Adapted from Tacitus Dē vitā Gnaeī Iūliī Agricolae

Trebellius, segnior et nullīs castrōrum experīmentīs, cōmitate quādam provinciam tenuit. didicērunt iam barbarī quoque ignoscere vitiīs blandientibus, et cessātio civilium armorum praebuit iustam segnitiae excūsātiōnem: sed militēs expedītiōnibus adsuētī disciplīnam perdunt si ōtium habent. Trebellius fugā ac latēbrīs iram exercitūs suī vitavit, atque mox ducebat prece nec imperiō. quasi consilium cēperant, exercitūs suam licentiam habebant, duxque salūtem habēbat. fuit sēditio sine sanguine. nec Vettius Bolanus, quamquam manet adhuc civile bellum, agitāvit Britanniam disciplīnā: fuit eadem inertia ad hostēs, fuit similis petulantia castrorum. Bolanus tamen nihil nocēbat et habēbat cāritātem locō auctōritātis.

sed ubi cum cēterō orbe Vespasianus et Britanniam recuperāvit, magnī ducēs, ēgregiī exercitūs, minuta hostium spes. et terrorem statim intulit Petilius Cerialis, Brigantum civitatem, quae numerōsissima provinciae totius est, adgressus. Multa proelia, et aliquandō non incruenta; magnamque Brigantum partem aut victoriā amplexus est aut bellō. maximus erat Cerialis; solum alius maximus potuit illum superare cura famaque: subiit sustinuitque mōlem Iulius Frontinus, vir magnus, quantum licēbat, validamque et pugnācem Silurum gentem armīs subēgit, super virtūtem hostium locōrum quoque difficultātēs ēluctatus.

Operatives, you may remember that adverbs show how an action is done. Imagine the verb "to watch." You can watch something happily, or angrily, or quickly, or carefully, or in a myriad of other ways. Sometimes you'll want to compare how two people do something, and for that, Operatives, Latin uses a comparative adverb.

How does it work? Let's imagine two people: Salvia and her father. Perhaps both are watching Cogidubnus carefully - Salvia et pater Cogidubnum dīligenter spectant. But who is watching more carefully? If it's Salvia, we say Salvia Cogidubnum dīligentius quam pater spectat. But if it's her father, we say pater Cogidubnum dīligentius quam Salvia spectat.

Notice what happened in both examples? "dīligenter" changed to "dīligentius", and Latin used quam to mean "than". Latin sometimes also uses a slightly different structure to express the same idea; for example, we could also say Salvia Cogidubnum dīligentius patre spectat or pater Cogidubnum dīligentius Salviā spectat. Here, instead of using "quam," Latin chooses to put the second person into the Ablative case! In both cases, however, Latin uses the ending -ius to indicate a comparative adverb.

Operative, the TSTT seems to be in a very slight rut here, with the convincing the king about how bad the Romans really are, at least where their subjects are concerned. Operatives should look carefully at the leader, Boudicca, and specifically the culminating battle of Watling Street. Another important question to consider is why the emperor Nero would replace his victorious general, Paulinus, with someone else.

The appearance in 17.2.b of a rather startling new character would seem to initiate something new--the idea that there were Romans who had different ideas. We suggest beginning some serious research on the lives of women in the Early Empire. Consulting this source is also advised by Mission Control.

Additionally, you may want to watch the following TED video about the lives of four Roman sisters:

Directions: Copy and paste each sentence into your attunement form, completing it with the correct word in parentheses. Then translate the sentence into English.

1. cībus huius coquī parābatur (melior, melius) quam cībus illius coquī.

2. Recentiī custōdes (faciliōres, facilior, facilius) superāverant.

3. canis cucurrit (celerius, celerior) quam Tiberius.

4. milites pugnābant (fortior, fortius, fortiores) quam hostes.

5. puella ad forum ambulat (lentiōra, lentius, lentior) quam fēminae.

6. rex salīvit (altior, altius) quam Septimus.

7. Sextus dicit (clarius, clarior) quam fratrēs suī.

8. Scipio Carthaginem (ferocior, ferocius) petīvit.

Directions: Using the immersions for 17.2, answer the following questions in complete Latin sentences.

1. in initiō, quid dixit Scipio?

2. cūr Salvius potentēsque regem occīdent?

3. quī conspexistis extrā turbam in aedibus regis?

4. audīvistisne vocem Salviae anteā?

5. quid gerit Salvia?

6. amatne Salvius Salviam?

7. quid est cōnsilium Salviae?