LXXIII.
Sed plus pavoris obsessis quam obsessoribus intulit. quippe Vitellianus miles neque astu neque constantia inter dubia (inter dubia: ‘in a crisis’) indigebat: ex diverso (ex diverso: ‘on the opposite side’, i.e. on the Fabian side) trepidi milites, dux segnis et velut captus animi non lingua, non auribus competere, (captus animi non lingua, non auribus competere: ‘trapped within, in a state of hebetude, he had no longer control over his tongue and ears.’ competere is historical infinitive, in place of imperfect indicative; several other examples occur below, together with historical presents, such as miscent, inrumpunt, obtruncantur, circumsistunt. Tacitus uses both verbal forms regularly to add life, color, and variety to the narrative.) neque alienis consiliis regi neque sua expedire, huc illuc clamoribus hostium circumagi, quae iusserat vetare, quae vetuerat iubere: mox, quod in perditis rebus accidit, omnes praecipere, nemo exequi; postremo abiectis armis fugam et fallendi artis (fallendi artis: ‘ways of escaping notice’) circumspectabant. inrumpunt Vitelliani et cuncta sanguine ferro flammisque miscent. (cuncta sanguine ferro flammisque miscent: ‘they confound all in a maelstrom of blood, fire, and steel.’) pauci militarium virorum, (pauci militarium virorum: partitive genitive after a substantive of quantity denoting a part of a whole) inter quos maxime insignes Cornelius Martialis, Aemilius Pacensis, Casperius Niger, Didius Scaeva, pugnam ausi obtruncantur. Flavium Sabinum inermem neque fugam coeptantem circumsistunt, et Quintium Atticum consulem, umbra honoris et suamet vanitate monstratum, (umbra honoris et suamet vanitate monstratum , quod …: ‘made conspicuous by the shade of honor [attached to his office] and by his very own vanity, since …’ suamet is emphatic. Atticus was consul suffectus (i.e. in place of someone who had died or fallen ill) only for the last two months 69 A.D.) quod edicta in populum pro Vespasiano magnifica, probrosa adversus Vitellium iecerat. ceteri per varios casus elapsi, quidam servili habitu, alii fide clientium contecti et inter sarcinas abditi. (inter sarcinas abditi: usually translated, somewhat unconvincingly, as ‘hidden among the baggage’) fuere qui excepto Vitellianorum signo, quo inter se noscebantur, (excepto Vitellianorum signo, quo inter se noscebantur: ‘the password of the Vitellians, by which they were recognized among themselves, having been intercepted’; inter se expresses reciprocity.) ultro (ultro: ‘in their turn’) rogitantes respondentesve audaciam pro latebra haberent. (fuere qui … audaciam pro latebra haberent: ‘some there were who made audacity serve in place of concealment.’ fuere qui opens a clause of characteristic with subjunctive.)