XXXVI.
Ceterum (ceterum: here with the traditional meaning of the accusative of relation, ‘as to the rest’) postulandis reis tam continuus annus fuit ut feriarum Latinarum diebus (feriarum Latinarum diebus: the Latin holidays lasted four days during which any judicial proceeding was strictly forbidden. This explains the severity of the penalty meted out to Salvianus below.) praefectum urbis Drusum, (Drusum: the eldest son of Germanicus who had named him after his own father Drusus, Tiberius’ brother.) auspicandi gratia (auspicandi gratia: the ablatives gratia and causa command the genitive, lit. ‘for the sake of the auspices to be taken’; freely, ‘for the sake of inaugurating his office as city prefect’) tribunal ingressum, adierit Calpumius Salvianus in Sextum Marium: (postulandis reis tam continuus annus fuit ut … adierit Calpumius Salvianus in Sextum Marium: consecutive sentence with tam …ut: lit. ‘it was a year so continuous with defendants to be prosecuted, that Calpurnius Salvianus accosted [Drusus] to accuse Sextus Marius (in Marium) [during the Latin holidays].’ For the gravity of the offence se note above for feriarum Latinarum diebus; postulandis reis appears to be abl. of specification, though continuus is clearly with dat. of the person in Book 6, ch. 26; adierit: consecutive clauses do not follow the sequence of tenses: the perfect subjunctive in this case merely represents the perfect indicative that would be used if the clause was not dependent. Cf. B. 268, 6. Calpurnius Salvianus is only mentioned here in the Annals. Sextus Marius will be named again in Book 6, ch.19.) quod a Caesare palam in crepitum causa exilii Salviano fuit. obiecta publice Cyzicenis (Cyzicenis: Cyzicus was an ancient Greek town in Mysia (Anatolia), east of the Troad in northwestern Turkey, located on the coast, north of the modern city of Balikesir.) incuria caerimoniarum divi Augusti, additis violentiae criminibus adversum civis Romanos. (additis violentiae criminibus adversum civis Romanos: abl. abs.: ‘crimes of violence against Roman citizens being added’) et amisere libertatem, quam bello Mithridatis (Mithridatis: see ch. 14.) meruerant, circumsessi nec minus sua constantia quam praesidio Luculli pulso rege. (nec minus sua constantia quam praesidio Luculli pulso rege: abl. abs.: ‘the king having been repulsed not less by their own steadfastness than by the protection of Lucullus.’ Lucius Licinius Lucullus Ponticus was the conqueror of eastern kingdoms in the Third Mithridatic War (73 –67 B.C.). He particularly distinguished himself during the siege of Cyzicus (73-72 B.C.). The reflexive sua refers to the Cyziceni (though they are not the subject in the clause) to emphasize the close relationship with constantia, ‘with their very own determination’. Cf. B. 244, 4.) at Fonteius Capito, (Fonteius Capito: he had been consul with Germanicus in 12 A.D.) qui pro consule Asiam curaverat, absolvitur, comperto ficta in eum crimina per Vibium Serenum. (Vibium Serenum: the son, see ch. 28-29.) neque tamen id Sereno noxae fuit, (neque tamen id Sereno noxae fuit: ‘yet this [rebuff] was not injurious to Serenus.’ noxae esse: idiom, lit. ‘to be for harm’) quem odium publicum tutiorem faciebat. nam ut quis destrictior accusator, velut sacrosanctus erat: (ut quis destrictior accusator, velut sacrosanctus erat: lit. ‘to the extent that (ut) anyone [was] more aggressive as accuser, he became, so to speak, immune to attack.’ destrictior: ‘more ruthless or implacable’; the term comes from destringo, ‘to unsheathe’, ‘to take a sword out of its scabbard, ready for use’; a modern equivalent for destrictus would be ‘quick on the draw’.) leves ignobiles poenis adficiebantur.