I.
C. Asinio C. Antistio consulibus (C. Asinio C. Antistio consulibus: the year is now 23 A.D.; Gaius Asinius Pollio and Gaius Antistius Veto were both ex-praetors. Asinius was the second son of Asinius Gallus (cf. Book 3, ch. 75) and had been proconsul of Asia. Antistius was the son of the consul of the same name for 6 B.C.) nonus Tiberio annus erat compositae rei publicae, florentis domus (nam Germanici mortem inter prospera ducebat), cum repente turbare fortuna coepit, saevire ipse aut saevientibus viris praebere. initium et causa penes Aelium Seianum cohortibus praetoriis praefectum cuius de potentia supra memoravi: (cuius de potentia supra memoravi: in Book 1, ch. 24 and 69; Book 3, ch. 29, 25, and 72.) nunc originem, mores, et quo facinore dominationem raptum ierit expediam. (quo facinore dominationem raptum ierit expediam: lit. ‘I shall explain by what misdeed he went to grab power.’ ierit is perfect subjunctive in an indirect question introduced by interrogative quo and corresponds to the perfect indicative that would be used if the clause was not dependent. The acc. supine (here raptum) is found with verbs of motion to express purpose; cf. B. 340.) genitus Vulsiniis patre Seio Strabone equite Romano, (genitus Vulsiniis patre Seio Strabone equite Romano: Vulsinii or Volsinii is modern Bolsena, a town on the NE. shore of lake Bolsena, north of Viterbo in northern Latium. Sejanus’ father, Seius Strabo, a Roman knight, was prefect of the Praetorian Guard before his son took over. See also Book 1, ch. 24.) et prima iuventa Gaium Caesarem divi Augusti nepotem sectatus, non sine rumore Apicio diviti et prodigo stuprum veno dedisse, (non sine rumore Apicio diviti et prodigo stuprum veno dedisse: in indirect speech after rumore: lit. ‘not without fame that he had given sexual enjoyment for money to the rich prodigal Apicius’; Marcus Gavius Apicius was a notorious voluptuary; his name became a synonym for bon viveur.) mox Tiberium variis artibus devinxit: adeo ut obscurum adversum alios sibi uni incautum intectumque efficeret, (adeo ut … efficeret: subjunctive in the dependent clause of a consecutive sentence introduced by adeo …ut.) non tam sollertia (quippe isdem artibus victus est) ((quippe isdem artibus victus est): ‘since he was vanquished [by Tiberius] with the same arts’; victus est: the part of the Annals dealing with Sejanus’ violent death has regrettably gone lost, but Juvenal fills the gap in his tenth satire. He narrates that eight years later, in 31 A.D., Tiberius, who had retreated to the island of Capri and was by then made aware of Sejanus’ true intentions, sent an order to arrest him in the senate. Sejanus was strangled in prison a few hours after his arrest. The people in their fury mangled his corpse and threw the remains into the Tiber.) quam deum ira in rem Romanam, cuius pari exitio viguit ceciditque. corpus illi laborum tolerans, animus audax; sui obtegens, in alios criminator; iuxta adulatio et superbia; palam compositus pudor, intus summa apiscendi libido, (sui obtegens, in alios criminator; iuxta adulatio et superbia; palam compositus pudor, intus summa apiscendi libido: lit. ‘concealing of himself, a slanderer against others, servility and arrogance side by side, outwardly assumed modesty, inwardly a consuming lust of possessing’; sui is objective genitive of the personal pronoun se, third person singular, here used reflexively in combination with a participle. Another objective genitive, but in combination with a noun, is the gerund apiscendi.) eiusque causa modo largitio et luxus, saepius (modo …et … saepius: a Tacitean variation on modo … modo: ‘sometimea …but more often …’) industria ac vigilantia, haud minus noxiae quotiens parando regno finguntur. (haud minus noxiae quotiens parando regno finguntur: ‘qualities not less pernicious whenever they are contrived for the acquisition of a kingdom’; parando regno is dat. gerundive of purpose in place of ad parandum regnum, ‘for a kingdom to be acquired’; quotiens finguntur: temporal quotiens is normally with indicative.)