XXVII.
Pulso Tarquinio (pulso Tarquinio: Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king of Rome, expelled in 509 B.C. and replaced by a republican government.) patrum adversum factiones multa populus paravit tuendae libertatis et firmandae concordiae, (patrum adversum factiones multa populus paravit tuendae libertatis et firmandae concordiae: lit. ‘the people adopted many rules against certain factions of the aristocracy for liberty to be protected and concord to be strengthened.’ The factions in question may have been those of nobles favorable to retaining the monarchy. tuendae libertatis et firmandae concordiae: the use of genitive gerund to express purpose is found in later Latin only; cf. A.G. 504, a., Note 1.) creatique decemviri et accitis quae usquam egregia compositae duodecim tabulae, finis aequi iuris. (creati decemviri et accitis quae usquam egregia compositae duodecim tabulae, finis aequi iuris: ‘the Decemvirs were nominated, and the best [laws in use] anywhere else having been collected, twelve tables were drawn up, the end of non-partisan legislation.’ Tacitus is saying that in compiling the Twelve Tables all orders of society worked together for the common good, whereas in subsequent legislation attempts party interests were promoted. The point is expanded in the next passage. decemviri: the special commission of ten members that drew up the first Roman code of laws. accitis quae usquam egregia: abl. abs. in combination with a relative clause: ‘what [was] best anywhere having been collected, …’) nam secutae leges etsi aliquando in maleficos ex delicto, (etsi aliquando in maleficos ex delicto: ‘although sometimes [laws were passed] against malefactors in consequence of a crime, …’ ex delicto is abl. of cause.) saepius tamen dissensione ordinum et apiscendi inlicitos honores aut pellendi claros viros aliaque ob prava per vim latae sunt. (secutae leges … saepius … dissensione ordinum et apiscendi inlicitos honores aut pellendi claros viros aliaque ob prava per vim latae sunt: ‘subsequent laws were more often carried by force during conflicts within the orders of society, for the purpose of seizing illicit powers, or of expelling some prominent men, or for other sinister reasons.’ apiscendi …pellendi: for use of genitive gerundive to express purpose cf. note above for tuendae libertatis et firmandae concordiae; per vim: per + acc. denotes means or instrument in place of simple abl.) hinc Gracchi et Saturnini turbatores plebis (hinc Gracchi et Saturnini turbatores plebis: the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, both tribunes of the plebs between 133 and 121 B.C., fought for the rights of the people against the Optimates, the ultra-conservative faction of the senate, opposed to any concessions to the lower classes. Both were assassinated. turbatores plebis: in the eyes of an aristocrat like Tacitus, an out-and-out supporter of the senate, the Gracchi were nothing more than disturbers of the peace, but the verdict of history is that they were martyrs, who died fighting for the rights of the common man. Saturnini: the plural is for rhetorical effect, deliberately to equate the Gracchi on every level with a true demagogue like Apuleius Saturninus, tribune of the plebs in 103 and 100, a troublemaker animated by hatred of the senate that had mistreated him earlier when he was a questor.) nec minor largitor nomine senatus Drusus; corrupti spe aut inlusi per intercessionem socii. ac ne bello quidem Italico, mox civili omissum quin multa et diversa sciscerentur, (nec minor largitor nomine senatus Drusus; corrupti spe aut inlusi per intercessionem socii. ac ne bello quidem Italico, mox civili omissum quin multa et diversa sciscerentur: the list of legislative and historical events, begun with hinc Gracchi et Saturnini … above, continues: ‘Drusus, a dispenser of privileges in the name of the senate, not less lavish [than the Gracchi and Saturninus]; our allies corrupted by the hope [of citizenship] and cheated by the veto [of the tribunes]; not even during the Italian war and soon after the civil [war] was there a break in the enactment of a multitude of conflicting [laws].’ Drusus, the grandfather of Livia, Augustus’ wife, and a supporter of the senate, proposed in 91 B.C. to extend Roman citizenship to the whole of Italy, but was stopped by the veto of the tribunes. The Italian or Social war that followed lasted from 91 to 88 B.C. and the fight for supreme power between Mario and Sulla, which degenerated into civil war, lasted six years, from 88 to 82 B.C. ne bello quidem …omissum [est] quin multa …sciscerentur: quin is used in place of ut non with verbs of omitting, preventing, refusing, etc. after negative sentences; the sense is consecutive (cf. G. 554 — 556): lit. ‘not even during the wars was it prevented that many laws be enacted’) donec L. Sulla dictator abolitis vel conversis prioribus, cum plura addidisset, (abolitis vel conversis prioribus, cum plura addidisset …: ‘abl. abs. followed by temporal clause with narrative cum + subjunctive: ‘previous or altered laws having been abolished, when he had added many more of his own,…’ ) otium eius rei haud in longum paravit, (donec L. Sulla dictator … otium eius rei haud in longum paravit: ‘until Lucius Sulla, the dictator, offered temporary cessation of that kind of thing.’ After defeating Marius, Lucius Sulla appointed himself dictator in 82 B.C., the first man of the republic to grab power by force, setting a precedent for a whole host of imitators, both ancient and modern. donec … paravit: a rare case in Tacitus of donec, ‘until’, with perfect indicative, perhaps to emphasize an actual fact; cf. A.G. 554.) statim turbidis Lepidi rogationibus neque multo post tribunis reddita licentia quoquo vellent populum agitandi. (statim turbidis Lepidi rogationibus neque multo post tribunis reddita licentia quoquo vellent populum agitandi: abl. abs. in combination with relative clause with quoque; ‘the unsettling proposals of Lepidus coming without delay and soon after licence being returned to the tribunes of inciting the people in whatever direction they might desire.’ After the death of Sulla in 78 B.C., the consul Marcus Lepidus, father of the future member of the second triumvirate with Octavian and Mark Antony, tried to undo Sulla’s reforms, with chaotic results. quoquo vellent: quoquo is rel. adverb and vellent is potential subjunctive: ‘to any place they might choose’; populum agitandi: example of gen. gerund with direct object; cf. A.G. 504, a.) iamque non modo in commune sed in singulos homines latae quaestiones, et corruptissima re publica plurimae leges. (corruptissima re publica plurimae leges: ‘the state being most corrupt, the number of laws was highest.’ A lapidary end to the chapter: the proliferation of laws as an index of corruption.)