XVI.
Interea magna vis accusatorum in eos inrupit qui pecunias faenore auctitabant (qui pecunias faenore auctitabant: ‘who were given to increase their money by lending’; auctito, ‘to keep increasing’, is one of the frequentative or intensive verbs expressing repetition and most identifiable by the ending in -ito. Tacitus appears to be alone in ever using this verb and one time only. For more on frequentative verbs, see L. 371-374.) adversum legem dictatoris Caesaris qua de modo credendi possidendique intra Italiam cavetur, (adversum legem dictatoris Caesaris qua de modo credendi possidendique intra Italiam cavetur: ‘against the law of the dictator Julius Caesar, where (qua) it is prescribed (cavetur) about the limits (de modo) of lending money and owning [land] within Italy’; the law basically prohibited holding more than a given amount of cash to reduce or even stamp out lending (which created little else than more money for the usurer) and force the lenders to invest their capital in land and land improvements, activities that would give them greater interest, involvement, and share in the economy of the country to the presumed benefit of all.) omissam olim, (omissam olim: ‘‘disregarded for a long time past’) quia privato usui bonum publicum postponitur. sane vetus urbi faenebre malum et seditionum discordiarumque creberrima causa eoque cohibebatur antiquis quoque et minus corruptis moribus. (eoque cohibebatur antiquis quoque et minus corruptis moribus: ‘therefore, it was kept within bounds even in ancient and less corrupted times’) nam primo duodecim tabulis sanctum ne quis unciario faenore amplius exerceret, (primo duodecim tabulis sanctum [est] ne quis unciario faenore amplius exerceret: ‘first, it was ordained by the Twelve Tables that no one should lend out money at an interest greater than twelve percent [for a month].’ According to Tacitus, the Twelve Tables of the law were enacted in 450 B.C.; in Livy the same date is 357 B.C. ne quis unciario faenore amplius exerceret: unciarius refers to the twelfth part of something (from uncia, the twelfth part of a libra, the Roman pound); here, it refers to an interest rate that is one twelfth percent of the capital for each month, or (1/1200 X 12) of the capital per annum, that is one percent for a year. Many think that the rate is too low and calculate that it more likely was ten percent. faenore is both abl. of comparison with amplius (cf. A.G. 406, c.), and part of the idiom faenore exercere, ‘to lend money at interest’; ne quis … exerceret: prohibition in indirect discourse after sanctum [est] (see A.G. 588, Note 2); quis is for aliquis after ne. sanctum [est], from sancio, is impersonal use of passive. Another example is itum [est] below.) cum antea ex libidine locupletium agitaretur; (cum antea ex libidine locupletium agitaretur: ‘since before it was driven to and fro in accordance with (ex) the pleasure of the rich’; cum …agitaretur: causal cum + subjunctive; ex lends itself to more than one idiomatic turn of phrase; cf. A.G. 221, 11., c.) dein rogatione tribunicia ad semuncias redactum, postremo vetita versura. (dein rogatione tribunicia ad semuncias redactum, postremo vetita versura: ‘later, [the interest rate] was reduced to a half by a measure presented to the assembly by the tribunes of the people, and in the end, paying a debt by borrowing at interest was outlawed altogether.’ versura, fem. noun, is changing one creditor for another by borrowing to pay a debt. rogatione tribunicia: instrumental abl.) multisque plebiscitis obviam itum fraudibus (multisque plebiscitis obviam itum fraudibus: lit. ‘by means of many resolutions of the people it was proceeded against frauds.’ plebiscitis: the political process of the people voting directly on a given issue; obviam itum [est]: idiom, ‘to meet or to remedy an evil’) quae toties repressae miras per artes rursum oriebantur. (quae toties repressae miras per artes rursum oriebantur: ‘which [always] reappeared through astonishing artifices as often as (toties) they were repressed’. For use of quoties, the correlative of toties, see quoties …ingrueret in ch. 10. miras per artes: per + acc. to denote instrumentality, in place of simple abl.) sed tum Gracchus praetor, cui ea quaestio evenerat, multitudine periclitantium subactus rettulit ad senatum, (Gracchus praetor … multitudine periclitantium subactus rettulit ad senatum: ‘the praetor Gracchus, compelled by the multitude of those in danger [of being found out), referred [the case] to the senate. Gracchus is perhaps the Gaius Gracchus mentioned in ch. 38 ahead.) trepidique patres (neque enim quisquam tali culpa vacuus) veniam a principe petivere; et concedente annus in posterum sexque menses dati quis secundum iussa legis rationes familiaris quisque componerent. (veniam a principe petivere; et concedente annus in posterum sexque menses dati [sunt] quis secundum iussa legis rationes familiaris quisque componerent: lit. ‘they implored indulgence from the prince who consented (concedente), and one year and six months were given for the time to come, within which each of them was to put in order his family finances after the requirements of the law.’ quis is an alternate form of quibus. secnndus is prep. with acc. object.)