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Tacitus · Historiae II

Histories 2.73

Vitellius sends troops home

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Hist. 2.73.1Posterō diē Vitellius senātūs lēgātiōne, quam ibi opperīrī iusserat, audītā trānsgressus in castra ultrō pietātem mīlitum conlaudāvit, frementibus auxiliīs tantum impūnitātis atque adrogantiae legiōnāriīs accessisse.The next day Vitellius, having heard the embassy of the senate, which he had ordered to wait for him there, crossed into the camp and went so far as to praise the soldiers' loyalty, while the auxiliaries muttered that so much impunity and arrogance had been granted to the legionaries. Hist. 2.73.1Batāvōrum cohortēs, nē quid truculentius audērent, in Germāniam remissae, prīncipium internō simul externōque bellō parantibus fātīs.The cohorts of Batavians were sent back to Germany, lest they venture on something more savage, as the fates were preparing the beginning of a war at once civil and foreign. Hist. 2.73.1Reddita cīvitātibus Gallōrum auxilia, ingēns numerus et prīmā statim dēfectiōne inter inānia bellī adsūmptus.The Gallic auxiliaries were returned to their communities, a huge number, taken on right at the start of the revolt as part of the empty show of war. Hist. 2.73.1Cēterum ut largītiōnibus adfectae iam imperiī opēs sufficerent, amputārī legiōnum auxiliōrumque numerōs iubet vetitīs supplēmentīs;Further, so that the resources of the empire, already strained by largesse, might suffice, he orders the numbers of the legions and auxiliaries to be cut, with fresh recruitment forbidden; Hist. 2.73.1et prōmiscae missiōnēs offerēbantur.and discharges were offered indiscriminately.

Hist. 2.73.1Exitiābile id reī pūblicae, ingrātum mīlitī, cui eadem mūnia inter paucōs perīculaque ac labor crēbrius redībant: et vīrēs luxū corrumpēbantur, contrā veterem disciplīnam et īnstitūta maiōrum apud quōs virtūte quam pecūniā rēs Rōmāna melius stetit.This was ruinous to the state and unwelcome to the soldier, on whom, shared among fewer men, the same duties and dangers and toil came round more often: and their strength was being corrupted by luxury, contrary to the old discipline and the institutions of our ancestors, under whom the Roman state stood more firmly on courage than on money.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×3, indirect statement ×1, purpose clauses ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (91 words)
posterus, -a, -umfollowing, next
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
senātus, -ūs m.senate
lēgātiō, -ōnis f.embassy, mission
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
ibi, adv.in that place, there
opperior, -īrī, -pertus sumwait for, await
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussusbid, order, command
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītushear; listen or attend to
trānsgredior, -ī, -gressus sumcross over
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.camp
ultrō (adv.)of one's own accord; besides (ultrō citrōque: back and forth)
pietās, -ātis f.dutifulness, devotion to family and gods
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
collaudō (conlaudō), -āre, -āvī, -ātuspraise highly, commend
fremō, -ere, -uī, -itumroar, growl; grumble (in + acc.: at)
auxilium, -ī, n.help, aid
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
impūnitās, -ātis f.freedom from punishment
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
arrogantia (adrogantia), -ae f.arrogance, presumption
legiōnārius, -a, -umof a legion, legionary
accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessumcome near, approach; be added
cohors, cohortis f.cohort (a tenth of a legion); company
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
truculentē (adv.)fiercely, savagely
audeō, audēre, ausus sumdare
remittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missumsend back; give up, remit
prīncipium, -ī n.beginning; prīncipiō, in the first place
internus, -a, -uminternal, domestic; inward
simul, adv.at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as
externus, -a, -umoutside, foreign
que, enclitic conj.and
bellum, -ī, n.war
parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusmake ready, prepare
fātum, -ī, n.destiny, fate
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditusgive back, return, restore; render
cīvitās, -tātis, f.state
ingēns, -gentis, adj.huge, vast
numerus, -ī, m.number
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
prīmus, -a, -umfirst, foremost
statim, adv.on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately
dēfectiō, -ōnis f.revolt, desertion
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
inānis, -eempty
assūmō, -ere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptustake up, receive; take to oneself
cēterum (adv.)but, however; for the rest
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
largītiō, -ōnis f.lavish giving, bribery
afficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectumaffect, afflict
iam, adv.now, already
imperium, -ī, n.command; sway, rule
ops, opis f.; pl. opēs, -umhelp; (pl.) resources, wealth, power
sufficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectusbe enough, hold out; supply
amputō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscut off, lop off
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
vetō, -āre, vetuī, vetitumforbid
supplēmentum, -ī n.reinforcement, fresh troops
prōmiscuus, -a, -ummixed, indiscriminate, held in common
missiō, -ōnis f.a sending; release from service, discharge
offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātusbear to, proffer, offer
exitiābilis, -edeadly, destructive, ruinous
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
pūblicus, -a, -umpublic, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
ingrātus, -a, -umunwelcome, unpleasant; ungrateful
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
mūnia, -ium n. pl.duties, official functions
paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.few
perīculum, -ī, n.danger, peril, risk
labor, -ōris, m.labor, toil
crēbrō (adv.)often, again and again
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo back, return
vīs, vīs, f.violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
luxus, -ūs m.extravagance, luxury
corrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptusspoil, ruin, destroy; bribe
contrā, prep, with acc.against, contrary to
vetus, veterisold, former
disciplīna, -ae f.training, discipline
īnstitūtum, -ī n.custom, institution
maiōrēs, -um m. pl.ancestors
apud, prep, with acc.among, with
virtūs, -tūtis, f.manliness, courage, bravery
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
pecūnia, -ae, f.money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times)
Rōmānus, -a, -umRoman
bene, adv.well; successfully
stō, stāre, stetī, statusstand
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.