XVI.
Civilis dolo grassandum ratus (dolo grassandum ratus: lit. ‘convinced that it ought to be proceeded with guile’; grassandum [esse]: impersonal use of the passive periphrastic conjugation) incusavit ultro (ultro: i.e. in addition to being himself the promoter of the revolt) praefectos quod castella deseruissent: (quod castella deseruissent: subjunctive after causal quod in indirect speech after incusavit.) se cum cohorte, cui praeerat, Canninefatem tumultum compressurum, illi sua quisque hiberna repeterent. (illi sua quisque hiberna repeterent: ‘that they should go back to their winter camps’; illi refers to the prefects. repeterent is imperative in indirect discourse, corresponding to rerpetite of direct speech.) subesse fraudem consilio et dispersas cohortis facilius opprimi, nec Brinnonem ducem eius belli, sed Civilem esse patuit, (subesse fraudem consilio … patuit: ‘it was clear that there was treachery under Civilis’ counsel.’) erumpentibus paulatim indiciis, quae Germani, laeta bello gens, non diu occultaverant. (erumpentibus paulatim indiciis, quae Germani, laeta bello gens, non diu occultaverant: abl. abs. with dependent rel. clause: ‘hints of the truth gradually emerging, which the Germans, a people exulting in war, had not long concealed’) ubi insidiae parum cessere, (ubi insidiae parum cessere: ‘when subterfuge yielded little’; ubi is normally followed by perf. indicative.) ad vim transgressus Canninefatis, Frisios, Batavos propriis cuneis componit: (propriis cuneis componit: ‘he drew up in echelon the troops belonging to each tribe’. A cuneus, in a military context, is a densely packed arrangement of soldiers in staggered parallel lines or columns, each to the right or left of the one in front, in such a way that the whole presents the appearance of a wedge when viewed from above. componit is historical present.) derecta ex diverso acies (derecta ex diverso acies: ‘on the opposite (the Roman) side the battle line was straight.) haud procul a flumine Rheno et obversis in hostem navibus, quas incensis castellis illuc adpulerant. (obversis in hostem navibus, quas incensis castellis illuc adpulerant: abl. abs. with subordinate rel. clause: ‘the ships, which had been brought to shore there from the burnt down forts, being turned inland so as to face the enemy; incensis castellis: abl. of the place whence (see G. 390); the preposition, ex, de, or ab, is omitted with verbs of removing.) nec diu certato Tungrorum cohors signa ad Civilem transtulit, perculsique milites improvisa proditione a sociis hostibusque caedebantur. eadem etiam <in> navibus perfidia: pars remigum e Batavis tamquam imperitia officia nautarum propugnatorumque impediebant; (pars remigum e Batavis tamquam imperitia officia … impediebant: ‘a part of the rowers, being Batavian, with their pretended clumsiness interfered with the work of the ….’ tamquam imperitia: ‘as if from lack of skill’) mox contra tendere et puppis hostili ripae obicere: (mox contra tendere et puppis hostili ripae obicere: ‘then they began to row backwards and to direct the sterns towards the enemy bank [of the Rhine].’ hostili ripae: dative with obicere; tendere and obicere are historical infinitives.) ad postremum gubernatores centurionesque, nisi eadem volentis, (nisi eadem volentis: ‘unless they willed the same’, i.e. ‘unless they were in accord with them’) trucidant, donec universa quattuor et viginti navium classis transfugeret aut caperetur. (donec … transfugeret aut caperetur: Tacitus uses subjunctive after donec even where a classical writer would prefer indicative.)