Trebellius, less energetic and with no military experience, held the province with a light touch, and even the barbarians learned to forgive the occasional moral error, while the interruption to civil strife provided a valid excuse for his inaction. 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. Even now, with success, Agricola refrained from boastfulness and talk of campaigns or victories, in controlling a conquered nation; nor did he attach laurels to his despatches; yet his deprecation of his achievements, added to them, considering how great his future hopes must have been given his silence regarding so great an outcome. 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. Those who desired war approved the action, and were waiting to see the reaction of their new governor. L035 - Tacitus -- Dialogus, Agricola, Germania. For, as the Caledonians reached the woods, knowing the ground, they rallied and began to surround the foremost of their incautious pursuers. Not only in the brilliance of your life, but even in your timeliness in dying. For the rest, to temper his military fame, offensive to the idle, with other virtues, he drank deep of the cup of leisure and tranquillity, modest in his dress, easy in conversation, attended by only one or two friends; so that society, whose habit it is to judge great men by their ostentation, seeing and noting Agricola, questioned the extent of his reputation, comprehended by few. Pietro Santi Bartoli (Italian, 1635 - 1700) His praestorship (68AD) followed the same even tenor; no judicial duties falling to his lot. 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. Andrea Mantegna, 1486 - 1492 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. 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. Didius Gallus (52-57AD) who followed, maintained his predecessors’ territory, and established a few forts in remoter areas, to gain credit for expanding the province. ‘Think you the Romans, then, are as brave in war as they are lascivious in peace? His third year of campaigning (79AD) uncovered new tribes, harrying them as far as Taus, as the estuary is named (Firth of Tay?). For though he did not live to see the light of this most fortunate age, with Trajan as our leader, which he foretold with prophecy and prayer in our hearing, nevertheless he was compensated, by a premature death, in evading those final days when Domitian, no longer fitfully or with pause for breath but in one single unremitting stroke, exhausted the life-blood of the state. Even though my speech is hoarse and unpractised, I shall not hesitate to compose a record of our former slavery, and our present blessings. Here is leadership, and an army: there lies tribute, toil in the mines, and all the other ills of servitude, that you can perpetuate for ever, or avenge now, upon this field. The Britons were terrified, caught between two forces, as the Ninth regained their courage, and confident in their safety, fought for glory. The British Library. 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 Agricola and Germania - Publius Cornelius Tacitus.A translation into English by A. S. Kline. Eventually Agricola ordered four battalions of Batavi and two of Tungri to engage at sword-point, and hand to hand. 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). PDF of public domain Loeb edition in Latin and English. Shortly thereafter (71AD), Britain received Petilius Cerialis as governor, and Agricola’s virtues found scope for display. So weapons and war, virtues to the strong, are also the best refuge of the coward. 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. In the meantime, Agricola, having handed over a pacified and secure province to his successor, arrived in Rome (85AD) by night, so as to avoid public notice and a noisy reception, and evading his friends’ welcome went that night to the palace as requested. 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. We use cookies for essential site functions and for social media integration. Those who had been so prudent and cautious were now, after the event, eager and boastful. Mucianus sent Agricola to levy soldiers and, as he showed energy and loyalty, appointed him to Britain, to command the Twentieth Legion (Valeria Victrix), which had been slow to transfer its allegiance, his predecessor (Coelius), it was said, having behaved mutinously: indeed the fearsome legion had proved too much even for consular command, such that the praetorian commander had no power to restrain them, whether due to his or the soldiers’ character. 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? P. CORNELIVS TACITVS (c. 56 – c. 117 A.D.) ANNALES. 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 Agricola & Germania Publius Cornelius Tacitus A Translation into English by A.S.KLINE Published with Selected Illustrations POETRY IN TRANSLATION www.poetryintranslation.com He took hostages from them, and ordered his naval commander to circumnavigate Britain. I remember how he used to say himself that when young he was inclined to drink more deeply of philosophy than is acceptable for a Roman and a Senator, his mother’s prudence restraining his glowing passion. The Rijksmuseum. Een vertaling van de Agricola van Tacitus, door The Oxford Translation Revised, With Notes. The Agricola (Latin: De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, lit. 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. 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 Rijksmuseum. 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. Laurens Eillarts, Antonio Tempesta, 1616 - 1620 His mother was Julia Procilla, a woman of rare rectitude. wishes to say that ‘Agricola made no fatuous parade of independence to challenge public attention and provoke his doom’: he prefers to express the idea by means of alliteration and zeugma combined: neque inani iactatione libertatis famam fatumque provocabat. So as the losses mounted, and every year witnessed death and disaster, popular voices began to demand Agricola’s recall. As for the man himself, though snatched away in his prime, he lived a long life if measured by his renown. 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. Yet when he had sufficiently overawed them, by sparing them he again revealed the attractions of peace. Nevertheless, his anger left nothing concealed, and there was no reason to fear his silence: he considered it nobler to disconcert than to hate. Had the woods and marshes not saved the fugitives, that victory would have ended the campaign. 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. 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. 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. Let those whose way it is to admire only what is rebellious, learn that great men can exist even under bad leaders, and obedience and moderation, if accompanied by industry and vigour, achieve that glory more often realised through dangerous actions, without benefit to the state, and an ostentatious end. He studied rhetoric in Rome, and was a close friend of the younger Pliny. 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. 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. 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. My father-in-law often said that with one legion and a contingent of auxiliaries Ireland could be conquered and held; and that it would be useful as regards Britain also, since Roman troops would be everywhere, and the prospect of independence would fade from view. We shall find helping hands in the enemy’s own battle lines. There is nothing beyond them to fear; empty forts, veterans’ colonies, weak and quarrelsome townships of disaffected founders and unjust rulers. Indeed, Cerialis might well have eclipsed the efforts and fame of any other successor but Julius Frontinus, a great man, insofar as that was permitted, who accepted and sustained the burden, subduing by military force the powerful and warlike tribe of the Silures; overcoming the daring of the enemy, as well as the difficulties of the terrain. 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) Tacitus on Britain and Germany : a new translation of the "Agricola" and the "Germania" by Tacitus, Cornelius ; Mattingly, Harold, 1884-1964 ; Tacitus, Cornelius. Agricola, both successor and judge, with rare leniency preferred it known that he found the men loyal, rather than forcing them to behave so. Romeyn de Hooghe, 1672 Britain produces gold, silver and other metals, the prize of conquest. 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. Furthermore the wearing of our clothing was seen as a distinction, and the toga became fashionable. The Rijksmuseum. 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. Your latest actions and their extreme fear have frozen their army in its tracks, so you may win a fine and glorious victory. 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. Tacitus. He endured the event neither, as most strong men will, with bravado, nor with the mother’s mourning and lamentation: but amidst the grief found relief in warfare. He granted him forces for the voyage, and terror ran before them. Some said he was more than severe in censure: though as gracious to the deserving as he was caustic to the undeserving. Throughout these campaigns, on every battlefield, whether fortitude against our enemies or patience and effort against nature itself was needed, I have never regretted my faith in you, nor you in your leader. Conditions and Exceptions apply. The Caledonian forces, so as to be at once impressive and alarming, were drawn up on high ground with the front ranks on the level and the rest seeming to rise higher and higher on the gentle slope; while the war-chariots filled the centre of the plain. We use cookies for essential site functions and for social media integration. Ireland is smaller in size when compared to Britain, but larger than the islands of the Mediterranean. The Getty's Open Content Program. 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. During the space of fifteen years, a large part of a lifetime, change on change did for many, the Emperor’s savagery for others, they being the most resolute: while we few who remain have outlived, so to speak, not merely our neighbours, but ourselves; since those years were stolen from our prime of life, while youths reached age, and old men the very edge of the grave, in silence. Be that as it may, in the summer in which he began his sixth year of governance (83AD) he embraced the tribes beyond the Firth of Forth in his operations, fearing a general uprising among all the communities on that side, and he explored the coastline with his navy, nervous of land routes threatened by a hostile host. He settled their differences, but without attempting anything further, handing over to Trebellius Maximus (63AD). The question of who indeed first inhabited Britain, and whether they are indigenous or newcomers, is, as usual among barbarous nations, difficult to ascertain. At first subtly praising peace and retirement, they were soon offering their own aid in support of his excusing himself from office, and finally, without further ado, advising and warning him, dragged him before Domitian. 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. ‘Emporer Domitian’ Tacitus: Agricola Book 1 [1] 1. So both sides separated in a state of excitement. This is a most unjust aspect of war, that everyone claims victory for himself, and attributes defeat to one alone. ‘Boudicca’ ‘A Map of Britain in the Most Perfect State of Roman Power and Government’ 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. 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. ‘Roman Soldier’ Previous battles, fought against Rome with varying success, leave the hope of salvation in our hands, for we the noblest of the Britons, dwelling in its furthest reaches, have never seen the shores of slavery, our eyes untouched by the stain of tyranny. Conditions and Exceptions apply. © Copyright 2000-2021 A. S. Kline, All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. 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. Aegidius Sadeler, Marcus Christoph Sadeler, 1597 - 1629 Petronius Turpilianus was therefore appointed to the province (61AD), being less inflexible and new to any prior hostile actions, so more lenient if they repented of them. Fired by this knowledge, and given their reputation, the soldiers began to cry out that nothing could defy their courage or blunt their penetration of Caledonia, and that the furthest bounds of Britain must finally be secured in one unbroken campaign. Where earlier writers embellished with rhetoric what was not yet fully discovered, here facts will be faithfully recorded. 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? We use cookies for social media and essential site functions. Pieter Romans (Jr.), 1832 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. 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. Our discords and dissensions bring them success, their enemy’s errors bring their armies glory. The outcome of a single battle restored its former submission; though the majority remained under arms, conscious of their failure, and in personal terror of the governor, fearing that despite his virtues he might deal ruthlessly with those who surrendered, punishing them severely as one who never overlooked an injury done to himself. 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. Whether working in harmony or discord the pair proved equally inimical to their subjects; one through his centurions, the other through his agents dealt violence and insults alike. Soon age and reason calmed him, and he preserved, as is most difficult, moderation in his studies. He was retained for less than three years in Aquitania, and then recalled with hopes of an immediate consulship, to an accompanying rumour that Britain would be granted him as his province, not that he ever spoke of it, but simply because he seemed suitable. The land is tolerant of crops, except the olive, vine and other fruit of warmer countries, and is prolific of cattle. The Caledonian tribes resorted to armed warfare, appearing formidable, though more formidable in report, as is common with scarce known enemies. Now, however, the furthest limits of Britain are thrown open, and the unknown always passes for the marvellous. Often, soldiers, cavalrymen and marines shared their rations in mutual celebration, delighting in their various deeds and disasters, heights of mountain and forest on the one hand, trials of storm and sea on the other; comparing conquest of the foe and the terrain here, of the ocean there, in rival boast. The general public, in this otherwise preoccupied city, came often to his door, and talked of him in the market squares and in private circles. As Tacitus’ final and most mature work, the Annals exhibit his strong grasp of power politics and his lucid insight into imperial psychology. 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’ So they sought peace, and surrendered the island, regarding Agricola as a great man, a brilliant general, who on entering the province, at the moment others spent in ostentation, courting attention, chose effort and danger. 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. Copyright © 2017 A. S. Kline, All Rights Reserved 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. PDF of public domain Loeb edition in Latin and English. The red-haired, large-limbed inhabitants of Caledonia suggest a Germanic origin; while the dark colouration of the Silures (of South Wales), their plentiful curls, and the relative position of Spain, attests to immigrant Iberians in former times, who occupied the area; again, those nearest the Gauls are like them, whether because of the enduring power of heredity, or because the common climate of two projecting lands that face each other moulds the physique. Therefore abandon all hope of pardon, and even now take thought, as to which is dearest, safety or glory. National Gallery of Art | NGA Images. 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. Publication date 1894 Publisher London : Methuen & Co. Collection cdl; americana Digitizing sponsor MSN Contributor University of California Libraries Language English. 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. Augustus, since deified, called it policy, Tiberius precedent. By immediately suppressing such evils in his first year, he gave a brilliant lustre to peacetime, which the indifference or arrogance of previous governors had rendered no less dreadful than war. This work MAY be FREELY reproduced, stored and transmitted, electronically or otherwise, for any non-commercial purpose. His troops’ ardour was evident, even while Agricola was still speaking, and his oration ended in wild excitement, as they swiftly formed ranks. And this is its form as far north as Caledonia, a form which tradition extended to the whole; but travelling onwards a vast and irregular tract of land extends to the furthest shores, tapering like a wedge. ‘Funeral of a Roman General’ He placed his inspired and eager troops so that the auxiliary foot-soldiers, eight thousand strong, formed a powerful centre, with three thousand cavalry on the wings. Multiple formats. The deterioration of senatorial freedom and of the moral character of the aristocracy under Tiberius, whose reign starts well but ultimately descends into quasi-tyranny, is well-portrayed, and his detailed portrait of Tiberius is memorable. Tacitus, James Rives (ed. Complete Works of Tacitus. Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama - Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (p270, 1892) ), such that Agricola’s caution was no less in evidence than Domitian’s quiet menace. 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. Once the people were ruled by kings, now the disputes and ambitions of minor chieftains distract them. He did not live to witness the Senate encircled by armed men, the House besieged, a host of men of consular rank slaughtered, in that same reign of terror, the flight and exile of so many noble women. Mucianus initiated the new reign and ran affairs in Rome, Domitian being very young and simply enjoying free use of his father’s wealth. 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. Abraham Bloteling, 1652 - 1690 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. Agricola door Tacitus English Translation. At the beginning of summer (83AD), Agricola suffered the private blow of losing a son born to him the year before. The Rijksmuseum. Domitian greeted this series of events, though Agricola’s despatches were free of boastful language, with inner disquiet despite, as was his way, showing visible pleasure: he was conscious of the derision that his recent false triumph (83AD), celebrated over the Germans, had met with: for which in truth he had rented in the market-place a crowd whose clothes and hair simulated those of captives. 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. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c56-c120AD), was a Roman historian and senator. The Rijksmuseum. A woman led the Trinovantes to storm a camp and burn a colony, and if success had not lapsed to inactivity, they might have thrown off the yoke: let us, whole and indomitable, brought forth in freedom not regret, show at the first encounter, what manner of men Caledonia has chosen for her cause.’. 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. 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. Claudius, since deified, took on the great task: legions and auxiliaries were shipped across (43AD), and Vespasian was there to play a part, the first of the distinctions that later came his way: tribes were conquered, chieftains captured, and Vespasian was revealed by destiny. We use cookies for social media and essential site functions. The marriage proved a brilliant ornament and a support to him in his career. 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).