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Tacitus · Historiae II

Histories 2.91

Vitellius' slow march to Rome

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Hist. 2.91.1Dum haec per prōvinciās ā Vespasiānō ducibusque partium geruntur, Vitellius contemptior in diēs segniorque, ad omnīs mūnicipiōrum vīllārumque amoenitātēs resistēns, gravī urbem agmine petēbat.While these things are being done throughout the provinces by Vespasian and the leaders of his party, Vitellius, more despised and more sluggish every day, halting at every pleasant spot in the towns and country houses, was making for Rome with a cumbersome column. Hist. 2.91.1Sexāgintā mīlia armātōrum sequēbantur, licentiā corrupta;Sixty thousand armed men followed him, corrupted by licence; Hist. 2.91.1cālōnum numerus amplior, procācissimīs etiam inter servōs lixārum ingeniīs;the number of camp servants was larger still, and the sutlers had the most insolent characters even among slaves; Hist. 2.91.1tot lēgātōrum amīcōrumque comitātus inhabilis ad pārendum, etiam sī summā modestiā regerētur.the retinue of so many legates and friends was unfit for obedience, even if it had been governed with the greatest restraint. Hist. 2.91.1Onerābant multitūdinem obviī ex urbe senātōrēs equitēsque, quīdam metū, multī per adūlātiōnem, cēterī ac paulātim omnēs nē aliīs proficīscentibus ipsī remanērent.The crowd was swollen by senators and knights coming from Rome to meet him, some from fear, many from flattery, the rest, and gradually all, so as not to be left behind themselves while others were setting out.

Hist. 2.91.1Adgregābantur ē plēbe flāgitiōsā per obsequia Vitelliō cognitī, scurrae, histriōnēs, aurīgae, quibus ille amīcitiārum dehonestāmentīs mīrē gaudēbat.From the common people there joined him men known to Vitellius through disgraceful services, buffoons, actors, charioteers, in whom, disgraces to friendship as they were, he took wonderful delight. Hist. 2.91.1Nec colōniae modo aut mūnicipia congestū cōpiārum, sed ipsī cultōrēs arvaque mātūrīs iam frūgibus ut hostīle sōlum vāstābantur.Not only were the colonies and towns drained by the gathering of supplies, but the farmers themselves and their fields, with the crops already ripe, were laid waste as if they were enemy soil.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×1, ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (96 words)
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
prōvincia, -ae f.province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
dux, ducis, m. and f.leader, commander
que, enclitic conj.and
pars, partis, f.part, side, direction
gerō, gerere, gessī, gestuscarry, wear; carry on, do
contemptus, -a, -umdespised, held in contempt
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
segnis, -eslow, sluggish, idle
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
omnis, -eall, every
mūnicipium, -ī n.municipium, a self-governing Italian town with Roman citizenship
vīlla, -ae, f.country-house, villa
amoenitās, -ātis f.pleasantness, charm (of a place)
resistō, -sistere, -stitīstand back, resist
gravis, -eheavy; severe, grievous, serious
urbs, urbis, f.city
agmen, -minis, n.band, column
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
sexāgintā (indecl.)sixty
mīlle, indecl. adj.a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands;
armātus, -a, -umarmed
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
licentia, -ae f.freedom; lack of restraint, lawlessness
corrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptusspoil, ruin, destroy; bribe
cālō, -ōnis m.soldier's servant, camp follower
numerus, -ī, m.number
amplus, -a, -umlarge, great; distinguished
procāx, -ācisbold, forward, wanton
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
servus, -ī, m.slave, servant
lixa, -ae m.camp follower, sutler
ingenium, -ī n.natural ability, talent, cleverness; character
tot (indecl.)so many
lēgātus, -ī, m.ambassador
amīcus, -ī, m.friend
comitātus, -ūs m.escort, retinue, company
inhabilis, -eunwieldy, awkward; unsuited (to)
pāreō, -ēre, -uīobey
sī, conj.if
summus, -a, -umuppermost, highest, greatest
modestia, -ae f.moderation, discipline, restraint
regō, -ere, rēxī, rēctumguide, steer, rule
onerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusload, burden
multitūdō, -tūdinis, f.multitude
obvius, -a, -umin the way, meeting; sē obvium dare: come to meet
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
senātor, -ōris m.senator, elder
eques, equitis m.horseman; (pl.) cavalry
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.a certain, certain
metus, -ūs m.fear, dread
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
adūlātiō, -ōnis f.flattery, fawning
cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.the other, the remaining, the rest of
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
paulātim (adv.)little by little, gradually
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sumset out, depart, march
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
remaneō, -ēre, -mānsīstay behind, remain
aggregō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusgather together; attach (oneself) to
plēbs, plēbis f.the common people
flāgitiōsus, -a, -umshameful, disgraceful
obsequium, -ī n.compliance, obedience; service (to a god): obsequium praestāre Deō
cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitusfind out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know
scurra, -ae m.buffoon, jester; man about town; parasite
histriō, -ōnis m.actor, player
aurīga, -ae m.charioteer, driver
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
amīcitia, -ae f.friendship, alliance
dehonestāmentum, -ī n.disgrace, blemish, discredit
mīrē (adv.)wonderfully, remarkably
gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsusbe glad, rejoice
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
colōnia, -ae f.settlement, colony
modo, adv.only
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
congestus, -ūs m.heaping up, accumulation, mass
cōpia, -ae, f.supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
sed, conj.but
cultor, -ōris m.worshipper; tiller, cultivator
arvum, -ī n.ploughed field, field
mātūrus, -a, -umripe
iam, adv.now, already
frūx, frūgis f. (usu. pl.)crops, produce
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
hostīlis, -eof the enemy, hostile
sōlum (adv.); solum, -ī n.only (nōn sōlum … sed etiam: not only … but also); ground, soil
vāstō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuslay waste
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.