资源描述：
《tacitus_on_germany》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、Tacitus_on_GermanyTranslatedbyThomasGordonPREPARER'SNOTEThistextwaspreparedfroma1910edition,publishedbyP.F.Collier&SonCompany,NewYork.INTRODUCTORYNOTETACITUSONGERMANYThedatesofthebirthanddeathofTacitusareuncertain,butitisprobablethathewasbornabout54A.D.anddiedafter117.Hewasacontempor
2、aryandfriendoftheyoungerPliny,whoaddressedtohimsomeofhismostfamousepistles.Tacituswasapparentlyoftheequestrianclass,wasanadvocatebytraining,andhadareputationasanorator,thoughnoneofhisspeecheshassurvived.Heheldanumberofimportantpublicoffices,andmarriedthedaughterofAgricola,theconquero
3、rofBritain,whoselifehewrote.ThetwochiefworksofTacitus,the"Annals"andthe"Histories,"coveredthehistoryofRomefromthedeathofAugustustoA.D.96;butthegreaterpartofthe"Histories"islost,andthefragmentthatremainsdealsonlywiththeyear69andpartof70.Inthe"Annals"thereareseveralgaps,butwhatsurvives
4、describesalargepartofthereignsofTiberius,Claudius,andNero.Hisminorworks,besidesthelifeofAgricola,alreadymentioned,area"DialogueonOrators"andtheaccountofGermany,itssituation,itsinhabitants,theircharacterandcustoms,whichishereprinted.Tacitusstandsinthefrontrankofthehistoriansofantiquit
5、yfortheaccuracyofhisTacitus_on_Germanylearning,thefairnessofhisjudgments,therichness,concentration,andprecisionofhisstyle.Hisgreatsuccessor,Gibbon,calledhima"philosophicalhistorian,whosewritingswillinstructthelastgenerationsofmankind";andMontaigneknewnoauthor"who,inaworkofhistory,has
6、takensobroadaviewofhumaneventsorgivenamorejustanalysisofparticularcharacters."The"Germany"isadocumentofthegreatestinterestandimportance,sinceitgivesusbyfarthemostdetailedaccountofthestateofcultureamongthetribesthataretheancestorsofthemodernTeutonicnations,atthetimewhentheyfirstcamein
7、toaccountwiththecivilizationoftheMediterranean.ThewholeofGermanyisthusbounded;separatedfromGaul,fromRhoetiaandPannonia,bytheriversRhineandDanube;fromSarmatiaandDaciabymutualfear,orbyhighmountains:therestisencompassedbytheocean,whichformshugebays,andcomprehendsatractofislandsimmensein
8、extent:forwe
