XXIX.
Drusus orto die et vocata contione, quamquam rudis dicendi, nobilitate ingenita (quamquam rudis dicendi, nobilitate ingenita: Tacitus freely uses quamquam as an adverb with adjectives: ‘though unskilled in speaking, [yet] with a natural dignity’; dicendi is objective gen. gerund completing the sense of rudis; nobilitated ingenita is abl. of quality and describes a noun, here Drusus.) incusat priora, probat praesentia; negat se terrore et minis vinci: flexos ad modestiam si videat, si supplices audiat, scripturum (si videat, si … audiat, scripturum: conditional sentence of type II (potential) in indirect discourse after the historical presents incusat, probat, negat, which may call for either primary or secondary tenses. The protasis has present subjunctive, the apodosis future infinitive, in keeping with the rules governing oratio obliqua. Cf. A.G. 577 – 580. The same reasoning applies largely to terrere ni paveant below.) patri ut placatus legionum preces exciperet. orantibus (orantibus: one-word abl. abs., the implied subject being ‘the troops’: ‘the troops pleading with him [to do this]’) rursum idem Blaesus et L. Aponius, eques Romanus e cohorte Drusi, (e cohorte Drusi: cohors is used here in the sense of ‘retinue’, ‘train’, ‘suite’.) Iustusque Catonius, primi ordinis centurio, (primi ordinis centurio: or centurio primipilus, the senior centurion in a legion, commanding the first century of the first maniple of the first cohort in a legion) ad Tiberium mittuntur. certatum inde sententiis, cum alii opperiendos legatos atque interim comitate permulcendum militem censerent, alii fortioribus remediis agendum: (certatum [est] inde sententiis, cum alii opperiendos legatos atque interim comitate permulcendum militem censerent, alii fortioribus remediis agendum: certatum [est] is impersonal use of passive: ‘then it was disputed over decisions, since some asserted that the envoys should be awaited and that meanwhile the troops ought to be handled with indulgence, others that it should be acted with sterner methods’. cum … censerent: causal cum requires subjunctive; the imperfect is de rigueur after certatum [est], a historical main verb.) nihil in vulgo modicum; terrere ni paveant, (terrere ni paveant: ‘they terrify, unless they are terrified.’ Another conditional sentence in oratio obliqua, this time with negative protasis where ni = nisi. The governing verb of saying is censerent, a historical tense, thus ni paverent is more the expected instead of ni paveant, but the present subjunctive has greater immediacy.) ubi pertimuerint inpune contemni: dum superstitio urgeat, adiciendos ex duce metus sublatis seditionis auctoribus. (ubi pertimuerint inpune contemni: dum superstitio urgeat, adiciendos ex duce metus sublatis seditionis auctoribus: ‘[they further maintained that], once mobs lost their cockiness, they were safely despised and that, while superstitious awe was oppressing them, fears should be applied by the leaders by executing the promoters of the revolt.’ According to consecutio temporum, pertimuerint and urgeat are in place of pertimuissent and urgeret (repraesentatio, cf. A.G. 585, b.); ubi and dum, normally with indicative, take subjunctive in indirect discourse; ex duce is abl. of source, akin to abl. of agent. sublatis seditionis auctoribus is abl. abs. of instrumental sense.) promptum ad asperiora ingenium Druso erat: (promptum ad asperiora ingenium Druso erat: Druso is dative of possessor with erat: ‘Drusus had a temperament readily disposed to harshness.’ For more on Drusus’ sanguinary tendencies see ch. 76 ahead.) vocatos Vibulenum et Percennium interfici iubet. tradunt plerique intra tabernaculum ducis obrutos, alii corpora extra vallum abiecta ostentui. (ostentui: dat. of purpose: ‘to be a lesson [to the others]’)