LXIV.
Nuntium de caede Galbae et imperio Othonis Fabius Valens in civitate Leucorum accepit. nec militum animus in gaudium aut formidine permotus: bellum volvebat. (animus … bellum volvebat: ‘their hearts were set on war’) Gallis cunctatio exempta est: in Othonem ac Vitellium odium par, ex Vitellio et metus. (ex Vitellio et metus: ‘from Vitellius also fear’) proxima Lingonum civitas erat, (Lingonum civitas: the Lingones were a tribe centered around Langres, between the Marne and the Seine.) fida partibus. benigne excepti modestia certavere, sed brevis laetitia fuit cohortium intemperie, quas a legione quarta decima, ut supra memoravimus, (ut supra memoravimus: in ch. 59) digressas exercitui suo Fabius Valens adiunxerat. iurgia primum, mox rixa inter Batavos et legionarios, dum his aut illis studia militum adgregantur, (dum his aut illis studia militum adgregantur: lit. ‘while the preferences of the soldiers associate themselves to these or to those’. Note the sudden switch to present to heighten immediacy; dum with the sense of ‘while’ is as a rule followed by present indicative; his and illis are dative with adgregare) prope in proelium exarsere, (prope in proelium exarsere: ‘nearly erupted into a battle’: the subjects of exarsere or exarserunt are iurgia and rixa.) ni Valens animadversione paucorum oblitos iam Batavos imperii admonuisset. frustra adversus Aeduos (Aeduos: the Aedui occupied the territory south of the Lingones, west of the river Arar or Saone.) quaesita belli causa: iussi pecuniam atque arma deferre gratuitos insuper commeatus praebuere. quod Aedui formidine Lugdunenses gaudio fecere. (Lugdunenses gaudio fecere: they hated Galba for ousting Nero, their benefactor.) sed legio Italica et ala Tauriana (legio Italica et ala Tauriana: see ch. 59.) abductae: cohortem duodevicensimam (cohortem duodevicensimam: perhaps one of the cohortes urbanae, of which there were several, all serving in an auxiliary capacity) Lugduni, solitis sibi hibernis, (Lugduni, solitis sibi hibernis: solitis sibi hibernis is in apposition with the locative Lugduni and as such is put in the ablative; cf. A.G. 282, d.; sibi is dat. of interest.) relinqui placuit. Manlius Valens legatus Italicae legionis, quamquam bene de partibus meritus, nullo apud Vitellium honore fuit: secretis eum criminationibus infamaverat Fabius ignarum et, quo incautior deciperetur, (quo incautior deciperetur: quo + comparative is one way to express purpose, in place of ut; ‘so that he could be deceived, being more incautious’.) palam laudatum.