THE AGRICOLA AND GERM ANIA OF TACITU S TACITUS TH E A GRI C O L A AN D GE RM AN IA TRANS LATED I NTO ENGLISH BY R . B T HEND M A. WN S . O , L A T E S C H O L A R O F T R I N I T Y C O L L E G E, C A M B R I D G E M E T H E U N C O . 36 E EX. S TREET W . C . SS , L O N D O N 1 894 T O T HE M EM O RY O F FRANK EUSTACE DE SO AN R N , ASSISTANT PRO F ESSO R O F GREEK M ASSAC HUSE TT S . 206 4 9 9 2 E F A E P R C . THE tex t from which the foll owing translation has been made is that o f the edition o f the Agricola and Germania w s r C an a o out b M . J . d M r which br ught y A hurch . W . 6 on e or two o 1 8 . J . Br dribb in 9 In the cases where I ’ e use ff n n s n o has hav d a di ere t readi g, the reader atte ti n o to ss m be en called to it in a footn te . I have expre y great obligations to the very useful n otes append ed to or as to an o of two their w k, well as the tr slati n the fte I a treatises which they publi shed previously . A r h d r E T o n is e m n o D . fin h d y tra slati n , B yl r ki dly lent me an unpubli shed version o f the German ia of which he had a o h is os s o o n ss on to c py in p ses i n, and I btai ed permi i ’ bo rrow fro m it the phrase these are n o boy s lo velocks in the passage where Tacitus is describing the head d ress of the Swabian warriors ; the foo tnotes to it were s s In n ato f al so useful on variou po int . the ide tific i n o n o o s and om T o n s the umer us pe ple tribes wh acitus menti , a n Dr a a I have lmo st i variably followed . L th m . If h is gre at work on the German ia may be considered to be in so es s out o f on o n me r pect a little date, the ther ha d in was e not s a n a it first sugg sted, if I am mi t ke , th t PREFACE hypothesis o f the European o rigin o f the Aryans which now o t so o to n m n c mmends i self str ngly ma y scientific e . I may add that the sho rt footnotes which I have ventured to append to some o f the names are to be taken as stating in the briefest possible manner such conclus ions To as I have been able to arrive at . have attempted mo re would have swelled the contents of this little boo k o n to a far beyon d the m dest limits assig ed it . It m kes no preten sion s to come into the same clas s as the last G m on G so er an treatise the ermania, which extends, it is to o o s . said, ver a th u and pages A translation of the Agricola appeared anonymously o f M K in 1 8 8 5 o . Co fr m the press essrs egan Paul . had not n a m on I see it when I m de y versi , but I read it afterwards with much pleasur e on acco unt of its very s and o f o o pirited style, I have taken the liberty b rr wing “ o on e in s O f fr m it phrase, the pringtime her rare ” o T o f o to pr mise, where acitus is speaking his betr thal ’ Agricola s daughter . to m . Finally, I have express y sincere and hearty M F ox of s no fo to r . r thanks . H F Bra e se, advice and assi stance generously bestowed ; to the Headmaster o f Co who o l to Bath llege, m st kind y gave up several days the task o f going o ver the whole o f the Germania with M r o o f M Co and to . G ; . who me A dley agdalen llege, oo o to s s o f o was g d en ugh revise the heet the Agric la . XF RD e tember 1 8 O O S . , p , 9 4 (viii) T HE AGRICO LA O F TAC IT U S of our o a to I . It was the practice f ref thers bequeath to posterity the history of the deeds and the characters of n or h as their great men, the practice ceased even at i n da . O n o the prese t y It still btai s, alth ugh th s age is O f o s in o o careless its her e , th se instances where s me sublime and distinguished virtue has risen victorious o s n sin O f o r or ver the be etti g every c mmunity, la ge But of old s n to oo s . mall, a blind a tipathy g dne s the hero foun d a ready o utlet and a fair field for his en ergies whil e genius hastened to embalm the memo ry of his a o n ot i and n ot an v l ur, w th partiality with y selfish o oo n o to o of m tive, but l ki g s lely the rec mpense a oo on Not o o o g d c science . a few men, m re ver, th ught that to be the chroni clers of their own lives was a sign of self-respect rather than O f conceit n or was any impu tation ever made upon this gro un d against the goo d faith or the goo d taste of Rutilius and Scaurus periods that were prolific of great men were most capable of ap r ciati da “ n c es p e ng them . At the present y I feel it e sary to begin by apologising beforehand for writing the o of one wh o s i bi graphy has pas ed away, wh ch I need scarcely have don e were these pages to be devoted to so o a e in i me lively satire up n the g which he l ved, an so n n os to age malig a t and h tile virtue . l THE AGRICO LA O F TACITUS D out b D . o n II eath was the reward meted y mitia , so is o to Arul enus for i th e it rec rded, Rusticus writ ng o o f F Thras ea and to Herennius S n o for eul gy actus , e eci writing that of Priscus Hel vidius ; n or did he glut his rage upon their persons alon e : their writings also felt o s in n his fury, and the w rk which they had enshri ed the memory of those great men were ordered to be publicly committed to the flames in the place of as sembly b of o in the forum y the hands the executi ners . Per haps in the smoke of those fires the tyrant and his oo s o of o t ls flattered themselve that the v ice R me, of o O f the independence the senate, and the c nscience mankind were vanishing away and they proceeded to o o a of o o and expel fr m R me the te chers phil s phy, banish of o o o on so the members every h n urable pr fessi , that n o n to to Co ossa thi g might be left put them shame . l l, was o of s O ff b us indeed, the exhibiti n abjectne s ered y our forefathers had shown the world to what heights o o o n freed m c uld s ar ; we, when we dared either speak nor n for o Of o o to liste terr r the inf rmers, sh wed what o O ur o slavishness humanity c uld sink . m uths were os n our o o cl ed, and eve mem ries themselves w uld have become a blan k had we been as able to forget as we o n were t keep sile ce . Now our o is n s III . , at last, c urage revivi g . We fir t saw the dawn O f a happier epo ch when Nerva recon ciled two o — of things div rced until this time, the rule the em b of n u an no peror and the li erty the i divid al ; d w every ’ day of Trajan s reign is adding to the sum of our n h as n ot o happi ess .