XLIII.
Igitur haec et de Armenia quae supra memoravi (de Armenia quae supra memoravi: see ch. 2-4) apud patres disseruit, nec posse motum Orientem nisi Germanici sapientia conponi: (nec posse motum Orientem nisi Germanici sapientia conponi: in indir. discourse: ‘that the eastern disorders could not be settled, except by Germanicus’ wisdom’; an example of nisi being used without verb after a negative clause.) nam suam aetatem vergere, (suam aetatem vergere: ‘that his life was declining’; he was 59 at the time, Germanicus 31, Drusus 29.) Drusi nondum satis adolevisse. tunc decreto patrum permissae Germanico provinciae quae mari dividuntur, maiusque imperium, quoquo adisset, quam iis qui sorte aut missu principis obtinerent (decreto patrum permissae Germanico provinciae quae mari dividuntur, maiusque imperium, quoquo adisset, quam iis qui sorte aut missu principis obtinerent: the passage is in virtual oratio obliqua in that the words of the decree are being reported, so all dependent clauses have subjunctive, except quae mari dividuntur, which is merely explanatory: lit. ‘with a decree of the senate, all provinces that are divided [from Italy] by the sea were entrusted to Germanicus and power, wherever he would have gone, greater than of those who might obtain theirs by lot or by mandate of the prince.’ maiusque imperium …quam iis [erat] qui …: iis is dat. of possessor with implied erat: ‘greater power than those possessed, who …’; quoquo adisset: the adverb quoquo is the abl. of quidquid, one of the rel. pronouns and adjectives that have double formation and both parts declinable. They are normally followed by indicative except in later writers. The plup. subjunctive adisset reflects the future perfect adierit used in the senate decree. The provinciae quae mari dividuntur are all the provinces of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), Syria, Judea, the North African provinces, except Egypt, and perhaps Achaia and Macedonia.) sed Tiberius demoverat Syria Creticum Silanum, (demoverat Syria Creticum Silanum: ‘he had removed from Syria Crerticus Silanus’; Syria is abl. of separation; compound verbs with a, ab, de, ex take simple abl. Creticus Silanus had been legatus of Syria since 11 A.D.) per adfinitatem conexam Germanico, quia Silani filia Neroni vetustissimo liberorum eius pacta erat, praefeceratque Cn. Pisonem, (Cn. Pisonem: Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso has been mention several times before. See for example ch. 35.) ingenio violentum et obsequii ignarum, insita ferocia a patre Pisone qui (obsequii ignarum, insita ferocia a patre Pisone qui …: ‘inherently rebellious, his intractability having been implanted in him by his father Piso , who …’. After Caesar’s victory over Pompey at Pharsalus in 48 B.C., the republican forces (the elder Piso among them) organized their opposition in Africa, but were defeated at Thapsus in 46 B.C. With the murder of Caesar in 44 B.C., a new civil war ensued between Octavian (later Augustus) and Marc Antony on one side, bent on avenging Caesar’s death, and his assassins Brutus and Cassius on the other, supported by the senate. Piso’ s father again backed the losing party and withdrew from politics, until Augustus approached him with the offer of the consulate, as described hereafter.) civili bello resurgentis in Africa partis acerrimo ministerio adversus Caesarem iuvit, mox Brutum et Cassium secutus concesso reditu petitione honorum abstinuit, donec ultro ambiretur delatum ab Augusto consulatum accipere. (donec ultro ambiretur delatum ab Augusto consulatum accipere: for donec + subjunctive see note for donec … promitteret in ch. 39: ‘until he was prevailed on by Augustus himself to accept the consulate’; ultro: ‘of the prince’s own accord’) sed praeter paternos spiritus uxoris quoque Plancinae (Plancinae: most probably the daughter of Lucius Munatius Plancus, Roman senator, consul in 42 B.C. and Censor in 22 B.C., a man described by one historian as morbo proditor, ‘a pathological traitor’, because of his ability to survive by shifting allegiance from one party to another.) nobilitate et opibus accendebatur; vix Tiberio concedere, liberos eius ut multum infra despectare. (vix Tiberio concedere, liberos eius ut multum infra despectare: ‘he would hardly cede precedence to Tiberius, whose children he regarded as far lower in degree.’ multum infra: both adverbs, ‘far beneath’) nec dubium habebat se delectum qui Syriae imponeretur ad spes Germanici coercendas. (se delectum qui Syriae imponeretur ad spes Germanici coercendas: lit. ‘that he (se) had been chosen [as the man] who should be put over Syria for Germanicus’ aspirations to be contained’; Tiberius’ plan, according to some, was to have Germanicus and Piso at loggerheads far from Rome and thereby rid himself of the two men he feared the most. The relative clause replaces a purpose clause with ut; the use of the acc. gerundive with ad is another way to express purpose.) credidere quidam data et a Tiberio occulta mandata; et Plancinam haud dubie Augusta monuit aemulatione muliebri Agrippinam insectandi. (Plancinam … Augusta monuit aemulatione muliebri Agrippinam insectandi: moneo takes acc. of the person and genitive of the thing being advised: ‘Augusta instructed Plancina, out of feminine jealousy, to persecute Agrippina.’ Agrippina insectandi: of the gerund only the gen. and the abl. (without prep.) can have a direct object.) divisa namque et discors aula erat tacitis in Drusum aut Germanicum studiis. Tiberius ut proprium et sui sanguinis Drusum fovebat: Germanico alienatio patrui amorem apud ceteros auxerat, et quia claritudine matemi generis anteibat, avum M. Antonium, avunculum Augustum ferens. (quia claritudine matemi generis anteibat, avum M. Antonium, avunculum Augustum ferens: ‘because [Germanicus] had precedence in the nobility of his maternal family, having Marc Antony as grandfather and Augustus as uncle’: Germanicus’ mother Antonia was the daughter of Marc Antony and of Augustus’ sister Octavia, so Marc Antony was his grandfather and Augustus was actually his great-uncle. quia …anteibat: cf note for quod … coluisset … quia … credebatur in previous chapter.) contra Druso proavus eques Romanus Pomponius Atticus dedecere Claudiorum imagines videbatur: (Druso proavus eques Romanus Pomponius Atticus dedecere Claudiorum imagines videbatur: ‘the Roman knight Pomponius Atticus, great-grandfather to Drusus, seemed to discredit the images of the Claudii.’ Vipsania, Tiberius’ first wife and mother of Drusus, was the daughter of Pomponia, first wife of Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’ adviser and close friend. Pomponia in turn was the daughter of Pomponius Atticus, a knight and intimate correspondent of Cicero. Thus, Atticus was the great-grandfather of Drusus. Claudiorum: the Claudii were the members of the gens Cludia, like Tiberius himself, whose full name was Ti. Claudius Nero Germanicus.) et coniunx Germanici Agrippina fecunditate ac fama Liviam uxorem Drusi (Liviam uxorem Drusi: Livia, the wife of Tiberius’ son Drusus, sister of Germanicus, better known as Livilla.) praecellebat. sed fratres egregie concordes et proximorum certaminibus inconcussi.