Translate:
Calgacus, imperātor praeclārus hostium, cōpiās suās
convocāvit. Hiē diēs inquit, ‘dabit lībertātem omnibus Britannīs: proelium et
arma sunt tūtissima et fortibus et ignāvīs. Nisi Rōmānōs ex īnsulā expulerimus,
fēminae et līberī erunt servī (1): nōs etiam erimus servī: Rōmānī sunt
raptōrēs orbis. Necāre et vastāre imperium appellant (2), atque,
ubi sōlitūdinem faciunt, pācem appellant. Boudicca regina castra incendit,
oppida expugnāvit, hostēs paene expulit. Nōs Rōmānōs expellere facile
poterimus.’
Notes:
(1) Nisi Rōmānōs ex īnsulā expulerimus,
fēminae et līberī erunt servī; use of the future tense in the first
clause which is present tense in English i.e. the Latin conveys the inherent
idea that both events take place in the future:
Nisi … expulerimus,
fēminae et līberī erunt … │ Unless we (will) drive the
Romans out of the island, our women and children will be …; nisi: unless
/ if … not
(2) Necāre et vastāre imperium appellant;
Latin uses infinitives (necāre; vastāre), but these are best
translated either as verbal nouns (killing; devastating) or as nouns
(slaughter; devastation)
Calgacus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgacus
In the days long, long before “fact checking”, it was not
uncommon for Roman historians to invent speeches designed to be appropriate to
the situation rather than what, if anything, was actually said. Tacitus would
not have been aware of any pre-battle speech made by the enemy commander. In
the original text, Tacitus signals this convention by introducing the speech
indirectly rather than claiming eyewitness accuracy.
The English translation of the original speech is available
here:
https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/readings/agricola.html
____________________
Calgacus, the distinguished leader of the enemy, summoned his forces. He said, “This day will give freedom to all the Britons. Battle and weapons are the safest for both the brave and the cowardly alike. Unless we drive the Romans out of the island, our women and children will be slaves; we ourselves too will be slaves. The Romans are the robbers of the world. They call slaughter and devastation an empire, and when they make a desert, they call it peace. Queen Boudicca burned camps, captured towns, and almost drove out the enemy. We will be able easily to drive the Romans out.”
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