I.
* * * nam Valerium Asiaticum, bis consulem, fuisse quondam adulterum eius credidit, (* * * nam Valerium Asiaticum, bis consulem, fuisse quondam adulterum eius credidit: ‘[Messalina] was convinced that Valerius Asiaticus, twice consul, had formerly been [Poppaea’s] (eius) lover, …’ * * *: part of Book 11 is missing, perhaps as mush as half, together with the previous four books. The narrative resumes in the seventh year of Claudius reign, about halfway through 47 A.D. That the subject of credidit is Messalina and that eius refers to Poppaea is made clear in the next chapter. Valeria Messalina was the third wife of Claudius and the daughter of Domitia Lepida and of her first cousin Valerius Messalla Barbatus, both grandchildren of Octavia, Augustus’ sister. That made Messalina the great-grandniece of emperor Augustus, the first cousin of Emperor Nero, and the second cousin of emperor Caligula. Poppaea Sabina was the daughter of Poppaeus Sabinus, mentioned in Book 6, ch.39. She was a woman of extraordinary beauty and the mother of Nero’s wife Poppaea. Valerius Asiaticus was a wealthy ex-consul native of Vienne in Gaul (south of Lyon and north of Avignon).) pariterque hortis inhians, quos ille a Lucullo cooptos insigni magnificentia extollebat, (pariterque hortis inhians, quos ille a Lucullo cooptos insigni magnificentia extollebat: ‘… and at the same time hankering after the gardens established by Lucullus, which he was embellishing with singular munificence.’ Lucullus was mentioned in Book 6, ch. 50. His gardens in Rome (Horti Lucullani) were in the north section of the city on Mount Pincius, the eighth hill of Rome, west of the Gardens of Sallust.) Suillium accusandis utrisque immittit. (Suillium accusandis utrisque immittit: ‘she let loose Suillius to impeach both Asiaticus and Poppaea.’ accusandis utrisque: dative gerundive to express intent, lit. ‘for both of them to be indicted’. Suillius, as narrated in Book 4, ch. 31, had been banished to an island under Tiberius, but was later recalled under Caligula or Claudius.) adiungitur Sosibius Britannici educator qui per speciem benevolentiae moneret Claudium cavere vim atque opes principibus infensas: (adiungitur Sosibius Britannici educator qui per speciem benevolentiae moneret Claudium cavere vim atque opes principibus infensas: ‘[to him], was added Sosibius, the tutor of Britannicus, who in appearance solicitous [for the prince] was to warn Claudius to be on his guard against the riches and influence [of a private man] becoming a threat to an emperor.’ Britannicus was the son of Claudius and Messalina, five years old at the time. qui … moneret: subjunctive. in relative clause of final sense. moneret cavere: followed by infinitive, moneo is not rare in Tacitus; in Book 4, ch. 67, for example, moneo is found followed by both infinitive and by ne + subjunctive.) praecipoum auctorem Asiaticum interficiendi G. Caesaris non extimuisse contione in populi Romani fateri gloriamque facinoris ultro petere; (praecipoum auctorem Asiaticum interficiendi G. Caesaris non extimuisse contione in populi Romani fateri gloriamque facinoris ultro petere: ‘[he said] that Asiaticus, the principle agent of the assassination of Gaius Caesar, had not been at all afraid, in the general assembly of the Roman people, to admit [the deed] and even sought credit for the exploit.’ Both Flavius Josephus and Cassius Dio report that, during the assembly just mentioned, to the people loudly demanding the name of the murderer, he shouted back, “Utinam ego!” (“I wish I were the one!”). auctorem … interficiendi G. Caesaris: objective genitive gerundive after a noun, ‘the author of Gaius Caesar having to be killed’; the gerundive, a passive verbal adjective, always entails in some way the idea of necessity or moral obligation. ultro: ‘into the bargain’) clarum ex eo in urbe, didita per provincias fama parare iter ad Germanicos exercitus, (clarum ex eo in urbe, didita per provincias fama parare iter ad Germanicos exercitus: ‘that, famous for that reason in the city and his name becoming widely known abroad, he was preparing a trip to the armies of Germany’; didita per provincias fama: abl. abs., lit. ‘his fame being spread in the provinces) quando genitus Viennae multisque et validis propinquitatibus subnixus turbare gentilis nationes promptum haberet. (quando genitus Viennae multisque et validis propinquitatibus subnixus turbare gentilis nationes promptum haberet: ‘since, being born at Vienne, and reinforced by many and powerful associates it would be easy for him to rouse the nations of his country (gentilis)’; quando … promptum haberet: in a causal sense, the use of quando is either old or later Latin; like quod, quia, and quoniam, it takes indicative, except in indirect discourse or when the reason is presumed, not factual. promptum esse or habere is idiom, ‘to be easy’ or to ‘to have easily available’) at Claudius nihil ultra scrutatus citis cum militibus tamquam opprimendo bello Crispinum praetorii praefectum misit, (at Claudius nihil ultra scrutatus citis cum militibus tamquam opprimendo bello Crispinum … misit: lit. ‘immediately, Claudius, having inquired nothing further, sent Crispinus with troops, as though to stamp out an insurgence.’ Rufrius Crispinus shared command of the praetorian gusrd with Lusius Geta, to avoid the danger of leaving the control to one man, as was done with Sejanus and Macro. He was the first husband of Poppaea, later Nero’s wife. He was also the father of Nero. at indicates prompt reaction; citis cum militibus is abl. of manner rather than accompaniment, ‘with fast-moving troops’; the deponent scrutatus has active sense, like the corresponding perfect participle in English; tamquam opprimendo bello: a subordinating conjunction qualifying a gerundive, a verbal adjective, a construction seldom found in classical Latin; opprimendo bello is dat. of purpose, ‘for a revolt to be put down’; cf. also note above for auctorem … interficiendi G. Caesaris.) a quo repertus est apud Baias vinclisque inditis in urbem raptus. (a quo repertus est apud Baias vinclisque inditis in urbem raptus: ‘by whom (i.e. Crispinus) [Asiaticus] was located at Baiae and rushed to Rome, fetters having been put [on him]’; Baiae is in the westernmost part of the gulf of Naples in the bay formed by the coast and the Misenum peninsula.)