XXI.
Id vero aegre tolerante milite (id …aegre tolerante milite: abl. abs., ‘the troops tolerating this grudgingly’) prope seditionem ventum, (prope seditionem ventum: passive of an intransitive verb used impersonally: ‘it was come to the verge of sedition’.) cum progressi equites sub ipsa moenia vagos e Cremonensibus corripiunt, quorum indicio noscitur sex Vitellianas legiones omnemque exercitum, qui Hostiliae egerat, (qui Hostiliae egerat: ‘that had been based at Ostiglia’: the rel. clause is here parenthetical, i.e. inserted to remind readers of facts already told, thus not subject to the rules governing the indir. discourse it finds itself in. The indicative egerat replaces egisset that would otherwise be expected.) eo ipso die triginta milia passuum emensum, (triginta milia passuum emensum: a Roman mile was marginally less than a statute mile, 1481 meters or 1620 yards vs. 1609 meters or 1760 yards. emensum, from emetior, agrees with the nearest subject, exercitum.) comperta suorum clade in proelium accingi (in proelium accingi: ‘that they were preparing themselves for action’; accingi is reflexive rather than passive.) ac iam adfore. is terror obstructas mentis consiliis ducis aperuit. sistere tertiam decimam legionem in ipso viae Postumiae aggere (in ipso viae Postumiae aggere: the road at that point was elevated by means of a causeway on account of the marshy terrain. The Via Postumia began at Genoa on the Ligurian gulf in NW Italy, crossed the river Po just east of Cremona, and continued past Verona all the way to Aquileia on the gulf of Trieste in the NE corner of Italy.) iubet, cui iuncta a laevo septima Galbiana patenti campo stetit, dein septima Claudiana, agresti fossa (ita locus erat) (ita locus erat: `such was the nature of the ground) praemunita; dextro octava per apertum limitem, mox tertia densis arbustis intersepta. hic aquilarum signorumque ordo: (hic aquilarum signorumque ordo: aquila was the emblem of a legion, signa were the standards of cohorts and maniples; vexillum (mentioned next) is here the standard of the praetorians, but the term has other meanings. All these standards, banners, or ensigns were held high at the top of poles and served as rallying points for soldiers looking for their unit.) milites mixti per tenebras, ut fors tulerat; (ut fors tulerat: ‘as chance had directed them’; ut is here a comparative conjunction requiring use of indicative.) praetorianum vexillum proximum tertianis, cohortes auxiliorum in cornibus, latera ac terga equite circumdata; Sido atque Italicus Suebi (Sido atque Italicus Suebi: cf. ch. 5.) cum delectis popularium primori in acie versabantur. (in acie versabantur: the passive form of verso has the middle sense of ‘to dwell’, ‘to be situated’, ‘to be active’, especially when followed by in + abl.)