The emperors who succeeded him spent even more time at the frontiers and even less in Rome.
以后的皇帝們更頻繁地逗留在邊境,更少地呆在羅馬。
They were true soldiers, elected by their troops and often dismissed or even killed by them too.
他們是地道的士兵,是被軍隊(duì)推選出來的,有時(shí)也會(huì)被軍隊(duì)罷免,有時(shí)甚至?xí)皇勘蛩馈?/p>
Many of these emperors weren't Romans, but foreigners, for by now the legions had only a very small number of Romans in them.
這些皇帝中的許多位根本不是羅馬人,而是外國人,因?yàn)楫?dāng)時(shí)軍團(tuán)里只還有極少數(shù)羅馬人。
The Italian peasants who, in earlier times, had gone out to conquer the world as soldiers, had virtually disappeared,
從前曾一度作為士兵征服過世界的意大利農(nóng)民幾乎已經(jīng)沒有了,
while their farms had been absorbed into the huge estates owned by the rich and managed by foreign slaves,
因?yàn)楦鬓r(nóng)家已成為富人的大型農(nóng)莊,在這些農(nóng)莊干活的是外國奴隸。
and the army was also made up of foreigners – you remember the Egyptians by the Danube.
軍隊(duì)也由外國人組成,如我們已經(jīng)說過的多瑙河畔的埃及人。
Most of these soldiers were Germans who, as you know, were excellent warriors.
但是特別多的士兵是日耳曼人,你是知道的,這些日耳曼人士很好的武士。
And it was these foreign troops, stationed at all four corners of the vast empire,
你是知道的,這些日耳曼人士很好的武士。
at the frontiers of Germania and Persia and in Spain, Britain, North Africa, Egypt, Asia Minor and Romania – who now chose their favorite generals to be their emperors.
在這個(gè)龐大帝國的東方和西方,在日耳曼邊境和波斯邊境,在西班牙,在不列顛,在北非、埃及、小亞細(xì)亞和羅馬尼亞,選舉他們最喜歡的統(tǒng)帥當(dāng)皇帝,
Then they all fought for power and had each other murdered, just as at the time of Marius and Sulla.
這些皇帝們爭權(quán)奪利,自相殘殺,類似馬略和蘇拉時(shí)代。