XXVIII.
Isdem consulibus (isdem consulibus: since consulates lasted a year, the consuls were a convenient way to identify any year.) miseriarum ac saevitiae exemplum atrox, reus pater, accusator filius (nomen utrique Vibius Serenus) (Vibius Serenus: mentioned previously in Book 2, ch. 30 (as C. Vibius) and in ch. 13 of the present book) in senatum inducti sunt. ab exilio retractus inluvieque ac squalore obsitus et tum catena vinctus pater oranti filio comparatur. (ab exilio retractus inluvieque ac squalore obsitus et tum catena vinctus pater oranti filio comparatur: ‘dragged from exile covered over in filth and grime, and at that moment bound by chains, he was set in opposition to his son speaking [against him].’ comparatur is historical present; obsitus is from obsero.) adulescens multis munditiis, alacri vultu, (multis munditiis, alacri vultu: ablatives of quality, equivalent to adjectives in that they describe a noun: ‘with much elegance and a cheerful mien’) structas principi insidias, missos in Galliam concitores belli index idem et testis dicebat, (index idem et testis dicebat: ‘he was pleading as the accuser and, at the same time, as a witness,’ The pronominal idem has here the adverbial sense of ‘also’, ‘at the same time’.’) adnectebatque Caecilium Comutum (Caecilium Comutum: it is known from an inscription that he was a member of a panel of judges (Furneaux).) praetorium ministravisse pecuniam; qui taedio curarum et quia periculum pro exitio habebatur (quia periculum pro exitio habebatur: ‘because the peril [of being a defendant in a trial for treason] was considered the same as (pro) a death sentence’; Tacitus, in the view of many, exaggerates here: things became seriously worse later.) mortem in se festinavit. at contra reus nihil infracto animo obversus in filium quatere vincla, (obversus in filium quatere vincla: ‘turning so as to face his son, he shook his chains’; quatere is historical infinitive, as is vocare below.) vocare ultores deos ut sibi quidem redderent exilium ubi procul tali more ageret, filium autem quandoque supplicia sequerentur. (vocare ultores deos ut sibi quidem redderent exilium ubi procul tali more ageret, filium autem quandoque supplicia sequerentur: ‘he called on the gods, the avengers, to at least (quidem) give back to himself the banishment (where he would live far from such practices), and also (autem) on their retribution (supplicia) to reach his son someday.’ voco, in place of invoco, is here followed by completive final clause with ut. procul tali more: abl. after procul which is here prep.) adseverabatque innocentem Cornutum et falso exterritum; (falso exterritum: ‘terrified by lies’) idque facile intellectu si proderentur alii: (idque facile intellectu si proderentur alii: a conditional sentence in indirect discourse with a supine in the apodosis in place of a finite verb: ‘that all this was easy to understand, if others would be questioned; facile intellectu: lit. ‘easy in being understood’; intellectu is the passive abl. supine of intellego; this verbal noun, actually an abl. of specification, is found after some adjectives, like faclis, difficilis, fas, nefas, optimum, iucundum, etc., with a few nouns, but rarely with verbs; the supine has no equivalent in English, just as the gerundive.) non enim se caedem principis et res novas uno socio cogitasse.