XLIV
Trans Lygios Gothones regnantur, paulo jam adductius, quam (trans Lygios Gothones regnantur, paulo jam adductius, quam …: ‘on the other side of the Lygii the Guthones are ruled by kings, already more strictly than …’; iam, adverb, marks here the beginning of a process extending into the future, namely loss of the freedom so dear to Germans in general. Compare with iam in nullis jam exceptionibus below, where the process is well underway. The Gothones lived near the Vistula river, south of the Veneti in western Poland. trans is prep. + acc.) ceterae Germanorum gentes, nondum tamen supra libertatem. (supra libertatem: supra, preposition, governs the acc., ‘at the expense of’) Protinus deinde ab Oceano Rugii et Lemovii (protinus deinde ab Oceano Rugii et Lemovii: lit. ‘immediately after, in the next position, away from the coast, are the Rugii and Lemovii’: the first lived near the mouth of the Vistula, on the west side; the Lemovii were west of the Rugii along the Baltic sea.) omniumque harum gentium insigne, rotunda scuta, breves gladii, et erga reges obsequium. (insigne, rotunda scuta, breves gladii, et erga reges obsequium: insigne is neuter singular of insignia: ‘their distinguishing marks are the round shields, short swords, and submission to kings’: unusual mix of physical objects and human traits; see also mutuo metu aut montibus in ch. 1.) Suionum hinc civitates, ipso in Oceano, (Suionum … civitates, ipso in Oceano: the Suiones, i.e. the Swedes, were settled in southern Sweden as far as the Danish islands; ipso in Oceano: that is, in an island, since the Romans thought that Sweden was a vast island) praeter viros armaque classibus valent: forma navium eo differt, quod utrimque prora paratam semper appulsui frontem agit: (forma navium eo differt, quod utrimque prora paratam semper appulsui frontem agit: ‘the shape of their ships differs [from ours] in this (eo), the fact that (quod) the prow at both ends pushes its front forward always ready for a landing’. appulsui is dat. of purpose.) nec velis ministrantur, nec remos in ordinem lateribus adjungunt. (nec remos in ordinem lateribus adjungunt: ‘they do not add oars in a row to the sides of the ship.’ Roman ships could have as many as five or six rows of oars, one above the other, on each side.) Solutum, ut in quibusdam fluminum, et mutabile, ut res poscit, hinc vel illinc remigium. (solutum, ut in quibusdam fluminum, et mutabile, ut res poscit, hinc vel illinc remigium: ‘the outfit of oars is not fixed in place, but movable to this or that side, according to the situation, as in certain rivers’. The situation Tacitus refers to is of rivers with steep sides, where it is difficult to approach the bank unless the oars, protruding from the side, are removed. fluminum is partitive genitive after the indefinite pronominal adjective quoddam from quidam; et: an example of et best rendered in English by ‘but’) Est apud illos et opibus honos; eoque unus imperitat, nullis jam exceptionibus, non precario jure parendi. (nullis jam exceptionibus, non precario jure parendi: abl. abs. or abl. of attendant circumstance: ‘now without limits and with unquestionable right of being obeyed’; precario means ‘dependent on the good will of others’; parendi is perhaps not so much passive use of gerund, as has been suggested, but more likely Tacitus using parendi in a new way, in place of the more humdrum genitive oboedientiae. For iam see note at the top of the chapter.) Nec arma, ut apud ceteros Germanos, in promiscuo, (in promiscuo: ‘in general use’) sed clausa sub custode et quidem servo: quia subitos hostium incursus prohibet Oceanus, manus otiosa porro armatorum facile lasciviunt: (manus otiosa porro armatorum facile lasciviunt: ‘a crew of men, of armed men on top of that, with nothing to do, may easily become seditious’.) enimvero (enimvero: ‘to be sure’) neque nobilem neque ingenuum ne libertinum quidem, armis praeponere regia utilitas est. (regia utilitas est: instead of utile est regibus)