L.
Contra M’. Lepidus (M’. Lepidus: an upright senator mentioned earlier in Book 1 , ch. 13 and later in Book 4, ch. 20 and in Book 6, ch. 27. He stands out as an honest, sensible man among sycophants.) in hunc modum exorsus est: ‘si, patres conscripti, unum id spectamus, quam nefaria voce Clutorius Priscus mentem suam et auris hominum polluerit, (quam nefaria voce … polluerit: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by quam: ‘how with his shameful recital he has polluted …’) neque carcer neque laqueus, ne serviles quidem cruciatus in eum suffecerint. (si … unum id spectamus … neque carcer neque laqueus, ne…quidem cruciatus …suffecerint: in this and in the next conditional sentence (the second with sin excluding the first) the condition is logical (type I) with indicative throughout: ‘if we consider this only, [namely] … neither prison nor noose, not even tortures will suffice (suffecerint: ‘will have sufficed).) sin flagitia et facinora sine modo sunt, suppliciis ac remediis principis moderatio maiorumque et vestra exempla temperat et vana a scelestis, dicta a maleficiis differunt, est locus sententiae per quam neque huic delictum impune sit et nos clementiae simul ac severitatis non paeniteat. (sin flagitia et facinora sine modo sunt, …[si] suppliciis ac remediis principis moderatio …temperat et [si] vana a scelestis, dicta a maleficiis differunt, est locus sententiae per quam neque huic delictum impune sit et nos clementiae simul ac severitatis non paeniteat: the protasis is compound, made up of three parts, the last two with si understood: lit. ‘but if (sin) the foulness of crime is without limit, if the moderation of the prince brings measure to penalties and remedies, if there is difference between vainglory and villainy, between [evil] words and evildoing, then we have space for a sentence through which this man may not have his crime unpunished and we may not regret our leniency as well as our severity.’ est locus sententiae per quam huic delictum impune sit et nos clementiae non paeniteat: locus est + dat: ‘there is an opening for …’; locus est is normally complemented by a ut final clause, here by rel. clause of final sense with per quam, also requiring subjunctive. huic is dat. of possessor with sit; cf note for quibus peccandi necessitudo {erat] in ch. 40; paeniteat: the impersonal paenitet is construed with acc. of the person (nos) and the gen. of the thing causing regret. Cf. A.G. 354, b. flagitia et facinora: hendiadys) saepe audivi principem nostrum conquerentem si quis sumpta morte misericordiam eius praevenisset. (si quis sumpta morte misericordiam eius praevenisset: ‘conditional sentence in which the condition is given as possible (type II) in the past and the plup. subjunctive is used. The apodosis here takes the form of an abl. abs. of causal sense: ‘if anyone had thwarted his mercy, suicide having been resorted to’) vita Clutorii in integro (in integro: ‘not impaired’) est, qui neque servatus in periculum rei publicae neque interfectus in exemplum ibit. (qui neque servatus in periculum rei publicae neque interfectus in exemplum ibit: servatus and interfectus are examples of protases expressed by participles in place of clauses with si (cf. A.G. 521, a.): ‘who, if spared, will neither become a danger to the state, nor, if executed, will become a precedent’; Clutorius is too insignificant to pose a risk or to serve as a warning to others. His crime, if any, is due solely to his lack of judgement or to stupidity. in periculum [ibit] …in exemplum ibit: eo followed by in + acc. means ‘to change into’, ‘to become’) studia illi ut plena vaecordiae, ita inania et fluxa sunt; (studia illi ut plena vaecordiae, ita inania et fluxa sunt: comparative sentence with sunt as the verb of both main and dependent clause: ‘in his case, his literary efforts, as they are full of nonsense, so the are also harmless and ephemeral.’ illi is dat. of interest) nec quicquam grave ac serium ex eo metuas qui suorum ipse flagitiorum proditor non virorum animis sed muliercularum adrepit. (nec quicquam grave ac serium ex eo metuas qui suorum ipse flagitiorum proditor … animis … muliercularum adrepit: ‘you may fear nothing alarmingly serious from one who, being the exposer of his own shame, insinuates himself into the hearts of some females of no account.’ metuas: potential subjunctive with the indefinite second person singular; cf. A.G. 447, 2. quicquam or quidquam is the neuter form of quisquam; grave ac serium: hendiadys) cedat tamen urbe et bonis amissis aqua et igni arceatur: (cedat tamen urbe et bonis amissis aqua et igni arceatur: ‘his property having been confiscated, let him leave the city and be kept from the use of fire and water.’ cedat and arceat are jussive subjunctives; cf. B. 275.) quod perinde censeo ac si lege maiestatis teneretur.’ (quod perinde censeo ac si lege maiestatis teneretur: quod refers to his suggested penalty, exile and confiscation of property: ‘this I propose just as if he were guilty of lese majesty.’ Under the law, disrespectful language was considered treason only in regard to Tiberius and his mother Livia; the law did not apply to Drusus. perinde …ac si …teneretur: ‘just as if he were held accountable under …’; ac si introduces a conditional clause of comparison without apodosis; the imperfect subjunctive teneretur is in place of the present teneatur after censeo to underline the unreality of the charge. Cf. A.G. 524, a.)