LXI.
Nec multo post legiones venere. et terrore famaque (terrore famaque: hendiadys, ‘in view of this alarming news’) aucti exercitus Vitellianae cohortes nutabant, nullo in bellum adhortante, multis ad transitionem, qui suas centurias turmasque tradere, donum victori et sibi in posterum gratiam, certabant. (nullo in bellum adhortante, multis ad transitionem [adhortantibus], qui suas centurias turmasque tradere … certabant: ablatives abs. with dependent rel. clause: ‘no one inciting them to fight, many [inciting] them to desert, who tried to beat the others in surrendering their century or squadron.’) per eos cognitum est Interamnam proximis campis praesidio quadringentorum equitum teneri. (cognitum est Interamnam … praesidio …teneri: ‘it became known that Interamna was held by a garrison.’ Interamna, modern Terni, is 15 km. or 10 miles east of Narni.) missus extemplo Varus (Varus: Arrius Varo, Antonius’ associate) cum expedita manu paucos repugnantium interfecit; plures abiectis armis veniam petivere. quidam in castra refugi cuncta formidine implebant, augendo rumoribus (augendo rumoribus: ‘by exaggerating in their reports the …’) virtutem copiasque hostium, quo amissi praesidii dedecus lenirent. (quo amissi praesidii dedecus lenirent: quo (= ut eo, ‘that thereby’) + subjunctive is used in clauses of purpose: ‘that thereby they might lessen the shame of their abandoned posts’, i.e. ‘they might lessen the disgrace for abandoning their posts’) nec ulla apud Vitellianos flagitii poena, et praemiis defectorum versa fides ac reliquum perfidiae certamen. (praemiis defectorum versa fides ac reliquum perfidiae certamen: lit. ‘loyalty was destroyed by the [Flavian] rewards of the traitors and the only rivalry left was for infamy’.) crebra transfugia tribunorum centurionumque; nam gregarius miles induruerat (induruerat: from indurescere, ‘to become more stubborn’) pro Vitellio, donec Priscus et Alfenus desertis castris ad Vitellium regressi pudore proditionis cunctos exolverent. (donec … exolverent: cf. note for donec aquilae signaque legionum adsequerentur in previous chapter.)