3. Temporum.] This is the reading of the MSS., which Ritter alters into imperii, in order to complete the parallel between this and the passage quoted above, in which we have imperium Trajani. Comp. however, Hist. I. I, rara temporum felicitate.

4. Securitas publica.] The personified Fortune of the state. The figure of a goddess bearing this name is found on coins of the Antonine period.

5. Nec spem modo ac votum, etc.] Has not only our hopes and good wishes' (C and B). This rendering has the advantage of giving a meaning to 'assumpserit,' which comprehends both of its objects 'spem ac votum,' and 'ipsius voti fiduciam et robur.' But the hopes and good wishes may be those of the 'Securitas publica' for herself. We must then supply out of 'assumpserit' some such notion as 'conceperit,' and render 'has only conceived hopes, &c. but secured' ('assumpserit') &c.

6. Ipsius voti.] 'Of the wish itself,' . e. of the thing wished for, fiduciam et robur, possibly an hendiadys for 'strong assurance;' or it may be rendered the certainty and substance."

7. Robur.] 'Substance.' It is used somewhat similarly for 'the heart' or 'the best part,' as in ‘robur militum.' Cic. Epist. ad Fam. X. 33.

8. Ingenia studiaque.] 'Genius and its pursuits (C and B).

9. Quindecim annos.] The fifteen years of Domitian's reign, A.D. 81-96.

10. Quid, si...non tamen.] The connection is 'in spite of these losses, the removal of our best men, and the injury suffered by ourselves, yet we shall not regret to have told, &c.'

11. Promptissimus quisque.] The most energetic,' 'the most ready (promptus) for what had to be done.' Comp. Sall. Cat. 7, ingenium in promptu habet.

12. Nostri superstites.] Sc. surviving our own powers. The meaning is, 'only a few of us are left, and we are not what we were.'

13. Juvenes ad senectutem.] Tacitus includes himself in this class. See on this subject his Life prefixed to this edition. 14. Servitutis.] An obvious correction of the reading of the MSS. which is 'senectutis.'

15. Non tamen pigebit, etc.] This must be taken to refer to the Historiae, on which Tacitus was already engaged.

16. Interim.] 'Meanwhile,' i. e. till the more important work is executed.

17. Honori Agricolae, &c.] The writer's is not now, sc to speak, a political object, but it is to do honour to a good man, He thus returns to the subject announced in the first chapter.

18. Professione pietatis.] Sc. on the strength of its shewing filial regard.'

CHAPTER IV.

1. Forojuliensium colonia.] Now Fréjus, about 25 miles S.W. of Nice. It was named after its founder C. Julius Caesar.

2. Caesaris.] This reading seems preferable to 'Caesarum.' Both grandfathers were probably Procurators under Augustus, the father having been made a Senator by Tiberius.

3. Quae equestris nobilitas est.] There is some difficulty about these words. Wex considers them to be spurious on the ground that really distinguished equites, such as are called primores equitum (Hist. I. 4) and equites dignitate senatoria (Ann. XVI. 17), looked down upon the office of Procurator. In support of this view he quotes the latter passage which seems to imply that Mela, who was an eques dignitate Senatoria, was thought to have acted strangely when he accepted a Procuratorship for the sake of making a speedy fortune. Kritz, on the other hand, affirms that the office was bestowed only on the more distinguished members of the equestrian order. If the words are genuine they must mean that the circumstance of having one or both grandfathers a Procurator constituted equestrian nobility. The term 'nobilis' was opposed to 'novus homo,' and meant strictly a man whose father or ancestor had risen to a curule magistracy. The dignity of a Procuratorship would constitute a corresponding 'nobilitas' among the equites.

4. Fuit. This is the conjecture for 'Julii,' the reading of the MSS.

5. Meritus.] 'Earned.' There is an irony in the expression very characteristic of Tacitus.

6. In hujus sinu...educatur.] 'Brought up by her side with fond affection' (C and B); 'in sinu' means that his mother's personal care was bestowed upon him. Comp. Dial. de Orat. 28, filius, ex casta parente natus, non in cella emptae nutricis sed gremio ac sinu matris educabatur. The strictly classical usage of indulgentia' is in its favourable sense, but Quintilian I. 2 employs it in the other, 'mollis illa educatio quam indulgentiam

vocamus.'

7. Peccantium.] 'Peccare' denotes here 'sins of licentiousness,' as commonly in the Roman poets; comp. Hor. C. III. xix. 20, peccare docentes historias.

8. Sedem ac magistram.] "The scene and guide' (C and B). The place is said, as, by a common metaphor, Oxford or Cambridge might be said, to have guided his studies.

9. Locum...compositum.] The 'comitas' (courtesy or refinement) prevented the rudeness which might have attached otherwise to the 'parsimonia.' For 'parsimonia' comp. Ann. III. 55, novi homines, e municipiis et coloniis atque etiam provinciis in senatum adsumpti, domesticam parsimoniam intulerunt. For the character of Massilia comp. Cic. pro Flacco, 26, neque te, Massilia, praetereo..... Cujus ego civitatis disciplinam non solum Graeciae sed haud scio an cunctis gentibus anteponendam jure dicam, etc., and Ann. IV. 44, where we are told that Augustus banished Lucius Antonius to Massilia, ubi specie studiorum nomen exilii tegeretur.

10. Acrius hausisse.] The meaning seems to be that Agricola had conceived and would have continued to indulge this passion, had not his mother checked it. Comp. for the elliptical construction, ch. 37, Britanni degredi...coeperant, ni Agricola quatuor equitum alas venientibus opposuisset; i. e. the Britons had begun to descend and would have continued to do so had not Agricola so acted. Orelli takes acrius' as an adjective agreeing with 'studium.' Perhaps it is better to consider it an adverb qualifying 'hausisse.'

11. Prudentia matris.] Comp. Suet. Nero, 52, a philo sophia eum mater avertit monens imperaturo contrariam esse.

12. Scilicet.] 'It was the case of.'

13. Speciem.] Species may have its common meaning of 'beauty;' or it may have its philosophical sense of 'ideal' (idea), as in Cic. Orat. ad Brut. 5, insidebat in ejus mente species eloquentiae, quam cernebat animo, re ipsa non videbat.

14. Vehementius quam caute.] The classical usage would be 'vehementius quam cautius.' Tacitus generally follows this, but sometimes has that of the text, as Hist. 1. 83, Tumultus proximi initium pietas vestra acrius quam considerate excitavit. (Maturer) reason and

15. Mox mitigavit......aetas.] (advancing) age mellowed his temper.'

16. Modum.] Aristotle's To μéσov. Comp. Hor. Sat. 1. i. 106, Est modus in rebus, and Ep. 1. vi. 15, Insani sapiens nomen ferat, aequus iniqui, Ultra quam satis est virtutem si petat ipsam.

CHAPTER V.

1. Prima castrorum rudimenta.] 'His military apprenticeship' (C and B). 'Castra' is used for 'military service,' as in ch. 16, nullis castrorum experimentis.

2. Approbavit.] Sc. so served as to satisfy.

3.

Suetonio Paullino.] For Tacitus' opinion of this general comp. Hist. II. 25, cunctator natura, &c., and II. 31, nemo illa tempestate rei militaris callidior habebatur.

4. Contubernio aestimaret.] 'Contubernio aestimare' is to form a judgment of character by the opportunities of close companionship. The practice may be compared to the relation in which in our service an aide-de-camp stands to his general officer. Comp. Sall. Jug. 64, in contubernio patris militabat, Hist. 1. 23, contubernales appellando, where Otho wishes to make his military audience feel that there is a tie of intimacy between himself and them.

5. Neque Agricola......rettulit.] The general meaning is, that Agricola did not use the facilities afforded by his rank either to procure enjoyment or escape from duty. His rank (titulus) with one disposed to indulgence (expressed by licenter) would have given opportunities for pleasure (voluptates). On the other hand, had he been idly disposed (expressed by segniter), his inexperience (inscitia), i. e. the fact that he was of little use, would have made it easy to get leave of absence (commeatus). 'Rettulit' may be rendered by 'employed with a view to,' &c.; 'referre ad aliquid' being equivalent to our expression 'to refer to an end;' comp. Plin. Epp. 1. 22, nihil ad ostentationem, omnia ad conscientiam refert. For 'commeatus' comp. Ann. XV. 10, reliquas legiones promiscuis commeatibus infirmaverat.

6. Nihil appetere in jactationem.] To attempt nothing for display' (C and B); or more exactly, perhaps, 'to seek for no service with a view to display;' appetere' being opposed to recusare.'

7. Anxius et intentus.] 'Careful and vigilant' (C and B); or careful and energetic.' He was full of thought before the time of action, and when the time was come wholly occupied with what he was doing. 'Intentus' gives the idea of the full tension of energy.

8. Excitatior.] This is the conjecture of Buchner, which we have followed Kritz in adopting instead of 'exercitatior.' It means 'more excited,' and would seem the natural expression of Tacitus in speaking of the native tribes; exercitatior would apply rather to the Roman province.

9. Trucidati veterani.] Comp. ch. 16, where Boadicea's attack on Camalodunum is described. Some veterans appear to have been settled in this colony. It was, in fact, the only real colonia in Britain, but the word is used loosely of important towns; comp. note on aegra municipia, ch. 32.

Io. Intersepti.] Armies would be said to be 'intersepti' when they were prevented from joining the main body; comp, Hist. III. 53, Intersepta Germanorum Rhaetorumque auxilia. We have followed the reading of the MSS. though perhaps intercepti, cut off' or 'surprised,' gives a sense agreeing better with the description of the revolt.

JT.

Cessit in ducem.] Fell to the share of the general.' 12. Temporibus.] It is best to take this as a dative depending on ingrata. Kritz considers it to be an ablative, though he quotes ch. 31, 'virtus subjectorum ingrata imperantibus.'

13. Quibus sinistra...interpretatio.] Kritz would supply ejus, i. e. 'militaris gloriae,' and render in which there is, in the case of eminent men, a sinister interpretation put on military glory. This seems far-fetched and disproved by the position of sinistra.' It is better to join the word to 'erga eminentes.'

CHAPTER VI.

1. Hinc.] Sc. 'from or after these services.'

2. Natalibus.] 'Lineage,' a post-Augustan use of the word.

3. Decus.] 'Distinction.' The word here means the reflected lustre that comes to a man from great connections.

4. Per mutuam caritatem.] Orelli takes 'per' to signify time, as if 'in continuous mutual affection' was meant. It seems better to take it as causal. Their affection was the cause of their singular harmony.

5. Nisi quod......laus.] 'However, the good wife deserves the greater praise' (C and B). 'Nisi quod' is Tacitus' comment on the praise which he has been bestowing on Agricola in the previous sentence. He guards himself from being supposed to say that the husband and wife deserve equal commendation. In his view the good wife deserves more.

6. Sors Quaesturae.] The Quaestors were appointed, and

then drew lots for their destinations.

7. Salvius Titianus.] He was the elder brother of M. Otho, afterwards Emperor. Comp. Hist. 1. 75, 77.