XXX.
Ac tamen (ac tamen: ‘and yet’) accusatores, si facultas incideret, poenis adficiebantur, (poenis adficiebantur: lit. ‘were visited with punishment.’) ut Servilius Corneliusque perdito Scauro famosi, quia pecuniam a Vario Ligure omittendae delationis ceperant, in insulas interdicto igni atque aqua demoti sunt. (ut Servilius Corneliusque perdito Scauro famosi, quia pecuniam a Vario Ligure omittendae delationis ceperant, in insulas interdicto igni atque aqua demoti sunt: ‘in the same manner that (ut) Servilius and Cornelius, infamous for the fall of Scaurus, were confined to islands because they had accepted payment from Varius Ligur for dropping their charges [against him].’ For Varius Ligur see Book 4, ch. 42. perdito Scauro famosi: either ‘notorious on account of the fallen Scaurus’ or abl. abs., ‘notorious, Scaurus being ruined’; omittendae delationis: in later Latin the genitive gerundive is found expressing purpose, ‘for the accusation to be withdrawn’; cf. A.G. 504, Note. interdicto igni atque aqua: abl. abs.. ‘fire and water having been prohibited’; see note for sorori eius Sanciae aqua atque igni interdictum [est] accusante Q. Pomponio in ch. 18. interdicto is singular with igni and aqua, which form a single indivisible concept.) et Abudius Ruso functus aedilitate, dum Lentulo Gaetulico, sub quo legioni praefuerat, periculum facessit quod is Seiani filium generum destinasset, ultro damnatur atque urbe exigitur. (Abudius Ruso functus aedilitate, dum Lentulo Gaetulico … periculum facessit quod is Seiani filium generum destinasset, ultro damnatur atque urbe exigitur: ‘Abudius Ruso, having held office as aedile, until he brought a case against Lentulus Gaetulicus, because he (is) had chosen Sejanus’ son as his son-in-law, the accuser was even (ultro) condemned and expelled from Rome.’ nothing further has come down to us about Abudius Ruso. The verb fungor governs the abl. dum Lentulo Gaetulico … periculum facessit: use of the idiom alicui periculum facessere, ‘to accuse someone’. For Gaetulicus see Book 4, ch. 42. dum … facessit: when the meaning of dum is ‘until’, it can be followed by any tense of the indicative; quod … destinasset: subjunctive in quod clause reporting Ruso’s accusation (virtual oratio obliqua); damnatur … exigitur: historical presents) Gaetulicus ea tempestate superioris Germaniae legiones curabat mirumque amorem adsecutus erat, effusae clementiae, modicus severitate (superioris Germaniae legiones curabat mirumque amorem adsecutus erat, effusae clementiae, modicus severitate: ‘he had charge of the legions of Upper Germany and had secured their deepest devotion, [being a commander] of vast understanding and moderate as to severity’; effusae clementiae, modicus severitate: genitive of quality and abl. of relation or respect) et proximo quoque exercitui per L. Apronium socerum non ingratus. (et proximo quoque exercitui per L. Apronium socerum non ingratus: ‘… and not unwelcome also to the next army [of Lower Germany], thanks to his father–in-law Lucius Apronius’; for Lucius Apronius see Book 4, ch. 73; per L. Apronium: Latin uses per + acc., in place of simple abl., to denote means or instrument when the agent is personal.) unde fama constans (unde fama constans: ‘from here, the persistent rumor that … ‘; unde is not ‘hence’, used to introduce an inference from something said in precedence, but ‘whence’, to indicate the source of the rumor, i.e. the armies of Germany.) ausum mittere ad Caesarem litteras, adfinitatem sibi cum Seiano haud sponte sed consilio Tiberii coeptam; perinde se quam Tiberium falli potuisse, neque errorem eundem illi sine fraude, aliis exitio habendum. (perinde se quam Tiberium falli potuisse, neque errorem eundem illi sine fraude, aliis exitio habendum: in oratio obliqua: lit. ‘… that he (se) had been as likely to be deceived (falli potuisse) [by Sejanus] as much as (perinde quam) Tiberius, and that the same error was not to be regarded without fault for him and for a cause of destruction for others’; errorem … habendum [esse] is use of passive periphrasis (gerundive + forms of esse) to express necessity or obligation (cf. G. 251; illi and aliis may be viewed as datives of agent. See B. 189. exitio is dat. of destination or purpose.) sibi fidem integram et, si nullis insidiis peteretur, mansuram; (sibi fidem integram et, si nullis insidiis peteretur, mansuram: ‘his loyalty, he wrote, was untainted and would remain so, if he was not made the target of cabals.’ sibi is dat. of possessor with implied form of esse, i.e., ‘he had steadfast loyalty’; si … peteretur: protasis in indirect discourse, thus with subjunctive; mansuram [esse] or [fore] is use of active periphrasis (active future participle + forms of esse often left understood) to denote imminent action or state, intention, tendency, etc.) successorem non aliter quam indicium mortis accepturum. firmarent velut foedus, quo princeps ceterarum rerum poteretur, ipse provinciam retineret. (firmarent velut foedus, quo princeps ceterarum rerum poteretur, ipse provinciam retineret: ‘let them, he wrote, establish a sort of treaty, by which the prince would be master of the rest of the empire, himself would retain his province.’ firmarent is hortative subjunctive, poteretur (or potiretur) and retineret are subjunctives in a clause with final quo replacing ut.) haec, mira quamquam, fidem ex eo trahebant quod unus omnium Seiani adfinium incolumis multaque gratia mansit, (haec, mira quamquam, fidem ex eo trahebant quod unus omnium Seiani adfinium incolumis multaque gratia mansit: ‘these proposals, astonishing though they are, drew credibility from the fact that he, alone (unus) of Sejanus’ relatives, retained life and great favor.’ mira quamquam: subordinating conjunction, especially quamquam, quamvis, etsi, and even nisi are found at all periods qualifying adjectives and adverbs. The usage extended to participles only in postclassical Latn.) reputante Tiberio publicum sibi odium, extremam aetatem magisque fama quam vi stare res suas. (reputante Tiberio publicum sibi odium, extremam aetatem magisque fama quam vi stare res suas: abl. abs. governing an infinitive clause: lit. ‘…, Tiberius considering that (freely, ‘Tiberius perhaps considered that …’) his age [was] very advanced, hatred for himself general, and that his imperial power rested more on the authority (fama) [of the office] than on his own strength.’ Old and hated, Tiberius decided to avoid, quite wisely, an open confrontation with a man loved by the troops of the most powerful army of the empire. Gaetulicus, however, was not so lucky with Caligula, who had him executed in 39 A.D.)