XV.
Rettulit deinde ad senatum super collegio haruspicum, ne vetustissima Italiae disciplina per desidiam exolesceret: (rettulit deinde ad senatum super collegio haruspicum, ne vetustissima Italiae disciplina per desidiam exolesceret: ‘next, [Claudius] submitted to the senate [his proposal] with regard to (supra) a college of soothsayers, to prevent that the most ancient branch of knowledge in Italy should disappear through neglect.’ super collegio haruspicum: ‘about a college of diviners’; super takes abl. whenever the meaning is ‘about’, ‘concerning’ ‘in relation to’, etc; ne … per desidiam exolesceret: ne here introduces a negative purpose clause; another of the same type is ne … oblitterarentur below. Their distinguishing mark is that they can only be followed by present or imperfect subjunctive, depending on sequence of tenses. per + acc. can express cause, in place of simple abl.) saepe adversis rei publicae temporibus accitos, quorum monitu redintegratas caerimonias et in posterum rectius habitas; (saepe adversis rei publicae temporibus accitos, quorum monitu redintegratas caerimonias et in posterum rectius habitas: in oratio obliqua: ‘during adversities for the state, diviners had often been called in, by whose advice ceremonies were reinstated and valued more properly for the future’; habitas [esse]: ‘were held in respect and honor’) primoresque Etruriae sponte aut patrum Romanorum impulsu retinuisse scientiam et in familias propagasse: quod nunc segnius fieri publica circa bonas artes socordia, et quia externae superstitiones valescant. (quod nunc segnius fieri publica circa bonas artes socordia, et quia externae superstitiones valescant: in oratio obliqua: ‘which [art] now was practised with greater negligence, on account of the general (publica) unconcern for (circa) helpful disciplines, and because alien superstitions were growing strong’; quod nunc segnius fieri; the relative quod here is not truly subordinating: it is a relative of liaison (Ernout); it stands at he beginning of the clause serving as connector with the preceding clause. In indirect discourse, the clause is infinitive like any main clause and unlike relative clauses, which must take subjunctive. If a relative pronoun heads a clause and can be replaced by a demonstrative (here ‘this [art]’), the clause is not truly relative. Cf. A.G. 308, f. and 583, b. circa as preposition takes acc. quia … valescant: causal quia is followed by subjunctive only in indirect discourse. externae superstitiones: especially the Egyptian and Judaic cults, against the proliferation of which Tiberius had proposed to act in 19 A.D. See Book 2, ch. 85. Christianity may or may not have been a problem at this time (47 A.D.), although their first persecution in 64 A.D. under Nero was only 17 years away.) et laeta quidem in praesens omnia, sed benignitati deum gratiam referendam, ne ritus sacrorum inter ambigua culti per prospera oblitterarentur. (laeta quidem in praesens omnia, sed benignitati deum gratiam referendam [esse], ne ritus sacrorum inter ambigua culti per prospera oblitterarentur: ‘that all was indeed well at the present time, but that thanks must be given to the kindness of the gods, lest in prosperous time the sacred rites practiced (culti from colo) in uncertain times be forgotten’; ne … oblitterarentur: see note for ne … exolesceret above. gratiam referendam … [esse]: use of passive periphrasis to denote obligation or necessity; another example is retinenda firmandaque [essent] below.) factum ex eo senatus consultum, viderent pontifices quae retinenda firmandaque haruspicum. (factum ex eo senatus consultum, viderent pontifices quae retinenda firmandaque [essent] haruspicum: lit. ‘a decree of the senate was consequently (ex eo) passed [enjoining] the pontiffs that they should see what of the art of divination was necessary to be preserved and improved upon.’ viderent is command in indirect discourse governed by a historical main verb (factum [est] consultum); cf. A.G. 588. quae retinenda firmandaque [essent]: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by interrogative quae. haruspices is partitive genitive after the neuter quae.)