XVIII.
Multa ex ea sententia mitigata sunt a principe: ne nomen Pisonis fastis eximeretur, quando M. Antonii quid bellum patriae fecisset, Iulli Antonii qui domum Augusti violasset, manerent. (ne nomen Pisonis fastis eximeretur, quando M. Antonii qui bellum patriae fecisset, Iulli Antonii qui domum Augusti violasset, manerent: the quando clause is governed by the negative purpose clause with ne, which in turn depends on the main clause multa …mitigata sunt: the quando clause is with subjunctive by modal attraction (cf. G. 663): ‘[many of these things were moderated] so that the name of Marcus Piso would not be erased from the records, since [the name] of Marc Antony, who had made war to his country, and that of Iullus Antonius, who had polluted the house of Augustus, remained.’ Marc Antony was the rival of Augustus who defeated him at Actium in 31 B.C. For Iullus Antonius, his son, cf. Book 1, ch. 10 and Book 4, ch. 44.) et M. Pisonem ignominiae exemit (M. Pisonem ignominiae exemit: ‘he rescued Marcus Piso from shame’, i.e. from expulsion from the senate, banishment, and loss of half of his father’s property.) concessitque ei paterna bona, satis firmus, ut saepe memoravi, adversum pecuniam et tum pudore absolutae Plancinae placabilior. (pudore absolutae Plancinae placabilior: lit. ‘more lenient because of Plancina having being acquitted’) atque idem, cum Valerius Messalinus signum aureum in aede Martis Vltoris, Caecina Severus aram ultioni statuendam censuissent, prohibuit, (atque idem, cum Valerius Messalinus signum aureum in aede Martis Vltoris, Caecina Severus aram ultioni statuendam censuissent, prohibuit: atque is here emphatic: ‘and what is more he likewise, when Valerius Messalinus proposed to erect a golden statue in the temple of Mars the Avenger and Caecina Severus an altar to Vengeance, he rejected [both proposals].’ Valerius Messalinus is the father of the then current consul Aurelius Cotta or Cotta Messalinus; cf. note in previous chapter. Caecina Severus is the Aulus Caecina mentioned in Book 1, ch. 31. For the temple of Mars the Avenger cf. note in Book 2, ch. 64. cum …censuissent: temporal cum is here narrative or historical cum, which gives the circumstance immediately preceding the action of the main verb and is always with subjunctive.) ob externas ea victorias sacrari dictitans, domestica mala tristitia operienda. (ob externas ea victorias sacrari dictitans, domestica mala tristitia operienda: ‘protesting that such memorials (ea) were dedicated because of foreign victories; national tragedies were best buried in grief’; operienda [esse]: use of gerundive in passive periphrasis to denote suitability, necessity, obligation. Another example is agendas [esse] below) addiderat Messalinus Tiberio et Augustae et Antoniae et Agrippinae Drusoque ob vindictam Germanici gratis agendas (addiderat Messalinus Tiberio et Augustae et Antoniae et Agrippinae Drusoque ob vindictam Germanici gratis agendas [esse]: ‘Messalinus had also proposed that public thanks be given to Tiberius, Augusta, Antonia, Agrippina, and Drusus for avenging Germanicus.’ Of the five names listed the least know is Antonia, mentioned only once so far in the Annals (cf. ch. 3). She was the mother of Germanicus and Claudius (the future emperor), the wife of Drusus the Elder, the sister-in-law of Tiberius, the grandmother of Caligula and the great-grandmother of Nero. ob vindictam Germanici: ‘on account of the vindication of Germanicus’) omiseratque Claudii mentionem. et Messalinum quidem L. Asprenas senatu coram percontatus est an prudens praeterisset; (omiseratque Claudii mentionem et Messalinum quidem L. Asprenas senatu coram percontatus est an prudens praeterisset: ‘he had omitted mention of Claudius, but Lucius Asprenas asked Messalinus in front of the senate if he had passed over the name knowingly.’ For Lucius Asprenas cf. Book 1, ch. 53. Claudius is the brother of Germanicus and Rome’s fourth emperor after Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula. quidem is adverb, here with the adversative force of sed; percontatus est an prudens praeterisset: an introduces an indirect question with subjunctive and has the same force as interrogative si, especially after verbs of asking (Ernout).) ac tum demum (tum demum: ‘then at last’, ‘not until then’) nomen Claudii adscriptum est. mihi quanto plura recentium seu veterum revolvo tanto magis ludibria rerum mortalium cunctis in negotiis obversantur. (mihi quanto plura recentium seu veterum revolvo tanto magis ludibria rerum mortalium cunctis in negotiis obversantur: comparative sentence with the dependent and main clause introduced by the correlative adverbs quanto, tanto: lit. ‘for me, the more I turn over in the mind very many of the recent and ancient events, the more the absurdities of all mortal affairs get in the way of human plans.’ mihi is dat. of interest.) quippe fama spe veneratione potius omnes destinabantur imperio quam quem futurum principem fortuna in occulto tenebat. (quippe fama spe veneratione potius omnes destinabantur imperio quam quem futurum principem fortuna in occulto tenebat: ‘clearly, as to fame, expectations, and respectability all were marked out for the empire better than [Claudius ] whom fortune was keeping hidden as a future emperor.’ fama spe veneratione: ablatives of respect; note the asyndeton.)