LX.
Obsessos hinc fides, inde egestas inter decus ac flagitium distrahebant. cunctantibus solita insolitaque alimenta (cunctantibus … alimenta deerant: ‘food supplies were wanting to the hesitating Romans’. ) deerant, absumptis iumentis (absumptis iumentis: ‘the beasts of burden having been consumed’, i.e. oxen, horses, mules, donkeys; horses are mentioned separately in view of their use by the cavalry.) equisque et ceteris animalibus, quae profana foedaque (animalibus, quae profana foedaque …: quae is neuter plural to agree in gender and number with animalibus; profana refers to animals that are not customarily eaten, like cats and dogs or that are considered unclean, like swine in some religions; foeda are animals that provoke disgust, such as rats, worms, insects.) in usum necessitas vertit. virgulta postremo et stirpis et internatas saxis herbas vellentes miseriarum patientiaeque documentum fuere, (virgulta postremo et stirpis et internatas saxis herbas vellentes miseriarum patientiaeque documentum fuere: ‘the besieged in the end pulling up shrubs and roots and weeds growing among stones were a proof of their miseries and forbearance’.) donec egregiam laudem fine turpi macularent, (donec … macularent: subjunctive after donec here indicates a craving for relief at any cost.) missis ad Civilem legatis vitam orantes. (vitam orantes: example of use of present participle to express purpose) neque ante preces admissae quam in verba Galliarum iurarent: (ante … quam … iurarent: antequam is with subjunctive when design is implied) tum pactus praedam castrorum dat custodes qui pecuniam calones sarcinas retentarent et qui ipsos levis abeuntis prosequerentur. (pactus praedam castrorum dat custodes qui pecuniam calones sarcinas retentarent et qui ipsos levis abeuntis prosequerentur: ‘ having secured as part of the bargain the plunder of the camp, Civilis assigned guards who would take possession of the camp treasure, the camp servants, and baggage and also escort the defeated soldiers themselves out of the camp, stripped of all they had’. The camp servants, being slaves, were considered a profitable commodity. dat is historical present.) ad quintum ferme lapidem (ad quintum ferme lapidem: ‘at about the fifth milestone from Vetera’) coorti Germani (coorti Germani: ‘the Germans sprang from ambush to the attack’; these Germans are from the east side of the Rhine, Civilis’ Germans from the west. The two sides often did not cooperate.) incautum agmen adgrediuntur. pugnacissimus quisque in vestigio, multi palantes occubuere: (pugnacissimus quisque in vestigio, multi palantes occubuere: ‘the pluckiest soldiers fell where they stood, many as they fled’; palantes is from palor. ) ceteri retro in castra perfugiunt, querente sane Civile et increpante Germanos tamquam fidem per scelus abrumperent. (tamquam fidem per scelus abrumperent: ‘for their criminal breach of faith’; more often than not tamquam has causal sense in Tacitus. ) simulata ea fuerint an retinere saevientis nequiverit, parum adfirmatur. (simulata ea fuerint an retinere saevientis nequiverit, parum adfirmatur: alternate indirect question, an introducing only the second part: ‘it is not sufficiently clear whether that was a pretense on Civilis’ part or whether he was not able to restrain the furious Germans’. The two perfect subjunctive fuerint and nequiverit are governed by affirmatur.) direptis castris faces iniciunt, (direptis castris faces iniciunt: ‘they threw torches at the ransacked camp’. direptis castris is dative with iniciunt, in place of ad + acc.; iniciunt is historical present.) cunctosque qui proelio superfuerant incendium hausit.