LXX.
Post auditi Cyrenenses (Cyrenenses: the inhabitant of Cyrene in Cyrenaica, eastern Libya, between Banghazi and Tubruq; Cyrene and the island of Crete had been paired by Augustus to form a single senatorial province.) et accusante Anchario Prisco Caesius Cordus repetundarum damnatur. (accusante Anchario Prisco Caesius Cordus repetundarum damnatur: ‘Ancharius Priscus being the accuser, Caesius Cordus was convicted of embezzlement.’ For both Priscus and Cordus see ch. 38. A year had passed since the initial indictment to give the prosecution time to collect evidence. repetundarum is gen. of the charge; cf. A.G. 352.; damnatur is historical present.) L. Ennium equitem Romanum, maiestatis postulatum quod effigiem principis promiscum ad usum argenti vertisset, (quod effigiem principis promiscum ad usum argenti vertisset: lit. ‘because he had converted a statue of Tiberius for the everyday use of silver [objects]’; causal quod is followed by subjunctive when the reason given is presumed by someone other than the writer (virtual oratio obliqua).) recipi Caesar inter reos vetuit, (recipi Caesar inter reos vetuit: ‘Tiberius vetoed that [Ennius] be brought before the court.’ He used his special powers as a tribune. in reos recipere or referre: ‘to enter in the list of the accused’) palam aspernante Ateio Capitone quasi per libertatem. (palam aspernante Ateio Capitone quasi per libertatem: abl. abs.: ‘Ateius Capito voicing his disagreement quite openly, as if acting in defense of liberty’; for Ateius Capito see ch. 75 ahead. quasi per libertatem: lit. ‘as if on account of freedom’; per has here causal force.) non enim debere eripi patribus vim statuendi neque tantum maleficium impune habendum. (non enim debere eripi patribus vim statuendi neque tantum maleficium impune habendum: a verb of saying is here understood to introduce indirect speech: ‘[he protested] that the authority to decide should not be wrested from the senate, nor that such a grave offence should be allowed to pass without punishment.’ patribus: dat. with eripi; vim statuendi: objective gen. gerund after a noun, habendum [esse]: impersonal use in indirect discourse of the passive periphrastic construction to express obligation or necessity.) sane lentus in suo dolore esset: rei publicae iniurias ne largiretur. (sane lentus in suo dolore esset: rei publicae iniurias ne largiretur: ‘by all means, let the prince be indulgent in an injury done to himself, but let them not condone injuries to the state.’ esset and ne largiretur are jussive subjunctives, the latter negative with ne. Cf. A.G. 439.) intellexit haec Tiberius, ut erant magis quam ut dicebantur, (intellexit haec Tiberius, ut erant magis quam ut dicebantur: ‘Tiberius understood these words as they were meant, more than as they were said’.) perstititque intercedere. Capito insignitior infamia fuit quod humani divinique iuris sciens egregium publicum et bonas domi artes dehonestavisset. (Capito insignitior infamia fuit quod humani divinique iuris sciens egregium publicum et bonas domi artes dehonestavisset: ‘Capito was all the more famous for his servile conduct in that, though deeply versed in the laws, both human and divine, he had dishonored his eminent public service and his good personal qualities.’ On Capito’s shameful toadying, Sallust cites a good example: Tiberius having been corrected by a senator for using a wrong word, Capito at once rose to say that the word was Latin, and if not, that it would be from then on. quod … dehonestavisset: the reason is assigned by popular opinion; cf. note for quod …vertisset above. iuris sciens: participles may often replace a circumstantial clause (temporal, causal, conditional, concessive, etc.); here sciens has concessive force, ‘though he had profound knowledge of the law, …’; cf. G. 667. egregium publicum: publicum is usually translated as ‘career’, ‘record’, ‘service’; but publicum, used as a noun, has none of these meanings, so various explanations have been offered, such as that Tacitus left the noun understood (as he often does with other words) after publicum, used as adjective. domi: ancient locative, ‘at home’, i.e. ‘in his private life’)