LVII.
Inter quae (inter quae: ‘along with the things [mentioned in precedence]’) diu meditato prolatoque saepius consilio (diu meditato prolatoque saepius consilio: abl. abs.: ‘a plan having long been entertained and too often deferred’; for saepius see note for severius in ch. 54.) tandem Caesar in Campaniam, specie dedicandi templa apud Capuam Iovi, apud Nolam Augusto, sed certus procul urbe degere. (in Campaniam, specie dedicandi templa apud Capuam Iovi, apud Nolam Augusto, sed certus procul urbe degere: ‘he [left] for Campania, with the excuse to consecrate [two] temples, [one] near Capua to Jupiter, [one] to Augustus near Nola, but [in fact] determined to live away from Rome.’ Tacitus omits verbs when they can be understood from the context or are suggested by some word from a preceding or following clause. Here the main verb abscessit (added to the text in some editions) is implied by the noun abscessus in the next line. Campania is the region of southern Italy between Latium, where Rome is located, and Calabria, the toe of Italy. Capua is 25 km. or 16 miles north of Naples and Nola is about the same distance ENE of Naples. dedicandi templa: genitive gerund admits a direct object.) causam abscessus quamquam secutus plurimos auctorum ad Seiani artes rettuli, (causam abscessus quamquam secutus plurimos auctorum ad Seiani artes rettuli: ’although, having followed most historians, I have attributed the cause of his departure to the intrigues of Sejanus, …’; cf. ch. 41. quamquam …rettuli: a fairly rare occurrence of quamquam with indicative in Tacitus, who regularly uses subjunctive; cf. G. 605, Note.) quia tamen caede eius patrata sex postea annos pari secreto coniunxit, plerumque permoveor num ad ipsum referri verius sit, saevitiam ac libidinem cum factis promeret, locis occultantem. (quia tamen caede eius patrata sex postea annos pari secreto coniunxit, plerumque permoveor num ad ipsum referri verius sit, saevitiam ac libidinem cum factis promeret, locis occultantem: ‘yet, because ([Sejanus’] execution having been accomplished) he added (coniunxit) six years after that (postea) to the same seclusion, I am often led to think whether it might be closer to the truth that [the motive] be imputed to himself, eager to hide in reclusion (locis) his cruelty and lust, for by his actions he advertised them [to the world].’ postea: adverb with the meaning of ‘after that’ (post + ea); permoveor num ad ipsum referri verius sit: ‘I am influenced to [doubt] whether [the motive] might with greater truth be assigned to Tiberius himself’: subjunctive for indirect question with num, the use of which usually implies that the questioner is really undecided between a yes or no answer (Rescigno). cum promeret: subjunctive with causal cum; another causal cum occurs below, cum …accepisset.) erant qui crederent in senectute corporis quoque habitum pudori fuisse: (erant qui crederent in senectute corporis quoque habitum pudori fuisse: ‘some thought that in his advanced years his personal appearance (habitum corporis) had been also a source of shame.’ pudori fuisse: pudori is essentially a dative of purpose, ‘had been for shame’, but (since shame can hardly be intentional) it is preferable to see it as a dative of result, being a thing (or person) that elicits the given sentiment or reaction. erant qui crederent: subjunctive in relative clause of characteristic; see G. 631.) quippe illi praegracilis et incurva proceritas, nudus capillo vertex, ulcerosa facies ac plerumque medicaminibus interstincta; (quippe illi praegracilis et incurva proceritas, nudus capillo vertex, ulcerosa facies ac plerumque medicaminibus interstincta: ‘indeed, he had a tall, gaunt, and stooping frame, a bald head, a face full of boils, mostly patched up with cosmetic.’ illi is dat. of possessor with implied erat, which in English becomes the subject of a clause with the verb ‘to have’. nudus capillo vertex: Tacitus shuns exact words, such as calvus, ‘bald’, as too utilitarian and unpoetic.) et Rhodi secreto vitare coetus, recondere voluptates insuerat. (et Rhodi secreto vitare coetus, recondere voluptates insuerat: et has here the meaning of etiam: ‘even in the self-confinement of Rhodes he had become accustomed to avoid society and to hide his shameful gratifications.’ Rhodi is genitive of Rhodos, the Aegean island of Rhodes where Tiberius had spent seven years in voluntary exile.) traditur etiam matris impotentia extrusum quam dominationis sociam aspernabatur neque depellere poterat, cum dominationem ipsam donum eius accepisset. (traditur etiam matris impotentia extrusum quam dominationis sociam aspernabatur neque depellere poterat, cum dominationem ipsam donum eius accepisset: ‘it is also believed that he was forced to leave by the ungovernable temper of his mother, whom he could not accept as sharer of the imperial power nor could he exclude her, since he had received that same power as her gift. traditur …extrusum {esse] in place of traditur …extrusus [esse]: Tacitus seems to prefer the personal construction (A.G. 582) with passive verbs of saying, but there are exceptions, as is the case here.) nam dubitaverat Augustus Germanicum, sororis nepotem et cunctis laudatum, rei Romanae imponere, sed precibus usoris evictus Tiberio Germanicum, sibi Tiberium adscivit. idque Augusta exprobrabat, reposcebat. (precibus usoris evictus Tiberio Germanicum, sibi Tiberium adscivit. idque Augusta exprobrabat, reposcebat: lit. ‘overcome by his wife’s prayers, [Augustus] admitted Germanicus as a son for Tiberius and he [admitted] Tiberius as a son for himself (sibi). And this the Augusta cast in Tiberius’ teeth, this she claimed as her due.’)