XLVIII.
Sub idem tempus ut mors Sulpicii Quirini (Sulpicii Quirini: mentioned previously in connection with the trial of Lepida (ch. 22) and of Gaius Vibius (Book 2, ch. 30) publicis exequiis frequentaretur (ut mors …publicis exequiis frequentaretur: final clause: lit. ‘to the end that his death should be honored by a public funeral’; publicis exequiis is instrumental abl., replacing the abl. of agent with a or ab after a passive verb.) petivit a senatu. nihil ad veterem et patriciam Sulpiciorum familiam Quirinius pertinuit, ortus apud municipium Lanuvium: (Lanuvium: about 20 miles SSE of Rome. near the Appian way.) sed impiger militiae et acribus ministeriis consulatum sub divo Augusto, mox expugnatis per Ciliciam Homonadensium castellis (mox expugnatis per Ciliciam Homonadensium castellis: abl. abs.: ‘the fortresses of the Homonadenses in Cilicia having been stormed soon after’; the Homonadenses were a primitive Cilician people located mainly in neighboring Pisidia, but with scattered settlements also throughout Cilicia (per Ciliciam). Both Cilicia and Pisidia were regions that today are part of southern Turkey, the first near Syria, the second farther west above ancient Pamphylia.) insignia triumphi adeptus, datusque rector G. Caesari Armeniam optinenti. (datus [est] rector G. Caesari Armeniam obtinenti: ‘he was assigned as advisor to Gaius Caesar, in charge of Arminia,.’ Gaius Caesar was the grandson of Augustus by his daughter Julia and his friend Marcus Agrippa. He was given command of the eastern provinces in 1 B.C. and died of illness in Lycia five years later at the age of 23.) Tiberium quoque Rhodi agentem coluerat: quod tunc patefecit in senatu, laudatis in se officiis et incusato M. Lollio, quem auctorem Gaio Caesari pravitatis et discordiarum arguebat. (laudatis in se officiis et incusato M. Lollio, quem auctorem [esse] Gaio Caesari pravitatis et discordiarum arguebat: abl. abs. with dependent relative clause: lit. ‘the devotion [of Quirinus] to himself having been praised and Marcus Lollius having been blamed, whom he accused to be the instigator of the perverse hostility of Gaius Caesar [towards himself]’; Marcus Lollius had been consul in 25 B.C. and much later became advisor to the young Gaius Caesar, being replaced in that capacity by Quirinus after the prince rejected Lollius as a friend. His hatred of Tiberius is confirmed by Suetonius. auctorem esse , ‘to be the counsellor, the contriver’, hence ‘to advise’, is followed by dat. of the person and (usually) gen. of the thing advised (see G. 346, N. 5.); cf. also quid mihi es auctor: ‘what do you counsel me? ‘ pravitatis et discordiarum may well be hendiadys.) sed ceteris haud laeta memoria Quirini erat ob intenta, ut memoravi, Lepidae pericula (ob intenta … Lepidae pericula: ‘on account of the ruin brought upon Lepida’; cf. ch. 22-23.) sordidamque et praepotentem senectam.