VI.
Antequam Titus adventaret (antequam Titus adventaret: antequam, unlike postquam, requires subjunctive, in that the event is prospective, thus still potential.) sacramentum Othonis acceperat uterque exercitus, praecipitibus, ut adsolet, nuntiis et tarda mole civilis belli, quod longa concordia quietus Oriens tunc primum parabat. namque olim validissima inter se civium arma in Italia Galliave viribus Occidentis coepta; (validissima inter se civium arma … viribus Occidentis coepta: ‘the most violent civil wars were entered into with the forces of the West; inter se civium arma: ‘conflicts of citizens among themselves’ ) et Pompeio, Cassio, Bruto, Antonio, quos omnis trans mare secutum est civile bellum, haud prosperi exitus fuerant; auditique saepius in Syria Iudaeaque Caesares quam inspecti. nulla seditio legionum, tantum adversus Parthos minae, vario eventu; (vario eventu: ‘with variable fortune’) et proximo civili bello turbatis aliis inconcussa ibi pax, dein fides erga Galbam. (et proximo civili bello turbatis aliis inconcussa ibi pax, dein fides erga Galbam: ‘and in the recent civil struggle [between Galba and Nero], when others were troubled by war, peace here remained unshaken, and so did allegiance to Galba later.’) mox, ut Othonem ac Vitellium scelestis armis res Romanas raptum ire (raptum ire: acc. supine to express purpose with verbs of motion; ‘to go for the seizing of …’; raptum is a verbal noun of the fourth declension.) vulgatum est, ne penes ceteros imperii praemia, penes ipsos tantum servitii necessitas esset, fremere miles et viris suas circumspicere. (ne penes ceteros imperii praemia, penes ipsos tantum servitii necessitas esset, fremere miles et viris suas circumspicere: ‘the soldiers were furious and began to look around at their own strength, lest the rewards of empire should all be in the hands of others and in their own only the constraints of service’; ne …esset: ne introduces a negative purpose clause requiring subjunctive, as do all final clauses. The prep. penes is always followed by the acc. of the possessor; tantum servitii: part. genitive after neuter words expressing quantity; cf. also quicquid castrorum and quantum insularum below.) septem legiones statim (statim: ‘right there’, ‘close at hand’) et cum ingentibus auxiliis Syria Iudaeaque; inde continua Aegyptus (continua Aegyptus: ‘Egypt was next-door to them’; Aegyptus is fem.) duaeque legiones, hinc Cappadocia Pontusque (Cappadocia Pontusque: two Roman provinces, the first in east central, the second in northwestern Asia Minor, today’s Turkey.) et quicquid castrorum Armeniis praetenditur. (quicquid castrorum Armeniis praetenditur: ‘whatever camps stretch out before the Armenias’; Armeniis is plur. in that the region was divided into Armenia maior, the eastern part, and Armenia minor, the western part.) Asia et ceterae provinciae nec virorum inopes et pecunia opulentae. quantum insularum mari cingitur, et parando interim bello (parando …bello: parando is abl. gerund, ’in preparing for war’ or ‘while getting ready for war’; bello is dative with parare, here intrans.) secundum tutumque ipsum mare. (et … secundum tutumque ipsum mare: et …-que = et …et, ‘both …and’: ‘the sea itself [would be] both helpful and protective [while they prepared for war]’.)