ac soli omnium sucinum, quod ipsi glesum vocant, inter vada atque in ipso littore legunt. Nec quae natura, quaeve ratio gignat, ut barbaris, quaesitum compertumve; diu quin etiam inter cetera eiectamenta maris iacebat, donec luxuria nostra dedit nomen. Ipsis in nullo usu; rude legitur, informe perfertur, pretiumque mirantes accipiunt. Sucum tamen arborum esse intelligas, quia terrena quaedam atque etiam volucria animalia plerumque interlucent, quae implicata humore mox durescente materia cluduntur. Fecundiora igitur nemora lucosque, sicut orientis secretis, ubi tura balsamaque sudant, ita occidentis insulis terrisque inesse crediderim, quae vicini solis radiis expressa atque liquentia in proximum mare labuntur, ac vi tempestatum in adversa litora exundant. Si naturam sucini admoto igne tentes, in modum taedae accenditur, alitque flammam pinguem et olentem; mox ut in picem resinamve lentescit. Suionibus Sitonum gentes continuantur. Cetera similes uno differunt, quod femina dominatur. In tantum non modo a libertate, sed etiam a servitute degenerant. Hic Sueviae finis.

XLVI.

Tribes of doubtful nationality about the Vistula. The Peucini, Veneti, Fenni. Savage and miserable life of the Fenni. Fabulous tribes.

XLVI. Peucinorum Venetorumque et Fennorum nationes Germanis an Sarmatis ascribam, dubito, quamquam Peucini, quos quidam Bastarnas vocant, sermone, cultu, sede ac domiciliis ut Germani agunt. Sordes omnium, ac torpor procerum; connubiis mistis nonnihil in Sarmatarum habitum foedantur.

Veneti multum ex moribus traxerunt; nam quic

quid inter Peucinos Fennosque silvarum ac montium erigitur, latrociniis pererrant. Hi tamen inter Germanos potius referuntur, quia et domos figunt, et scuta gestant, et pedum usu ac pernicitate gaudent, quae omnia diversa Sarmatis sunt in plaustro equoque viventibus. Fennis mira feritas, foeda paupertas; non arma, non equi, non penates; victui herba, vestitui pelles, cubile humus; solae in sagittis spes, quas inopia ferri ossibus asperant. Idemque venatus viros pariter ac feminas alit; passim enim comitantur, partemque praedae petunt. Nec aliud infantibus ferarum imbriumque suffugium, quam ut in aliquo ramorum nexu contegantur. Huc redeunt iuvenes, hoc senum receptaculum. Sed beatius arbitrantur quam ingemere agris, illaborare domibus, suas alienasque fortunas spe metuque versare. Securi adversus homines, securi adversus deos rem difficillimam assecuti sunt, ut illis ne voto quidem opus esset. Cetera iam fabulosa, Hellusios et Oxionas ora hominum vultusque, corpora atque artus ferarum gerere. Quod ego ut incompertum in medium relinquam.

NOTES.

CHAPTER I.

1. Germania omnis.] Germany proper, or beyond the Rhine, as opposed to the provinces of Upper and Lower Germany (Germania Prima and Secunda) on the left of the Rhine. Comp. Caesar, B. G. 1. 1, where Gallia omnis denotes Gaul in contradistinction to the province of Gaul.

2. Mutuo metu.] With this expression Lipsius compares Thucyd. III. II, τὸ ἀντίπαλον δέος.

3. Montibus.] The Carpathian range.

4.

Oceanus.] The German ocean and the Baltic which in Ch. 45 is called Suevicum mare.

5. Latos sinus.] Sinus may mean either a gulf or a peninsula. Here it means the latter. Compare its use, Ch. 29, sinus imperii; and Ch. 37, eundem Germaniae sinum proximi Oceano Cimbri tenent. Tacitus expresses himself more definitely, Ch. 35, in septentrionem ingenti flexu redit (Germania). By 'latos sinus' and 'ingenti flexu' he means the Cimbric Chersonesus, sc. Jutland and Sles wick-Holstein.

6. Insularum immensa spatia.] The islands in the Baltic, Zealand, Funen, &c., and also Norway and Sweden. These regions were the seat of the Suiones (Ch. 44). Comp. Pliny, H. N. II 112: Nam et in Germania immensas insulas, non pridem compertas, cognitum habeo.

7. Nuper cognitis...regibus.] Expeditions were undertaken into Germany by Claudius Nero Drusus (the brother of the Emperor Tiberius) B. C. 12, and by his son, the famous Germanicus, A. D. 15 and 16, who completely defeated the Germans on the Weser. Of this last expedition (to which here and Ch. 33 there is special allusion) Tacitus gives us an account, Ann. II. 8-24. Pliny, H. N. IV. 27, says that these campaigns led to the discovery of as many as twenty-three islands.

The ablatives, 'cognitis...regibus,' define the locality of the

sinus and insularum spatia just mentioned, and may be rendered, where have lately become known to us.'

8. Quos bellum aperuit.] Comp. Agr. 22: Tertius expeditionum annus novas gentes aperuit.

9. Modico flexu.] Meaning the bend which the Rhine makes near Arnheim.

10. Versus.] A participle, not a preposition as taken by Ernesti.

II. Molli.] 'Gently sloping.' So Ritter, and Orelli who compares Virg. Ec. IX. 7, Qua se subducere colles Incipiunt mollique jugum demittere clivo. This seems a more natural meaning for the word than that which Kritz gives it, 'free from rocks and with a fruitful soil.'

12.

Abnobae jugo.] The reading Abnobae for Arnobae or Arbonae is conclusively established by inscriptions found in the Black Forest, and by a passage of Avienus, a poet and geographer who seems to have lived towards the end of the 4th century, in his description of the world, Abnoba mons Istro pater est, cadit Abnobae hiatu Flumen, 437.

13. Donec...erumpat.] The subjunctive is commonly used by Tacitus after donec when the present tense is required. It seems intended to express the continuity of a process as well as its termination.

CHAPTER II.

1. Ipsos Germanos.] The pronoun 'ipse' implies a contrast between the Germans themselves and their country, which is subsequently described. Comp. Agr. 13, Ipsi Britanni.

2. Crediderim.] 'I am inclined to think.' Tacitus gives us three reasons for believing the Germans to be indigenae; (1) the difficulties presented by the ocean in the way of emigrants, (2) the unattractive character of the country, (3) the native traditions of the people.

3. Adventibus et hospitiis.] The first of these words denotes strangers from distant countries; the second, persons in some way connected with the country which they visit.

4. Adversus.] It is better, we think, to take this word with Ritter in the sense of hostile' than to suppose that Tacitus was thinking of the Antipodes; the preceding words, 'utque sic dixerim,' seem to point to this meaning rather than to the other, which is somewhat too technical for the ordinary