LXXV.
Nec patrum cognitionibus (cognitionibus: ‘judicial inquiries’) satiatus iudiciis adsidebat in cornu tribunalis, (in cornu tribunalis: ‘in the corner of a court of law’, at the end of a long hall called basilica with double colonnade. The shape of the raised court was a semicircle with a wing (cornu) at each extremity and ample place in the center for the praetor’s chair or sella.) ne praetorem curuli depelleret; (ne praetorem curuli depelleret: ‘to avoid displacing the praetor from his chair’; curuli is short for sella curuli.) multaque eo coram adversus ambitum et potentium preces constituta. sed dum veritati consulitur, libertas corrumpebatur. (dum veritati consulitur, libertas corrumpebatur: for dum + present indicative, see note for cum … deligeret …obiectaret in previous chapter; libertas is here with the sense of ‘judicial independence’.) inter quae (inter quae: i.e. among the instances of Tiberius’ concern for justice) Pius Aurelius senator questus mole publicae viae ductuque aquarum labefactas aedis suas, (questus mole publicae viae ductuque aquarum labefactas aedis suas: ‘having complained that his house had been made unsafe by the construction (mole) of a public road and by an aqueduct, …’) auxilium patrum invocabat. resistentibus aerarii praetoribus (resistentibus aerarii praetoribus: ‘the praetors of the public treasury being opposed’; originally entrusted to questors, the administration of the treasury was assigned by Augustus to the praetors in 29 B.C.) subvenit Caesar pretiumque aedium Aurelio tribuit, erogandae per honesta pecuniae cupiens, quam virtutem diu retinuit, cum ceteras exueret. (erogandae per honesta pecuniae cupiens, quam virtutem diu retinuit, cum ceteras exueret: the participle cupiens takes the place of a causal clause with quod or quia: lit. ‘given that he was fond of money to be spent on good causes, a virtue he retained for a long time, whereas all the others he threw off.’ per honesta: use of per + acc. to express cause in place of simple abl.; cum exueret: example of adversative or concessive cum (‘whereas’, ‘while on the contrary’, ‘although’). + subjunctive; see G.587.) Propertio Celeri praetorio, veniam ordinis ob paupertatem petenti, decies sestertium largitus est, (Propertio Celeri praetorio, veniam ordinis ob paupertatem petenti, decies sestertium largitus est: ‘to the ex-praetor Propertius Celer asking leave to exit the senatorial order (lit. ‘the dispensation of rank’) on grounds of poverty, he granted one million sesterces.’ decies sestertium: short for decies centena milia serstertium, or 10 x 100,000 = 1,000,000 sesterces, which was the required property assessment, as fixed by Augustus, for inclusion in the senatorial class.) satis conperto paternas ei angustias esse. (satis conperto paternas ei angustias esse: satis comperto is abl. abs.: ‘having been sufficiently established that his indigence was inherited’, i.e. not brought on by waste or misuse of one’s fortune. ei is dat. of possessor with esse, lit. ‘that for him penury was from his father’.) temptantis eadem alios probare causam senatui iussit, cupidine severitatis in iis etiam quae rite faceret acerbus. (cupidine severitatis in iis etiam quae rite faceret acerbus: ‘being a harsh man, from concern of austerity even in things (in iis) he would do with justice in mind’; faceret is potential subjunctive.) unde (unde: ‘consequently’) ceteri silentium et paupertatem confessioni et beneficio praeposuere.