XVI.
Postera luce Cerialis equite et auxiliariis cohortibus frontem explet, in secunda acie legiones locatae, dux sibi delectos retinuerat ad improvisa. (ad improvisa: ad + acc. is one way to express purpose: ‘to meet contingencies’) Civilis haud porrecto agmine, sed cuneis adstitit: (haud porrecto agmine, sed cuneis adstitit: ‘with his battle front not extended, but took position in columns’. Actually, cuneis refers to wedge fomations, a tactic intended for deeper and faster penetration during an attack, but commentators agree that Tacitus applies the term also to arrangements in columns, especially before a large scale battle.) Batavi Cugernique (Batavi Cugernique: the two tribes were neighbors, the Cugerni being SE of the Batavi, along the west bank of the Rhine, near Castra Vetera, modern Xanten. ) in dextro, laeva ac propiora flumini Transrhenani tenuere. Exhortatio ducum non more contionis apud universos, sed ut quosque suorum advehebantur. (ut quosque suorum advehebantur: ‘temporal ut is with imperf. indicative for repeated action. The passive of adveho has the sense of ‘to ride’, usually followed by in or ad + acc., but on occasion by acc. alone. ) Cerialis veterem Romani nominis gloriam, antiquas recentisque victorias; ut perfidum ignavum victum hostem in aeternum exciderent, (Cerialis veterem Romani nominis gloriam, antiquas recentisque victorias; ut perfidum ignavum victum hostem in aeternum exciderent: no main verb in sight: meaning is entrusted solely to nouns and adjectives, yet it comes across unimpaired. Ellipses of this kind are one of Tacitus’ peculiarities.) ultione magis quam proelio opus esse. (ultione magis quam proelio opus esse: opus est governs the abl. of the thing needed.) Pauciores nuper cum pluribus certasse, ac tamen fusos Germanos, quod roboris fuerit: (quod roboris fuerit: ‘what there was of real strength’; fuerit is subjunctive in indir. discourse introduced by implied verb of saying after Cerialis above; the perf. subjunctive reflects the perf. indicative of direct speech.) superesse qui fugam animis, qui vulnera tergo ferant. (superesse qui fugam animis, qui vulnera tergo ferant: ‘[he said] that all that was left were [men] who had flight in their hearts and wounds on their backs’. vulnera tergo are wounds that cowards would receive while fleeing.) Proprios inde stimulos legionibus admovebat, domitores Britanniae quartadecimanos appellans; (domitores Britanniae quartadecimanos appellans: the Fourteenth legion had been stationed in Britain since the conquest of 43 A.D.; it suppressed Boudicca’s revolt in 61 A.D.; cf. Agr. 15-17, Annals XIV, 29-37.) principem Galbam sextae legionis auctoritate factum; (principem Galbam sextae legionis auctoritate factum: in April of 68 A.D. the Sixth legion in Hispania Tarraconensis had proclaimed emperor Galba, its commander.) illa primum acie secundanos nova signa novamque aquilam dicaturos. (illa primum acie secundanos nova signa novamque aquilam dicaturos: the Second legion was a recently constituted unit, most likely with men from the fleet. Cf. Book 3, 55 and Book 4, 68.) Hinc praevectus ad Germanicum exercitum (ad Germanicum exercitum: i.e. the legions of Upper and Lower Germany, the First, Fourth, Sixteenth, and Twenty-first that were forced to join the Gauls and later returned to Roman service; cf. Book 4, 72.) manus tendebat, ut suam ripam, sua castra sanguine hostium reciperarent. Alacrior omnium clamor, quis vel ex longa pace proelii cupido vel fessis bello pacis amor, (quis vel ex longa pace proelii cupido vel fessis bello pacis amor: quis (=quibus) and fessis are datives of possessor with understood forms of esse; cupido and amor are respectively the things possessed; vel …vel is equivalent to et …et, ‘both …and’: ‘both those who had desire for action, because of the long peace, and those who had love of peace, being weary of war’; fessis bello is abl. abs.; fessus is with abl. if the state is mental, ‘sick of war’) praemiaque et quies in posterum sperabatur. (sperabatur: agrees with quies, the nearer subject.)