LVIII.
‘Numquam apud vos verba feci aut pro vobis sollicitior aut pro me securior. nam mihi exitium parari libens audio mortemque in tot malis [hostium] ut finem miseriarum expecto: vestri me pudet miseretque, (vestri me pudet miseretque: the impersonal pudere and miserere require genitive of the cause of the feeling and acc. of the person affected.) adversus quos non proelium et acies parantur; (adversus quos non proelium et acies parantur: ‘against whom no forces arrayed for battle are being prepared’) id enim fas armorum et ius hostium est: bellum cum populo Romano vestris se manibus gesturum Classicus sperat imperiumque et sacramentum Galliarum ostentat. adeo nos, si fortuna in praesens virtusque deseruit, (si fortuna in praesens virtusque deseruit: indicative for condition proven true in retrospect; here deseruit corresponds to the English present perfect rather than perfect, ‘has abandoned us’) etiam vetera exempla deficiunt, quotiens Romanae legiones perire praeoptaverint ne loco pellerentur? (quotiens Romanae legiones perire praeoptaverint ne loco pellerentur?: exclamatory question in the subjunctive (cf. A.G. 443, 444) governing a negative purpose clause; praeoptaverint corresponds to praeoptaverunt that would be used if the direct question did not express indignation and was not in essence rhetorical. The verb preoptare is followed by either an ut or ne clause or by an infinitive clause.) socii saepe nostri excindi urbis suas seque cum coniugibus ac liberis cremari pertulerunt, (socii saepe nostri excindi urbis suas … pertulerunt: examples that come to mind are the inhabitants of Petelia (in Calabria, Italy) and of Saguntum (in eastern Spain); in both cases the population was destroyed during the second Punic war for being loyal to Rome.) neque aliud pretium exitus quam fides famaque. (fides famaque: hendiadys, ‘reputation for loyalty’) tolerant cum maxime (cum maxime: ‘at this very moment’) inopiam obsidiumque apud Vetera legiones (apud Vetera legiones: the Fifth and Fifteenth legions) nec terrore aut promissis demoventur: nobis super arma et viros et egregia castrorum munimenta frumentum et commeatus quamvis longo bello pares. (quamvis longo bello pares: ‘sufficient for a war no matter how long’; quamvis is here adverb, not conjunction.) pecunia nuper etiam donativo suffecit, quod sive a Vespasiano sive a Vitellio datum interpretari mavultis, ab imperatore certe Romano accepistis. tot bellorum victores, apud Geldubam, apud Vetera, fuso totiens hoste, si pavetis aciem, indignum id quidem, (si pavetis aciem, indignum id quidem [est]: conditional sentence with simple, logical condition: indicative in both protasis and apodosis) sed est vallum murique et trahendi artes, (sed est [vobis] vallum murique et trahendi artes: ‘but you have a fortified camp, defenses, and strategies for gaining time’; trahendi is a praedicative genitive gerund expressing purpose. Cf. A.G. 504, Note 1.) donec e proximis provinciis auxilia exercitusque concurrant. (donec … concurrant: subjunctive after donec indicates intention and suspense) sane ego displiceam: (sane ego displiceam: ‘to be sure, I may not be to your liking’; displiceam is subjunctive in that the sense is concessive; ego is rarely used as subject, except to denote emphasis.) sunt alii legati, tribuni, centurio denique aut miles. ne hoc prodigium toto terrarum orbe vulgetur, vobis satellitibus Civilem et Classicum Italiam invasuros. (ne hoc prodigium toto terrarum orbe vulgetur, vobis satellitibus Civilem et Classicum Italiam invasuros: negative purpose clause: ‘to prevent this monstrosity from becoming known to the entire world, [namely] that Civilis and Classicus are going to invade Italy with you as their hirelings’.) an, si ad moenia urbis Germani Gallique duxerint, arma patriae inferetis? (an, si ad moenia urbis Germani Gallique duxerint, arma patriae inferetis?: direct question as the apodosis of a conditional sentence with future indicative and protasis with perfect subjunctive for future potential condition and for action completed before that of the apodosis; cf. A.G. 516, c. The use of an as the interrogative particle denotes disbelief and indignation) horret animus tanti flagitii imagine. Tutorine Treviro agentur excubiae? (Tutorine Treviro agentur excubiae?: the enclitic –ne is usually for questions requiring a simple yes or no for an answer. ) signum belli Batavus dabit, et Germanorum catervas (catervas: denotes contempt: not legions, not cohorts, but unruly masses of armed men.) supplebitis? quis deinde sceleris exitus, cum Romanae legiones contra derexerint? (quis deinde sceleris exitus [erit], cum Romanae legiones contra derexerint?: ‘what will later be the issue of your crime, when Roman legions will form up to come after you?’. derexerint is perfect future for action preceding that of the implied erit. In English time relationships are not so strictly observed as in Latin.) transfugae e transfugis et proditores e proditoribus inter recens et vetus sacramentum invisi deis errabitis? te, Iuppiter optime maxime, quem per octingentos viginti annos (per octingentos viginti annos: the exact number of years since the foundation of Rome is 753 + 69 = 822) tot triumphis coluimus, te, Quirine Romanae parens urbis, precor venerorque ut, si vobis non fuit cordi me duce haec castra incorrupta et intemerata servari, at certe pollui foedarique a Tutore et Classico ne sinatis, militibus Romanis aut innocentiam detis aut maturam et sine noxa paenitentiam.’ (precor venerorque ut, si vobis non fuit cordi … haec castra incorrupta et intemerata servari, at certe pollui foedarique a Tutore et Classico ne sinatis, militibus Romanis aut innocentiam detis aut … paenitentiam: ‘I beg you humbly if it has not been your pleasure that this camp be preserved pure and pristine, at least do not tolerate that it be polluted and defiled by Tutor and Classicus. Grant these Roman soldiers either freedom from crime or repentance’; alicui non cordi esse: idiom, ‘not to be agreeable to someone’; ut ..ne sinatis …[ut]detis: both ut and ut ne express the purpose of the main verbs, the first positive, the other negative in place of ne alone. Cf. A.G. 531.)