LectitōOpen the reader

Lectitō › Tacitus › Histories, Book 2 › Histories 2.70

Tacitus · Historiae II

Histories 2.70

The Fourteenth legion sent away

English onlyRead it word by word

Hist. 2.70.1Angēbat Vitellium victārum legiōnum haudquāquam frāctus animus.Vitellius was troubled by the spirit of the defeated legions, which was by no means broken. Hist. 2.70.1Sparsae per Ītaliam et victōribus permixtae hostīlia loquēbantur, praecipua quārtadecimānōrum ferōcia, quī sē victōs abnuēbant: quippe Bedriacēnsī aciē vēxillāriīs tantum pulsīs vīrīs legiōnis nōn adfuisse.Scattered through Italy and mingled with the victors, they were talking like enemies, the men of the Fourteenth being especially defiant; they denied that they had been beaten: for at the battle of Bedriacum only the detachments had been routed, and the main strength of the legion had not been present. Hist. 2.70.1Remittī eōs in Britanniam, unde ā Nerōne excitī erant, placuit atque interim Batāvōrum cohortīs ūnā tendere ob veterem adversus quārtadecimānōs discordiam.It was decided to send them back to Britain, from which Nero had summoned them, and meanwhile to have the Batavian cohorts encamp with them, because of the old quarrel between them and the men of the Fourteenth. Hist. 2.70.1Nec diū in tantīs armātōrum odiīs quiēs fuit: Augustae Taurīnōrum, dum opificem quendam Batāvus ut fraudātōrem īnsectātur, legiōnārius ut hospitem tuētur, suī cuique commīlitōnēs adgregātī ā convīciīs ad caedem trānsiēre.Nor was there peace for long amid such hatred among armed men: at Augusta Taurinorum, while a Batavian was pursuing a certain workman as a cheat and a legionary was defending him as his host, their fellow soldiers gathered round each man and passed from abuse to bloodshed.

Hist. 2.70.1Et proelium atrōx ārsisset, nī duae praetōriae cohortēs causam quārtadecimānōrum secūtae hīs fīdūciam et metum Batāvīs fēcissent: quōs Vitellius agminī suō iungī ut fīdōs, legiōnem Grāīs Alpibus trāductam eō flexū itineris īre iubet quō Viennam vītārent;And a fierce battle would have blazed up, had not two praetorian cohorts taken the side of the men of the Fourteenth and given them confidence and the Batavians fear: these Vitellius ordered to be attached to his own column as loyal, while the legion was to be led across the Graian Alps and to go by a detour that would avoid Vienna; Hist. 2.70.1namque et Viennēnsēs timēbantur.for the people of Vienna too were feared. Hist. 2.70.1Nocte, quā proficīscēbātur legiō, relictīs passim ignibus pars Taurīnae colōniae ambūsta, quod damnum, ut plēraque bellī mala, maiōribus aliārum urbium clādibus oblitterātum.On the night on which the legion was setting out, fires were left burning here and there and part of the Taurine colony was burnt down, a loss which, like most of the evils of war, was blotted out by the greater disasters of other cities.

Hist. 2.70.1Quārtadecimānī postquam Alpibus dēgressī sunt, sēditiōsissimus quisque signa Viennam ferēbant: cōnsēnsū meliōrum conpressī et legiō in Britanniam trānsvecta.After the men of the Fourteenth had come down from the Alps, all the most mutinous began to carry the standards towards Vienna: they were checked by the agreement of the better men, and the legion was carried across to Britain.

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (119 words)
angō, -ere, ānxīchoke; (pass.) be vexed, be distressed
vincō, -ere, vīcī, victumconquer, defeat
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
haudquāquam, adv.in no wise, not at all
frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctusbreak; dash to pieces, wreck
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
spargō, spargere, sparsī, sparsusscatter, sprinkle
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
victor, -ōris m.conqueror, victor
permisceō, -miscēre, -miscuī, -mixtusmix together, mingle
hostīlis, -eof the enemy, hostile
loquor, loquī, locūtusspeak
praecipuus, -a, -umspecial, particular, outstanding
quārtadecimānus (quārtadecumānus), -a, -umof the Fourteenth Legion; m. pl. soldiers of the Fourteenth
ferōcia, -ae f.fierceness, untamed spirit
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
abnuō, -ere, -nuīrefuse, decline, reject
quippe (adv.)of course, indeed, for
Bedriacēnsis, -eof Bedriacum
aciēs, -ēī, f.line of battle
vēxillārius, -ī m.standard-bearer; soldier of a detachment (vexillum)
tantum, adv.so much or far, only
pellō, pellere, pepulī, pulsusdrive, drive away, beat, rout
vīs, vīs, f.violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
nōn, adv.not
adsum, adesse, adfuībe present, be at hand
remittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missumsend back; give up, remit
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
unde, adv.whence
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
exciō, -īre, -cīvī, -citusrouse, stir up; summon
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
placeō, -ēre, placuī, placitum (+ dat.)please (placuit eī: he decided)
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
interim (adv.)meanwhile
cohors, cohortis f.cohort (a tenth of a legion); company
ūnātogether, along
tendō, -ere, tetendī, tentumstretch out; hold out
ob, prep. with acc.on account of, for; in compounds, to, against
vetus, veterisold, former
adversum (prep. + acc.; also adversus)against, opposite
discordia, -ae f.disagreement, discord, strife
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
diū, adv.for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
armātus, -a, -umarmed
odium, -ī, n.hatred
quiēs, quiētis, f.rest, repose
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
opifex, -ficis m.workman, craftsman
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.a certain, certain
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
fraudātor, -ōris m.cheat, swindler
īnsector, -ārī, -ātus sumpursue, chase; harass
legiōnārius, -a, -umof a legion, legionary
hospes, hospitis m.guest; host; guest-friend
tueor, -ērī, tuitus sumwatch over, protect, defend
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
commīlitō, -ōnis m.fellow soldier, comrade
aggregō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusgather together; attach (oneself) to
convīcium, -ī n.loud noise, wrangling; abuse
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
caedēs, -is, f.cutting down, killing, slaughter
trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo across or over, cross
proelium, -ī, n.battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle
atrōx, -ōcissavage, cruel, dreadful
ārdeō, ārdēre, ārsī, ārsusbe on fire, burn
nī (conj.)if not, unless (= nisi)
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.two
praetōrius, -a, -umof the commander (praetōria cohors: bodyguard)
causa, -ae, f.cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
fīdūcia, -ae f.confidence, trust, reliance
metus, -ūs m.fear, dread
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
agmen, -minis, n.band, column
iungō, iungere, iūnxī, iūnctusjoin; yoke, harness
fīdus, -a, -umfaithful, loyal, trustworthy
trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductuslead across
flexus, -ūs m.bend, winding, curve; turning point
iter, itineris, n.a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march
eō, īre, iī, itusgo
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussusbid, order, command
quō, adv.to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long?
vītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusavoid, escape
namque, conj.for
timeō, -ēre, -uīfear
nox, noctis, f.night
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sumset out, depart, march
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictusleave behind, leave
passim (adv.)here and there, in all directions
ignis, -is, m.fire
pars, partis, f.part, side, direction
taurīnus, -a, -umof a bull, bull's
colōnia, -ae f.settlement, colony
ambūrō, -ere, -ussī, -ustusscorch, burn round about
damnum, -ī, n.harm, injury
plērīque, plēraeque, plēraquemost, very many
bellum, -ī, n.war
malum, -ī, n.evil, mischief
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
urbs, urbis, f.city
clādēs, -is f.disaster, defeat, destruction
oblitterō (oblīterō), -āre, -āvī, -ātusblot out, efface; consign to oblivion
postquam, conj.later than, after, when
dēgredior, -ī, -gressus sumgo down, come down, descend
sēditiōsus, -a, -umrebellious, stirring up trouble
signum, -ī, n.sign, signal
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
cōnsēnsus, -ūs, m.agreement, consent
bonus, -a, -umgood
comprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressuspress together, squeeze, compress
trānsvehō, -vehere, -vexī, -vectuscarry across or over
Tacitus, Historiae II. 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.