LXXXV.
At (at: the particle marks a resumption of the narrative after an interruption; here it picks up the thread dropped in ch. 68.) Domitianus Mucianusque antequam Alpibus propinquarent, (antequam … propinquarent: antequam takes subjunctive to indicate intended future action.) prosperos rerum in Treviris gestarum nuntios accepere. praecipua victoriae fides dux hostium Valentinus nequaquam abiecto animo, quos spiritus gessisset, vultu ferebat. (Valentinus nequaquam abiecto animo, quos spiritus gessisset, vultu ferebat: for Valentinus cf. ch. 71: ‘Valentinus, not in the least disheartened, bore in his face the spirit of defiance he had [always] shown’; abiecto animo: abl of manner with simple abl. without interposed cum; quos spiritus gessisset: subjunctive in rel. clause of consecutive force, where quos is for talis, ‘such as he had had’) auditus ideo tantum ut nosceretur (ideo tantum ut nosceretur: ‘merely for the reason of knowing …’: the reson is given in the form of a purpose clause.) ingenium eius, damnatusque inter ipsum supplicium (inter ipsum supplicium: ‘in the course of the execution itself’) exprobranti cuidam patriam eius captam accipere se solacium mortis ([id] accipere se solacium mortis: ‘that he received it as a comfort of death [not to see his nation enslaved]’) respondit. sed (sed: like at, sed can merely mark a change of focus.) Mucianus quod diu occultaverat, ut recens exprompsit: quoniam benignitate deum fractae hostium vires forent, (quoniam … forent: quoniam is followed by indicative except in indir. speech.) parum decore Domitianum confecto prope bello alienae gloriae interventurum. (parum decore Domitianum … alienae gloriae interventurum: parum is adverb, not noun: ‘that Domitian would obtrude upon the glory of others with not enough propriety’; alienae gloriae is dat. with intervenio.) si status imperii aut salus Galliarum in discrimine verteretur, debuisse Caesarem in acie stare, (si status imperii … in discrimine verteretur, debuisse Caesarem in acie stare: conditional sentence in indir. speech: protasis with imperfect subjunctive for unreal condition after hist. verb of saying, apodosis with perf. infinitive. debuisse corresponds to perf. or plup. indicative (debuit or debuerat) of direct speech, found after debeo and other verbs denoting duty, possibility, necessity when future condition is implied in past time. See A.G. 517, c. and footnotes.) Canninefatis Batavosque minoribus ducibus delegandos: ipse Luguduni (Luguduni: modern Lyon: Mucianus and Domitian with their forces had crossed the Alps into Gaul by the Little St. Bernard pass west of Aosta; Lyon is relatively near, going WNW from the pass.) vim fortunamque principatus e proximo ostentaret, (e proximo ostentaret: imperative or hortatory subjunctive in indir. speech (cf. G. 652) : ‘that he should make manifest from a city so close at hand the …’) nec parvis periculis immixtus et maioribus non defuturus par. (et maioribus non defuturus par: = non defuturus par maioribus: ‘and not be likely to fail to be equal to greater dangers’)