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Tacitus · Historiae I

Histories 1.11

Egypt, Africa and the lesser provinces

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Hist. 1.11.1Aegyptum cōpiāsque, quibus coercērētur, iam inde ā dīvō Augustō equitēs Rōmānī obtinent locō rēgum: ita vīsum expedīre, prōvinciam aditū difficilem, annōnae fēcundam, superstitiōne ac lascīviā discordem et mōbilem, īnsciam lēgum, ignāram magistrātuum, domī retinēre.Egypt, and the forces by which it is held in check, have been governed ever since the deified Augustus by Roman knights in place of kings: it had seemed expedient thus to keep under the emperor's own control a province difficult of access, rich in grain, divided and unstable through superstition and licence, ignorant of laws and unacquainted with magistrates. Hist. 1.11.1Regēbat tum Tiberius Alexander, eiusdem nātiōnis.Its governor at that time was Tiberius Alexander, of that same nation. Hist. 1.11.1Āfrica ac legiōnēs in eā interfectō Clōdiō Macrō contenta quālicumque prīncipe post experīmentum dominī minōris.Africa and the legions in it, now that Clodius Macer had been killed, were content with any kind of emperor after their experience of a lesser master. Hist. 1.11.1Duae Mauretāniae, Raetia, Nōricum, Thraecia et quae aliae prōcūrātōribus cohibentur, ut cuique exercituī vīcīnae, ita in favōrem aut odium contāctū valentiōrum agēbantur.The two Mauretanias, Raetia, Noricum, Thrace and the other provinces governed by procurators were swayed to favour or hatred according to the army each was near, by contact with the stronger.

Hist. 1.11.1Inermēs prōvinciae atque ipsa in prīmīs Ītalia, cuicumque servitiō exposita, in pretium bellī cessūrae erant.The unarmed provinces, and above all Italy itself, exposed to any servitude, were destined to fall as the prize of the war. Hist. 1.11.1Hic fuit rērum Rōmānārum status, cum Servius Galba iterum Titus Vīnius cōnsulēs inchoāvēre annum sibi ultimum, reī pūblicae prope suprēmum.This was the state of Roman affairs when Servius Galba, for the second time, and Titus Vinius as consuls began a year that would be their own last, and almost the last for the state.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (85 words)
cōpia, -ae, f.supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
que, enclitic conj.and
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
coerceō, -ēre, coercuī, coercitumrestrain, keep in check
iam, adv.now, already
inde (adv.)from there; then
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
dīvus, -ī m. (gen. pl. also dīvum, dīvom)god
eques, equitis m.horseman; (pl.) cavalry
Rōmānus, -a, -umRoman
obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentushold
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.place, situation
rēx, rēgis, m.king
ita, adv.in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
expediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītusfree, set clear; get ready; arrange, settle
prōvincia, -ae f.province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul
aditus, -ūs, m.approach, entrance
difficilis, -enot easy, difficult
annōna, -ae f.the year's grain supply; the price of grain
fēcundus, -a, -umfruitful, rich (in)
superstitiō, -ōnis f.superstition, irrational religious fear
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
lascīvia, -ae f.playfulness; wantonness, licence
discors, -cordisdiscordant, not in harmony
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
mōbilis, -emovable, quick; fickle, changeable
īnscius, -a, -umnot knowing, unaware
lēx, lēgis f.law
ignārus, -a, -umignorant
magistrātus, -ūs m.magistrate, official
domus, -ūs, f.house, home
retineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentushold or keep back, keep, restrain; hold fast
regō, -ere, rēxī, rēctumguide, steer, rule
tum, adv.then, at that time
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
nātiō, -ōnis f.people, nation; birth
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectusput out of the way, kill
contentus, -a, -umcontent, satisfied (+ abl.)
quāliscumque, -iscumque, -ecumqueof whatever kind
prīnceps, -ipisfirst, chief; as noun: leader
post, adv.after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind
experīmentum, -ī n.trial, experience, proof
dominus, -ī m.master, owner
parvus, -a, -umlittle, small
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.two
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
prōcūrātor, -ōris m.manager, agent; regent
cohibeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushold back, restrain, keep in check
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
exercitus, -ūs, m.army
vīcīnus, -ī m.neighbor
favor, -ōris m.goodwill, support, applause
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
odium, -ī, n.hatred
contāctus, -ūs m.touch, contact
valēns, -entisstrong, powerful
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
inermis, -eunarmed
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
prīmus, -a, -umfirst, foremost
quīcumque, quaecumque, quodcumquewhoever, whatever
servitium, -ī n.slavery; (pl.) slaves
expōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positusput out, set forth; put on shore, land; explain
pretium, -ī, n.price, charge
bellum, -ī, n.war
cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessumgo, withdraw, give way
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
status, -ūs m.condition, state
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
iterum, adv.again, a second time
cōnsul, -ulis m.consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates)
inchoō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusbegin, start on; sketch out
annus, -ī, m.year
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
ultimus, -a, -umfarthest, last
pūblicus, -a, -umpublic, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
prope (adv. and prep. + acc.)near, nearly
suprēmus, -a, -umhighest, last
Tacitus, Historiae I. Latin text: C. D. Fisher, Cornelii Taciti Historiarum Libri (Oxford, 1911), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.