To refer to the honesty and restraint of such a man is almost to insult virtue itself. The Britons were terrified, caught between two forces, as the Ninth regained their courage, and confident in their safety, fought for glory. Section 1: On biography and auto-biography, Section 5: Military apprenticeship in Britain, Section 8: Service under Petilius Cerialis, Section 9: Governorship of Gallia Aquitania, Section 10: Governorship of Britain: its geography, Section 14: The first Consular Governors of Britain, Section 16: Boudicca’s uprising and its aftermath, Section 17: Cerialis appointed by Vespasian, Section 24: Campaigning on the West Coast of Scotland, Section 25: Campaigning beyond the Firth of Forth, Section 26: Night attack on the Ninth Legion, Section 27: The Britons continue the struggle, Section 28: Mutiny by the Usipii Battalion, Section 29: Loss of his son, and advance to Mons Graupius, Section 30: Calgacus’ speech: ‘They make a desert…’, Section 32: Calgacus’ speech: of rebellion, Section 33: Agricola’s speech: no retreat, Section 34: Agricola’s speech: complete the work, Section 35: The disposition of the troops, Section 36: Roman infantry and cavalry attacks. 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. The Rijksmuseum. Ireland is smaller in size when compared to Britain, but larger than the islands of the Mediterranean. Moreover he began to educate the chieftains’ sons in the liberal arts, preferring native British intellect to any training obtained in Gaul, so that a nation which previously rejected the use of Latin began to aspire to eloquence therein. The Getty's Open Content Program. Definition of Tacitus in the Definitions.net dictionary. Not only was the frontier of empire, the shore of the Danube, in danger, but the winter-quarters of the legions and the retention of whole provinces. 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. Though at first Cerialis only offered him effort and risk, he later granted him his portion of glory, often allowing him a share of command to test him, sometimes increasing his allotted forces based on success. agricola and germania penguin classics. tacitus the agricola and germania poetry in translation. For, as the Caledonians reached the woods, knowing the ground, they rallied and began to surround the foremost of their incautious pursuers. The Emperor, ready with his usual dissimulation, assumed a calm demeanour, listened to Agricola’s request to be excused, nodded in approval, and allowed himself to be thanked, unashamed of granting such a plea out of envy. Receiving a brief embrace, and not a word of enquiry, he melted into the crowd of courtiers. Furthermore the wearing of our clothing was seen as a distinction, and the toga became fashionable. 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. P. CORNELIVS TACITVS (c. 56 – c. 117 A.D.) ANNALES. 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. Fear and terror are sorry bonds of love: remove them, and those who cease to fear will begin to hate. Poetry in Translation: The Agricola and Germania, translated by A.S. Kline (2015). For, to accustom to rest and repose through the charms of luxury a population scattered and barbarous and therefore inclined to war, Agricola gave private encouragement and public aid to the building of temples, courts of justice and dwelling-houses, praising the energetic, and reproving the indolent. Then Agricola, fearing the enemy numbers were superior, extended his lines so as not to be attacked in front and on the flanks simultaneously, though his ranks would be stretched, and many called on him to deploy the legionaries, but he, more resolutely hopeful and firmly opposed to it, instead dismissed his mount and placed himself before the troops. Those who had been so prudent and cautious were now, after the event, eager and boastful. Information and translations of Tacitus in the most comprehensive … 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. ‘A Map of Britain in the Most Perfect State of Roman Power and Government’ Yet he did show a kind of sadness in his manner and expression, his hatred tempered by feelings of renewed security, though he always concealed delight more easily than fear. No doubt his noble and aspiring mind desired the beauty and splendour of great and glorious ideas with more violence than restraint. Tacitus: Agricola Book 1 [1] 1. 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. For the natives, still unbroken by the outcome of previous battles, with the prospect of Roman vengeance or slavery before them, aware by now that mutual danger must be repelled by common alliance, had summoned the tribes in strength, through envoy and treaty. Tacitus, James Rives (ed. 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. The consul (suffectus, 77AD) betrothed his daughter Julia, a girl of great promise, to me, then a mere youth, and on conclusion of his office gave her to me in marriage. An Introduction to the Study of Prehistoric Art - Ernest Albert Parkyn (p366, 1915) Tacitus throughout seeks to maintain an objective balance, basing his narrative on solid evidence, and documentary sources, yet also takes the opportunity to express his own views and feelings regarding the abuse of power, the corruption displayed by individuals, and the character faults which undermined Imperial rule, especially in his handling of Nero’s reign. agricola and germania tacitus au books. Once the people were ruled by kings, now the disputes and ambitions of minor chieftains distract them. 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? Gnaeus Julius Agricola was born in the ancient and illustrious colony of Forum Julii (Fréjus), and his grandfathers were both Imperial procurators, a noble equestrian office. Inexperienced as they were, they called these aspects of their subjugation, civilisation. Britain produces gold, silver and other metals, the prize of conquest. 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. 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. His energy, stamina, and experience in war, was compared everywhere to the inertia and timorousness of the current military hierarchy. 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. As for me, I long ago determined that there is no safety in retreat for an army or its general. Therefore abandon all hope of pardon, and even now take thought, as to which is dearest, safety or glory. The following year (69AD – The Year of the Four Emperors) dealt his home and peace of mind a heavy blow. Gradually they succumbed to the allurements of promenading, bathing, and fine dining. Taking the wider view, it is certainly credible that the Gauls might occupy a neighbouring island; you find the same ceremonies and religious beliefs there; their languages are not too dissimilar, they have the same recklessness in courting danger, and the same anxiety to escape it, when it comes. The Britons had their country, wives, parents to fight for; the enemy fought only out of greed and a desire for luxurious living; they would retreat, as their god Julius Caesar had retreated, if Britons would emulate the courage of their forefathers. Thanks to his native shrewdness, Agricola, though among civilians, dealt with them readily and justly. If there is a place for virtuous spirits; if, as the wise are pleased to say, great minds are not extinguished with the body, rest in peace, and recall us, your family, from childish longing and womanish lament to the contemplation of your virtues, which it is wrong to grieve or mourn. It is said he spoke in the following manner to the gathered host demanding battle: ‘When I consider the causes of this war and our present situation, my spirit rises at the thought that this very day, and the unity you show, will bring freedom to all Britain; for united here and untouched by slavery, there is no land behind and the very sea is insecure, threatened as we are by the Roman fleet. When you penetrate the woodland glades, the creatures that are bravest charge at you, the timid and placid are driven off by the mere sound of your passing. 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) Had not Agricola ranged everywhere and ordered his strong, lightly-armed battalions to beat the woods, in the manner of huntsmen, along with cavalry, mounted where the woods were less dense, dismounted where they were thicker, over-confidence might have caused untold damage. Disembarking for water, and to forage for necessities, they fought with various groups of Britons who sought to defend their homes, and after frequent victories but finally defeat, they were reduced to such extreme starvation that they first ate the weakest of their company and then victims drawn by lot. PDF of public domain Loeb edition in Latin and English. Poetry in Translation: The Agricola and Germania, translated by A.S. Kline (2015). The British Library. Meanwhile, the Caledonians, on the hill-tops not yet reached by the fighting, free to deride the smallness of our force, began to descend gradually and might have surrounded the rear of their attackers had not Agricola, fearing this, thrown four squadrons of cavalry, held in reserve, in their path, by whom the enemy were put to flight with a ferocity as great as the bravado of their assault. Now, however, the furthest limits of Britain are thrown open, and the unknown always passes for the marvellous. He himself, travelling slowly, so that the very leisureliness of his passage might strike fear into fresh tribes, reached winter quarters. So as the losses mounted, and every year witnessed death and disaster, popular voices began to demand Agricola’s recall. Agricola never vaunted his actions to augment his own credit. Agricola door Tacitus English Translation. Therefore rather an honourable death than shameful life, and situated as we are safety and glory are one; nor would it be inglorious to die where earth and nature end.’, ‘Reliefs on the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome’ 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. Adding to the sorrow was a persistent rumour that he had been eliminated by poisoning: I would not venture to claim there is any evidence. When the final moment neared, every last breath was communicated to the palace by lines of messengers, none believing it would thus hasten any show of grief in Domitian. You may accept or manage cookie usage at any time. This work may be freely reproduced, stored and transmitted, electronically or otherwise, for any non-commercial purpose. But in this day and age, though I set out to write the life of one already dead, I am forced to seek the indulgence which an attack upon him would not require, so savage is the spirit of these times, and hostile to virtue. Slaves born to servitude are sold once and for all, and fed by their masters free of cost: Britain pays daily for her own enslavement, and daily nourishes it. Our discords and dissensions bring them success, their enemy’s errors bring their armies glory. Hij wordt vaak gezien als de grootste historicus van Rome, van het Romeinse Rijk.Tacitus' sympathie ging duidelijk uit naar een republikeinse staatsvorm, eerder dan naar de willekeur van sommige keizers. ‘The Emperor Claudius’ Laurens Eillarts, Antonio Tempesta, 1616 - 1620 Some were also sold as slaves, and so by a series of transactions reached our bank of the Rhine, the tale of their downfall rendering them notorious. Unless you imagine that Gauls and Germans, and even, to their shame, many Britons, who lend themselves to an alien tyranny, its enemies longer than they have been its slaves, are swayed by loyalty and affection. As for the man himself, though snatched away in his prime, he lived a long life if measured by his renown. 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. Moreover in such matters the danger was not in being bold but in being discovered. Romeyn de Hooghe, 1672 Julius Caesar, since deified, was the first of the Romans to invade Britain, overawing the natives in a successful campaign and making himself master of the coast (54BC), though he is seen rather to have revealed the island to posterity, than delivered it to them. So by virtue of his deference, and his reluctance to put himself forward, he escaped others envy without lacking distinction. They lived in wonderful harmony, through their mutual affection and wish to put each other first, a good wife deserving greater praise the more one finds fault with a bad one. Veranius (57-58AD), who died within a year, succeeded Didius. Filled with terror, the enemy did not dare to attack our forces, though these suffered from the atrocious weather, and there was the opportunity to establish forts. Online Introduction to “Tacitus’ Germany & Agricola” Handy Literal Translations was a series of 92 books published in the early 1900’s. 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. 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). Be that as it may, he was aware of the attitude of the provincials and, learning from others experience that force achieved little if injustice followed, he decided to eliminate the reasons for conflict. As for the games and other vanities of office, he held the mean between lavishness and thrift, far from extravagance on the one hand, closer to public opinion on the other. Abraham Bloteling, 1652 - 1690 He married Julia Agricola, the daughter of the famous general Agricola, and later wrote a biography of his father-in-law. With An Introduction by Edward Brooks, Jr. 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. Once they each had one master: now two were imposed on them – a governor to extract their blood, a procurator their possessions. They made unprovoked attacks against the Roman forts, generating fear by their onslaughts. Tacitus was son-in-law to Agricola; and while filial piety breathes through his work, he never departs from the integrity of his own character. The following winter was spent in prosecuting sound measures. 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. Troubled by these anxieties, but content to keep them secret, a sign of his murderous intent, he decided to conceal his hatred for the time, until the first glow of fame and the army’s plaudits had abated: since Agricola still held Britain. Agricola was neither slapdash, in the manner of those young men who treat soldiering as a game, nor traded idly on his tribune’s role and inexperience to win leave for pleasure; rather he gained knowledge of the province, made himself known to the men, learnt from the experts, followed the best, sought nothing in ostentation, but shrank from nothing in fear, behaving as one eager but cautious. Learning of this, the enemy quickly altered their plans, attacking the Ninth Legion, the weakest, in full force, killing the guards and breaking in to a scene midway between chaos and sleep. The Agricola (Latin: De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, lit. Soon the Civil War was upon us; Rome’s leaders turned their weapons on the State; and even though peace came Britain was long neglected. 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. 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). On the battlefield the stronger force plundered its enemy, but now it was mainly unwarlike cowards who raided their homes, abducted their children, and demanded levies, as though they would face death except for their country. He could not boast of excessive riches, but had ample wealth. They even sallied forth, and there was fierce fighting in the narrow gateway itself, until the enemy were repelled as the two Roman divisions fought to display, the one that they brought aid, the other that they had no need of rescue. His mother was Julia Procilla, a woman of rare rectitude. Een vertaling van de Agricola van Tacitus, door The Oxford Translation Revised, With Notes. It was evident that when Agricola’s will was read, naming Domitian alongside the best of wives and the most dutiful of daughters, Domitian was delighted at the tactful offering. Now Agricola was never desirous of taking credit for others’ achievements: captain or colonel found him an honest witness to their feats. Entering political life under the emperor Titus, he served in the provinces and survived Domitian’s reign of terror (81-96AD), becoming suffect consul under Nerva in 97. 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) 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. The Rijksmuseum. Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama - Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (p270, 1892) On the life and character of Julius Agricola) is a book by the Roman historian Tacitus, written c. AD 98, which recounts the life of his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola, an eminent Roman general and Governor of Britain from AD 77/78 – 83/84.It also covers, briefly, the geography and ethnography of ancient Britain. Meanwhile, since the chariots had fled, our cavalry joined the infantry-battle. There, a daughter (Julia, later wife to Tacitus) was born to him, a help and consolation, since he lost the son he had briefly carried in his arms. To bequeath to posterity a record of the deeds and characters of distinguished men is an ancient practice which even the present age, careless as it is of its own sons, has not abandoned whenever some great and conspicuous excellence has conquered and risen superior to that failing, common to petty and to great states, blindness and hostility to goodness. In this way, many of the tribes that had remained independent were induced to grant hostages and abandon hostilities, and were then so skilfully and carefully surrounded by forts with Roman garrisons that never before had newly subdued areas passed to Rome with so little interference. So weapons and war, virtues to the strong, are also the best refuge of the coward. He mitigated the demands for grain and other tributes by equalising the burden, curtailing such schemes for profit as were harder to tolerate than the tribute itself. To be sure, the flat extremities of the land, with their low shadows, project no darkness, and night never falls beneath the sky and stars. He achieved those true blessings which reside in virtue; and what more could fortune have granted a man who had been a consul, also, and worn the ornaments of triumph? You may accept or manage cookie usage at any time. Thus he sent the fleet forward to descend on various places, and spread insecurity and terror; augmenting it with lightly-armed troops, strengthened by the most effective of the Britons, men proven during long years of peace, he advanced to Mons Graupius, which the enemy had occupied. Gnaeus Julius Agricola In 98 werd het leven van Agricola op schrift vastgelegd door zijn schoonzoon; niemand minder dan Publius Cornelius Tacitus, een van de belangrijkste historici van de late eerste eeuw na Christus. Moreover, while it was easy to ignore other qualities, those of leadership were an Imperial matter. A translation into English by A. S. 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. But the Britons are spirited, not yet emasculated by years of peace. of Tacitus: Germania, Agricola, Annals, Histories. Pieter Romans (Jr.), 1832 As Tacitus’ final and most mature work, the Annals exhibit his strong grasp of power politics and his lucid insight into imperial psychology. At no time was Britain more troubled or the situation more in doubt: veterans were slaughtered, colonies burned, forces cut off from their base; one day brought victory, the next a struggle for life. Instead, he will cover the period from the civil wars of the Year of the Four Emperors and end with the despotism of the Flavians. Internet Archive Book Images, ‘If fresh tribes and unknown forces confronted you, I would exhort you with the examples of other armies: as it is, simply recall your own efforts, use your own eyes.

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