XLIII.
Auditae dehinc Lacedaemoniorum et Messeniorum (Lacedaemoniorum et Messeniorum: Lacedaemo is the ancient state of Sparta in Laconia, a region in the southern part of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. Messenia is the region bordering Laconia on its western side.) legationes de iure templi Dianae Limnatidis, (de iure templi Dianae Limnatidis: ‘concerning the legal status of the temple of Venus Limnatis’; the temple took its name from the locality of Limnae on the border between ancient Messenia and Laconia) quod suis a maioribus suaque in terra dicatum Lacedaemonii firmabant (quod suis a maioribus suaque in terra dicatum [esse] Lacedaemonii firmabant: ‘which (temple) the Spartans affirmed that it had been consecrated by their ancestors on their own land’; quod … dicatum [esse] … firmabant: quod here does not introduce a relative clause (in which case the clause would be subjunctive in indirect discourse), but merely serves as a connector with what precedes. Cf. A.G. 308, f.) annalium memoria vatumque carminibus, sed Macedonis Philippi (cum quo bellassent: ‘with whom they had waged war’; subjunctive for relative clause in oratio obliqua with firmabant) armis ademptum ac post C. Caesaris et M. Antonii sententia redditum. (Macedonis Philippi … armis ademptum ac post C. Caesaris et M. Antonii sententia redditum: ‘wrested [from them] by the arms of Macedonian Philip and restored to them by the decision of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony’; Philip, king of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, invaded Laconia in 337 B.C. Gaius Julius Caesar was the conqueror of Gaul and later dictator. Marc Antony was his lieutenant and loyal friend and later the rival of Augustus.) contra Messenii veterem inter Herculis posteros divisionem Peloponnesi protulere, (contra Messenii veterem inter Herculis posteros divisionem Peloponnesi protulere: ‘the Messenians, on the other hand, adduced the ancient division of the Peloponnese among the successors of Hercules.’ Peloponnesus is the large peninsula of southern Greece, almost an island but for the narrow isthmus of Corinth.) suoque regi Denthaliatem agrum in quo id delubrum cessisse; (suoque regi Denthaliatem agrum in quo id delubrum cessisse: ‘that the district of Denthalia, in which [was] the temple, had been apportioned to their king’; the possession of the temple and of the ager Denthaliatis, on which it stood, had always been a bone of contention between the Messenians and the Spartans) monimentaque eius rei sculpta saxis et aere prisco manere. quod si vatum, annalium ad testimonia vocentur, pluris sibi ac locupletiores esse; (quod si vatum, annalium ad testimonia vocentur, pluris sibi ac locupletiores esse: conditional sentence in indirect discourse: ‘if the endorsement of poets and of historical records were invoked, they had many of them and more reliable’; the use of the present infinitive esse in the apodosis instead of future participle + esse indicates that the condition is viewed as logical (type I); the present subjunctive vocentur in the protasis is in place of the imperfect vocarentur, required by the sequence of tenses after protulere, a historical verb of saying. This use of a tense closer to the reader is referred to as repraesentatio; cf. B. 318. sibi with esse is dative of possessor, which in English becomes the subject of a clause with the verb ‘to have’. quod in quod si is usually ignored or translated as ‘but’.) neque Philippum potentia sed ex vero statuisse: (neque Philippum potentia sed ex vero statuisse: ‘nor had Philip [acted] from abuse of power, but had given a decision according (ex) to fact.) idem regis Antigoni, idem imperatoris Mummii iudicium; sic Milesios permisso publice arbitrio, postremo Atidium Geminum (Antigoni … Mummii … Milesios … Atidium Geminum: Antigonus III Doson was king of Macedonia from 229 to 220 B.C.; Lucius Mummius defeated the Achaean Confederacy against Roman rule in Greece in 253 – 252 B.C.; Milesii are the inhabitants of Miletus, a city on the Aegean coast in the SW corner of Asia Minor (Turkey); Atidius Geminus was a praetorian proconsul governor in 29 B.C. of Achaia (the name of Greece as a Roman province.) praetorem Achaiae decrevisse. ita secondum Messenios datum. (ita secondum Messenios datum: datum refers to ius templi above, near the head of the chapter: ‘thus ownership of the temple was given in favor of the Messenii.’ secundum is prep. governing the accusative.) et Segestani aedem Veneris montem apud Erycum, vetustate dilapsam, restaurari postulavere, nota memorantes de origine eius et laeta Tiberio. (Segestani aedem Veneris montem apud Erycum, vetustate dilapsam, restaurari postulavere, nota memorantes de origine eius et laeta Tiberio: ‘the people of Segesta requested that the shrine of Venus near Mount Erix, fallen to ruin, be restored, calling back to mind well-known facts, dear to Tiberius, about its foundation.’ Segesta is an ancient city on the northern coast of Sicily, near the western tip of the island, close to modern Calatafimi, claimed to have been founded by Trojans fleeing the destruction of their city, thus special in the eyes of the Romans who claim a similar origin; montem apud Erycum: identified with Monte San Giuliano, near Trapani. ) suscepit curam libens ut consanguineus. (suscepit curam libens ut consanguineous: ‘[Tiberius] willingly undertook the task, as a relative [of Venus].’ consanguineous: the Julian race or gens claimed descent from Julus, the son of Aeneas (the refugee from Troy celebrated in Virgil’s Aeneid), who in turn was the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the goddess Venus or Aphrodite. Tiberius, having been inducted into the Julian house by adoption, saw himself as being related to Venus.) tunc tractatae Massiliensium preces probatumque P. Rutilii exemplum; namque eum legibus pulsum civem sibi Zmyrnaei addiderant. quo iure Vulcacius Moschus exul in Massiliensis receptus bona sua rei publicae eorum et patriae reliquerat. (tunc tractatae Massiliensium preces probatumque P. Rutilii exemplum; namque eum legibus pulsum civem sibi Zmyrnaei addiderant. quo iure Vulcacius Moschus exul in Massiliensis receptus bona sua rei publicae eorum et patriae reliquerat: lit. ‘then the prayers of the people of Massilia (Marseille) were debated [in the senate] and the precedent of Publius Rutilius was approved [after scrutiny], since, having been banished by the laws, the inhabitants of Smyrna (Zmyrnaei) had added him (eum) to themselves (sibi) as a citizen. By the legal force [of such precedent] Vulcacius, Moschus, an exile received among the people of Massilia, had left his wealth to their state and his [new] fatherland.’ A strangely belabored passage that lacks the habitual terseness and vigor of Tactus’ style.)