LXXXIV.
Plurimum molis in obpugnatione castrorum fuit, quae acerrimus quisque ut novissimam spem retinebant. (plurimum molis in obpugnatione castrorum fuit quae acerrimus quisque ut novissimam spem retinebant: ‘the greatest hurdle lay in the storming of the camp, which the toughest of the Vitellians held as their last hope.’ The praetorian camp, or Castra Praetoria, was located in the NE section of the city between Porta Nomentana to the north of it and Porta Decumana to the south, SSE of the Porta Collina mentioned in ch. 82. It was a large rectangular area extending outwards of the walls, thus not part of the city proper..) eo intentius victores, praecipuo veterum cohortium studio, (eo intentius victores, praecipuo veterum cohortium studio: ‘for that reason more determined the victors, the zeal of the former praetorian cohorts being highest.’ These cohorts were the praetorian units disbanded by Vitellius (Book 2, ch. 67), because faithful to Otho, and reenlisted by Vespasian (Book 2, ch. 82). During the second battle of Bediacum (ch. 14 of the present book), Antonius had harsly reprimanded them (he called them ‘civilians’) for poor perrformance.) cuncta validissimarum urbium excidiis reperta (cuncta validissimarum urbium excidiis reperta: ‘anything ever invented for the destruction of the strongest cities’; excidiis is dat. of purpose.) simul admovent, testudinem (testudinem: testudo is either a covering made by soldiers holding their shields above their heads or a movable wooden structure (with a peaked roof) that could be rolled up to the walls and inside which the besiegers could operate machines such a battering ram in relative safety. Tacitus may well have both types in mind.) tormenta aggeres facesque, quidquid tot proeliis laboris ac periculi hausissent, opere illo consummari clamitantes. (quidquid tot proeliis laboris ac periculi hausissent, opere illo consummari clamitantes: ‘shouting that in that [last] effort all the labors and dangers they had had to swallow in so many wars would be brought to an end’; quidquid tot proeliis laboris ac periculi hausissent: subjunctive for rel. clause in indir. discourse. laboris and periculi are partitive genitives after the neuter quidquid, ‘whatever of labor and danger’ ) urbem senatui ac populo Romano, templa dis reddita: proprium esse militis decus in castris: illam patriam, illos penatis. (proprium esse militis decus in castris: illam patriam, illos penatis: ‘[they cried] that their true honor as soldiers was in that camp: that was their country, that was their home.’) ni statim recipiantur, noctem in armis agendam. (ni statim recipiantur, noctem in armis agendam [esse]: conditional sentence in indir. discourse, with infinitive apodosis and subjunctive for protasis; recipiantur is for reciperentur, a case of repraesentatio; the subject is castra, plural.) contra Vitelliani, quamquam numero fatoque dispares, (quamquam numero fatoque dispares: ‘though inferior in numbers and good fortune’; quamquam with adjectives is more common than with participles. G. 609, N. 2.) inquietare victoriam, morari pacem, domos arasque cruore foedare suprema victis solacia amplectebantur. (inquietare victoriam, morari pacem, domos arasque cruore foedare suprema victis solacia amplectebantur: ‘they held on to the final consolations for those on the losing side: mar the victory, delay the peace, and defile hearths and altars of the city with spilled blood.’) multi semianimes super turris et propugnacula moenium expiravere: convulsis portis reliquus globus obtulit se victoribus, et cecidere omnes contrariis vulneribus, versi in hostem: (convulsis portis reliquus globus obtulit se victoribus, et cecidere omnes contrariis vulneribus, versi in hostem: ‘the gates having been broken in, the few survivors threw themselves at the victors and all fell dealing out and receiving wounds, facing the enemy.’ contrariis here means ‘mutual’ , ‘reciprocal’.) ea cura etiam morientibus decori exitus fuit. (ea cura etiam morientibus decori exitus fuit: ‘such was their desire even on the point of death of a glorious end’; the demonstrative is, ea, id often has the force of talis. G. 308, R. 1.) Vitellius capta urbe per aversam Palatii partem (per aversam Palatii partem: ‘through the back of the palace’ i.e. the side of Tiberius’ palace facing the Aventine hill, south of Circus Maximus.) Aventinum in domum uxoris sellula defertur, ut si diem latebra vitavisset, Tarracinam ad cohortis fratremque perfugeret. (ut si diem latebra vitavisset, Tarracinam ad cohortis fratremque perfugeret: ‘ with the intention (ut) to flee to Terracina and to his brother’s cohorts, if he would avoid (would have avoided) daylight in hiding.’ Latin is more precise than English when it comes to time relationships: the action of the plup. subjunctive, even if only imaginary, precedes in time that of perfugeret. The sentence is conditional of the potential (ideal, future) type, with apodosis in the form of a purpose clause.) dein mobilitate ingenii et, quae natura pavoris est, cum omnia metuenti praesentia maxime displicerent, in Palatium regreditur (dein mobilitate ingenii et, quae natura pavoris est, cum omnia metuenti praesentia maxime displicerent, in Palatium regreditur: ‘then, because of his changeable character and because – such is the nature of fear – to one [like him] who was afraid of everything the present state of things was the most alarming, he retraced his steps back to the palace.’ cum …displicerent: causal cum takes subjunctive.) vastum desertumque, dilapsis etiam infimis servitiorum aut occursum eius declinantibus. (dilapsis etiam infimis servitiorum aut occursum eius declinantibus: abl. abs.: ‘even the lowest of the servants having dispersed or avoiding (the) meeting (of) him’; the deponent dilapsis has active meaning.) terret solitudo et tacentes loci; temptat clausa, inhorrescit vacuis; (temptat clausa, inhorrescit vacuis: ‘he tried the closed rooms and drew back in horror at the emptiness.’ temptat is historical present.) fessusque misero errore (fessusque misero errore: ‘tired with his miserable roaming about’) et pudenda latebra semet occultans (pudenda latebra semet occultans: ‘hiding himself in a shameful place’; Tacitus does not stoop to lurid details, but others, less uneasy, historians have said that Vitellius hid in a kennel or in a janitor’s cubicle. The enclitic –met after se is for emphasis.) ab Iulio Placido tribuno cohortis protrahitur. vinctae pone tergum (pone tergum: pone is prep with acc.) manus; laniata veste, (laniata veste: ‘his clothes in tatters’, abl. abs. or descriptive abl. (abl of quality) foedum spectaculum, ducebatur, multis increpantibus, nullo inlacrimante: deformitas exitus misericordiam abstulerat. (deformitas exitus misericordiam abstulerat: ‘the shabbiness of his final hours had stamped out all compassion’) obvius e Germanicis militibus Vitellium infesto ictu per iram, vel quo maturius ludibrio eximeret, an tribunum adpetierit, in incerto fuit: aurem tribuni amputavit (obvius e Germanicis militibus Vitellium infesto ictu per iram, vel quo maturius ludibrio eximeret, an tribunum adpetierit, in incerto fuit: aurem tribuni amputavit: ‘a German soldier came up to Vitellius and with a vicious blow (it is not certain whether it was aimed at Vitellius either in anger or to subtract him sooner from public outrage, or whether the blow was directed at the tribune) cut off the tribune’s ear.’ The historian Cassius Dio says that the soldier did it in pity of Vitellius. vel separates the two options within the first part of an alternative question; an introduces the second half of the alternative question, the first part having no introductory particle, as is usually the case in Tacitus. quo maturius …eximeret: quo, especially in combination with a comparative, brings in a purpose clause. adpetierit: historical perfect subjunctive, corresponds to the perfect indicative that would be used if the clause were not dependent. Cf. B. 268, 6, 7.) ac statim confossus est.