XXXVII.
Interim Messalina Lucullianis in hortis prolatare vitam, componere preces, non nulla spe et aliquando ira: tantum inter extrema superbiae gerebat. (prolatare vitam, componere preces, non nulla spe et aliquando ira: tantum inter extrema superbiae gerebat: ‘she dragged on her life, she wrote supplications, with some hope and at times with resentment, so much presumption she still carried [in her heart] within her last hours.’ non nulla spe et aliquando ira: abl. abs. or abl. of manner; tantum superbiae: partitive gen. after the neuter tantum; prolatare, componere are historical infinitive. gerebat replaces egebat in the manuscript text, generally considered a transcription error and not applicable to the context.) ac ni caedem eius Narcissus properavisset, verterat pernicies in accusatorem. (ac ni caedem eius Narcissus properavisset, verterat pernicies in accusatorem: lit. ‘and what is more, the fatal blow had bound back against the accuser, if Narcissus had not hastened her death.’ conditional sentence with pluperfect subjunctive in the protasis for contrary to fact condition (type III), referred to past time; the plup. indicative in the apodosis denotes certainty as to the outcome. Cf .G. 597, Remark 2. ac or atque here joins to a preceding idea one more important or emphatic, ‘and indeed’, ‘what is more’.) nam Claudius domum regressus et tempestivis epulis delenitus, ubi vino incaluit, iri iubet nuntiarique miserae (hoc enim verbo usum ferunt) dicendam ad causam postera die adesset. (iri iubet nuntiarique miserae … dicendam ad causam postera die adesset: lit. ‘he ordered that it be gone to “the poor woman” and be said she should present herself the next day to plead her cause.’ The impersonal passive infinitives iri and nuntiari are objects of iubeo; cf. G. 423 and Note 6. dicendam ad causam: purpose expressed by gerundive to imply obligation, ‘for the reason that she should be told …’. It may be useful to remember that gerundive is a verbal adjective of passive sense. iubet … adesset: the historical present iubet may command the secondary sequence of tenses.) quod ubi auditum et languescere ira, redire amor ac, si cunctarentur, propinqua nox et uxorii cubiculi memoria timebantur, (quod ubi auditum et languescere ira, redire amor ac, si cunctarentur, propinqua nox et uxorii cubiculi memoria timebantur, Narcissus prorumpit … : ‘as soon as these words were heard and both Claudius’ anger was abating, his love [for the wife] was returning and, if they hesitated, the approaching night and the thought of the connubial chamber were to be feared, Narcissus rushed forth …’; the long ubi clause starts off with perfect indicative, followed by historical infinitives, and ends with imperfect indicative, one of Tacitus’ ways to liven up his prose. quod ubi: a relative pronoun at the outset of a clause is often replaceable in English with a demonstrative pronoun. et … ac is in place of et … et, ‘both … and’. Here again, Tacitus combines different copulatives , for the sake of variety. Cf. L. 1666.) prorumpit Narcissus denuntiatque centurionibus et tribuno, qui aderat, exequi caedem: ita imperatorem iubere. (denuntiatque centurionibus et tribuno … exequi caedem: ita imperatorem iubere: ‘[Narcissus] gave orders to the centurions and the tribune to carry out the execution, [saying] it was the emperor’ s command.’ denuntiat is historical present, and so are datur and adstitit below.) custos et exactor e libertis Euodus datur; (custos et exactor e libertis Euodus datur: ‘Evodus, one of the freedmen, is assigned to be the supervisor and witness of the execution.’) isque raptim in hortos praegressus repperit fusam humi, adsidente matre Lepuida, quae florenti filiae haud concors supremis eius necessitatibus ad miserationem evicta erat suadebatque ne percussorem opperiretur: (repperit fusam humi, adsidente matre Lepida, quae florenti filiae haud concors supremis eius necessitatibus ad miserationem evicta erat suadebatque ne percussorem opperiretur: ‘[Evodus] found [Messalina] lying flat on the ground, and, sitting by her side, Lepida, her mother, who, at variance with her daughter when prospering, had been moved to pity by her extreme need, was persuading her not to wait for her executioner.’ adsidente matre Lepida: abl. abs.; Domitia Lepida was the daughter of Antonia major, the elder of the daughters of Mark Antony by Octavia, the sister of emperor Augustus. Lepida was also the sister of emperor Nero’s father, Domitius Ahenobarbus, hence Agrippina’s sister-in-law and Nero’s aunt. Her death, contrived by Agrippina, is described in Book12, ch. 64-65. supremis eius necessitatibusis is abl. of the efficient cause replacing the abl. of agent with a or ab when the agent is not a person. florenti filiae is dat. with concors.) transisse vitam neque aliud quam morti decus quaerendum. (transisse vitam neque aliud quam morti decus quaerendum: ‘life, [she said] had run its course for her, and nothing was to be looked for but dignity for her death.’) sed animo per libidines corrupto nihil honestum inerat; lacrimaeque et questus inriti ducebantur, cum impetu venientium pulsae fores adstititque tribunus per silentium, (sed animo per libidines corrupto nihil honestum inerat; lacrimaeque et questus inriti ducebantur, cum impetu venientium pulsae fores adstititque tribunus per silentium: ‘but no honor was left in her heart corrupted by debauchery; tears and moaning were vainly continued, when suddenly the doors were thrown open by the violence of the men from the palace and the tribune stood above her in silence.’ cum … pulsae [sunt] … adstititque: use of inverse cum with perfect indicative to introduce a sudden, unexpected event and, in a sense, take over the function of the main clause. See L. 1869. animo is dat. with inerat.) at libertus increpans multis et servilibus probris. (at libertus increpans multis et servilibus probris: ‘but Evodus assailing her with many insults worthy of a slave’)