LX.
Haec atque talia audienti nihil quidem pravae cogitationis, (haec atque talia audienti nihil quidem pravae cogitationis: lit. ‘to Nero hearing this and similar advice no vindictive thought [occurred] at all’. Freely: ‘though he listened to such talk, Drusus had no intention of retaliating.’ audienti is dat. of possessor with erat understood; nihil …cogitationis: partitive genitive after the neuter nihil) sed interdum voces procedebant contumaces et inconsultae, quas adpositi custodes exceptas auctasque cum deferrent neque Neroni defendere daretur, diversae insuper sollicitudinum formae oriebantur. (sed interdum voces procedebant contumaces et inconsultae, quas adpositi custodes exceptas auctasque cum deferrent neque Neroni defendere daretur, diversae insuper sollicitudinum formae oriebantur: ‘but occasionally offensive and thoughtless remarks fell from him, and when those posted to watch him reported these (quas), duly collected and enlarged, and no chance was given him to explain, additional and diverse sources of anxiety began to appear.’ cum deferrent …daretur: use of historical cum + subjunctive to give the circumstances immediately preceding and conditioning the action of the main verb. See G. 585. sollicitudinum formae: Tacitus finds plural genitives more expressive and poetic than the singular.) nam alius occursum eius vitare, quidam salutatione reddita statim averti, plerique inceptum sermonem abrumpere, (occursum eius vitare, … salutatione reddita statim averti, … inceptum sermonem abrumpere: three clauses each with a historical infinitive: ‘[one] would avoid falling in with him, [others], greetings being exchanged, would turn away, [many] would break off a conversation just begun.’ The passive averti has reflexive sense, possibly with se understood, ‘would betake themselves off’.) insistentibus contra inridentibusque qui Seiano fautores aderant. (insistentibus contra inridentibusque qui Seiano fautores aderant: abl. abs. with dependent relative clause: ‘in contrast, the partisans of Sejanus, who chanced to be by, deriding him’; Sejano is dat. with fautores, ‘drudges for Sejanus’.) enimvero Tiberius torvus aut falsum renidens vultu: seu loqueretur seu taceret iuvenis, crimen ex silentio, ex voce. (Tiberius torvus aut falsum renidens vultu: seu loqueretur seu taceret iuvenis, crimen ex silentio, ex voce: ‘Tiberius [was] scowling or falsely smiling as to his countenance: whether the young man spoke or kept silent, guilt [was seen] in his silence, in his words’; seu loqueretur seu taceret: after Livy the repeated particles sive …sive or seu …seu, introducing alternate conditions, are generally found with subjunctive, on account of the potential nature of the conditions (Ernout). vultu is abl. of respect or specification; cf. A.G. 418; ex silentio, ex voce are ablatives of cause.) ne nox quidem secura, cum uxor vigilias somnos suspiria matri Liviae atque illa Seiano patefaceret; qui fratrem quoque Neronis Drusum traxit in partis, spe obiecta principis loci si priorem aetate et iam labefactum demovisset. (spe obiecta principis loci si priorem aetate et iam labefactum demovisset: abl. abs. governing a protasis with potential condition + subjunctive: ‘the hope of the emperor’s place having been held before him, if he would have removed [Nero], his elder brother, already weakened’; si …demovisset: the plup. subjunctive is the Latin way to express future in past time (Ernout). The conditional clause is in virtual oratio obliqua, since it represents the thought and words of Sejanus: demovisset corresponds to the future perfect of direct speech.) atrox Drusi ingenium super cupidinem potentiae et solita fratribus odia accendebatur invidia quod mater Agrippina promptior Neroni erat. (accendebatur invidia quod mater Agrippina promptior Neroni erat: ‘he was roused up by jealousy, since Agrippina, his mother, was more partial to Nero.’ quod …erat; causal quod, quia, and quando are normally followed by indicative.) neque tamen Seianus ita Drusum fovabat ut non in eum quoque semina futuri exitii meditaretur, gnarus praeferocem et insidiis magis opportunum. (neque tamen Seianus ita Drusum fovabat ut non in eum quoque semina futuri exitii meditaretur, gnarus praeferocem et insidiis magis opportunum: ‘yet, Sejanus did not cultivate Drusus to such an extent (ita) that (ut) he would not meditate schemes of future downfall against him also, knowing him hot-headed and all the more suitable for snares.’ ita …ut …meditaretur: subjunctive in consecutive sentence with ita ..ut)