Nec—fuerit. Nor will it have been inglorious, sc. when the thing shall have been done and men shall look back upon our achievements. The fut. perf. is appropriate to such a conception.
Naturae fine. Cf. note, G. 45: illuc usque natura.
XXXIV. Hortarer. Literally, I would be exhorting you. The use of the imperf. subj. in hypothetical sentences, where we should use a plup. (I would have exhorted you), is frequent both in Greek and Latin, even when it denotes a complete past action, cf. Z. 525. When the action is not complete, as here, the Latin form is at once more lively and more exact than the English.—Proximo anno. This same expression may signify either the next year, or the last year. Here of course: the last year, referring to the battle described in 26, cf. also note 29: Initio aestatis.
Furto noctis. Cf. Virg. Aen. 9, 397: fraude noctis.
Contra ruere. Rush forth to meet, penetrantibus, etc. R. and Wr. take ruere for perf. 3d pl. instead of ruerunt, since T. uses the form in ere much more than that in erunt. Rit. makes it inf. after solet understood, or rather implied in pelluntur, which==pelli solent.
Quos—quod. Whom, as to the fact that you have at length found (it is not because) they have taken a stand, but they have been overtaken. Cf. Wr. and Or. in loc. On deprehensi, cf. note, 7. On quod==as to this, that, see examples in Freund, or in any Lexicon.
Novissimae—vestigiis. The extremity of their circumstances, and their bodies (motionless) with terror have brought them to a stand for battle on this spot, etc. One MS. reads novissime and omits aciem, which reading is followed in the common editions.
Extremo metu is to be closely connected with corpora. For the sense of defixere, cf. Ann. 13, 5: pavore defixis.
Ederetis. Subj. cf. H. 500, 2; Z. 556, a.
Transigite cum expeditionibus==finite expeditiones. Dr. Cf. G. 19: cum spe—transigitur, note.