XLII.
Ac forte habita per illos dies de Votieno Montano, celebris ingenii viro, cognitio (habita … de Votieno Montano …cognitio: ‘the judicial examination about Votienus Montanus was conducted’; Montanus was a celebrated orator from Gallia Narbonensis.) cunctantem iam Tiberium perpulit ut vitandos crederet patrum coetus vocesque quae plerumque verae et graves coram ingerebantur. ([cognitio] …Tiberium perpulit ut vitandos crederet patrum coetus vocesque quae plerumque verae et graves coram ingerebantur: ‘[the trial] drove Tiberius to believe that he should avoid the senate meetings and the offensive language, for the most part accurate, that was openly directed [at him]’; perpulit ut: perpello is frequently supplemented by ut clause. vitandos …partum coetus: it is always useful to remember that the gerundive adjective is passive in meaning, although that may be hidden in translation: lit. ‘that the meetings of the senate were best avoided’; coetus vocesque is hendiadys, ‘the language in the meetings’ vs. ‘the meetings and the language’) nam postulato Votieno ob contumelias in Caesarem dictas, (postulato Votieno ob contumelias in Caesarem dictas: abl. abs.: ‘Votienus being sought [at law] for insulting language expressed against Caesar’) testis Aemilius (Aemilius: he may be the senior centurion mentioned in Book 2, ch. 11.) e militaribus viris, dum studio probandi cuncta refert et quamquam inter obstrepentis magna adseveratione nititur, (dum studio probandi cuncta refert et quamquam inter obstrepentis magna adseveratione nititur: ‘while in his zeal of providing evidence he reported everything verbatim and even among [the senators] protesting vigorously he struggled through with dogged perseverance’; dum …refert …nititur: dum, ‘while’, is regularly with present indicative; quamquam inter obstrepentis: quamquam is here not subordinating conjunction, but adverb qualifying a participial phrase. See example below of quamquam used in subordinate clause. magna adseveratione: abl. of manner, here without interposed cum; studio probandi: objective genitive gerund after a noun.) audivit Tiberius probra quis per occuitum lacerabatur, adeoque perculsus est ut se vel statim vel in cognitione purgaturum clamitaret (adeoque perculsus est ut se vel statim vel in cognitione purgaturum clamitaret: consecutive sentence with adeo and ut introducing the main and dependent clause respectively: ‘he was so hurt as to cry out aloud that he would clear himself either immediately or in the course of the process.’ se …purgaturum [esse]: example of active periphrastic conjugation) precibusque proximorum, adulatione omnium aegre componeret animum. et Votienus quidem maiestatis poenis adfectus est: Caesar obiectam sibi adversus reos inclementiam eo pervicacius amplexus, (Caesar obiectam sibi adversus reos inclementiam eo pervicacius amplexus: ‘Caesar all the more determinedly embraced the rigor against defendants which himself was reproached with.’ An intriguing reflection, that Tiberius turned cruel to avenge the reputation for cruelty he had in Rome and which he viewed as undeserved.) Aquiliam adulterii delatam (adulterii delatam: ‘denounced for adultery’; defero, in the sense of ‘to charge with’, appears to be with gen. only in Tacitus (Furneaux).) cum Vario Ligure, quamquam Lentulus Gaetulicus consul designatus lege Iulia damnasset, (quamquam … consul designatus lege Iulia damnasset: ‘although the consul-elect had condemned her under the Julian law.’ The Julian law was milder in that it did not prescribe exilium for adultery, but simple relegatio, i.e. confinement to a place without loss of citizenship. quamquam …damnasset: in Tacitus quamquam is almost regularly with subjunctive.) exilio punivit Apidiumque Merulam (Aquiliam … Vario Ligure … Lentulus Gaetulicus … Apidiumque Merulam: nothing else can be found about this Aquilia; Varius Ligus is mentioned in an inscription celebrating young Tiberius Gemellus, one of the twin sons of Drusus, Tiberius’ son; Lentulus Gaetulicus is mentioned at greater length in Book 6, ch. 30; as to Apidius Merula, no further mention of the name could be traced.) quod in acta divi Augusti non iuraverat albo senatorio (albo senatorio: the official register of the senate listing all the members. The fact that Apidius Merula was struck off the list for not swearing on Augustus’ acts is indicative of the new change for the worse, since Tiberius had previously forbidden such oaths upon his own acts; cf. Book 1, ch. 72.) erasit.