09-17-2016, 10:42 PM
I have been on holiday for a few days and, consequently, not able to engage fully in this discussion. Nevertheless, as always, Nathan has said most of what I would have done. However, I did notice the following just before I went away:
The passage quoted is from the Penguin translation. The problem with Penguin translations is that they are designed for the general reader and, therefore, often take liberties with the text in the interests of readability. I was warned at school over 50 years ago not to use a Penguin translation as a crib for this very reason. What Tacitus actually says is that Suetonius determined to abandon delay and to fight a battle. What is not clear from the above is whether Hunt is criticising the translation or Tacitus' understanding of the tactical situation. If it is the former, why bother? Why not use a better translation? If it is the latter and he is criticising Tacitus on the basis of a poor translation, one has to wonder about the quality of his scholarship.
(09-12-2016, 10:14 AM)Alecto Wrote: (Annals) 'Suetonius collected the fourteenth brigade and detachments of the twentieth, together with the nearest available auxiliaries - amounting to nearly ten thousand armed men - and decided to attack without delay. '
(Hunt says: this last part was not true at all. He was sensibly seeking the advantage of a good defensive position, where he could wait for his enemies to come to him on ground of his own choosing').
The passage quoted is from the Penguin translation. The problem with Penguin translations is that they are designed for the general reader and, therefore, often take liberties with the text in the interests of readability. I was warned at school over 50 years ago not to use a Penguin translation as a crib for this very reason. What Tacitus actually says is that Suetonius determined to abandon delay and to fight a battle. What is not clear from the above is whether Hunt is criticising the translation or Tacitus' understanding of the tactical situation. If it is the former, why bother? Why not use a better translation? If it is the latter and he is criticising Tacitus on the basis of a poor translation, one has to wonder about the quality of his scholarship.
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)