XXXV.
Et erat insula amne medio, in quam gladiatores navibus molientes, Germani nando praelabebantur. (in quam gladiatores navibus molientes, Germani nando praelabebantur: lit. ‘the Germans by swimming were leaving behind the gladiators laboring in ships towards said [island])’; in quam : acc. of destination implying motion; the antecedent of quam is insula; nando: use of abl. gerund to express manner, means, etc. The verb is no, nare, navi.) ac forte pluris transgressos completis Liburnicis per promptissimos gladiatorum Macer adgreditur: (forte pluris transgressos completis Liburnicis per promptissimos gladiatorum Macer adgreditur: ‘as it happened, Macer, having filled galleys with his most daring gladiators, went after the large number [of Germans] who had crossed [to the island].’ completis Liburnicis: abl. abs., ‘galleys having been filled’; per promptissimos: per + acc. indicates means or instrument. For Liburnicis see note for Liburnicarum …navium in ch. 16.) sed neque ea constantia gladiatoribus ad proelia quae militibus, nec proinde nutantes e navibus quam stabili gradu e ripa vulnera derigebant. (neque ea constantia gladiatoribus ad proelia quae militibus [erat], nec proinde nutantes e navibus quam stabili gradu e ripa vulnera derigebant: ‘neither had the gladiators the kind of staying power in battle the [German] soldiers had, nor did the unsteady [gladiators] direct their blows as well from the ships as the [Germans] with a firm foothold from the shore’. neque …nec: ‘neither …nor’; gladiatoribus …militibus: dat. of possessor with implied form of esse; cf. G. 349. proinde …quam: correlative particles introducing the two parts of a comparative sentence) et cum variis trepidantium inclinationibus mixti remiges propugnatoresque turbarentur, (et cum variis trepidantium inclinationibus mixti remiges propugnatoresque turbarentur: ‘also because rowers and combatants were thrown together in confusion by the violent swaying of the boats, caused by the men in their panic’; cum …turbarentur: causal cum requires subjunctive.) desilire in vada ultro (ultro: ‘what is more, …’) Germani, retentare puppis, scandere foros aut comminus mergere: (comminus mergere: generally translated as ‘they sunk the ships with their hands’ (comminus = com + manus), not a convincing rendering. Tacitus probably means that the Germans, being in close proximity to the galleys (comminus), used the tools they had – swords, spears, axes – to try to scuttle them. Note that mergere, as well as desilire, retentare and scandere, are hist. infinitives.) quae cuncta in oculis utriusque exercitus quanto laetiora Vitellianis, tanto acrius Othoniani …auctoremque cladis detestabantur. (quanto … tanto: see proinde …quam above.)