Hist. 1.71.1Haud facile dictū est, lēgātī Helvētiōrum minus plācābilem imperātōrem an mīlitem invēnerint.It is not easy to say whether the envoys of the Helvetii found the emperor or the soldiers less easy to placate. Hist. 1.71.1Cīvitātis excidium poscunt, tēla ac manūs in ōra lēgātōrum intentant.The soldiers demand the destruction of the community, and thrust their weapons and fists in the envoys' faces. Hist. 1.71.1Nē Vitellius quidem verbīs et minīs temperābat, cum Claudius Cossus, ūnus ex lēgātīs, notae fācundiae sed dīcendī artem aptā trepidātiōne occultāns atque eō validior, mīlitis animum mītigāvit.Not even Vitellius held back from words and threats, when Claudius Cossus, one of the envoys, a man of known eloquence but hiding his skill in speaking under a fitting nervousness, and all the more effective for it, softened the soldiers' mood. Hist. 1.71.1Ut est mōs, vulgus mūtābile subitīs et tam prōnum in misericordiam quam immodicum saevitiā fuerat: effūsīs lacrimīs et meliōra cōnstantius postulandō impūnitātem salūtemque cīvitātī impetrāvēre.As is the way of a crowd, changeable at sudden impulses, they were as prone to pity as they had been unbounded in cruelty: pouring out tears and demanding milder measures ever more insistently, they won pardon and safety for the community.
Lectitō › Tacitus › Histories, Book 1 › Histories 1.71
Tacitus · Historiae I
Histories 1.71
Helvetian envoys before Vitellius
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Latin vocabulary for this passage (60 words)
| haud, adv. | not at all, by no means, not |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| plācābilis, -e | easily appeased; appeasing, propitious |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| an, conj. | or (in questions) |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come upon, find |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| excidium, -ī n. | destruction, overthrow |
| poscō, poscere, poposcī | ask, demand |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ōs, ōris, n. | mouth |
| intentō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | aim at, threaten (something at someone) |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| verbum, -ī, n. | word |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| minae, -ārum, f. plur. | threats |
| temperō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum (ab + abl.) | refrain (from) |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| nōtus, -a, -um | known, well-known, famous |
| fācundia, -ae f. | eloquence, fluency of speech |
| sed, conj. | but |
| ars, artis, f. | art |
| aptus, -a, -um | fit, suited |
| trepidātiō, -ōnis f. | alarm, agitation |
| occultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | hide, conceal |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| validus, -a, -um | strong |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| mītigō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | soften, calm, soothe |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| vulgus, -ī n. | the common people, the crowd |
| mūtābilis, -e | changeable, fickle |
| subitus, -a, -um | sudden |
| tam, adv. | so |
| prōnus, -a, -um | leaning forward; inclined, prone (to) |
| misericordia, -ae, f; | pity, compassion |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| immodicus, -a, -um | excessive, unrestrained |
| saevitia, -ae f. | fierceness, cruelty |
| effundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus | pour out |
| lacrima, -ae, f. | tear |
| bonus, -a, -um | good |
| cōnstanter (adv.) | steadily, consistently |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| impūnitās, -ātis f. | freedom from punishment |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| impetrō, -petrāre, -petrāvī, -petrātus | gain one's end, obtain (a request) |
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.