XV.
Tum primum e campo (e campo: the Campus Martius, the open space in the NW section of the city, where the comitia or elections were regularly held.) comitia ad patres translata sunt: nam ad eam diem, etsi potissima arbitrio principis, quaedam tamen studiis tribuum fiebant. (etsi potissima arbitrio principis, quaedam tamen studiis tribuum fiebant: ‘for though the most important [elections] were under the control of the prince, yet some of them were decided by the favor of the tribes’; tribuum: the thirty-five tribes into witch the Roman lower classes were organized) neque populus ademptum ius questus est (neque populus ademptum ius questus est: the verb quero is here transitive (unlike the English ‘to complain’) and adeptum ius is its direct object: ‘the people did not object to the right being taken away’.) nisi inani rumore, et senatus largitionibus ac precibus sordidis exsolutus libens tenuit, moderante Tiberio ne plures quam quattuor candidatos commendaret (moderante Tiberio ne plures quam quattuor candidatos commendaret: ‘limiting himself to recommend no more than four candidates’; ne introduces a negative complementary clause after moderor: ‘that he would not recommend more than …’. A distinction is usually drawn between commendatio, by which the emperor recommends a candidate to the suffrages of the people, and nominatio, by which candidates must by picked from a list of his choice; in reality this was all part of the great Roman pretense that the imperial system was other than an absolute monarchy. Ultimately, in both the wishes of the ruler are law. ‘Recommending’ four candidates who must be elected with no cavil or canvassing or chance of rejection was hardly the republican idea of political freedom.) sine repulsa et ambitu designandos. inter quae tribuni plebei petivere ut proprio sumptu ederent ludos qui de nomine Augusti fastis additi Augustales vocarentur. sed decreta pecunia ex aerario, utque per circum triumphali veste uterentur: (decreta pecunia ex aerario, [decretum est] utque per circum triumphali veste uterentur: ‘money was voted from the public treasury and [it was decreed] that they should wear the triumphal robe in the circus’: [decretum est] must be inferred from decreta; decerno is followed either by complementary acc. + infinitive or ut + subjunctive; the subject of uterentur is tribuni plebei; per circum: ‘in, at, or throughout the circus’) curru vehi haud permissum. (curru vehi haud permissum: the subject is vehi, which has middle sense: ‘to ride in a chariot was not allowed’; curru: previously, both the triumphal robe and the chariot were the appanage of consuls and praetors.) mox celebratio annua ad praetorem translata cui inter civis et peregrinos iurisdictio evenisset. (cui inter civis et peregrinos iurisdictio evenisset: relative clause with potential subjunctive.)