Germania and Agricola Part 6

_Propriam--similem_. Three epithets not essentially different used for the sake of emphasis==_peculiar, pure, and sui-generis. Similis_ takes the gen., when it expresses, as here, an internal resemblance in character; otherwise the dat., cf. Z. 411, H. 391, 2. 4.

_Habitus_. Form and features, external appearance. The physical features of the Germans as described by Tacitus, though still sufficient to distinguish them from the more southern European nations, have proved less permanent than their mental and social characteristics.

_Idem omnibus_. Cf. Juv. 13, 164:

_Caerula_ quis stupuit _Germani lumina? flavam Caesariem_, et madido torquentem cornua cirro?

Nempe quod haec illis natura est _omnibus una_.

_Magna corpora_. "Sidonius Apollinaris says, that, being in Germany and finding the men so very tall, he could not address verses of six feet to patrons who were seven feet high:

Spernit senipedem stilum Thalia, Ex quo septipedes vidit patronos." Mur.

Skeletons, in the ancient graves of Germany, are found to vary from 5 ft.

10 in. to 6 ft. 10 in. and even 7 ft. Cf. Ukert, Geog. III. 1. p. 197.

These skeletons indicate a _strong_ and _well formed_ body.

_Impetum. Temporary exertion_, as opposed to _persevering toil and effort, laboris atque operum_.

_Eadem_. Not so much _patientia_, as _ad impetum valida_. See a like elliptical use of _idem_ -- 23: eadem temperantia; -- 10: iisdem nemoribus.

Also of totidem -- 26.

_Minime--a.s.sueverunt_. "Least of all, are they capable of sustaining thirst and heat; cold and hunger, they are accustomed, by their soil and climate, to endure." Ky. The force of _minime_ is confined to the first clause, and the proper ant.i.thetic particle is omitted at the beginning of the second. _Tolerare_ depends on _a.s.sueverunt_, and belongs to both clauses. _Ve_ is distributive, referring _coelo_ to _frigora_ and _solo_ to _inediam_. So _vel_ in H. 1, 62: strenuis _vel_ ignavis spem metumque addere==strenuis spem, ignavis metum addere.

V. _Humidior--ventosior. Humidior_ refers to _paludibus, ventosior_ to _silvis_; the mountains (which were exposed to sweeping _winds_) being for the most part covered with forests, and the low grounds with marshes.

_Ventosus_==Homeric [Greek: aenemoeis], windy, i.e. lofty. H. 3, 305: [Greek: Ilion aenemoessan].

_Satis ferax. Satis==segetibus_ poetice. _Ferax_ is constructed with abl., vid. Virg. Geor. 2, 222: ferax oleo.

_Impatiens_. Not to be taken in the absolute sense, cf. -- 20, 23, 26, where fruit trees and fruits are spoken of.

_Improcera_ agrees with _pecora_ understood.

_Armentis. Pecora_--flocks in general. _Armenta_ (from _aro_, to plough), larger cattle in particular. It _may_ include horses.

_Suus honor_. Their proper, i.e. usual size and beauty.

_Gloria frontis_. Poetice for _cornua_. Their horns were small.

_Numero_. Emphatic: _number_, rather than _quality_. Or, with Ritter, _gaudent_ may be taken in the sense of enjoy, possess: _they have a good number of them_. In the same sense he interprets _gaudent_ in A. 44: _opibus nimiis non gaudebat_.

_Irati_, sc. quia _opes_ sunt _irritamenta malorum_. Ov. Met. 1, 140.-- _Negaverint_. Subj. H. 525; Z. 552--_Affirmaverim_. cf. note, 2: _crediderim_.

_Nullam venam_. "Mines of gold and silver have since been discovered in Germany; the former, indeed, inconsiderable, but the latter valuable."

Ky. T. himself in his later work (the Annals), speaks of the discovery of a silver mine in Germany. Ann. 11, 20.

_Perinde. Not so much as might be expected_, or as the _Romans_, and other civilized nations. So Gronovius, Dod. and most commentators. See Rup. in loc. Others, as Or. and Rit. allow no ellipsis, and render: _not much_. See Hand's Tursellinus, vol. IV. p. 454. We sometimes use _not so much, not so very, not so bad_, &c., for _not very, not much_, and _not bad_. Still the form of expression strictly implies a comparison. And the same is true of _haud perinde_, cf. Bot. Lex. Tac.

_Est videre. Est_ for _licet_. Graece et poetice. Not so used in the earlier Latin prose. See Z. 227.

_Non in alia vilitate_, i.e. eadem vilitate, aeque vilia, _held in the same low estimation.--Humo_. Abl. of material.

_Proximi_, sc. ad ripam. Nearest to the Roman border, opposed to _interiores_.

_Serratos_. Not elsewhere mentioned; probably coins with serrated edges, still found. The word is post-Augustan.

_Bigatos_. Roman coins stamped with a biga or two-horse chariot. Others were stamped with a quadriga and called quadrigati. The bigati seem to have circulated freely in foreign lands, cf. Ukert's Geog. of Greeks and Romans, III. 1: Trade of Germany, and places cited there. "The serrati and bigati were old coins, of purer silver than those of tho Emperors."

Ky. Cf. Pliny, H. N. 33, 13.

_Sequuntur_. Sequi==expetere. So used by Cic., Sal., and the best writers. Compare our word _seek_.

_Nulla affectione animi. Not from any partiality for the silver in itself_ (but for convenience).

_Numerus_. Greater number and consequently less relative value of the silver coins. On _quia_, cf. note, H. 1, 31.

VI. _Ne--quidem_. _Not even_, i.e. iron is scarce as well as gold and silver. The weapons found in ancient German graves are of _stone_, and bear a striking resemblance to those of the American Indians. Cf. Ukert, p. 216. Ad verba, cf. note, His. 1, 16: _ne--fueris_. The emphatic word always stands between _ne_ and _quidem_. H. 602, III. 2; Z. 801.-- _Superest_. Is over and above, i.e. _abounds_. So superest ager, -- 26.

_Vel_. Pro _sive_, Ciceroni inauditum. Gun. Cf. note, 17.

_Frameas_. The word is still found in Spain, as well as Germany.

_Lancea_. is also a Spanish word, cf. Freund.

_Nudi_. Cf. -- 17, 20, and 24. Also Caes., B.G. 6, 21: magna corporis parte nuda.

_Sagulo_. Dim. of sago. A small short cloak.--_Leves_==Leviter induti.

The clause _nudi--leves_ is added _here_ to show, that their dress is favorable to the use of missiles.

_Missilia spargunt_. Dictio est Virgiliana. K.

_Coloribus_. Cf. nigra scuta, -- 43. "Hence coats of arms and the origin of heraldry." Mur.

_Cultus_. Military equipments. Cultus complect.i.tur omnia, quae studio et arte eis, quae natura inst.i.tuit, adduntur. K.

_Ca.s.sis aut galea_. _Ca.s.sis_, properly of metal; _galea_ of leather (Gr.: galen); though the distinction is not always observed.

_Equi--conspicui_. Cf. Caes. B.G. 4, 2, 7, 65.

_Sed nec variare_. _But_ (i.e. on the other hand) _they are not even_ (for _nec_ in this sense see Ritter in loc.) _taught to vary their curves_ (i.e. as the ant.i.thesis shows, to bend now towards the right and now towards the left in their gyrations), _but they drive them straight forward or by a constant bend towards the right in so connected a circle_ (i.e. a complete ring), _that no one is behind_ (for the obvious reason, that there is neither beginning nor end to such a ring). Such is on the whole the most satisfactory explanation of this difficult pa.s.sage, which we can give after a careful examination. A different version was given in the first edition. It refers not to battle, but to equestrian exercises, cf. Gerlach, as cited by Or. in loc.

_Aestimanti_. Greek idiom. Elliptical dative, nearly equivalent to the abl. abs. (n.o.bis aestimantibus), and called by some the dat. abs. In A.

II. the ellipsis is supplied by _credibile est_. Cf. Botticher's Lex.

Tac. sub _Dativus_.

_Eoque mixti. Eo_, causal particle==for that reason. Caesar adopted this arrangement in the battle of Pharsalia. B.C. 3, 84. The Greeks also had [Greek: pezoi amippoi]. Xen. h.e.l.len. 7, 5.

_Centeni_. A hundred is a favorite number with the Germans and their descendants. Witness the hundred _pagi_ of the Suevi (Caes. B.G. 4, 1), and of the Semnones (G. 39), the _cantons_ of Switzerland, and the _hundreds_ of our Saxon ancestors in England. The _centeni_ here are a military division. In like manner, Caesar (B.G. 4, 1) speaks of a _thousand_ men drafted annually from each _pagus_ of the Suevi, for military service abroad.

_Idque ipsum_. Predicate nominative after a verb of calling, H. 362, 2. 2; Z. 394. The division was called a _hundred_, and each man in it a _hundreder_; and such was the estimation in which this service was held, that to be a hundreder, became an honorable distinction, _nomen et honor_==honorific.u.m nomen.