at conjunction
but, on the other
hand.
copia, -ae f.
troops
(military, usually in the plural); resources; number. The
Celtic tribe of the Iceni on the southeast coast of Britain were joined in
their revolt against the Romans by the Trinovantes.
passim adverb
here and
there, randomly, indiscriminately.
caterva, -ae f.
troop (military); crowd, band.
turmae, -arum f.
troop, cavalry squadron.
exsulto (1)
exult,
run riot, boast. Their pre-battle behavior is undisciplined, a mark of
their lack of a central authority and training, to which Tacitus attributes
their eventual defeat, despite their overwhelming numbers and the justice of
their cause (see Tacitus,
Agricola 15).
quantus, -a, -um
so great
as; how great. It is estimated that the rebel British forces
approached 200,000 in number.
alias adverb
elsewhere; at another time; otherwise.
multitudo, -inis f.
great number; crowd. Tacitus pictures the British tribes in
terms more appropriate to a mob than a military force, an eyewitness impression
gathered perhaps from his father-in-law Agricola, who was a military tribune
under Suetonius Paulinus in Britain at this time.
animus, -i m.
feelings; courage; spirit; pride;
will, purpose; mind. Understand
[erant]; ablative of description with
feroci.
adeo adverb
so; in
fact; followed by ut in a subjunctive clause of result
(traherent, imponerent).
ferox, -cis
warlike;
spirited; daring; proud. The adjective fits their
pre-battle behavior as well as the atrocities (verified by archaeology) that
followed their earlier successes (see Chapter 35. 3 below).
coniunx, -iugis, m. f.
consort; husband, wife.
testis, -is m. f.
witness; ironically the presence of these wagons made retreat of the
front fighters impossible and resulted in the slaughter of families.
secum = cum + se (the tribal warriors).
traho, -ere, traxi, tractum
take with; draw; imperfect subjunctive in a result
clause.
plaustrum, -i n.
wagon; two-wheeled cart; the antecedent of
quae which follows.
impono, -ere, -posui, -positum
place on; put in; imperfect subjunctive in a result clause
followed by the dative case.
super preposition + accusative
on; beyond.
ambitus, -us m.
circuit, circumference.
currus, -us m.
chariot, car; an open
2-wheeled vehicle drawn by one or more animals, used
for carrying goods and travelers in daily life, as well as in battle and
chariot racing .
prae preposition + ablative
in front of; prae se = openly. Click on the
SPQR beside the text to see the 1902 bronze monument in
London: a daughter crouches on either side of Boudica, who drives a scythed
chariot (there is no evidence that she employed this deadly device, named a
“Persian war chariot” by Xenophon). The second SPQR contains a
relief of Marcus Aurelius arriving in Rome in a much-decorated triumphal
chariot drawn by four horses.
veho, -ere, vexi, vectum
ride, drive; convey.
ut adverb
as;
considering how/that (in explanation).
quisque, quaeque, quodque
each.
accedo, -ere, -cessi, -cessum
go to, approach.
solitum, -i, n.
custom; followed by dative of reference (Britannis).
ductus, -us m.
command, generalship. In this regard see also Tacitus,
Agricola 15: Boudicca generis regii femina
duce (neque enim secum in imperiis discernunt).
bello (1)
fight, wage war.
testor (1)
testify;
call to witness. The verb introduces an indirect statement in which
Boudica is subject (ortam . . . unam . . . amissam) of the
infinitive ulcisci at the end of the sentence.
tunc adverb
then,
next.
maiores , maiorum m. pl.
ancestors.
orior, -iri, ortus/a
descend, spring, rise.
regnum, -i n.
kingdom; power; direct object with opes of
amissam.
opes, -um f. pl.
wealth, resources. Romans worshipped the personified
Ops as a goddess of the harvest with a
temple on
the Capitoline, a sanctuary in the Regia, and festivals.
vulgus, -i m.
the
masses; populace; common people.
amitto, -ere, -missi,
-missum
lose; let go.
conficio, -ere, -feci, -fectum
exhaust, wear out, destroy; complete; with
corpus, the object of ulcisci.
verbera, -orum n. pl.
flogging, beating
contrecto (1)
handle,
touch; with pudicitiam, the object of
ulcisci.
pudicitia, -ae f.
chastity, modesty.
ulciscor, -ci, ultus/a sum
punish, take vengeance on, avenge.
eo adverb
so far, to
such an extent; introduces a subjunctive clause of result (ut . .
.relinquant)
proveho, -ere, -vexi, -vectum
advance; cupidines . . . provectas [esse] continues
the indirect statement introduced by testabatur.
cupido, -inis f.
lust,
greed, passion.
aut conjunction
or,
or at least.
impollutus, -a, -um
unstained, undefiled.
relinquo, -ere, -liqui,
-lictum
leave; allow.
adsum, -esse, -fui, --
support; be present; appear; indirect statement
continues from testabatur, with deos as
subject of the infinitive.
tamen
conjunction
however.
iustus, -a, -um
just,
fair, lawful.
vindicta, -ae f.
defense; revenge; punishment; genitive with
deos.
cado, -ere, cecidi, casum
kill, cut to pieces; sacrifice.
legio, -nis f.
legion. A legion
consisted of between 5-6,000 men in 10 cohorts (6 centuries each), including
120 cavalrymen. There were 3 legions in Britain, the 2nd (Annales
14.37.6), the 20th (Annales 14.34.1), and the doomed 9th (Annales
14.32.6), the Hispana. Tacitus estimates Boudica’s troops
killed a total of 70,000 Romans and allies while some 80,000 Britons died in
this last battle alone.
proelium, -i n.
battle. Click on SPQR to see the locations of
Boudicca’s defeat of Roman troops and sack of the towns of
Camulodunum (Colchester), Verulamium (Saint
Alban's) and Londinium, seat of Roman governance.
audeo, -ere, ausus/a sum
dare, venture.
ceteri, -orum m. pl.
the
rest, others (i.e., Roman soldiers and allies).
occulto (1)
conceal;
translate as reflexive. The infinitive with ceteros as subject
is in indirect statement, introduced by testabatur.
fuga, -ae f.
flight; refuge; escape.
circumspicio, -ere, -spexi, -spectum
look
all around; search for.
strepitus, -us m.
din, crashing; sound; supply [et].
tot milium = so many thousands.
nedum adverb
much less
(after implied negative); much more (after implied positive).
impetus, -us m.
attack; charge, rush.
manus, -us f.
force, valour,
hand to hand fighting (military).
perfero, -ferre, -tuli,
-latum
bear, endure, put up with. Future
infinitive perlaturos [esse] with ceteros as
subject is in indirect statement after testabatur.
armati, -orum m. pl.
men
in arms.
expendo, -ere, -pendi,
-pensum
weigh out; ponder, consider,
judge.
vinco, -ere,
vici, victum
conquer, defeat, subdue.
Vincendum [esse] and cadendum esse are in the
passive periphrastic conjugation to indicate impending, necessary
(must, ought) action; used impersonally, they are infinitives
in the indirect statement construction introduced by
testabatur.
acies, -ei f.
battle
line (military).
mulier, -eris f.
woman; wife. Both ancient texts note Boudica’s effective
use of gender discrimination to motivate her troops, but in Tacitus her words
reflect Roman cultural attitudes about the nature of the sexes while in Dio
Cassius she contrasts the effete Roman nation with the manly British
tribes.
destinatum, -i n.
purpose, intention, design.
servio, -ire, -ivi, -itum
be a slave.
Close this window after final use.