LXXXVI.
At (at: for use of at see note ch. 74.) in Pannonia tertia decima legio ac septima Galbiana, dolorem iramque (dolorem iramque: hendiadys) Bedriacensis pugnae retinentes, haud cunctanter Vespasiano accessere, vi praecipua Primi Antonii. is legibus nocens (legibus nocens: ‘a threat to the laws’) et tempore Neronis falsi damnatus (falsi damnatus: genitive with verbs of condemning or acquitting; cf. G. 378.) inter alia belli mala senatorium ordinem reciperaverat. praepositus a Galba septimae legioni scriptitasse Othoni credebatur, ducem se partibus offerens; a quo neglectus in nullo Othoniani belli usu fuit. labantibus Vitellii rebus Vespasianum secutus grande momentum addidit, strenuus manu, (strenuus manu: ‘decisive in deeds’; manu is abl. of respect.) sermone promptus, serendae in alios invidiae artifex, (serendae in alios invidiae artifex: ‘an artist of planting the seeds of hatred in others’; serendae invidiae is gerundive gen. of purpose.) discordiis et seditionibus potens, raptor, largitor, pace pessimus, bello non spernendus. iuncti inde Moesici ac Pannonici exercitus Dalmaticum militem traxere, quamquam consularibus legatis nihil turbantibus. (quamquam consularibus legatis nihil turbantibus: a subordinating conjunction introducing an abl. abs., a rare occurrence in classical times.) Tampius Flavianus Pannoniam, Pompeius Silvanus Dalmatiam tenebant, divites senes; sed procurator (procurator: a manager of revenues in imperial provinces) aderat Cornelius Fuscus, vigens aetate, claris natalibus. prima iuventa quietis cupidine senatorium ordinem exuerat; idem (idem: denotes contrast or inconsistency with something said before.) pro Galba dux coloniae suae, (dux coloniae suae: the name or location of the colony is not known.) eaque opera (eaque opera: ‘by that very action’) procurationem adeptus, susceptis Vespasiani partibus acerrimam bello facem praetulit: (acerrimam bello facem praetulit: ‘he carried the most unforgiving torch in the war’.) non tam praemiis periculorum quam ipsis periculis laetus (ipsis periculis laetus: ‘rejoycing in danger itself’.) pro certis et olim partis nova ambigua ancipitia malebat. (pro certis et olim partis nova ambigua ancipitia malebat: ‘he preferred novel and risky adventures to (pro) settled situations and possessions acquired long before’. certis and partis are plur. abl. of certum (‘that which is fixed and regular’) and partum, (‘that which is newly acquired’) the latter from the verb pario. The prep. pro governs the ablative.) igitur movere et quatere, quidquid usquam aegrum foret, adgrediuntur. (movere et quatere, quidquid usquam aegrum foret, adgrediuntur: the subject is an indefinite ‘they’, most likely Fuscus, Antonius, and others in command: ‘they actively undertake to stir and shake up any flicker of malcontent, wherever it might be’. foret: potential subjunctive; movere et quatere: prolative infinitives used after verbs, such as adgredior, that require an infinitive as direct object to complete their meaning. For a list of such verbs cf. G. 423. adgrediuntur: switch to pres. indicative to heighten urgency and speed up the narrative. See also sparguntur below. ) scriptae in Britanniam ad quartadecimanos, in Hispaniam ad primanos epistulae, quod utraque legio pro Othone, adversa Vitellio fuerat; sparguntur per Gallias litterae; momentoque temporis (momento temporis: ‘in a very short time’) flagrabat ingens bellum, Illyricis exercitibus palam desciscentibus, ceteris fortunam secuturis. (secuturis: for use of future participle, as an adjective, cf. note for non omissuro quo minus …adgrederetur in ch. 40.)