XXXI.
Sequitur Tiberi quartus, Drusi secundus consulatus, patris atque filii collegio insignis. (sequitur Tiberi quartus, Drusi secundus consulatus, patris atque filii collegio insignis: here begins the chronicle of events for the year 21 B.C.: ‘next came Tiberius’ fourth consulate and Drusus second, memorable in view of the association of father and son.’ Dio Cassius, looking back at the history of these years, thought the association sinister, for all of Tiberius’ colleagues died a premature death: Varus, Piso, Germanicus, Drusus, and Sejanus. insignis is singular in that it agrees with the nearer secundus consulatus.) nam triennio ante Germanici cum Tiberio idem honor neque patruo laetus neque natura tam conexus fuerat. (honor neque patruo laetus neque natura tam conexus fuerat: ‘the honor was neither pleasant to the uncle nor so held together by the bond of nature [like the other].’ Germanicus was Tiberius’ son only by adoption.) eius anni principio Tiberius quasi firmandae valetudini in Campaniam concessit, longam et continuam absentiam paulatim meditans, sive ut amoto patre Drusus munia consulatus solus impleret. (quasi firmandae valetudini in Campaniam concessit, longam et continuam absentiam paulatim meditans, sive ut amoto patre Drusus munia consulatus solus impleret: lit. ‘he withdrew to Campania, as if to strengthen his health, either planning his long, permanent absence, or for the purpose of letting Drusus discharge [alone] the duties of consul, his father having been removed.’ longam …absentiam: Tiberius stayed away from Rome for one year, but five years later he settled permanently in the island of Capri and never entered Rome again. [sive] …sive: the disjunctive particles here separate (disjoin) a participial phrase from a purpose clause, the two being in opposition to each other. Tacitus usually omits the first particle, preferring to leave it understood. If found alone, sive can also be translated as ‘or rather’ (Ernout).) ac forte parva res magnum ad certamen progressa praebuit iuveni materiem apiscendi favoris. (praebuit iuveni materiem apiscendi favoris: lit. ‘offered the young man the occasion of credit to be acquired.’ The genitive gerund here expresses purpose, a usage found mainly in later Latin (see A.G. 504, a., Note). Compare the equivalent use of dative gerundive in apta temperandis animis below.) Domitius Corbulo praetura functus de L. Sulla (Domitius Corbulo … L. Sulla: Domitius Corbulo may or may not have been the father of the famous general of the same name who fought against the Parthians under Nero. Cf. Book 13, ch 8. Lucius Sulla was probably the great-grandson of the nephew of Sulla, the dictator who ruled Rome from 82 to 79 B.C.) nobili iuvene questus est apud senatum quod sibi inter spectacula gladiatorum loco non decessisset. (quod sibi … loco non decessisset: ‘because he had not given up his seat to himself’; quod …decessisset: the causal clause with quod becomes subjunctive in indir. speech after questus est. ) pro Corbulone aetas, patrius mos, studia seniorum erant: contra Mamercus Scaurus et L. Arruntius (Mamercus Scaurus et L. Arruntius: for Scaurus see ch. 23. After divorcing Lepida, Scaurus married the widow of his half brother L. Sulla, the father of the Sulla referred to here (Fourneaux). For his death cf. Book 6, ch. 29. Lucius Arruntius, described in Book 1, ch. 13 as dives, promptus, artibus egregiis et pari fama publice, has been mentioned in the Annals a few times before, but never for reasons of great moment.) aliique Sullae propinqui nitebantur. certabantque orationibus (certabantque orationibus: ‘they were skirmishing with speeches ’; orationes are ‘set speeches’, ‘formal addresses’, as in matters of national importance. The use of the word here is obviously intended to be sarcastic.) et memorabantur exempla maiorum qui iuventutis inreverentiam gravibus decretis notavissent, donec Drusus apta temperandis animis disseruit; (donec Drusus apta temperandis animis disseruit: ‘until Drusus spoke words apt to calm the spirits’; a fairly rare case of Tacitus using the indicative after donec, ‘until’, perhaps to emphasize the effectiveness of Drusus’ intervention.) et satisfactum Corbuloni (satisfactum [est] Corbuloni: ‘it was given satisfaction to Cobulo.’ satisfactum [est] is impersonal use of the passive of satisfacio; Corbuloni is dat. with satisfacio.) per Mamercum qui patruus simul ac vitricus Sullae et oratorum [ea] aetate uberrimus erat. idem Corbulo plurima per Italiam itinera fraude mancipum et incuria magistratuum interrupta et impervia clamitando, executionem eius negotii libens suscepit; (idem Corbulo plurima per Italiam itinera … impervia [esse] clamitando, executionem eius negotii libens suscepit: ‘this same Corbulo, by loudly denouncing that most roads throughout Italy were impassable, willingly undertook the execution of that assignment.’ clamitando is instrumental use of abl. gerund. Every major road in Italy was under the care of a curator viarum. Corbulo was given authority over these curatores and did so well for himself that under Claudius he was called to account for his gains and forced to refund.) quod haud perinde publice usui habitum quam exitiosum multis quorum in pecuniam atque famam damnationibus et hasta saeviebat. (quod haud perinde publice usui habitum [est] quam exitiosum multis quorum in pecuniam atque famam damnationibus et hasta saeviebat: ‘[this assignment] (quod) was not quite carried out for the public good so much as being ruinous to many whose property and good name Corbulo attacked viciously by means of prosecutions and confiscations.’ haud perinde …quam: ‘not to an equal degree …as …’; publice usui: usui is dat. of purpose: lit. ‘for benefit in a public way’; freely ‘for the common good’; hasta: a symbol of confiscation, a spear stuck into the ground at a public auctions of impounded property.)