tacitus agricola poetry in translation
Now Agricola was never desirous of taking credit for others’ achievements: captain or colonel found him an honest witness to their feats. These are they who of all the tribes of Britain fled the farthest, and thereby have held out the longest. He almost eliminated the whole tribe, and aware of the need to follow up his success after that first campaign, in order to terrorise the rest, he determined to reduce the island of Mona (Anglesey), from whose conquest Paulinus had been recalled by the wider rebellion in Britain. Andrea Mantegna, 1486 - 1492 Multiple formats. Those whom East nor West can satisfy reveal their greed if their enemies are wealthy, their ambition if they are paupers; alone amongst all men they covet rich and poor alike. Such was the state of Britain, such the military situation which Agricola found in the midsummer of his arrival when the troops, assuming campaigning was over, were seeking rest, and the enemy were seeking an opportunity. Livy the most eloquent of ancient and Fabius Rusticus of modern authors respectively likened its shape to a lengthened shoulder-blade, or a double axe-head. Romeyn de Hooghe, 1672 Whatever we have loved in Agricola, whatever we have admired, remains, and will remain, in men’s hearts, for all time, a glory to this world; for many a great name will sink to oblivion, as if unknown to fame, while Agricola, here recorded and bequeathed to posterity, shall endure. Featured translations include Dante, Ovid, Goethe, Homer, Virgil and many others. But this was our sadness, a blow to us, that through the circumstance of our long absence he was lost to us four years before its end. Aegidius Sadeler, Marcus Christoph Sadeler, 1597 - 1629 And as among household slaves the newcomer is mocked by his fellows, so in this age-old worldwide house of slaves, we the newest and most worthless, are marked for destruction: we lack the fields, the mines, the harbours that we might have been preserved to labour in. And just as, in our predecessors’ times, the age was more favourable and open to actions worth recording, so distinguished men of ability were led to produce those records of virtue, not to curry favour or from ambition, but for the reward of a good conscience. Further translations from Tacitus', of the Annals and Histories, will be started this winter. Moreover in such matters the danger was not in being bold but in being discovered. [1.1] Clārōrum virōrum facta mōrēsque posterīs trādere, antīquitus ūsitātum, nē nostrīs quidem temporibus quamquam incūriōsa suōrum aetās omīsit, quotiēns magna aliqua ac nōbilis virtūs vīcit ac supergressa est vītium parvīs magnīsque cīvitātibus commūne, ignōrantiam rēctī et invidiam. P. CORNELIVS TACITVS (c. 56 – c. 117 A.D.) ANNALES. Indeed we have given signal proof of our subservience; and just as former ages saw the extremes of liberty, so ours those of servitude, robbed by informants of even the ears and tongue of conversation. The land is tolerant of crops, except the olive, vine and other fruit of warmer countries, and is prolific of cattle. Very little is known concerning the life of Tacitus, the historian, except that which he tells us in his own writings and those incidents which are related to him by his contemporary, Pliny. The battle was now within the camp itself, when Agricola, discovering the enemy line of march from his scouts and following in their footsteps, ordered the swiftest of his troops and cavalry to attack their rear-guard, and then raise a general cry, with dawn at hand, gleaming on the standards. Those who witnessed your last words say you faced death firmly and willingly; as though, as far as it lay with you, you might confess your Emperor innocent. After him, Suetonius Paulinus (58-62AD) experienced two years of success, subduing tribes and strengthening garrisons: and based on that success advanced towards the island of Mona (Anglesey) which harboured rebel forces, leaving his rear-guard exposed to surprise attack. Tacitus on Britain and Germany : a new translation of the "Agricola" and the "Germania" by Tacitus, Cornelius ; Mattingly, Harold, 1884-1964 ; Tacitus, Cornelius. But there are no tribes beyond us, nothing indeed but waves and rocks, and the yet more terrible Romans, from whose oppression escape is vainly sought by obedience and submission. Please refer to our Privacy Policy. For, as the Caledonians reached the woods, knowing the ground, they rallied and began to surround the foremost of their incautious pursuers. Sara Bryant. New York. There were ten thousand enemy dead: on our side three hundred and sixty fell, among them Aulus Atticus, a battalion commander, whose youthful ardour and spirited steed had carried him among the enemy lines. With the governor absent, and their fears banished, the Britons began to discuss the ills of servitude amongst themselves, comparing their injuries, and accentuating their grievances: they argued that nothing was achieved by submission, other than that greater demands were placed on the willing sufferers. In the fifth year of campaigning (81AD) he crossed in his flagship, and reduced hitherto unknown tribes in a series of successful battles; manning with troops that part of Britain which faces Hibernia (Ireland) rather in hopes of further activity than from fear, for Ireland, sited between Britain and Spain and open to the Gallic Sea, could unite two of the most worthwhile provinces of our empire, to their mutual advantage. His official duties and his hours of relaxation were carefully partitioned: when judicial business required it, he was serious, focused and severe, yet more often merciful; when the demands of office had been satisfied there was no further show of power; he eschewed moroseness, arrogance and greed. For Otho’s navy, hostile and roving freely, while looting Intimilium (Ventimiglia) in Liguria, murdered Agricola’s mother on her estate, plundering the estate and a large part of his inheritance, that being the motive for the murder. The following winter was spent in prosecuting sound measures. agricola and germania penguin classics. What was left to him, after murdering his mother... Annals BookI-1to30: Tiberius accedes to power, Annals BookI-31to54: Germanicus at war in Germany, Annals BookI-55to81: Tiberius tightens his grip, Annals BookII-1to32: Germanicus victorious, Annals BookII-33to54: Trouble in the East, Annals BookII-55to88: The death of Germanicus, Annals BookIII-1to34: The trial of Gnaeus Piso, War in North Africa, Annals BookIII-56to76: The decline of the Senate, Annals BookIV-1to33: The rise of Sejanus, the death of Drusus, Annals BookIV-34to58: Tiberius retires from Rome, Annals BookVI-1to30: Tiberius increasingly despotic, Annals BookVI-31to51: The death of Tiberius, Caligula accedes, Annals BookXI-1to38: Claudius and Messalina, Annals BookXII-1to40: Claudius and Agrippina, campaign in Britain, Annals BookXII-41to69: The murder of Claudius, Annals BookXIII-1to33: Nero and Agrippina, Annals BookXIII-34to58: War in Armenia and Germany, Annals BookXIV-1to39: The murder of Agrippina, war in Armenia and Britain, Annals BookXIV-40to65: Nero’s grip tightens, Annals BookXV-1to32: War with Parthia over Armenia, Annals BookXV-33to47: Nero runs amok, the Great Fire, Annals BookXV-48to74: The Piso conspiracy. PDF of public domain Loeb edition in Latin and English. The extent of daylight is outside our usual measure, the nights in the far north of Britain being clear and short, so that there is only a brief time between dusk and the dawn half-light. Certain areas were handed over to King Cogidubnus (he has remained loyal down to our own times) according to the old and long-accepted custom of the Roman people, which even employs kings as useful tools. Tacitus: Agricola and Germania New translations of two works by Tacitus, the Agricola and the Germania, have been added to the website, and a combined printed book is also available. Fired by such arguments as these, the whole nation took up arms, under the leadership of Boudicca (Boedicea), a woman of royal blood (since they recognise no distinction of gender among their rulers). As the battle lines were drawn, Agricola, aware that his men, though full of spirit and hard to hold back behind their defences, needed further encouragement, spoke as follows: ‘My fellow-soldiers, with the power and auspices of our Roman Empire backing you, and by loyalty and hard work, you have conquered Britain. Their strength is on foot, though certain tribes fight from chariots, the charioteer holding the place of honour, while the retainers make war. Agricola, both successor and judge, with rare leniency preferred it known that he found the men loyal, rather than forcing them to behave so. ‘Think you the Romans, then, are as brave in war as they are lascivious in peace? National Gallery of Art | NGA Images. This I would preach to wife and daughter, to so venerate the memory of husband and father as to contemplate his every word and action, and to cling to the form and feature of the mind rather than the body; not because I think bronze or marble likenesses should be suppressed, but that the face of a man and its semblance are both mortal and transient, while the form of the mind is eternal, and can only be captured and expressed not through the materials and artistry of another, but through one’s own character alone. Few in numbers; fearful in their ignorance; the very sea, sky and forest, all they see around them, unfamiliar to their eyes, the gods have delivered them into our hands like prisoners in a cage. Some said he was more than severe in censure: though as gracious to the deserving as he was caustic to the undeserving. The Caledonian tribes resorted to armed warfare, appearing formidable, though more formidable in report, as is common with scarce known enemies. Perhaps it was thought that the voice of the people, the freedom of the Senate, and the conscience of mankind would vanish in those flames, since the teachers of knowledge were also expelled and all moral excellence exiled, so that virtue might be nowhere encountered. Nevertheless, his anger left nothing concealed, and there was no reason to fear his silence: he considered it nobler to disconcert than to hate. Then began a great and bloody spectacle, wherever there was open ground: of pursuit, injury and capture, and as other fugitives crossed their path, slaughter of the captives. No doubt his noble and aspiring mind desired the beauty and splendour of great and glorious ideas with more violence than restraint. Tacitus, James Rives (ed. Had Suetonius Paulinus not learned of the uprising in his province and rushed to the rescue, Britain would have been lost. It soon bore little resemblance to a cavalry action, as our troops, who had difficulty staying on their feet, were driven forward by the mass of horses; while the odd driverless chariot, its team panic-stricken, driven wild with terror, made oblique or head-on charges. A joyful night indeed of triumph and plunder for the victors: while the Caledonians dispersing, amidst the lamentations of men and women alike, dragged away their wounded, gathered those unhurt, and abandoned their dwellings, even setting fire to them in their anger. Thanks Agricola was born on the 13th of June, in the third of Caligula’s consulships (AD40) and died in his fifty-fourth year on the 23rd of August, in the consulship of Collega and Priscinus (AD93). The History of Great Britain: from the First Invasion of it by the Romans under Julius Cæsar - Robert Henry, Malcolm Laing, John Adams (p531, 1789) Every spur to success is ours: the Romans have no wives here to inspire them, no parents to reproach the deserter, and most have no other than an alien homeland. Mucianus initiated the new reign and ran affairs in Rome, Domitian being very young and simply enjoying free use of his father’s wealth. He took hostages from them, and ordered his naval commander to circumnavigate Britain. Night and a surfeit of conflict ended the pursuit. Thieves of the world, lacking lands now to devastate, they rove the sea. However he failed to gift Agricola a governor’s usual salary, conceded by himself on occasion, offended by it not being sought, or out of conscience, not wishing it to appear as if the outcome had been bought. Internet Archive Book Images, Translated by A. S. Kline © Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved. 9, His. © Copyright 2000-2021 A. S. Kline, All Rights Reserved. After attacking the troops sparsely distributed among the Roman forts, and overcoming the garrisons, they invaded the colony itself (Colchester, 60/61AD), as the seat of oppression; no variant of barbarous savagery was omitted in their victorious rage. He conducted no public business through slaves or even freedmen, admitting no soldier or officer to his staff through personal affection, or recommendation, or entreaty: but only the best of those he considered most loyal. Britain produces gold, silver and other metals, the prize of conquest. On returning from command of his legion, Vespasian, since deified, enrolled him among the patricians, and granted him governorship of Gallia Aquitania (73AD), an especially significant role both administratively and as a promise of the consulship for which he was destined. Thule (Shetland?) No crime was responsible for his predicament, no complaint by any victim of an offence; simply an Emperor hostile to virtue, the man’s achievements and, worst of enemies, those who praise. Soon age and reason calmed him, and he preserved, as is most difficult, moderation in his studies. Inexperienced as they were, they called these aspects of their subjugation, civilisation. What does Tacitus mean? I doubt not that all tributes due to you, best of fathers, were more than rendered in your honour, by the fondest of wives at your bedside; yet too few still were the tears shed as you were buried, and something your eyes longed for as they last sought the light. Fame which even good men often covet, he never sought, neither by parading his virtues, nor by practising intrigue: incapable of fuelling rivalry with colleagues nor contending with the agents of empire, he thought it inglorious to succeed so, and sordid to be thus contaminated. It was widely believed that a freedman of the inner circle was sent to Agricola with despatches in which Syria was granted him, having been instructed to deliver them only if Agricola remained in Britain; and that the freedman finding Agricola already this side the Channel, returned to Domitian without doing so, which may be true, or may be a fiction suggested by Domitian’s devious ways. agricola summary amp study guide supersummary. His praestorship (68AD) followed the same even tenor; no judicial duties falling to his lot. Raised in her loving care he spent his boyhood and youth cultivating all the civilised accomplishments. Trebellius, eluding the violence, by fleeing into hiding, shamed and humiliated, was then allowed to govern only on sufferance. He passed the year between his quaestorship and his tribunate of the plebs in peace and quiet, as well as his year (66AD) of office, skilfully surviving Nero’s reign (54-68AD), when it was wise to remain passive. The Agricola and Germania - Publius Cornelius Tacitus.A translation into English by A. S. Kline. We shall find helping hands in the enemy’s own battle lines. Nothing was beyond reach of their greed or lust. Desire for military glory invaded his spirit, unwelcome in an age which looked unfavourably on those who distinguished themselves and where great reputation was no less a danger than ill-repute. Under Agricola a Roman fleet first navigated the shore of the furthest sea (84AD), and confirmed Britain as an island, in the same voyage reaching the unexplored islands known as the Orcades (the Orkneys) and claiming them. The first consular governor appointed was Aulus Platius (43-47AD), soon followed by Ostorius Scapula (47-52AD), both distinguished military men; and the nearest regions of Britain were gradually enhanced to the condition of a province; a colony of veterans being founded also. Fearing to be surrounded, since the enemy was superior in numbers and their knowledge of the terrain, he split the army into three divisions and advanced. But they declared the waves sluggish, resistant to the oar, and likewise unresponsive to the wind, presumably because mountainous land, the cause and origin of storms, is scarcer, and the unbroken mass of deeper water is harder to set in motion. L035 - Tacitus -- Dialogus, Agricola, Germania. PDF of public domain Loeb edition in Latin and English. Petilius Cerialis (71AD) instilled terror by invading the realms of the Brigantes, claimed as the largest tribe of the whole province: many battles were fought, some with great bloodshed; and by forays or extensive victories he annexed a large section of the tribe. ‘Our children and kin are, by nature, the things most dear to us; they are carried off by levy to be slaves in other lands: our wives and sisters, even if they escape the soldiers’ lust, are defiled by so called friends and guests. Their physical traits vary, and lead to speculation. Abraham Bloteling, 1652 - 1690 In an early chapter of the Agricola, Tacitus asserts that he wishes to speak about the years of Domitian, Nerva and Trajan.In the Histories the scope has changed; Tacitus says that he will deal with the age of Nerva and Trajan at a later time. Cowards, advocating prudence, advised a retreat south of the Forth, ceding the territory rather than being expelled, in the midst of which Agricola learnt that the enemy were about to attack in force. Knowing everything, but not pursuing everything, he showed indulgence to small sins, severity towards the greatest, content often with a show of penitence, rather than forever exacting punishment; advancing to office and position those unlikely to offend rather than condemning those who did. Aesica, Northumberland’ However, during Agricola’s illness, with a frequency unusual in a prince who appears by proxy, his leading freedmen and private physicians visited him, whether out of concern or policy. The Britons were terrified, caught between two forces, as the Ninth regained their courage, and confident in their safety, fought for glory. Publication date 1894 Publisher London : Methuen & Co. Collection cdl; americana Digitizing sponsor MSN Contributor University of California Libraries Language English. Tacitus: Agricola Book 1 [1] 1. Equally, the Britons, considering themselves vanquished not in courage but by the general’s timely strategy, were not a fraction less arrogant, but armed their young men, sent their women and children to places of safety, and ratified their confederacy by gathering to make sacrifice. The Rijksmuseum. They found hiding places and as quickly eschewed them; now taking counsel together, now scattering; sometimes breaking down at the sight of their loved ones, more often stirred to action; it was credibly reported that some, as though in mercy, laid violent hands on wives and children. Wikisource: The Life and Death of Julius Agricola, translated by Alfred John Liber I: Liber II: Liber III: Liber IV: Liber V: Liber VI: Liber XI: Liber XII: Liber XIII Not only in the brilliance of your life, but even in your timeliness in dying. was merely sighted, as their orders took them only thus far, and winter was approaching. Indeed a period of national troubles followed, in which Agricola should not have been ignored. ), Harold Mattingly (trans.) Think then of your forefathers, and of your posterity, before you enter into battle.’. The Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola—the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved and respected father-in-law—and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. He could not boast of excessive riches, but had ample wealth. Many imagine that the soldier’s mind lacks subtlety, since his jurisdiction in camp is assured and dealings there are heavy-handed, without the need for legal skills. 08 Mar, 2017. The Rijksmuseum. It is characteristic of human nature to hate those you have harmed: but in truth Domitian, though irritable by nature, and as unrelenting as he was secretive, was mollified by Agricola’s moderation and discretion, who neither invited infamy and ruin through defiance or a foolish show of independence. He studied rhetoric in Rome, and was a close friend of the younger Pliny. Tacitus’ Annals set out to cover the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus and the accession of Tiberius to the later part of Nero’s reign. Though it is still in the nature of human frailty that the remedy acts more slowly than the disease, and just as the body is slow to grow, swift to decay, so it is easier to destroy wit and enthusiasm than it is to revive them, while inertia has a certain charm, and the apathy we hate at first we later love. Can anyone recommend the best edition/s (good English translation, notes, etc.) Thanks to his native shrewdness, Agricola, though among civilians, dealt with them readily and justly. It is rare for two or three tribes to unite against a mutual danger; thus, fighting singly, they are universally defeated. We use cookies for essential site functions and for social media integration. The weather in Britain is foul, with dense cloud and rain; but the cold is not severe. Those who had been so prudent and cautious were now, after the event, eager and boastful. agricola and germania tacitus au books. ‘Funeral of a Roman General’ National Gallery of Art | NGA Images. Britain’s location and inhabitants having been attested to by many writers, I reproduce them here not as a challenge to their efforts or talent but because Agricola first conquered the island completely. The Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola - the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved and respected father-in-law - and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama - Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (p270, 1892) The year arrived, in which lots were to be drawn for the governorship of Africa, and that of Asia Minor, whose previous governor, Civica, had recently been executed (in 88AD? Of his marriage with the daughter of Agricola, and its influence on his character and prospects, as also of his passing in regular gradation through the series of public honors at Rome, beginning with the quaestorship under Vespasian, and ending with the consulship under Nerva, Tacitus informs us himself (A. In 112 or 113AD he held the civilian governorship of western Asia Minor, and died sometime around 120AD, probably surviving into Hadrian’s early reign. As for the Britons themselves, they freely discharge the levies, tributes and imperial obligations imposed on them, if there are no abuses; these they scarcely tolerate, submitting to domination, but not slavery. Tacitus. He granted him forces for the voyage, and terror ran before them. He was posted immediately thereafter to Britain, and also appointed to the high priesthood. If posterity wishes to know of his outward appearance, he was more handsome than imposing: there was no aggressiveness in his look: his dominant expression was benign. There is nothing beyond them to fear; empty forts, veterans’ colonies, weak and quarrelsome townships of disaffected founders and unjust rulers. Many indeed considered it rather a matter of self-respect than arrogance to recount their own lives, and a Rutilius Rufus or an Aemilius Scaurus could do so without scepticism or disparagement; virtue indeed being most esteemed in those ages which give birth to it most readily. The soil, the climate and the character and manners of its inhabitants differ little from those of Britain, while its approaches and harbours are better known through trade and commerce. Once they each had one master: now two were imposed on them – a governor to extract their blood, a procurator their possessions. In the meantime this work’s intention is to honour Agricola, my father-in-law: and it will be commended for, or at least excused by, its profession of filial affection. Though the leadership and strategy were another’s, though the high command and credit for securing the province were the general’s, yet the young soldier gained skill, experience and a sense of purpose.