XXVIII.
Igitur nuntio adlato pulsam Trevirorum alam Tungrosque a classe Othonis (pulsam Trevirorum alam Tungrosque a classe Othonis: cf. ch. 14-15.) et Narbonensem Galliam circumiri, simul cura socios tuendi et militari astu (astu: the abl. of astus is quasi- adverbial, ‘in a cunning way’.) cohortis turbidas ac, si una forent, praevalidas dispergendi, (cura socios tuendi …cohortis turbidas …dispergendi: two objective genitives, i. e. with the function of complementing the noun cura, each of the two with direct object) partem Batavorum ire in subsidium iubet. quod ubi auditum vulgatumque, maerere socii, fremere legiones. orbari se fortissimorum virorum auxilio; veteres illos (illos: emphatic) et tot bellorum victores, postquam in conspectu sit hostis, velut ex acie abduci. (postquam in conspectu sit hostis, velut ex acie abduci: postquam is followed by subjubctive in that the selection is in indirect speech introduced by the hist. infinitives maerere, fremere and extending to the end of the chapter: ‘[the Batavi] were being removed from the battlefield, as it were, just now that the enemy was before them’: sit, in place of esset ,is a case of repraesentatio, whereby the action is moved to the present, before the readers’ eyes. Cf. G. 654, N and the next note below.) si provincia urbe et salute imperii potior sit, omnes illuc sequerentur; sin victoriae [sanitas sustentaculum] columen in Italia verteretur, non abrumpendos ut corpori validissimos artus. (si provincia urbe et salute imperii potior sit, omnes illuc sequerentur; sin victoriae [sanitas sustentaculum] columen in Italia verteretur, non abrumpendos [esse] ut corpori validissimos artus: note the use of both present and imperfect subjunctive in the same sentence to create tension, not a rare case in Tacitus: ‘if a province was more important than Rome and the safety of the empire, [they argued], they all should go there; but if the keystone of victory was centered in Italy, the strongest men should not be torn [from the army] as limbs from a body.’ urbe et salute: ablatives of comparison with potior; omnes illuc sequerentur: jussive or hortatory subjunctive in indirect speech; corresponds to omnes illuc sequamur of direct speech, ‘let us all follow there.’ si …sin: cf. note for sin rediret … sin Vespasianus rem publicam susciperet in ch. 1 of this Book. columen: in most text preceded by sanitas, sustentamentum a gloss to define columen (scribbled by an ancient reader of the earliest manuscript copy available), incorporated in the text by mistake in a subsequent transcription. For a similar addition see also barbarum tecgmen in ch. 20 of this Book. non abrumpendos …corpori: abrumpo is found here with dative, instead of abl., of the Place whence.)