XII.
Templum in modum arcis propriique muri, labore et opere ante alios; ipsae porticus, quis templum ambibatur, egregium propugnaculum. (templum in modum arcis propriique muri, labore et opere ante alios; ipsae porticus, quis templum ambibatur, egregium propugnaculum: the total absence of forms of esse or other main verbs makes for a racy, vigorous style. ipsae porticus: these covered passageways were on massive pillars supporting a flat roof that could be used for defense.) Fons perennis aquae, cavati sub terra montes (cavati sub terra montes: ‘the hills hollowed out underground’) et piscinae cisternaeque servandis imbribus. (servandis imbribus: Tacitus seems to prefer dat. gerundive to the classical ad + acc. to express purpose.) Providerant conditores ex diversitate morum crebra bella: (providerant conditores ex diversitate morum crebra bella: ‘the founders of the city had anticipated frequent wars in view of the Jews’peculiar ways of living’; ex diversitate is abl. of both the source and the cause of the expected wars.) inde cuncta quamvis adversus longum obsidium; et a Pompeio expugnatis metus atque usus pleraque monstravere. (inde cuncta quamvis adversus longum obsidium; et a Pompeio expugnatis metus atque usus pleraque monstravere: ‘consequently, all defenses [were taken] against a siege however long, plus many [others] fear and familiarity with ill fortune suggested after Pompey had conquered them’; quamvis is adverb modifying longum. expugnatis is dative, indir. object of monstravere: lit. ‘suggested to them having been conquered by Pompey’.) Atque per avaritiam Claudianorum temporum empto iure muniendi (empto iure muniendi: abl. abs.: ‘the right to fortify [the city] having been purchased’; muniendi is objective genitive gerund after the noun iure, which it defines. Hence the genitive may be viewed as the adjective case.) struxere muros in pace tamquam ad bellum, (tamquam ad bellum: ‘as if for a war about to happen’) magna conluvie et ceterarum urbium clade aucti; (magna conluvie et ceterarum urbium clade aucti: conluvies applies to a collection of worthless people, the closest English equivalent being ‘scum’, the wildly fanatical type of men refractory to all reason; ceterarum urbium clade refers to the towns destroyed by Vespasian during the campaigns of 67, 68 A.D., such as Lydda, Gamala, Azotus, Jotapata, and others. Cf. ch. 10.) nam pervicacissimus quisque illuc perfugerat eoque seditiosius agebant. (pervicacissimus quisque illuc perfugerat eoque seditiosius agebant: the subject of agebant is either pervicacissimus quisque, taken in its plural sense, or the people of Jerusalem: ‘all the most intractable individuals had taken refuge inside Jerusalem, for that reason they behaved in a more turbulent manner’) Tres duces, totidem exercitus: extrema et latissima moenium Simo, mediam urbem Ioannes [quem et Bargioram vocabant], (Ioannes [quem et Bargioram vocabant]: we have it on the authority of the historian Josephus that the name Bargiora (lit. ‘the son of Giora’) applies to Simon, not to John.) templum Eleazarus firmaverat. Multitudine et armis Ioannes ac Simo, (multitudine et armis Ioannes ac Simo: Simon even had the siege equipment captured from Cestius Gallus; cf. ch. 10.) Eleazarus loco pollebat: sed proelia dolus incendia inter ipsos, et magna vis frumenti ambusta. Mox Ioannes, missis per speciem sacrificandi qui Eleazarum manumque eius obtruncarent, (qui … obtruncarent: rel. clause of purpose ) templo potitur. Ita in duas factiones civitas discessit, donec propinquantibus Romanis (propinquantibus Romanis: abl. abs. of causal import) bellum externum concordiam pareret. (donec … pareret: here donec has the sense of ‘waiting for the moment when …’; the notion of expectation –or fearful suspense in this case—is clearly expressed and the use of subjunctive is according to rule. See note about donec in previous chapter.)