XXVI.
Non fefellit Civilem ea inclinatio et praevenire statuit, (praevenire statuit: praevenire is object of statuit, one of a number of verbs that may be found followed by infinitive in place of ut + subjunctive. For list of such verbs see G. 423, 2.) super taedium malorum etiam spe (spe: abl. of cause) vitae, quae plerumque magnos animos infringit. Petito conloquio scinditur Nabaliae fluminis pons, (Nabaliae fluminis pons: it is not known for certain which river Tacitus refers to; the Yssel, a tributary of the Rhine, may be a likely choice.) in cuius abrupta progressi duces, et Civilis ita coepit: ‘si apud Vitellii legatum defenderer, neque facto meo venia neque dictis fides debebatur; (si apud Vitellii legatum defenderer, neque facto meo venia neque dictis fides debebatur: conditional sentence of Type III or contrary to fact; the use of indicative (debebatur) in the apodosis is common with verbs such as debeo, possum, licet, necesse est and others which reflect confidence or certainty in the outcome if the condition were fulfilled. Cf. G. 254, R. 2., 3., and 597, R. 2.) cuncta inter nos inimica: hostilia ab illo coepta, a me aucta erant: erga Vespasianum vetus mihi observantia, et cum privatus esset, amici vocabamur. Hoc Primo Antonio notum, cuius epistulis (Primo Antonio notum, cuius epistulis …: cf. Book 4, ch. 13 and 32.) ad bellum actus sum, ne Germanicae legiones et Gallica iuventus Alpis transcenderent. (ne … transcenderent: negative purpose clause) Quae Antonius epistulis, Hordeonius Flaccus praesens monebat: arma in Germania movi, quae Mucianus in Syria, Aponius in Moesia, Flavianus in Pannonia * * * ‘ (quae Mucianus in Syria, Aponius in Moesia, Flavianus in Pannonia: quae refers to arma and is objest of an implied moverat or moverant. Mucianus had his legions in Syria swear allegiance to Otho, away from Vitellius (cf. Book 1, ch. 76.). Aponius Saturninus and Tampius Flavianus did not play an active part in the revolt against Vitellius, but it suits Civilis to claim they did. For Aponius see Book 2, ch. 96 and Book 3, ch. 5 and 11; for Flavianus, see Book 3, ch.10. )
The rest of Tacitus’ work is lost: of the twelve books (some say fourteen) making up the Historiae, only four have survived complete and the fifth up to this point. Civilis’ ultimate fate is not known. That the Batavi were treated with clemency is made clear by Tacitus’ comments in Germania and by the fact that less than fifteen years later we find them fighting for the Romans in Britain, where the Batavian infantry won, almost unaided, the battle of Mount Graupius, as Tacitus tells us in his Agricola.