LXVIII.
Iunio Silano et Silio Nerva consulibus (Iunio Silano et Silio Nerva consulibus: the year is now 28 A.D.. Appius Junius Silanus is probably the son of Gaius Silanus, whose trial is reported in Book 3, ch. 66-69. Later he was the stepfather of Messalina. Publius Silius Nerva is very likely the son of the consul of the same name for the year 7 A.D.) foedum anni principium incessit tracto in carcerem inlustri equite Romano Titio Sabino (tracto in carcerem inlustri equite Romano Titio Sabino: abl. abs.: ‘a distinguished Roman knight, Titius Sabinus, having been dragged to prison’; Sabinus had come under attack by Sejanus four years earlier (see ch. 18-19), but his trial had been postponed.) ob amicitiam Germanici: neque enim omiserat coniugem liberosque eius percolere, sectator domi, comes in publico, post tot clientes unus (sectator domi, … post tot clientes unus: ‘a regular visitor at home, the one remaining patron after so many’) eoque apud bonos laudatus et gravis iniquis. hunc Latinius Latiaris, Porcius Cato, Petilius Rufus, M. Opsius praetura functi (Latinius Latiaris, Porcius Cato, Petilius Rufus, M. Opsius praetura functi: little or nothing is known about these four men aside from what is said here. Latiaris, an underling of Sejanus, was later condemned to death by the senate after the fall of his sponsor (cf. Book 6, ch. 4). The record of the fate of the other three senators went probably lost in the missing parts of the Annals. praetura functi: ‘having served as praetors’; praetura is abl. with fungor.) adgrediuntur, cupidine consulatus ad quem non nisi per Seianum aditus; neque Seiani voluntas nisi scelere quaerebatur. (cupidine consulatus ad quem non nisi per Seianum aditus; neque Seiani voluntas nisi scelere quaerebatur: lit. ‘because of their desire of the consulate to which [there was] no access except through Sejanus, and the goodwill of Sejanus was not procured but through crime’; non nisi per Sejanus, …neque …nisi scelere: without verb and after negatives, nisi can also be rendered in English with ‘but’ and ‘only’.) compositum inter ipsos ut Latiaris, qui modico usu Sabinum contingebat, (qui modico usu Sabinum contingebat: ‘who knew Sabinus only superficially’; lit. ‘who was connected with Sabinus to a limited extent’) strueret dolum, ceteri testes adessent, (compositum inter ipsos ut Latiaris … strueret dolum, ceteri testes adessent: ‘it was arranged among them that Latiaris should prepare the trap and the others be present as witnesses.’ inter ipsos: ipse often replaces se when the reflexive is indirect. Cf. A.G. 300, 2., b. compositum [est] …ut …: the verb is completed here by a final clause.) deinde accusationem inciperent. igitur Latiaris iacere fortuitos primum sermones, mox laudare constantiam quod non, ut ceteri, florentis domus amicus adflictam deseruisset; (mox laudare constantiam quod non, ut ceteri, florentis domus amicus adflictam deseruisset: ‘soon he was praising his constancy, since he, unlike the others, had not deserted, as a friend, the persecuted house.’ laudare is historical infinitive; qood non …deseruisset: subjunctive after causal quod it the reason given is the perception of someone other than the writer, i.e. if the clause is in virtual indirect discourse.) simul honora de Germanico, Agrippinam miserans, disserebat. et postquam Sabinus, ut sunt molles in calamitate mortalium animi, effudit lacrimas, iunxit questus, audentius iam onerat Seianum, saevitiam, superbiam, spes eius; ne in Tiberium quidem convicio abstinet; (postquam Sabinus … effudit lacrimas, iunxit questus, audentius iam onerat Seianum, saevitiam, superbiam, spes eius; ne in Tiberium quidem convicio abstinet: ‘after Sabinus shed tears, he added complaints and soon he blamed Sejanus more daringly, his cruelty, his arrogance, his ambition; he did not even refrain from reproaches against Tiberius.’ postquam …effudit: postquam is followed by perfect indicative when the action of the temporal clause occurs immediately before that of the main clause. convicio abstinet: abstinere is normally followed by either abl. or ab + abl.) iique sermones tamquam vetita miscuissent speciem artae amicitiae fecere. (iique sermones tamquam vetita miscuissent speciem artae amicitiae fecere: ‘these exchanges, being essentially of a seditious nature, made a kind of close association.’ tamquam vetita: ‘forbidden things, as it were’; subordinating conjunctions, characteristic of circumstantial clauses, like tamquam, velut, quasi, nisi, quamquam, ut, postquam, quippe, and others began to appear in participial phrases starting with the classical period, especially, but not exclusively, in ablatives absolute (Ernout). The usage reached its culmination in Tacitus.) ac iam ultro Sabinus quaerere Latiarem, ventitare domum, d olores suos quasi ad fidissimum deferre. (iam ultro Sabinus quaerere Latiarem, ventitare domum, dolores suos quasi ad fidissimum deferre: ‘soon Sabinus himself (ultro) sought Latiaris out, took to visiting his house, and to confiding his sorrows [to him], as if to a most trusted friend.’ ultro: ‘of his own accord’, ‘even he himself’; quaerere, ventitare, deferre: historical infinitives also called infinitives of narration, in that they describe the action as it unfolds.)