LXXIV.
‘Regna bellaque per Gallias semper fuere donec in nostrum ius concederetis. (donec in nostrum ius concederetis: ‘until you agreed to submit to our laws’: here the subjunctive with donec gives emphasis to the situation existing before the change that terminated it. It is the expectation or desire for the change that calls for subjunctive.) nos, quamquam totiens lacessiti, iure victoriae id solum vobis addidimus, quo pacem tueremur; (id solum vobis addidimus, quo pacem tueremur: ‘we have required additionally of you only that by means of which we protected peace’; quo …tueremur: subjunctive in rel clause of final sense. ) nam neque quies gentium sine armis neque arma sine stipendiis neque stipendia sine tributis haberi queunt: (haberi queunt: ‘cannot be had’) cetera in communi sita sunt. ipsi plerumque legionibus nostris praesidetis, ipsi has aliasque provincias regitis; (ipsi has aliasque provincias regitis: ‘you yourselves govern these and other provinces’: the claim may be somewhat hyperbolic, as the only example of a Gallic governor we know of is Vindex, whom Nero had made governor of Gallia Lugdunensis.) nihil separatum clausumve. (nihil separatum clausumve: ‘nothing split unequally, nothing barred’) et laudatorum principum usus ex aequo quamvis procul agentibus: (laudatorum principum usus ex aequo quamvis procul agentibus: ‘the usefulness of laudable emperors is equally (lit. ‘from the same level’) [for us and for you], however far living’.) saevi proximis ingruunt. quo modo sterilitatem aut nimios imbris et cetera naturae mala, ita (quo modo … ita: the two adverbs introduce the subordinate and the main clause respectively of a comparative sentence, the verb being an implied toleratis (indicative) for the first and tolerate (imperative) for the second.) luxum vel avaritiam dominantium tolerate. vitia erunt, donec homines, sed neque haec continua et meliorum interventu pensantur: (meliorum interventu pensantur: ‘are compensated by the coming of better things’; meliorum is gen. plur. of meliora, ‘better things’; interventu is abl. of instrument.) nisi forte Tutore et Classico regnantibus moderatius imperium speratis, (nisi forte … speratis: nisi forte is commonly with indicative.) aut minoribus quam nunc tributis parabuntur exercitus quibus Germani Britannique arceantur. (quibus Germani Britannique arceantur: subjuctive in rel. clause of purpose: ‘with which Germans and Britons may be kept out’) nam pulsis, quod di prohibeant, (quod di prohibeant: prohibeant is optative subjunctive.) Romanis quid aliud quam bella omnium inter se gentium existent? (pulsis … Romanis quid aliud quam bella omnium inter se gentium existent?: ‘the Rnmans having been driven away, what else will follow but war among all nations?’) octingentorum annorum fortuna disciplinaque compages haec coaluit, quae convelli sine exitio convellentium non potest: sed vobis maximum discrimen, penes quos aurum et opes, (penes quos aurum et opes: ‘in whose hands are gold and wealth’; the prep. penes governs acc.) praecipuae bellorum causae. proinde pacem et urbem, quam victi victoresque eodem iure obtinemus, amate colite: moneant (amate colite: moneant: imperatives are used with second person; for the third person hortatory (or jussive) subjunctive is commonly used instead.) vos utriusque fortunae documenta (moneant vos utriusque fortunae documenta ne … malitis: ‘let the instructions of both good an adverse fortune teach you not to prefer …’; moneant is hortatory subjunctive; ne …malitis is neg. purpose clause.) ne contumaciam cum pernicie quam obsequium cum securitate malitis.’ tali oratione graviora metuentis composuit erexitque.