LXXII.
Tum ad uxorem versus , per communis liberos (per memoriam sui, per communis liberos: per + acc. is used in entreaties, adjurations, or oaths with the sense of ‘in the name of’ or in the instrumental sense of ‘by the power of’; sui is reflexive personal pronoun, ‘of himself’; it is used only when it refers to a third person subject in a clause, otherwise the determinative pronoun eius is called for.) oravit exueret ferociam, saevienti fortunae summitteret animum, neu regressa in urbem aemulatione potentiae validiores inritaret. (oravit exueret ferociam, saevienti fortunae summitteret animum, neu regressa in urbem aemulatione potentiae validiores inritaret: orare normally has a purpose clause with ut or ne as object, but Tacitus often omits the conjunction, as do poets: ‘he implored her to lay aside her pride and to submit to cruel fortune and, once returned to Rome, not to aggravate those more powerful than herself by competing for power (aemulatione potentiae).’ neu is in place of et ne, introducing a second purpose clause, this time negative.) haec palam et alia secreto per quae ostendisse credebatur metum ex Tiberio. Neque multo post extinguitur, (neque multo post extinguitur: to avoid repetition, Tacitus always uses a new expression to signify dying.) ingenti luctu provinciae et circumiacentium populorum. indoluere exterae nationes regesque: tanta illi comitas in socios, mansuetudo in hostis; visuque et auditu iuxta venerabilis, (visuque et auditu iuxta venerabilis: ‘commanding respect by his aspect and speech alike’) cum magnitudinem et gravitatem summae fortunae retineret, (cum magnitudinem et gravitatem summae fortunae retineret: cum is here concessive: ‘even though he retained the grandeur and dignity of his exalted rank’) invidiam et adrogantiam effugerat.