XLVIII.
Translata dehinc castra hostem propter, (translata dehinc castra hostem propter: propter is prep. with acc.: ‘the camp was moved closer to the enemy’; hostem propter: example of anastrophe, another of the devices Tacitus uses to maintain variety. Other instances are lucem intra and augendam ad formidinem below. See also note about altero …alii.) relictis apud priora munimenta Thraecibus, quos nobis adfuisse memoravi. iisque permissum vastare, urere, trahere praedas, dum populatio lucem intra sisteretur noctemque in castris tutam et vigilem capesserent. (dum populatio lucem intra sisteretur noctemque in castris tutam et vigilem capesserent: dum in this case is a conditional (not temporal) particle, like dummodo or modo, requiring subjunctive: lit. ‘provided the ravaging was restricted within daylight hours and they kept the night safe and watchful inside the camp.’) id primo servatum: mox versi in luxum et raptis opulenti (raptis opulenti: ‘swollen with plunder’) omittere stationes, lascivia epularum aut somno et vino procumbere. igitur hostes incuria eorum comperta (incuria eorum comperta: abl. abs.: ‘their negligence having been discovered’) duo agmina parant quorum altero populatores invaderentur, alii castra Romana adpugnarent, (duo agmina parant quorum altero populatores invaderentur, alii castra Romana adpugnarent: ‘they arranged two columns, by one of which (quorum altero) the plunderers would be attacked, and the others would assault the Roman camp.’ altero …alii: altero, abl., refers to agmen and alii, nom., refers to the Thracians; altero …alii is in place of altero …altero, or alterum …alterum or alii …alii, but Tacitus not only changes cases, genders, and numbers, but mixes different pronouns like alter and alius, and active and passive constructions, all in the name of variety. invaderentur and adpugnarent are subjunctives in a relative clause of final sense. Cf. A.G. 531, 2.; the verb adpugno is only found in Tacitus (Lewis and Short). parant is historical present.) non spe capiendi sed ut clamore, telis suo quisque periculo intentus sonorem alterius proelii non acciperet. (non spe capiendi sed ut clamore, telis suo quisque periculo intentus sonorem alterius proelii non acciperet: ‘not with the hope of capturing [the camp], but to the end that each of our men, attentive to his own danger from missiles and all the noise, should not hear the din of the other battle.’ spe capiendi: objective genitive gerund after a noun; periculo intentus: dative with intentus; also found in Tacitus with in + acc.; clamore, telis: ablatives of cause) tenebrae insuper delectae augendam ad formidinem. (augendam ad formidinem: use of acc. gerundive with ad to express purpose: lit. ‘for terror to be made greater’) sed qui vallum legionum temptabant facile pelluntur; Thraecum auxilia repentino incursu territa, cum pars munitionibus adiacerent, plures extra palarentur, (cum pars munitionibus adiacerent, plures extra palarentur: causal cum with subjunctive: ‘since only a part of them were lying close to their lines and most were wandering about outside’ munitionibus: dat. with adiaceo.) tanto infensius caesi quanto perfugae et proditores ferre arma ad suum patriaeque servitium incusabantur. (tanto infensius caesi quanto perfugae et proditores ferre arma ad suum patriaeque servitium incusabantur: comparative sentence with tanto and quanto opening the subordinate and main clause respectively, both with indicative : ‘by that much more savagely were they cut down, by how much more they were accused [of being] renegades and traitors bearing arms for their own and their country’s enslavement.’ tanto (magis) …quanto (magis): instrumental ablatives of tantus and quantus used as correlatives with comparatives; lit. ‘by how much (more) …by that much (more). Cf. A.G. 414, a. perfugae et proditores ferre arma … incusabantur: personal construction with nominative subject in infinitive clause governed by a passive main verb; see note for sed Piso Termestinorum dolo caesus habetur in ch. 45.)