XXXI.
Tum potissimum quemque (potissimum quemque amicorum: ‘all his most influential friens’; idiomatic use of quisque with superlative; the sense is distributive, i.e., the given quality applies to all of the same kind; amicorum is partitive genitive after an adjective denoting comparison,) amicorum vocat, primumque rei frumentariae praefectum Turranium, post Lusium Getam praetorianis impositum percontatur. (rei frumentariae praefectum Turranium, post Lusium Getam praetorianis impositum percontatur: ‘he questioned Turranius, the prefect in charge of the corn supplies, then (post) Lusius Geta, placed in command of the praetorian guards.’ Gaius Turranius had held the post for over three decades (cf. Book 1, ch. 7) and must have been now over ninety years old. For Lusius Geta see ch. 33 ahead and Book 12, ch. 42. praetorianis is dative with impono; percontatur is historical present, one of several in the chapter.) quis fatentibus certatim ceteri circumstrepunt, iret in castra, firmaret praetorias cohortis, securitati ante quam vindictae consuleret. (quis fatentibus certatim ceteri circumstrepunt, iret in castra, firmaret praetorias cohortis, securitati ante quam vindictae consuleret: ‘these having confirmed [what had happened], the others crowded around Claudius emulously clamoring that he should go to the praetorian cohorts, strengthen their support, and ensure security before he gave thought to vengeance.’ quis fatentibus is abl. abs.; the Latin relative pronoun at the head of a clause is translated into English by a demonstrative pronoun; iret, firmaret are hortative subjunctives in oratio obliqua after circumstrepunt; consuleret is subjunctive in an antequam temporal clause for two reasons, first for denoting future (possible) action and, second, for being in indirect speech.) satis constat eo pavore offusum Claudium ut identidem interrogaret an ipse imperii potens, an Silius privatus esset. (eo pavore offusum Claudium ut identidem interrogaret an ipse imperii potens, an Silius privatus esset: in oratio obliqua after satis constat: ‘[it is generally known that] Claudius was so panic-stricken that he insistingly kept asking whether he was master of the empire, whether Silius was a private citizen.’ eo … ut introduces a consecutive clause, which is followed by two indirect questions with an, all three clauses with subjunctive.) at Messalina non alias solutior luxu, adulto autumno simulacrum vindemiae per domum celebrabat. (at Messalina non alias solutior luxu, adulto autumno simulacrum vindemiae per domum celebrabat: at marks a sudden shift of scene from Claudius to Messalina: ‘Messalina, in contrast, more dissolute than ever, autumn being at its fullest, was celebrating a simulation of the grape harvest inside [Silius]’ house.’ non alias solutior luxu: ‘on no other occasions more abandoned to extravagance’; adulto autumno: either abl. of time when, ‘in full autumn’, or abl. abs., ‘autumn being advanced’) urgeri prela, fluere lacus; et feminae pellibus accinctae adsultabant ut sacrificantes vel insanientes Bacchae; ipsa crine fluxo thyrsum quatiens, iuxtaque Silius hedera vinctus, gerere cothurnos, iacere caput, strepente circum procaci choro. (urgeri prela, fluere lacus; et feminae pellibus accinctae adsultabant ut sacrificantes vel insanientes Bacchae; ipsa crine fluxo thyrsum quatiens, iuxtaque Silius hedera vinctus, gerere cothurnos, iacere caput, strepente circum procaci choro: ‘the presses were plied with full force, the vessels overflowed, women clad in skins danced wildly, like bacchanals performing a sacrifice or spurred by madness; Messalina herself, with cascading hair, flourished a thyrsus, Silius, next to her and crowned with ivy, wore cothurni on his feet and rolled his head, in the din of a rollicking chorus around him.’ urgeri, fluere, gerere, iacere are historical infinitives; strepente circum procaci choro is abl. abs., ‘a boisterous chorus raising a clamor around him’) ferunt Vettium Valentem lascivia in praealtam arborem conisum, interrogantibus quid aspiceret, respondisse tempestatem ab Ostia atrocem, sive coeperat ea species, seu forte lapsa vox in praesagium vertit. (ferunt Vettium Valentem lascivia in praealtam arborem conisum, interrogantibus quid aspiceret, respondisse tempestatem ab Ostia atrocem, sive coeperat ea species, seu forte lapsa vox in praesagium vertit: ‘they say that Vettius Valens, having struggled in sport up a very tall tree, to those asking him what he saw, had answered, [that he saw] a dreadful storm coming from Ostia, either that sight was really forming up, or his words spoken casually turned into a prophecy.’ Vettius Valens was one of Messalina’s former lovers; see also previous chapter; interrogantibus quid aspiceret is indirect question with subjunctive. sive … seu: the combinations sive … seu and seu … sive are rare compared with sive … sive and seu … seu; sive and seu are usually found in disjunctive conditions, but may occur also with alternative words and clauses, the latter often without a verb.)