LX.
Sed (sed: see note for sed in ch. 56.) Tiberius, vim principatus sibi firmans, imaginem antiquitatis senatui praebebat postulata provinciarum ad disquisitionem patrum mittendo. (vim principatus sibi firmans, imaginem antiquitatis senatui praebebat postulata provinciarum ad disquisitionem patrum mittendo: the participial clause with firmans expresses here a temporal relation (cf. G. 664): ‘while he fortified the power of the principate in his hands, [Tiberius] was offering to the senate the appearance of its ancient authority by referring to the examination of the fathers the demands of the provinces.’ sibi is dat. of interest; mittendo: gen. and abl. without preposition are the only two cases of the gerund that admit a direct object, here postulata. For an example of gen. gerund with a direct object, see next note.) crebrescebat enim Graecas per urbes licentia atque impunitas asyla statuendi; (licentia atque impunitas asyla statuendi: licentia atque impunitas is hendiadys: ‘the unrestrained license of establishing places of asylum’; asyla is object of statuendi, a genitive gerund.) complebantur templa pessimis servitiorum; eodem subsidio obaerati adversum creditores (eodem subsidio obaerati adversum creditors …receptabantur: ‘debtors were protected against creditors by the same refuge.’ eodem subsidio complements the passive receptabantur and as instrumental abl. is without preposition, but with a or ab becomes abl. of agent if the nouns indicate persons.) suspectique capitalium criminum receptabantur, nec ullum satis validum imperium erat coercendis seditionibus populi flagitia hominum ut caerimonias deum protegentis. (nec ullum satis validum imperium erat coercendis seditionibus populi flagitia hominum ut caerimonias deum protegentis: ‘there was no authority strong enough to control the riotous tendencies of a people protecting the crimes of men just as they did the cult of the gods.’ Others interpret: ‘…protecting the crimes of men just as if they were observances of the gods.’ The Romans viewed the Greeks and the peoples of the Orient, particularly the Jews, as litigious, seditious, and obstinate in their beliefs. Any attempt at restraining them would trigger outbreaks of violent protest. hominum is subjective genitive, deum objective genitive; the difference is easily determined by deciding whether the gen. is active or passive subject of the verb suggested by the word governing it. In the case of flagitia hominum, men commit crimes, hence hominum is subjective genitive. In the case of caerimonias deum, gods are venerated, hence deum is objective genitive, i.e. the object of worship.) igitur placitum ut mitterent civitates iura atque legatos. et quaedam quod falso usurpaverant sponte omisere; multae vetustis superstitionibus aut meritis in populum Romanum fidebant. magnaque eius diei species fuit quo senatus maiorum beneficia, sociorum pacta, (iura … beneficia … pacta: iura is ‘legal claims’, ‘charters;, ‘titles’; beneficia is ‘grants’, ‘privileges’, ‘entitlements’; pacta is ‘treaties’, ‘accords’, ‘pacts’.) regum etiam qui ante vim Romanam valuerant decreta ipsorumque numinum religiones introspexit, (regum … decreta ipsorumque numinum religiones introspexit: ‘[the senate] examined the decrees of the kings and the religious cults themselves.’) libero, ut quondam, quid firmaret mutaretve. (libero … quid firmaret mutaretve: libero is abl. abs. followed by indirect question with subjunctive: ‘being at liberty [to decide] what they should confirm or change’)