XIX.
Erat uxor Silio Sosia Galla, caritate Agrippinae invisa principi. hos corripi dilato ad tempus Sabino placitum, (hos corripi dilato ad tempus Sabino placitum: hos refer to Gaius Silius and Titius Sabinus from previous chapter, the designated victims: ‘it was agreed that these [two] be brought to trial, Sabinus being deferred for the moment.’ Sabinus’ trial is narrated in ch. 68 – 70.) immissusque Varro consul qui paternas inimicitias obtendens (immissusque Varro consul … paternas inimicitias obtendens: ‘the consul Varro, pleading as an excuse the paternal enmity, was let loose [at them].’ The quarrel between Varro’s father and Silius is mentioned in Book 3, ch. 43.) odiis Seiani per dedecus suum gratifcabatur. precante reo brevem moram, dum accusator consulatu abiret, (precante reo brevem moram, dum accusator consulatu abiret: abl. abs. followed by temporal clause: ‘the defendant requesting a brief delay, until the moment when Varro, the prosecutor, would leave office …’; dum …exiret: dum with the sense of ‘until’ is followed by subjunctive when intention or expectation is implied. consulatu is abl. of separation, here without ab or ex.) adversatus est Caesar: solitum quippe magistratibus diem privatis dicere: (solitum quippe magistratibus diem privatis dicere: ‘that it was customary for magistrates to bring a private citizen to trial’; diem privatis dicere: idiom, lit. ‘to advise private citizens of their day in court’; freely, ‘to summon someone to appear in court’) nec infringendum consulis ius, cuius vigiliis niteretur ne quod res publica detrimentum caperet. (nec infringendum consulis ius, cuius vigiliis niteretur ne quod res publica detrimentum caperet: ‘that no limitations must be set to this prerogative of a consul, on whose vigilance it rested that the state should not receive any harm’: Tiberius cites the ancient formula by which consuls were given dictatorial powers: viderent consules ne quid detrimenti res publica caperet.) proprium id Tiberio fuit scelera nuper reperta priscis verbis obtegere. igitur multa adseveratione, quasi aut legibus cum Silio ageretur aut Varro consul aut illud res publica esset, coguntur patres, (multa adseveratione, quasi aut legibus cum Silio ageretur aut Varro consul aut illud res publica esset, coguntur patres: lit. ‘with great earnestness, as though it was acted with Silius under [real] laws or Varro [was] a [real] consul, or that thing a [real] government’; illud is both emphatic and disparaging, ‘ that system of abusive laws’; quasi …ageretur: quasi is regularly followed by subjunctive according to the sequence of tenses.) silente reo, vel si defensionem coeptaret, non occultante cuius ira premeretur. (silente reo, vel si defensionem coeptaret, non occultante cuius ira premeretur: ‘the defendant kept silent or, if he attempted a defense, did not hide by whose displeasure he was pursued.’ si …coeptaret: subjunctive for potential condition; silente reo …non occultante is abl. abs.) conscientia belli Sacrovir diu dissimulatus, victoria per avaritiam foedata et uxor socia arguebantur. (conscientia belli Sacrovir diu dissimulatus [esse], victoria per avaritiam foedata [esse] et uxor socia [fuisse] arguebantur: personal construction of the passive of a verb of saying (arguebantur) with nominative subjects (Sacrovir, victoria, uxor) in infinitive clause with implied esse; cf. G. 528, B. 332.: lit. ‘Sacrovir was said to have long been kept hidden on account of [Silius’] private knowledge of the war; the victory [was said] to have been sullied though [Silius’] rapacity; his wife [was said] to have been his partner [in malfeasance].’ conscientia: ‘because of complicity, of being privy to a crime’ uxor socia: the husband was made responsible for the trespasses of the wife. arguebantur is plural in that it refers to three subjects.) nec dubie repetundarum criminibus haerebant, sed cuncta quaestione maiestatis exercita, (nec dubie repetundarum criminibus haerebant, sed cuncta quaestione maiestatis exercita: ‘certainly, they were unable to be free from the charges of extorsion, the whole trial, however, having been conducted as [one] of treason’; cuncta quaestione maiestatis exercita is abl. abs. of causal sense.) et Silius imminentem damnationem voluntario fine praevertit.