XIV
Cum ventum in aciem, (cum ventum [est] in aciem: iterative cum ( = ‘every time that …’) is followed by perfect indicative.) turpe principi virtute (virtute: abl. of specification) vinci, turpe comitatui, virtutem principis non adaequare. Jam vero (jam vero: another Latin connective phrase that often goes unheeded in translation for lack of a suitable English equivalent to render each of its shades of meaning. Here, perhaps, ‘but more to the point …’, ‘furthermore’) infame in omnem vitam ac probrosum, superstitem principi suo ex acie recessisse. (infame [est] …superstitem principi suo ex acie recessisse: example of infinitive used as subject of a clause with impersonal est + neutral adjective in the predicate: ‘to retreat (lit. ‘to have retreated’) from battle, surviving one’s own chief, is infamous’; cf. L. 2208. principi is dat. with superstes. Three other such infinitives precede or follow, two with est only implied, namely turpe principi virtute vinci, turpe comitatui virtutem principis non adaequare, and illum defendere, tueri, … sacramentum est.) Illum defendere, tueri, sua quoque fortia facta gloriae ejus assignare, praecipuum sacramentum est. Principes pro victoria pugnant; comites pro principe. Si civitas, in qua orti sunt, longa pace et otio torpeat plerique nobilium adolescentium petunt (si … torpeat … petunt: hypothetical conditional sentence (or type II) with potential subjunctive in the protasis and indicative in the apodosis.) ultro (ultro: ‘on their own initiative.) eas nationes, quae tum bellum aliquod (bellum aliquod: ‘some war or other’; aliquod is adj.) gerunt; quia et ingrata genti quies, et facilius inter ancipitia clarescunt, magnumque comitatum non nisi vi belloque tuentur: (facilius inter ancipitia clarescunt, magnumque comitatum non nisi vi belloque tuentur: ancipitia is neuter plural noun from the adj. anceps, ‘risky’; non nisi: ‘not …unless’ = ‘only by …’: ‘amid the hazards of war they gain notoriety more easily, [for] they cannot afford a large following except by violent action’; or ‘they can afford a large retinue only by violent action’. Here nisi is used without a verb.) exigunt enim principis sui (principis sui: all forms of suus have the heightened force of ‘one’s own’ or even ‘one’s very own’ when they do not refer directly to the subject of the sentence. See also principi suo and sua quoque fortia facta above.) liberalitate illum bellatorem equum, illam (illum … illam: the demonstrative ille has often the emphatic sense of ‘that famous …’ (or ‘infamous’). See also illum defendere, tueri … above.) cruentam victricemque (bellatorem …victricem: Tacitus often borrows from the language of poetry.) frameam. Nam epulae et, quanquam incompti, largi tamen apparatus pro stipendio cedunt: materia munificentiae per bella et raptus. Nec arare terram, aut expectare annum, (expectare annum: ‘to look forward to the season’s crops) tam facile persuaseris, quam vocare hostes (nec arare terram … tam facile persuaseris, quam vocare hostes: the perfect persuaseris is use of potential subjunctive to express doubt or assurance about future action, with the second person as indefinite subject. Both present and perfect subjunctive refer to the immediate future; an example of present subjunctive in this context is possis in the last line of the chapter. Cf. A.G. 445, 446, 447, 2. The correlatives tam …quam introduce the two parts of a comparison.) et vulnera mereri. Pigrum quinimmo et (quinimmo et: = quin immo et = quin etiam, ‘on the contrary, they even …’) iners videtur, sudore acquirere, quod possis sanguine parare.