XLIV.
Sensit vetus regnandi falsos in amore odia non fingere. (sensit vetus regnandi falsos in amore odia non fingere: ‘an old hand at governing, he was aware that men, [though] false in love, do not feign hatred.’ vetus regnandi: objective gen. gerund after an adjective, a construction formerly limited to few adjectives, then extended in post-Augustan times to almost any adjective.) nec ultra moratus quam dum Scytharum auxilia conciret, (nec ultra moratus quam dum Scytharum auxilia conciret: lit. ‘he did not delay any further than while he would assemble Scythian auxiliary forces.’ dum … conciret: dum, ‘while’, takes subjunctive to imply intention, design (A.G. 553). Scythia was the rather undefined territory extending from the Black sea to the Aral sea, much of it in the NW part of modern Kazakhstan.) pergit properus et praeveniens inimicorum astus, amicorum paenitentiam; (pergit properus et praeveniens inimicorum astus, amicorum paenitentiam: ‘he advanced in great haste pre-empting the designs of his enemies and the fickleness of his allies.’ properus, here adjective agreeing with the subject, has the force of an adverb qualifying the action of the verb. See A.G. 290.) neque exuerat paedorem ut vulgum miseratione adverteret. (neque exuerat paedorem ut vulgum miseratione adverteret: ‘he had not even shuffled off his filthy attire to attract the compassion of the people.’) non fraus, non preces, nihil omissum quo ambiguos inliceret, prompti firmarentur. (nihil omissum quo ambiguos inliceret, prompti firmarentur: ‘nothing [was] left out so that thereby he would entice the irresolute and let the decided be steadied’; inliceret … firmarentur: out of pure love of variety, Tacitus changes construction from active to passive.) iamque multa manu propinqua Seleuciae adventabat, cum Tiridates simul fama atque ipso Artabano perculsus distrahi consiliis, (iamque multa manu propinqua Seleuciae adventabat, cum Tiridates simul fama atque ipso Artabano perculsus distrahi consiliis: ‘[Artabanus] with a large force was already nearing the periphery (propinqua) of Selucia, when Tiridates, meanwhile, disconcerted by the news [of Artabanus’ approach] and by the man himself [so near], was still drawn in different directions (distrahi) as to his own strategy (consiliis), … ‘; cum … distrahi: use of coordinating cum, so-called in some grammar books because the time of the action of both the main and temporal clause is exactly the same, so that the two can be contrasted. This variety of temporal cum is revealed by the presence of adverbs like simul, interim, interea, etc. Coordinating cum is regularly with indicative, but here is with its nearest equivalent, a historical infinitive, another Tacitean novelty.) iret contra an bellum cunctatione tractaret. (iret contra an bellum cunctatione tractaret: ‘ … whether he should march out against him or lengthen the war by temporising’; indirect alternative question with subjunctive; Tacitus regularly uses an interrogative particle only for the second part of the question.) quibus proelium et festinati casus placebant, disiectos et longinquitate itineris fessos ne animo quidem satis ad obsequium coaluisse disserunt, proditores nuper hostesque eius quem rursum foveant. ([ei] quibus proelium et festinati casus placebant, disiectos et longinquitate itineris fessos ne animo quidem satis ad obsequium coaluisse disserunt, proditores nuper hostesque eius quem rursum foveant: ‘those who preferred battle and quick outcomes argued that [the enemy forces], in disarray and exhausted by the duration of the march, not even in their hearts had become sufficiently unified to submit to discipline, rebels only yesterday and enemies of Artabanus (eius), whom now again they supported.’ [ei] quibus proelium et festinati casus placebant, … disserunt …: proelium et festinati casus and quibus are respectively subject and indirect object of placebant: lit. ‘they, to whom battle and speedy options were preferable, … argued that … ‘; the implied ei is the subject of disserunt, a historical present. satis ad obsequium coaluisse: ‘that they had not coalesced sufficiently for obedience.’ quem foveant: subjunctive for rel. clause in indirect speech after disserunt; the present complies with the sequence of tenses if the historical present disserunt, the verb of saying, is taken to be a primary tense. See A.G. 485, e.) verum Abdagaeses regrediendum in Mesopotamiam censebat, (verum Abdagaeses regrediendum in Mesopotamiam censebat: ‘however, Abdagaeses maintained that they should withdraw to Mesopotamia. … ‘; regrediendum [esse]: impersonal use of the passive periphrasis (gerundive + forms of esse) to express advisability and necessity, lit. ‘it was to be retreated to … ‘) ut amne obiecto, Armeniis interim Elymaeisque et ceteris a tergo excitis, aucti copiis socialibus et quas dux Romanus misisset fortunam temptarent. (ut amne obiecto, Armeniis interim Elymaeisque et ceteris a tergo excitis, aucti copiis socialibus et [iis copiis] quas dux Romanus misisset fortunam temptarent: ut introduces a consecutive clause with temptarent as its verb: ‘in such a way that, with the river [Tigris] being placed in the way [as a hindrance], with the Armenians, the Elymaei, and others in Artabanus’ rear summoned to help, reinforced by ally contingents and the troops the Roman general might have sent, they would try their fortune’; the Elymaei lived in a district at the head of the Persian gulf, too far south to be in the rear of Artabanus approaching Seleucia. Possibly an error due to unfamiliarity with the geography of the region. amne obiecto and Armeniis … accitis are ablatives abs.) ea sententia valuit, quia plurima auctoritas penes Abdagaesen et Tiridates ignavus ad pericula (ignavus ad pericula: ‘inactive in the face of danger’) erat. sed fugae specie discessum; ac principio a gente Arabum facto (principio a gente Arabum facto: abl. abs. ‘a start having been made by the body of Arabs’; the Arabi or Arabes were not from Arabia proper, but from the Osroene district around Edessa and Carrhae, then in northwestern Mesopotamia, today in southern Turkey near the border with Syria, along the east side of the Euphrates.) ceteri domos abeunt vel in castra Artabani, donec Tiridates cum paucis in Syriam revectus pudore proditionis omnis exolvit. (donec Tiridates cum paucis in Syriam revectus pudore proditionis omnis exolvit: ‘until Tiridates, having returned to Syria with a few followers, spared all from the shameful charge of treason’; donec … exolvit: cf. note for donec … circumdedit … coegit in ch. 41; revectus had middle sense.)