LXIX.
Consultant quos memoravi quonam modo ea plurium auditu acciperentur. (consultant [ei] quos memoravi quonam modo ea plurium auditu acciperentur: lit. ‘those I mentioned above consulted in what possible way the things uttered by Sabinus (ea) might be exposed in the hearing of more people.’ quonam modo …acciperentur: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by the interrogative quonam modo; cf. B. 315.) nam loco in quem coibatur servanda solitudinis facies; (nam loco in quem coibatur servanda solitudinis facies: lit. ‘for in the place in which it was met the semblance of privacy must be ensured’; coibatur: impersonal use in the third person sing. of the passive imperfect of coire, an intransitive verb. Cf. A.G. 308, d.) et si pone foris adsisterent, metus visus, sonitus aut forte ortae suspicionis erat. (et si pone foris adsisterent, metus visus, sonitus aut forte ortae suspicionis erat: ‘and if they stood behind doors, there was the risk (metus) of being seen or heard or of suspicion having risen by chance.’ si adsisterent, …metus erat: conditional sentence of the logical type (type I) with indicative in both protasis an apodosis; pone foris: the prep. pone governs foris, acc. plural.; visus, sonitus: the use of abstract nouns, often neuter plurals of participles and adjectives, in place of more concrete constructions, is characteristic of Tacitus. See praeterita et instantia below and cognita or maesta further down.) tectum inter et laquearia tres senatores haud minus turpi latebra quam detestanda fraude sese abstrudunt, (tectum inter et laquearia tres senatores haud minus turpi latebra quam detestanda fraude sese abstrudunt: ‘three senators thrusted themselves between the ceilings and the roof, the hiding place being not less shameful than their detestable ploy.’ haud minus turpi latebra quam detestanda fraude is abl. abs.; abstrudunt is historical present, as is cumulat below. tectum inter et laquearia: note the change in the order of words, typical of poetry (hyperbaton).) foraminibus et rimis aurem admovent. interea Latiaris repertum in publico Sabinum, velut recens cognita narraturus, (velut recens cognita narraturus: ‘ostensibly intending to communicate some fresh findings’; narraturus here denotes intention, ‘as if he wanted to …’) domum et in cubiculum trahit praeteritaque et instantia, quorum adfatim copia, ac novos terrores cumulat. (praeteritaque et instantia, quorum adfatim copia, … cumulat: ‘he heaped up past and present troubles, of which [there is always] enough.’ praeterita et instantia: reminiscent of praeterita instantia futura in Historiae Book 3, ch. 36.) eadem ille et diutius, quanto maesta, ubi semel prorupere, difficilius reticentur. (eadem ille et diutius, quanto maesta, ubi semel prorupere, difficilius reticentur: ille refers to Sabinus, the latter of the two persons mentioned here, the other being Latiaris: ‘Sabinus [voiced] the same complaints, and even (et) at greater length, inasmuch as sorrow, when once it breaks free, it is silenced with extreme difficulty.’ diutius …difficilius are comparatives absolute, i.e. comparative only in form having nothing to compare with: they merely express disproportion or excess, and in English must be rendered using some added expression; cf. L 1460 – 1461.) properata inde accusatio missisque ad Caesarem litteris ordinem fraudis suumque ipsi dedecus narravere. non alias magis anxia (non alias magis anxia et pavens civitas: ’never before had Rome been more agitated and terrified.’ The verb is left understood.) et pavens civitas, tegens (tegens: the original manuscript has reticens, a word that does not fit the context as given. Some suspect a gap at this point; tegens is a make-do, in some editions suggested as se tegens.) adversum proximos; congressus, conloquia, notae ignotaeque aures vitari; etiam muta atque inanima, tectum et parietes circumspectabantur.