XXIX.
Haec ferociter iactando, postquam immissis lictoribus (lictoribus: lictors were attendants and bodyguards to magistrates; they carried fasces as insignia of authority.) Valens coercere seditionem coeptabat, (postquam …Valens coercere seditionem coeptabat: postquam is followed by imperfect indicative to denote action overlapping with that of the main verb.) ipsum invadunt, saxa iaciunt, fugientem sequuntur. spolia Galliarum et Viennensium aurum, (spolia Galliarum et Viennensium aurum: cf. Book 1, ch. 63 – 66. ) pretia laborum suorum, occultare clamitantes, direptis sarcinis tabernacula ducis ipsamque humum pilis et lanceis rimabantur; nam Valens servili veste apud decurionem equitum (decurionem equitum: a decurion was the head of a decury, a body of ten mounted men.) tegebatur. tum Alfenus Varus praefectus castrorum, deflagrante paulatim seditione, addit consilium, vetitis obire vigilias centurionibus, omisso tubae sono, quo miles ad belli munia cietur. igitur torpere cuncti, circumspectare inter se attoniti et id ipsum quod nemo regeret paventes; (id ipsum quod nemo regeret paventes: ‘fearing the very fact that no one was in command’; quod …regeret: causal quod is with subjunctive if the reason given is someone’s opinion or perception rather than a fact.) silentio, patientia, postremo precibus ac lacrimis veniam quaerebant. ut vero deformis et flens et praeter spem incolumis Valens processit, (ut … Valens processit: temporal ut is as a rule followed by perfect indicative.) gaudium miseratio favor: (gaudium miseratio favor: the verb for these three subjects is left to the reader, not a novelty with Tacitus.) versi in laetitiam, (versi in laetitiam: the perfect participle of verto, though passive in form, has middle sense, ‘passing [from sadness] to joy’) ut est vulgus utroque (utroque: ‘in both directions’) immodicum, laudantes gratantesque circumdatum aquilis signisque (aquilis signisque: respectively the symbols of the legions and of the cohorts) in tribunal ferunt. ille utili moderatione non supplicium cuiusquam poposcit, ac ne dissimulans suspectior foret, paucos incusavit, gnarus civilibus bellis plus militibus quam ducibus licere.