XXII
Statim e somno, quem plerumque in diem extrahunt, lavantur, saepius calida, ut apud quos plurimum hiems occupat. (lavantur, saepius calida, ut apud quos plurimum hiems occupat: lavantur is reflexive use of passive: ‘they wash themselves with warm water, as is usual with people whom winter holds captive most of the time’; calida is fem. noun meaning ‘warm water’.) Lauti (lauti: or lavati, perf. participle of lavo, lavare) cibum capiunt: separatae singulis sedes et sua cuique mensa: (sua cuique mensa: ‘to each his own table’; for use of suus with quisque see also the two examples in ch. 20.) tum ad negotia, nec minus saepe ad convivia, procedunt armati. Diem noctemque continuare potando, nulli probrum. (diem noctemque continuare potando, nulli probrum: the subject is continuare potando: ‘to keep on drinking an entire day and night is not shameful for anyone’. diem noctemque is acc. of time duration; potando is instrumental abl. gerund.) Crebrae, ut inter vinolentos, (ut inter vinolentos: ‘as usually happens among heavy drinkers’) rixae, raro conviciis, saepius caede et vulneribus transiguntur. Sed et de reconciliandis invicem inimicis et jungendis affinitatibus et asciscendis principibus, (de reconciliandis invicem inimicis et [de] jungendis affinitatibus et [de] asciscendis principibus: the gerundive, a passive participle and verbal adjective, has no equivalent in English, the active gerund being used instead: ‘about reconciling enemies, about forming alliances, about electing chiefs’; a literal translation makes clear the passive form of the gerundive, e.g. ‘the enemies to be reconciled’, ‘the alliances to be formed’, etc.; in some cases the gerundive can be replaced in Latin by the gerund followed by a direct object, but not when a preposition accompanies the gerundive, as is the case here. Cf. A.G. 503.) de pace denique ac bello plerumque (denique … plerumque: ‘in the end’ and ‘most often’ respectively) in conviviis consultant: tanquam nullo magis tempore aut ad simplices cogitationes pateat animus, aut ad magnas incalescat. (tanquam … pateat … incalescat: Tacitus uses tamquam almost with the causal sense of quod or quia to give a reason; subjunctive is called for in that the reason is supposed or presumed by someone other than the author, i.e. tamquam = ’in the belief that …’.) Gens non astuta nec callida aperit adhuc secreta pectoris licentia joci, (licentia joci: freely ‘on account of the licence pertaining to the fun and laughter of a feast’: iocus means ‘joke’, ‘jest’.) ergo detecta et nuda omnium mens. Postera die retractatur, (retractatur: the subject is likely to be an implied res, ‘the matter is reconsidered’. ) et salva utriusque temporis ratio est: deliberant, dum fingere nesciunt; constituunt, dum errare non possunt. (dum … nesciunt …, dum … possunt: dum, ‘while’, is almost always with present indicarive.)