LXIX.
At Germanicus Aegypto remeans cuncta quae apud legiones aut urbes iusserat abolita vel in contrarium versa cognoscit. hinc graves in Pisonem contumeliae, nec minus acerba quae ab illo in Caesarem intentabantur. (hinc graves in Pisonem contumeliae, nec minus acerba quae ab illo in Caesarem intentabantur: ‘severe, therefore, was Germanicus’ censure directed at Piso and not less virulent the response which was flung back by the latter at Caesar.’ ab illo: abl. of agent with intentabantur.) dein Piso abire Syria statuit. mox adversa Germanici valetudine detentus, (adversa Germanici valetudine detentus: ‘held back by Germanicus’ poor health’; valetudine is abl. of cause.) ubi recreatum accepit votaque pro incolumitate solvebantur, (ubi recreatum [esse] accepit votaque pro incolumitate solvebantur: ‘when he heard that he had recovered and that the vows for his safety were being paid, he …’; the passive recreatum [esse] has middle sense. Temporal ubi is regularly with indicative.) admotas hostias, sacrificalem apparatum, festam Antiochensium plebem (Antiochensium plebem: Antioch (modern Antakya on the Orontes river, at the west end of Turkey’s border with Syria) was a large Greek city in the eastern part of the Roman province of Cilicia.) per lictores proturbat. tum Seleuciam (Seleuciam: the port of Antioch, west of the city on the mouth of the river Orontes) degreditur, opperiens aegritudinem, quae rursum Germanico acciderat. (aegritudinem, quae rursum Germanico acciderat: ‘the sickness, which had attacked Germanicus again’; Germanico is dative with accido.) saevam vim morbi augebat persuasio veneni a Pisone accepti; (saevam vim morbi augebat persuasio veneni a Pisone accepti: ‘Caesar’s persuasion of a poison coming from Piso intensified the savage force of the distemper.’ veneni a Pisone accepti: accipio is used here in the sense of ‘to originate with’.) et reperiebantur solo ac parietibus erutae humanorum corporum reliquiae, carmina et devotiones et nomen Germanici plumbeis tabulis insculptum, (nomen Germanici plumbeis tabulis insculptum: curse tablets or defixiones were curses inscribed on thin sheets of lead, frequently pierced with nails; the tablets were addressed at one’s enemies and buried in hidden places, often in tombs or in other burial grounds. Not all contained curses: some were inscribed with exhortations to the gods of the nether world to help the dead.) semusti cineres ac tabo obliti (semusti cineres ac tabo obliti: ‘half-burnt remains, smeared with putrefied gore’; obliti (or obliniti) is from oblino, not from obliviscor.) aliaque malefica quis (quis: an old form of quibus, here abl. of instrument; cf. note for quis Cotys traderetur in ch. 66.) creditur animas numinibus infernis sacrari. simul missi a Pisone incusabantur ut valetudinis adversa rimantes. (missi a Pisone incusabantur ut valetudinis adversa rimantes: ut is here adverb modifying rimantes to denote comparison: ‘those sent by Piso were accused as (ut) trying to discover the adverse symptoms of the illness.’)