XL.
Vulgabatur interim per Italiam servatum munere deum (munere deum: abl. of instrument, ‘by the grace of the gods’) Agrippam, credebatur Romae; iamque Ostiam (Ostiam: the ancient harbour of Rome, 15 miles or 25 kilometres SW of Rome; the name comes from Latin os (‘mouth’), in reference to the mouth of the river Tiber, the silting of which over the centuries places Ostia today more than three kilometres from the sea.) invectum multitudo ingens, iam in urbe clandestini coetus celebrabant, cum Tiberium anceps cura distrahere, vine militum servum suum coerceret an inanem credulitatem tempore ipso vanescere sineret: (cum Tiberium anceps cura distrahere, vine militum servum suum coerceret an … credulitatem … vanescere sineret: a case of inverse cum, when the cum clause is placed after the main clause and appears to have taken over its function; cum in such cases is followed by indicative (replaced here by historical infinitive): ‘when a problem requiring a choice (anceps = two headed) was drawing Tiberius in different directions, whether to suppress his slave with military force or to allow credulity to dissipate.’ The particles -ne …an usher in a double indirect question with subjunctive according to consecution temporum. servum suum: even before Agrippa’s murder, any slave he may have had belonged to Augustus’ household, which later was passed on to Tiberius.) modo nihil spernendum, modo non omnia metuenda ambiguus pudoris ac metus reputabat. (modo nihil spernendum, modo non omnia metuenda ambiguus pudoris ac metus reputabat: ‘now he thought that nothing should be neglected, now that not everything should be feared, distrustful of both shame and fear.’) postremo dat negotium Sallustio Crispo. (Sallustio Crispo: Crispus, the nephew and adopted son of the historian Sallust, was Tiberius’ trusted man. See Book 1, ch. 6.) ille e clientibus duos (quidam milites fuisse tradunt) deligit atque hortatur, simulata conscientia adeant, offerant pecuniam, fidem atque pericula polliceantur. (ille … hortatur, simulata conscientia adeant, offerant pecuniam, fidem atque pericula polliceantur: hortor and other verbs of persuading, urging, commanding are complemented by ut + subjunctive, but the subjunctive without ut is not rare; cf. A.G. 563 and 565, Note: lit. ‘he told them to go to him, complicity having been simulated, to offer money, promising loyalty and readiness to share his dangers.’ The main verb hortatur is historical present, which here functions as a primary verb with regard to the sequence of tenses, so all dependent verbs, adeant, offerant, and polliceantur are advanced to present subjunctive.) exequuntur ut iussum erat. dein speculati noctem incustoditam, (speculati noctem incustoditam: ‘having looked out for a night when vigilance was lax, …’) accepta idonea manu, vinctum clauso ore in Palatium traxere. percontanti Tiberio quo modo Agrippa factus esset (percontanti Tiberio quo modo Agrippa factus esset …: subjunctive in indirect question introduces by quo modo: ‘to Tiberius interrogating him how he had become Agrippa, he …’) respondisse fertur ‘quo modo tu Caesar.’ ut ederet socios subigi non potuit (ut ederet socios subigi non potuit …: causal ut requires indicative: ‘since he could not be forced to disclose his associates, …’) nec Tiberius poenam eius palam ausus, in secreta Palatii parte interfici iussit corpusque clam auferri. et quamquam multi e domo principis equitesque ac senatores sustentasse opibus, iuvisse consiliis dicerentur, (quamquam … dicerentur: quamquam was regularly followed by indicative, until Nepos and Livy, perhaps on the analogy of quamvis, began to adopt the subjunctive (Ernout).) haud quaesitum. (haud quaesitum [est]: impersonal use of the passive: ‘it was not investigated.’)