LIX.
Ac forte illis diebus oblatum Caesari anceps periculum (oblatum Caesari anceps periculum: ‘a dangerous accident occurred to Tiberius.’ oblatum [est] from offero is here reflexive, lit. ‘placed itself in his way’.) auxit vana rumoris praebuitque ipsi materiem cur amicitiae constantiaeque Seiani magis fideret. (cur amicitiae constantiaeque Seiani magis fideret: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by cur: ‘why he should trust more in the friendship and loyalty of Sejanus’; amicitiae constantiaeque is dative with fido.) vescebantur in villa cui vocabulum Speluncae mare Amunclanum inter et Fundanos montis nativo in specu. (vescebantur in villa cui vocabulum Speluncae mare Amunclanum inter et Fundanos montis nativo in specu: ‘they were dining at a villa called The Sperlonga, in a natural cave between the bay of Amyclae and the mountains of Fundi.’ cui vocabulum Speluncae [erat]: the dat. Speluncae agrees wit cui, itself dat. of possessor with implied erat; mare Amunclanum: a bay between Gaeta and Terracina on the Tyrrhenian coast near modern Fondi. The Sperlonga exists to this day and is open to the public.) eius os lapsis repente saxis obruit quosdam ministros: (eius os lapsis repente saxis obruit quosdam ministros: ‘rocks having suddenly slid down, the mouth of the cave (eius) crushed some servants.’ labor being deponent, the perf. participle lapsis in the abl. abs. has active sense, as in English.) hinc metus in omnis et fuga eorum qui convivium celebrabant. Seianus genu voltuque et manibus super Caesarem suspensus opposuit sese incidentibus (opposuit sese incidentibus: ‘he opposed himself to the falling [rocks].’) atque habitu tali repertus est a militibus qui subsidio venerant. maior ex eo et quamquam exitiosa suaderet ut non sui anxius cum fide audiebatur. (maior ex eo [fuit] et quamquam exitiosa suaderet ut non sui anxius cum fide audiebatur: ‘he became more powerful on account of that [incident] and though he might give ruinous advice, he was listened to with confidence as someone who had no thought of himself.’ quamquam …suaderet: see note for quamquam …rettuli in ch. 57. sui anxius: sui is reflexive personal pronoun, ‘solicitous of himself’. The phrase has occurred before in Book 2, ch. 75. cum fide: abl. of manner.) adsimulabatque iudicis partis (adsimulabat iudicis partis: ‘he was assuming the role of an [impartial] judge towards …’) adversum Germanici stirpem, subditis qui accusatorum nomina sustinerent maximeque insectarentur Neronem (subditis qui accusatorum nomina sustinerent maximeque insectarentur Neronem: abl. abs. governing a relative clause of final sense with subjunctive: lit. ‘those having been prevailed on who would assume the role of accusers’) proximum successioni et, quamquam modesta iuventa, plerumque tamen quid in praesentiarum conduceret oblitum, (quamquam modesta iuventa, plerumque tamen quid in praesentiarum conduceret oblitum: example of quamquam used adverbially to modify an adjective (G. 609, Note 1 and 2.): ‘though his youth being unassuming, yet often (plerumque tamen) it was forgotten what his present condition required’; quamquam modesta iuventa: abl. abs. quid in praesentiarum conduceret oblitum: though a deponent verb, obliviscor is often reflexive and oblitum [est] is passive with impersonal sense; quid conducert: subjunctive in indirect question) dum a libertis et clientibus, apiscendae potentiae properis, extimulatur ut erectum et fidentem animi ostenderet: (dum a libertis et clientibus, apiscendae potentiae properis, extimulatur ut [se] erectum et fidentem animi ostenderet: ‘while he was incited by his freedmen and clients, eager to secure power, to show himself bold and confident of heart’; dum …extimulatur: present indicative for action concurrent with that of the main verb, oblitum [est]; apiscendae potentiae properis: in later Latin the genitive gerundive is found expressing purpose (A.G. 504, Note 1): lit. ‘desirous of power to be gained’; erectum et fidentem animi: animi is genitive of specification, occurring frequently in poets and later writers; see note in previous chapter for ceterorum nescii egere. ) velle id populum Romanum, cupere exercitus, neque ausurum contra Seianum qui nunc patientiam senis et segnitiam iuvenis iuxta insultet. (velle id populum Romanum, cupere exercitus, neque ausurum contra Seianum qui nunc patientiam senis et segnitiam iuvenis iuxta insultet: in indirect discourse after extimulatur above: ‘the Roman people demanded it, the armies desired it, and Sejanus would not dare to be against who at that moment laughed alike (iuxta)at the submissiveness of the old and at the passivity of the young prince’; insultet: subjunctive in relative clause in oratio obliqua. The present conforms to the sequence of tenses after a primary verb of saying.)