LXVI.
Sed ut studia procerum et largitio principis adversum casus solacium tulerant, ita accusatorum maior in dies et infestior vis sine levamento grassabatur; (ut studia procerum … solacium tolerant, ita accusatorum … infestior vis, … grassabatur: comparative sentence with ut …ita and indicative in both main and dependent clause: ‘just as the solicitude of the leading men was able to bring relief, so the fierceness of the informers was growing worse.’) corripueratque Varum Quintilium, divitem et Caesari propinquum, Domitius Afer, Claudiae Pulchrae (Varum Quintilium … Domitius Afer, Claudiae Pulchrae: Varus Quintilius was the son of Publius Quinctilius Varus, the ill-starred general who lost three legions in the battle of Teutoburg against Arminius in 9 A.D. Domitius Afer and Claudia Pulchra were previously mentioned in ch. 52.) matris eius condemnator, nullo mirante quod diu egens et parto nuper praemio male usus plura ad flagitia accingeretur. (nullo mirante quod diu egens et parto nuper praemio male usus plura ad flagitia accingeretur: ‘no one marveling that, being poor for long and having misused (male usus) the reward lately received, he should get ready for new infamies.’ parto nuper praemio …usus: i.e. the money received for the successful prosecution of Claudia Pulchra; cf. cf. 52; utor, like fruor, fungor, potior and vescor takes abl. mirante quod …: the verb miror is often found followed by a clause with quod or quia with explicative value and frequently with subjunctive in that the clause is in virtual indirect discourse, the reason given being the suggestion of a person other than the writer. Cf. G. 541.) Publium Dolabellam socium delationis extitisse miraculo erat, (Publium Dolabellam socium delationis extitisse miraculo erat: ‘it was a true wonder that P. Dolabella had become a partner of the accusation.’ Publius Cornelius Dolabella, famous for his servility, was previously mentioned in Book 3, ch. 47and 69, Book 4, ch. 23.) quia claris maioribus et Varo conexus suam ipse nobilitatem, suum sanguinem perditum ibat. (quia … suum sanguinem perditum ibat: ‘since he was going to destroy his own blood’; it is not known how Dolabella was related to Varus, the defendant. perditum ibat: acc. supines such as perditum are used after verbs of motion to express purpose.) restitit tamen senatus et opperiendum imperatorem censuit, quod unum urgentium malorum suffugium in tempus erat. (restitit tamen senatus et opperiendum imperatorem censuit, quod unum urgentium malorum suffugium in tempus erat: ‘the senate, however, resisted and decided that the emperor’s return should be awaited, which [expedient] was the only refuge left, under the circumstances, from the pressing evils.’ malorum suffugium: Tacitus prefers here objective genitive to adversus + acc. (as in Germania ch. 46) after suffugium; in tempore: ‘for the moment’)