantibus tela sunt. adduntur e servitiis gladiaturae destinati quibus more gentico continuum ferri tegimen: (quibus more gentico continuum ferri tegimen: quibus is dat. of possessor with implied est: ‘who have a continuous steel covering, in keeping with the custom of the nation’; gentico: according to Furneaux, the word is found elsewhere only once in Tertullian.) cruppellarios vocant, inferendis ictibus inhabilis, accipiendis impenetrabilis. (cruppellarios vocant, inferendis ictibus inhabilis, accipiendis impenetrabilis: ‘they call them cruppellarios, unsuitable for causing harm, impenetrable to the blows of others.’ The cumbersome armor is reminiscent of the cataphracta used by Sarmathian chiefs and mentioned in the Historiae, Book 1, ch. 79. inferendis and accipiendis [ictibus] are dat. gerundives expressing purpose; inhabilis and impenetrabilis are plural accusatives qualifying cruppellarios.) augebantur eae copiae vicinarum civitatum ut nondum aperta consensione, ita viritim promptis studiis, (augebantur eae copiae vicinarum civitatum ut nondum aperta consensione, ita viritim promptis studiis: ‘these forces were augmented — although still not by the open support of the neighboring communities – yet by their active participation on an individual basis.’ ut …ita: here introducing not a comparison, but concession or contrast: ‘although …yet’, ‘while …at the same time’, etc. (cf. G. 482, 4.); consensione and studiis are abl. od instrument, replacing the abl. of agent with a or ab, after a passive verb, when the agent is a thing. viritim is adverb: ‘man by man’, ‘each man separately’) et certamine ducum Romanorum, quos inter ambigebatur utroque bellum sibi poscente. (certamine ducum Romanorum, quos inter ambigebatur utroque bellum sibi poscente: ‘on account of the rivalry of the Roman generals, between whom it was quarrelled, each of the two demanding the war for himself’; utroque bellum sibi poscente ia abl. abs.; sibi is dat. of interest.) mox Varro invalidus senecta vigenti Silio concessit.