XLVI.
Turbata per eosdem dies Germania, et socordia ducum, seditione legionum, externa vi, perfidia sociali (socordia ducum, seditione legionum, externa vi, perfidia sociali: ablatives of cause) prope adflicta Romana res. id bellum cum causis et eventibus (etenim longius provectum est) mox memorabimus. (mox memorabimus: in Book 4 (12-37, 54-79) and in Book 5 (14-26) mota et Dacorum gens (mota et Dacorum gens: ‘the Dacians also were stirring’; the Daci were settled in what is today Romania and parts of Serbia. et is postposed to second place in the clause; sometimes found in third and even fourth place.) numquam fida, tunc sine metu, abducto e Moesia exercitu. (abducto e Moesia exercitu: the three legions of the Moesian army had left for Italy to fight in the second battle of Bedriacum. Cf. ch. 5 and 9.) sed prima rerum (prima rerum: ‘the opening phase of the cicil conflict’; rerum is partitive genitive after the neuter noun prima.) quieti speculabantur: ubi flagrare Italiam bello, cuncta in vicem hostilia accepere, (ubi flagrare Italiam bello, cuncta in vicem hostilia accepere, …: ‘when they realized that Italy was ablaze with war, that the entire Roman world was in conflict with itself,…’; in vicem = inter se; ubi …accepere: temporal ubi is normally foundf with perf. indicative.) expugnatis cohortium alarumque (cohortium alarumque: it is to be assumed that these were auxiliary forces, since the legions had been withdrawn.) hibernis utraque Danuvii ripa potiebantur. iamque castra legionum excindere parabant, ni Mucianus sextam legionem opposuisset, (castra legionum excindere parabant, ni Mucianus sextam legionem opposuisset: plup. subjunctive in protasis for condition contrary to fact in the past; imperf. indicative in apodosis for action already underway when corrective measures were introduced. Cf. A.G. 517, b. The camp was empty then, the legions having left, except presumably for a token force insufficient to sustain an all-out attack.) Cremonensis victoriae gnarus, ac ne externa moles utrimque ingrueret, si Dacus Germanusque diversi inrupissent. (Cremonensis victoriae gnarus, ac ne externa moles utrimque ingrueret, si Dacus Germanusque diversi inrupissent: gnarus, which refers to Mucianus, is here used appositively with causal sense to explain the reasons – as ne … ingrueret explains the purpose – of his action: lit. ‘since he knew of the success at Cremona and [wanted] to avoid that a massive barbarian horde should bear down [on him] on two sides, if the Dacians and the Germans had invaded from opposite directions’. Simply put, Mucianus decided to deploy the Sixth legion against the Dacians because he knew it was no longer needed in the civil war and feared having to fight the Dacians and the Germans simultaneously if he waited. si inrupissent: plup. subjunctive for potential action anterior to that of ingrueret.) adfuit, ut saepe alias, fortuna populi Romani, quae Mucianum virisque Orientis illuc tulit, et quod Cremonae interim transegimus. (adfuit, ut saepe alias, fortuna populi Romani, quae Mucianum virisque Orientis illuc tulit, et quod Cremonae interim transegimus: ‘the good fortune of the Roman people stood by us, as often on other occasions. It led Mucianus and the forces of the east to the right place. Also the fact that meanwhile we settled matters at Cremona’. [fortuna] Mucianum … illuc tulit: when Mucianus with the Sixth legion and other troops left Syria for the war (Book 2, ch. 83), he was considering marching towards Dyrrachium on the Adriatic coast of Albania. He probably did just that (Tacitus does not say) and in moving slowly up the Balkan peninsula he found himself near the trouble spot (illic) at the moment of greatest need. Luck was indeed on the side of the Romans.) Fonteius Agrippa ex Asia (pro consule eam provinciam annuo imperio tenuerat) Moesiae praepositus est, additis copiis e Vitelliano exercitu, quem spargi per provincias et externo bello inligari pars consilii pacisque erat. (quem spargi per provincias et externo bello inligari pars consilii pacisque erat: consilii pacisque is hendiadys, ‘of the peaceful plan’ or ‘of the plan for peace’: ‘it was part of a peaceful strategy that the Vitellian army (quem) be scattered through the provinces and entangled in foreign wars’. Similar thoughts were expressed in ch. 35.