LIII.
At (at: has no function here but to mark a change of subject) in superiore Germania Caecina, decorus iuventa, (decorus iuventa: ‘radiant with youth’) corpore ingens, animi immodicus, (animi immodicus: Tacitus uses immodicus with gen., as here, or with abl. as in Book 3, ch. 53.) scito sermone, erecto incessu, studia militum inlexerat. hunc iuvenem Galba, quaestorem in Baetica (in Baetica: the most southerly of the three provinces into which Spain was divided; corresponds to today’s Andalusia and part of Grenada.) impigre in partis suas transgressum, legioni praeposuit: mox compertum publicam pecuniam avertisse ut peculatorem flagitari iussit. Caecina aegre passus miscere cuncta et privata vulnera rei publicae malis operire statuit. nec deerant in exercitu semina discordiae, quod et (et: =etiam) bello adversus Vindicem universus adfuerat, nec nisi occiso Nerone (nisi occiso Nerone: lit. ‘except Nero being killed’: the use of the conjunction with an abl. abs. is fairly rare.) translatus in Galbam atque in eo ipso sacramento vexillis inferioris Germaniae (vexillis inferioris Germaniae: vexillum, a standard, can be metonymy for ‘military unit’; thus: ‘by the units of Lower Germany’) praeventus erat. et Treviri ac Lingones, (Treviri ac Lingones: the Treveri were settled around Treves or Trier, the Lingones in the valley of the Meuse, around Langres, north of Djon.) quasque alias civitates atrocibus edictis aut damno finium Galba perculerat, hibernis legionum propius miscentur: unde seditiosa colloquia et inter paganos corruptior miles; et in Verginium favor cuicumque alii profuturus. (in Verginium favor cuicumque alii profuturus: lit. ‘the favor towards Verginius going to advantage someone else, whoever he might be’; cuicumque alii is dative with prosum.)