XL
Contra Langobardos (Langobardos: at this time they were settled east of Hannover, above the Semnones, between the lower course of the Elbe and the Aller river.) paucitas nobilitat: plurimis ac valentissimis nationibus cincti, non per obsequium, sed proeliis et periclitando (proeliis et periclitando: ablatives of instrument; periclitando is abl. gerund of periclitor: ‘by exposing themselves to dangers’. The alliteration is noteworthy.) tuti sunt. Reudigni deinde et Aviones et Anglii et Varini et Eudoses et Suardones et Nuithones (Reudigni … et Aviones et Anglii et Varini et Eudoses et Suardones et Nuithones: the Reudigni were near the mouth of the Elbe, north of Hamburg; the Aviones probably were in the North Frisian Islands above the mouth of the Elbe; the Anglii in Schleswig, south of Jutland, in the district still called Angeln or Anglia, from where later they invaded England; the Varini were above the Anglii in northern Schleswig; the Eudoses inhabited sothern Jutland; nothing certain is known about the Suardones and Nuithones.) fluminibus aut silvis muniuntur: nec quidquam notabile in singulis, nisi quod (nisi quod: ‘but for the fact that …’) in commune Nerthum, (Nerthum: most texts have Herthum, the ancient name of the goddess Herth, German Erde, English Earth, the primordial mother.) id est Terram matrem colunt, eamque intervenire rebus hominum, invehi populis arbitrantur. Est in insula Oceani (in insula Oceani: probably Heiligeland (‘Holy Island’), not far north of the mouth of the Elbe.) castum nemus, dicatumque in eo vehiculum, (est in … dicatumque in eo vehiculum: eo refers to the previous castus nemo: ‘in that grove there is a consecrated vehicle’. ) veste contectum attingere uni sacerdoti concessum. Is adesse penetrali deam intelligit, (adesse penetrali deam intelligit: [the priest] becomes imperceptibly aware that the goddess is inside the sacred vehicle’: penetrali is dative with adesse.) vectamque bubus feminis multa cum veneratione (multa cum veneratione: abl. of manner with cum interposed between noun and modifier, an alternative to the simple ablative multa veneratione.) prosequitur. Laeti tunc dies, festa loca, quaecumque adventu hospitioque dignatur. (festa loca, quaecumque adventu hospitioque dignatur: ‘every place festive which [the goddess] thinks fit to honor with her visit and stay as a guest’) Non bella ineunt, non arma sumunt; clausum omne ferrum: pax et quies tunc tantum nota, tunc tantum amata, donec idem sacerdos satiatam conversatione mortalium deam templo (templo: i.e. the sacred grove) reddat. (donec … reddat: in Tacitus subjunctive is almost de rigueur after donec.) Mox vehiculum et vestes, et, si credere velis, (si credere velis: velis is potential subjunctive; the indefinite second person singular is usual with the present and imperfect of verbs of saying and thinking.) numen ipsum secreto lacu abluitur. Servi ministrant, quos statim idem lacus haurit; arcanus hinc terror sanctaque ignorantia, quid sit illud, quod tantum perituri vident. (arcanus hinc terror sanctaque ignorantia, quid sit illud, quod tantum perituri vident: ‘from here comes that uncanny terror and respectful ignorance of what that may be which [the ministrant slaves] see only just before they die’. quid sit: subjunctive in indirect question; cf. L. 1773.)