LIII.
At Agrippina pervicax irae et morbo corporis implicata, (at Agrippina pervicax irae et morbo corporis implicata [est]: ‘but Agrippina, ever resentful in her anger, fell sick.’ pervicax irae: irae is objective genitive of specification, found in poets and later writers; irae is the object of pervicax, in that it extends and explains the adjective (anger implies resentment, since it is that in respect of which the quality of resentful exists). Cf. A.G. 349, d. See also note for prosperiore eloquentiae quam morum fama in previous chapter. morbo …implicata {est]: lit. ‘she was caught in its toils by an illness.’) cum viseret eam Caesar, profusis diu ac per silentium lacrimis, mox invidiam et preces orditur: (cum viseret eam Caesar, profusis diu ac per silentium lacrimis, mox invidiam et preces orditur: ‘when Tiberius visited her, her tears being profuse and in silence for a long while, she then began reproaches and prayers.’ cum …viseret: use of historical (or narrative) cum + subjunctive, giving the circumstances immediately preceding the action of the main verb; cf. G. 585. orditur: historical present) subveniret solitudini, daret maritum; (subveniret solitudini, daret maritum: hortatory subjunctives in oratio obliqua after oritur: ‘let him relieve her loneliness, let him give her a husband.’ solitudini: dat. with subvenio) habilem adhuc inventam sibi neque aliud probis quam ex matrimonio solacium; (habilem adhuc inventam sibi [esse] neque aliud probis quam ex matrimonio solacium: ‘that she still had youth fit [for marriage], and honest women had no other comfort than from marriage’; Agrippina’s age was about forty at this time. sibi …probis: datives of possessor with esse understood, which in English become subjects in a clause with the verb ‘to have’.) esse in civitate, * * * (* * *: a few words are missing at this point in the original manuscript.) Germanici coniugem ac liberos eius recipere dignarentur. ([qui] recipere dignarentur: ‘who would deem a worthy action to accept …’: subjunctive for relative clause in indirect speech) sed Caesar non ignarus quantum ex re publica peteretur, (non ignarus quantum ex re publica peteretur: ‘not ignoring how much it was being asked of the state’; quantum …peteretur: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by quantum. Foremost in a suspicious nature like Tiberius’ may have been the thought that any husband of a determined woman like Agrippina might well turn into a dangerous competitor for power.) ne tamen offensionis aut metus manifestus foret (ne tamen offensionis aut metus manifestus foret: neg. purpose clause: ‘lest he might be manifesting displeasure or fear’; offensionis aut metus manifestus: lit. (and stiltedly): ‘manifest of displeasure or fear’; for the genitives of specification offensionis and metus see note above for pervicax irae) sine responso quamquam instantem reliquit. (sine responso quamquam instantem reliquit: ‘he left without answering, in spite of her pressing him.’) id ego, a scriptoribus annalium non traditum, repperi in commentariis Agrippinae filiae quae Neronis principis mater vitam suam et casus suorum posteris memoravit.