LXXIII.
Nam Tacfarinas, (Tacfarinas: a Numidian Berber of the Musulamii tribe who headed a revolt against the Romans in what is today Tunisia and parts of Algeria and Libya. See also ch. 32.) quamquam saepius depulsus, (quamquam saepius depulsus: see note for quamquam pecuniae modicus in previous chapter.) reparatis per intima Africae auxiliis (per intima Africae auxiliis: ‘with the auxiliary forces across the interior parts of Africa’) huc adrogantiae venerat ut legatos ad Tiberium mitteret sedemque ultro sibi atque exercitui suo (sedemque ultro sibi atque exercitui suo: ultro is adverb, ‘brazenly’: ‘[demanding] without shame land for himself and his army on which to settle’; sibi and exercitui are datives of interest.) postularet aut bellum inexplicabile (bellum inexplicabile: ‘an unresolvable and inextricable war’, in view of Tacfarinas’ guerrilla tactics, i.e. a war that cannot be won, like some of the late 20th and early 21st century wars) minitaretur. (huc adrogantiae venerat ut legatos … mitteret … postularet aut … minitaretur: the correlative particles huc …ut, ‘to such a point …that’, bring in the main and the dependent clause of a consecutive sentence: ‘he had arrived at such a level of arrogance that he would send an embassy, …that he would demand, or …that he would threaten …’; huc adrogantiae: partitive genitive after an adverb of place; cf. A.G. 346, a. 4.) non alias magis sua populique Romani contumelia indoluisse Caesarem ferunt quam quod desertor et praedo hostium more ageret. (non alias magis sua populique Romani contumelia indoluisse Caesarem ferunt quam quod desertor et praedo hostium more ageret:: the sentence is in indirect speech after ferunt: ‘that at no other time (alias, adverb) had Tiberius felt more pain from the contempt of himself and of the Roman people than because a deserter and a brigand should presume to act in the manner of legitimate enemies’; sua …contumelia: it would appear that sua is here in place of sui, objective genitive, on the analogy of, for example, caritas sua and caritas sui, the first meaning ‘his affection’, i.e., ‘the affection he himself feels’, the second ‘ the affection other people feel for him’. Similarly, in sua … contumelia, sua (= of him) is subjective genitive where an objective genitive (sui = ‘for him’, or ‘towards him’) is needed. For more on the subject see G. 363, 364 and A.G. 348 and Note.) ne Spartaco quidem post tot consularium exercituum cladis inultam Italiam urenti, (post tot consularium exercituum cladis inultam Italiam urenti: ‘after so many debacles of consular armies and him burning unavenged Italy’; urenti goes with the dative Spartaco. See note for ne Spartaco quidem below.) quamquam Sertorii atque Mithridatis ingentibus bellis labaret res publica, (quamquam Sertorii atque Mithridatis ingentibus bellis labaret res publica: ‘even though the state was reeling under the terrible wars of Sertorius and Mithridates’; Quintus Sertorius had made himself master of Spain and from there waged war against Rome until assassinated in 73 B.C. Mithridares VI Eupator, king of Pontus in northern Anatolia (in modern Turkey), fought three wars against the Romans from 88 to 63 B.C. and was finally defeated by Pompey. labaret is from labasco or labascor.) datum ut pacto in fidem acciperetur; ( … datum ut pacto in fidem acciperetur: ‘[not even to Spartacus] was it granted that he should be accommodated with an agreement assuring [pardon].’ Spartacus was a Thracian gladiator who led the revolt of the slaves in 73-71 B.C. Before being captured he crushed four armies sent against him.) nedum pulcherrimo populi Romani fastigio latro Tacfarinas pace et concessione agrorum redimeretur. (nedum pulcherrimo populi Romani fastigio latro Tacfarinas pace et concessione agrorum redimeretur: ‘much less would the bandit Tacfarinas, at the highest peak of Roman power, be redeemed from his crimes with peace and gift of land to boot.’) dat negotium Blaeso ceteros quidem ad spem proliceret arma sine noxa ponendi, (ceteros quidem ad spem proliceret arma sine noxa ponendi: proliceret is hortative or jussive subjunctive in indirect speech after dat negotium: ‘that he should by all means (quidem) entice forth the others to the hope of laying down their arms without punishment’; quidem, ‘indeed’, adds emphasis to the clause. arma …ponendi: an example of gerund with direct object, a construct possible only with abl. without prep. and genitive) ipsius autem ducis quoquo modo poteretur. (ipsius autem ducis quoquo modo poteretur: ‘that he should, however, lay hold of the leader himself, no matter how’; poteretur is also hortatory subjunctive like the previous proliceret. ipsius …ducis: potior is normally with abl., but Tacitus uses also gen. and acc. autem, adverb, is mildly adversative, like a weak sed.) et recepti ea venia plerique. mox adversum artes Tacfarinatis haud dissimili modo belligeratum. (recepti [sunt] ea venia plerique. mox adversum artes Tacfarinatis haud dissimili modo belligeratum: ‘many were accepted under that pardon and soon it was fought against the tactics of Tacfarinas with similar methods’ belligeratum [est] is impersonal use of the passive. haud dissimili modo: litotes for simili modo.)