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Tacitus · Historiae II

Histories 2.84

Vespasian hailed as emperor

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Hist. 2.84.1Dum quaeritur tempus locus quodque in rē tālī difficillimum est, prīma vōx, dum animō spēs timor, ratiō cāsūs obversantur, ēgressum cubiculō Vespasiānum paucī mīlitēs, solitō adsistentēs ōrdine ut lēgātum salūtātūrī, imperātōrem salūtāvēre: tum cēterī adcurrere, Caesarem et Augustum et omnia prīncipātūs vocābula cumulāre.While the time and the place were being sought, and what is hardest in such a matter, someone to speak first, while hope and fear, reason and chance were passing before his mind, as Vespasian came out of his bedroom a few soldiers, standing by in their usual order to salute him as legate, saluted him as emperor: then the rest ran up and heaped on him the names of Caesar and Augustus and all the titles of the principate. Hist. 2.84.1Mēns ā metū ad fortūnam trānsierat: in ipsō nihil tumidum, adrogāns aut in rēbus novīs novum fuit.His mind had passed from fear to his fortune: in him there was nothing swollen or arrogant, nothing new in his new circumstances. Hist. 2.84.1Ut prīmum tantae altitūdinis obfūsam oculīs cālīginem disiēcit, mīlitāriter locūtus laeta omnia et affluentia excēpit;As soon as he had dispersed the mist which so great a height spreads before the eyes, he spoke like a soldier and accepted all the congratulations that came flooding in; Hist. 2.84.1namque id ipsum opperiēns Mūciānus alacrem mīlitem in verba Vespasiānī adēgit.for Mucianus, waiting for this very thing, bound his eager soldiers by oath to Vespasian.

Hist. 2.84.1Tum Antiochēnsium theātrum ingressus, ubi illīs cōnsultāre mōs est, concurrentīs et in adūlātiōnem effūsōs adloquitur, satis decōrus etiam Graecā fācundiā, omniumque quae dīceret atque ageret arte quādam ostentātor.Then, entering the theatre of the people of Antioch, where it is their custom to deliberate, he addresses them as they ran together and poured themselves out in flattery; he was graceful enough even in Greek eloquence, and with a certain art made a display of all that he said and did. Hist. 2.84.1Nihil aequē prōvinciam exercitumque accendit quam quod adsevērābat Mūciānus statuisse Vitellium ut Germānicās legiōnēs in Syriam ad mīlitiam opulentam quiētamque trānsferret, contrā Syriacīs legiōnibus Germānica hīberna caelō ac labōribus dūra mūtārentur;Nothing so inflamed the province and the army as Mucianus' assertion that Vitellius had decided to transfer the German legions to Syria, to a rich and peaceful service, while in exchange the Syrian legions were to be moved to the German winter quarters, harsh in climate and toil; Hist. 2.84.1quippe et prōvinciālēs suētō mīlitum contuberniō gaudēbant, plērīque necessitūdinibus et propinquitātibus mīxtī, et mīlitibus vetustāte stīpendiōrum nota et familiāria castra in modum penātium dīligēbantur.for the provincials enjoyed their accustomed companionship with the soldiers, many being bound up with them by ties of friendship and kinship, and the soldiers, through their long years of service, loved the familiar and well-known camp like their own homes.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×2, indirect statement ×3, purpose clauses ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (124 words)
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītusseek; ask, inquire
tempus, temporis, n.time, season
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.place, situation
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
que, enclitic conj.and
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
tālis, -esuch
difficilis, -enot easy, difficult
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
prīmus, -a, -umfirst, foremost
vōx, vōcis, f.voice; word
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
spēs, speī, f.hope
timor, -ōris, m.fear
ratiō, -ōnis, f.plan, means, method, manner; reason; account
cāsus, -ūs, m.fall; chance, accident
obversor, -ārī, -ātus sumhover before (the eyes or mind)
ēgredior, -gredī, -gressusgo out or forth, go ashore, disembark
cubiculum, -ī, n.bedroom
paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.few
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
soleō, -ēre, solitus sumbe accustomed, usually do
adsistō, -ere, adstitīstand by, stand near; appear
ōrdō, ōrdinis, m.arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
lēgātus, -ī, m.ambassador
salūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusgreet; pay a morning call on
imperātor, -ōris, m.commander, general
tum, adv.then, at that time
cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.the other, the remaining, the rest of
accurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursusrun to, come up
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
omnis, -eall, every
prīncipātus, -ūs m.leadership, first place
vocābulum, -ī n.name, word, term
cumulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusheap up; crown, cap (one deed with another)
mēns, mentis f.mind, spirit
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
metus, -ūs m.fear, dread
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
fortūna, -ae, f.fortune
trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo across or over, cross
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
nihil, n., indecl.nothing
tumidus, -a, -umswollen, swelling
arrogāns (adrogāns), -antisarrogant, haughty, presumptuous
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
altitūdō, -inis f.height; depth
offundō (obfundō), -ere, -fūdī, -fūsuspour over, spread over; overwhelm, cloud
oculus, -ī, m.eye
cālīgō, -inis f.mist, fog; darkness, gloom
disiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow apart, scatter
mīlitāriter (adv.)in soldierly fashion
loquor, loquī, locūtusspeak
laetus, -a, -umglad, joyful
affluō (adfluō), -ere, -flūxīflow towards; abound, be plentiful
excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptustake out or up, receive, welcome, entertain
namque, conj.for
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
opperior, -īrī, -pertus sumwait for, await
alacer, -cris, -creeager, keen
verbum, -ī, n.word
adigō, -ere, adēgī, adāctumdrive, hurl (a weapon) to
theātrum, -ī n.theatre
ingredior, -ī, ingressus sumgo into, enter
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
cōnsultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumdeliberate, take counsel; consult the interests of (+ dat.)
mōs, mōris, m.way, manner, habit, custom
concurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursusrun, rush, or dash together
adūlātiō, -ōnis f.flattery, fawning
effundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsuspour out
alloquor (adloquor), -loquī, -locūtus sumspeak to, address
satis, adv.enough, sufficiently
decōrus, -a, -umhandsome, fine, splendid
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
fācundia, -ae f.eloquence, fluency of speech
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
ars, artis, f.art
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.a certain, certain
ostentātor, -ōris m.one who displays or boasts of
aequē (adv.)equally, just as; aequē ac: just as
prōvincia, -ae f.province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul
exercitus, -ūs, m.army
accendō, -cendere, -cendī, -cēnsuskindle, light
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
assevērō (adsevērō), -āre, -āvī, -ātusassert firmly, declare; give evidence of
statuō, statuere, statuī, statūtuscause to stand; decide, resolve
Germānicus, -a, -umGerman, of the Germans
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
mīlitia, -ae f.military service
opulentus, -a, -umrich, wealthy, powerful
quiētus, -a, -umquiet, at peace, calm
trānsferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātuscarry across, transfer
contrā, prep, with acc.against, contrary to
Syriacus, -a, -umSyrian
hīberna, -ōrum n. pl.winter quarters
caelum, -ī, n.heaven, sky
labor, -ōris, m.labor, toil
dūrus, -a, -umhard; harsh; difficult
mūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuschange
quippe (adv.)of course, indeed, for
prōvinciālis, -eof the Province; as noun, a provincial
suēscō, -ere, suēvī, suētusbecome used to; (perf. part.) suētus: accustomed
contubernium, -ī n.a company sharing a tent or table; in Mark 6.39 a group, a party (of diners)
gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsusbe glad, rejoice
plērīque, plēraeque, plēraquemost, very many
necessitūdō, -inis f.close tie, relationship
propinquitās, -ātis f.nearness; kinship
misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mīxtusmix, mingle
vetustās, -ātis f.age, antiquity; the distant past
stīpendium, -ī, n.tax, tribute
nōtus, -a, -umknown, well-known, famous
familiāris, -e; as noun, -is m.of the household (rēs familiāris: private property); friend
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.camp
modus, -ī, m.way, manner
dīligō, -ere, -lēxī, -lēctuslove, value highly
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.