XXVIII.
Tum Cn. Pompeius, tertium consul corrigendis moribus delectus (Cn. Pompeius, tertium consul corrigendis moribus delectus: lit. ‘Gnaeus Pompeius, chosen consul for the third time for morality to be reformed’: he was made consul without colleague in 52 B.C., thus a virtual dictator. He introduced rigorous laws against rioting, anarchy, and corruption, some of which he himself violated on several occasions. Tacitus held him in no high esteem: in ch. 38 of Book 2 of the Histories he calls him occultior non melior than other despots who had preceded him, like Marius and Sulla. corrigendis moribus is purpose expressed by means of dative gerundive.) et gravior remediis quam delicta erant suarumque legum auctor idem ac subversor, quae armis tuebatur armis amisit. (quae armis tuebatur armis amisit: Pompey maintained a considerable military presence in Rome to protect his administration, but in the end lost everything to Caesar in the battle of Pharsalus in 48 B.C.) exim continua per viginti annos discordia, (exim continua per viginti annos discordia: ‘thereafter feuding [was] continuous for twenty years.’ The period from 48 to 28 B.C., from the battle of Pharsalus to Augustus’ sixth consulate, is historically one of the most eventful periods of Roman history, comprising Caesar’s dictatorship and reforms, the second triumvirate, and the conflict between Octavian and Mark Antony, which ended with the defeat of the latter and which left the field open for Octavian (now Augustus) to institute the change from a republican government to a monarchy disguised as a principate.) non mos, non ius; deterrima quaeque impune ac multa honesta exitio fuere. (deterrima quaeque impune ac multa honesta exitio fuere: lit. ‘every most atrocious crime [went] without punishment and many virtuous deeds were for death’; deterrima quaeque: for use of quisque with a superlative cf. G. 318, 2.; exitio is dat. of purpose.) sexto demum consulatu Caesar Augustus, potentiae securus, quae triumviratu iusserat abolevit deditque iura quis pace et principe uteremur. (sexto demum consulatu Caesar Augustus … deditque iura quis pace et principe uteremur: ‘finally in his sixth consulate Caesar Augustus gave [us] a code of laws on the basis of which (quis = quibus) we would enjoy peace under a prince.’ uteremus is potential subjunctive and pace et principe is abl. after utor.) acriora ex eo vincla, inditi custodes et lege Papia Poppaea praemiis inducti ut, si a privilegiis parentum cessaretur, velut parens omnium populus vacantia teneret. (acriora ex eo vincla, inditi custodes et lege Papia Poppaea praemiis inducti ut, si a privilegiis parentum cessaretur, velut parens omnium populus vacantia teneret: lit. ‘from then on (ex eo) the chains [became] stronger, guards were placed [over us], kept vigilant by rewards under the Papia Poppaea law, to the end that, if it was shrunk from the duties of parents, the people, just as the parent of all, might possess the vacant properties,’ vacantia: ‘properties having no inheritors’; ut, si …cessaretur, populus …teneret: conditional sentence within a purpose clause with ut; the condition is logical (type I), normally with indicative, here with subjunctive by modal attraction; cf. G. 508, 4. and 663. cessaretur is impersonal use of the passive of cedo; in English ‘if one shrank from …’; privilegiis is here used with the meaning of ‘a bill or law passed to check certain abuses’. For the Papia Poppaea law cf. note in ch. 25.) sed altius penetrabant urbemque et Italiam et quod usquam civium corripuerant, (et quod usquam civium corripuerant: civium is partitive genitive after the neuter quod: lit. ‘and what of citizens they had seized upon anywhere’) multorumque excisi status. et terror omnibus intentabatur ni Tiberius statuendo remedio quinque consularium, quinque e praetoriis, totidem e cetero senatu sorte duxisset (terror omnibus intentabatur ni Tiberius … duxisset: ‘all were struck with terror, had not Tiberius instituted …’; conditional sentence with ni, hence unreal condition (type III), with plup. subjunctive in the protasis for condition in the past and imperfect indicative in the apodosis for action already in progress, then interrupted; cf. G. 597, R. 2.) apud quos exsoluti plerique legis nexus modicum in praesens (in praesens: short for in praesens tempus, ‘for the moment’) levamentum fuere.