XXIII.
A. Vitellio L. Vipstano consulibus (A. Vitellio L. Vipstano consulibus: the new consuls for the year 48 A.D.; Aulus Vitellius is the son of the consul for the previous year, Lucius Vitellius, and one of the future emperors for 69 A.D. Not much else is known about Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola.) cum de supplendo senatu agitaretur primoresque Galliae, quae Comata appellatur, foedera et civitatem Romanam pridem adsecuti, ius adipiscendorum in urbe honorum expeterent, multus ea super re variusque rumor. (cum de supplendo senatu agitaretur primoresque Galliae, quae Comata appellatur, foedera et civitatem Romanam pridem adsecuti, ius adipiscendorum in urbe honorum expeterent, multus ea super re variusque rumor: ‘considering that it was being debated about bringing the senate up to full numbers, and that the chief representatives of the part of Gaul that is known as “long-haired Gaul” were petitioning the right of holding office in the city (having long before obtained the status of allies and the Roman citizenship), the exchange of views about such matter [was] both heated and copious.’ Galliae … comata: the western, central, and northern province (Aquitania, Lugdunensis, and Belgica), as opposed to the Gallia bracata (“wearing breeches”), the southern Romanised Narbonensis province, known today as Provence. cum … agitaretur, … expecterent: here cum + subjunctive appears to be causal rather than temporal; de supplendo senatu: gerundive abl. of the subject treated, lit. ‘about the senate to be supplemented’; ius adipiscendorum … honorum: objective genitive gerundive after a noun, lit. ‘the right of public offices to be secured’; ea super re: the prep. super takes abl. if the meaning is ‘about’, ‘concerning’, ‘on’.) et studiis diversis apud principem certabatur adseverantium non adeo aegram Italiam ut senatum suppeditare urbi suae nequiret. (studiis diversis apud principem certabatur adseverantium non adeo aegram Italiam ut senatum suppeditare urbi suae nequiret: lit. ‘passionately, it was disputed back and forth before the prince with the views of those asserting that Italy [was] not so weak as to be incapable to furnish a senate to its capital city.’ adeo … ut … nequiret: consecutive clause introduced by adeo … ut) suffecisse olim indigenas consanguineis populis nec paenitere veteris rei publicae. (suffecisse olim indigenas consanguineis populis nec paenitere veteris rei publicae: ‘in ancient days’, they said, ‘a senate of native-born Romans (indigenas) had been sufficient for the [neighboring] peoples of the same blood, [yet] no one finds fault with the old republic’; nec paenitere veteris rei publicae: impersonal use of paeniteo with acc. of person affected (if present) and gen. of cause of emotion: lit. ‘it was not complained of the old republic’.) quin adhuc memorari exempla quae priscis moribus ad virtutem et gloriam Romana indoles prodiderit. (quin adhuc memorari exempla quae priscis moribus ad virtutem et gloriam Romana indoles prodiderit: ‘on the contrary, even in their time examples of virtue and glory were quoted that the Roman temper did produce under the ancient customs’; quin is emphatic adverb, ‘why not’, ‘nay, even …’, ‘in fact’. quae … prodiderit: subjunctive for relative clause in indirect discourse; the perfect replaces the pluperfect prodidisset (required by the sequence of tenses after the historical verb of saying certabatur above), as the perfect is viewed more suitable to express in a more direct and lively manner the intent of the writer. In addition, there is a marked tendency in Latin to use the perfect subjunctive to represent the perfect indicative that would be used in direct speech (Ernout). The same reasoning applies to inruperint below) an parum quod Veneti et Insubres curiam inruperint, nisi coetus alienigenarum velut captivitas inferatur? (an parum quod Veneti et Insubres curiam inruperint, nisi coetus alienigenarum velut captivitas inferatur?: ‘perhaps was it too little that the Veneti and the Insubres had invaded the senate house, unless a horde of foreigners should be brought in like (velut) a mob of prisoners?’ The Insubres and the Veneti were peoples living north of the Po river in what are today the Lombardy and Veneto regions. Julius Caesar had extended parliamentary rights to these peoples in 49 B.C. at the start of the civil war between him and Pompei. an parum quod … inruperint: subjunctive in indirect question; an, usually identified with disjunctive questions, is also used as a simple interrogative particle, especially if the question expresses sarcasm or surprise, or refutes an opponent. nisi … inferatur: the present subjunctive inferatur is repraesentatio for inferretur; cf. L. 1590, A.G. 585, b. and Note. captivitas is best viewed as apposition of coetus, thus: ‘a horde of foreigners, … a body of prisoners.’) quem ultra honorem residuis nobilium, aut si quis pauper e Latio senator foret? (quem ultra honorem residuis nobilium [esse], aut si quis pauper e Latio senator foret?: lit. ‘what further honor would be there for the remaining members of the nobility or if there should be (foret) some impoverished senator from Latium?’ quem honorem residuis nobilium [esse]: the interrogative acc. quem … honorem, introducing an indirect question, indicates that the implied verb, [esse}, is infinitive and that the question is purely rhetorical in indirect discourse (cf. B. 162, 3.); residuis is dat. of possessor with implied esse (cf. B. 190). si … foret is subjunctive in indirect discourse, as is si … moreretur below at the end of the chapter. For the genitive nobilium see note for cunctisque civium in previous chapter.) oppleturos omnia divites illos, (oppleturos [esse] omnia divites illos: ‘those affluent [Gauls] were going to fill every office’; use of active periphrasis to express imminent possibility or danger. Cf. B. 115.) quorum avi proavique hostilium nationum duces exercitus nostros ferro vique ceciderint, divum Iulium (divum Iulium: ‘the divine Julius Caesar’; divine honors and the title divus were conferred after their death to meritorious rulers. Caesar had been besieged by the Gauls while he was besieging Alesia, located NW of the Jura mountains in eastern France, near Dijon, in 52 B.C.) apud Alesiam obsederint. recentia haec: quid si memoria eorum moreretur qui sub Capitolio et arce Romana manibus eorundem perissent satis: (quid si memoria eorum moreretur qui sub Capitolio et arce Romana manibus eorundem perissent satis: lit. ‘what if the remembrance of those who had perished in abundant numbers near the temple of Jupiter Capitoline and the citadel of Rome should refuse to go away?’ The original test is doubtful at this point and translation can be only tentative. The reference is to sack of Rome in 390 B.C. by a force of Gauls of the Senones nation in northern Gaul. arce Romana: the fortified height on the Captoline hill; the Capitolium is either the Capitoline hill or, more likely, the temple of Jupiter on top of the hill. qui … perissent: subjunctive in relative clause in oratio obliqua) fruerentur sane vocabulo civitatis: insignia patrum, decora magistratuum ne vulgarent. (fruerentur sane vocabulo civitatis: insignia patrum, decora magistratuum ne vulgarent: ‘let them by all means enjoy the title of citizens, let them not cheapen the privilege of office.’ fruerentur and vulgarent are hortatory subjunctives, one positive, the other negative with ne.)