LIX.
M. Silano L. Norbano consulibus (M. Silano L. Norbano consulibus: in 19 A.D.) Germanicus Aegyptum proficiscitur cognoscendae antiquitatis. (cognoscendae antiquitatis: use of predicate genitive gerundive to express purpose: ‘for the sake of antiquity to be viewed’; cf. A.G. 504, a., Note 1.) sed cura provinciae praetendebatur, levavitque apertis horreis pretia frugum multaque in vulgus grata usurpavit: (multa in vulgus grata usurpavit: ‘adopted many habits pleasing to the people.’) sine milite incedere, pedibus intectis et pari cum Graecis amictu, P. Scipionis aemulatione, quem eadem factitavisse apud Siciliam, quamvis flagrante adhuc Poenorum bello, accepimus. (pedibus intectis et pari cum Graecis amictu, P. Scipionis aemulatione, quem eadem factitavisse apud Siciliam, quamvis flagrante adhuc Poenorum bello accepimus: ‘with uncovered feet, with dress the same as for the Greeks, in emulation of Publius Scipio, who, we are told, had habitually done the same in Sicily, although the Punic war was still in full swing’; pedibus intectis: lit. ‘with bare feet, but more likely he wore sandals, which left most of the foot uncovered; P. Scipionis: Publius Scipio Africanus Major, the man who defeated Hannibal at the end of the second Punic war in 202 B.C.; factitavisset: factito is the frequentative form of facio.; quamvis flagrante adhuc Poenorum bello: abl. abs. with quamvis preceding the participle, as if the abl. abs. were a concessive clause, a usage that gained currency from classic times on and extended to other conjunctions, like quamquam, quamlibet, nisi, quasi and others. In quamvis levi praesidio below, quamvis is found modifying an adjective.) Tiberius cultu habituque eius lenibus verbis perstricto, (cultu habituque eius lenibus verbis perstricto: abl. abs.: ‘his manners and dress having been gently reproved’) acerrime increpuit quod contra instituta Augusti non sponte principis (non sponte principis: ‘without permission of the emperor’) Alexandriam introisset. (quod … introisset: for use of quod + subjunctive cf. note for quod … conluviem illam nationum comitate nimia coluisset in ch. 55.) nam Augustus inter alia dominationis arcana, vetitis nisi permissu ingredi senatoribus aut equitibus Romanis inlustribus, (vetitis nisi permissu ingredi senatoribus aut equitibus Romanis inlustribus: abl. abs.: ‘senators and Roman knights of high rank having been barred form entering Egypt, except with authorisation.’ nisi without a verb is purely adverbial (Ernout); vetitis …ingredi: veto is followed by infinitive, rather than by a subordinate clause with quominus or quin as other verbs of preventing are.) seposuit Aegyptum ne fame urgeret Italiam quisquis eam provinciam claustraque terrae ac maris quamvis levi praesidio adversum ingentis exercitus insedisset. (seposuit Aegyptum ne fame urgeret Italiam quisquis eam provinciam claustraque terrae ac maris quamvis levi praesidio adversum ingentis exercitus insedisset: ‘[Augustus] did keep Egypt apart for fear that (ne) anyone, who (quisquis = ‘anyone who’) would have occupied that province, the keys of land and sea, with however small a force even against huge armies, should threaten Italy with famine.’ The subjunctive in quisquis …insedisset is modal attraction from urgeret of the negative purpose clause (cf. G. 629, 663), though it can also be justified in other ways. The pluperfect is necessary to express future action from the point of view of the past. claustra terrae ac maris: one of the ‘gates’ was the port of Alexandria, easily defensible and which allowed control of the sea; the other ‘gate’ was Pelusium, a frontier fortress at the north end of the Gulf of Suez, north of Suez but on the Mediterranean coast and on the easternmost mouth of the Nile. See also Historiae, Book 3, ch. 48, .)