XLVIII.
Igitur Domitius defensionem meditans, Marsus tamquam inediam destinavisset, (tamquam inediam destinavisset: ‘as if he had chosen starvation’, or ‘pretending he had chosen starvation’; tamquam as well as quasi, ut si, and velut si introduce conditional comparisons and take subjunctive for pretended or non-occurrent action. See L. 2117 – 2122.) produxere vitam: Arruntius, cunctationem et moras suadentibus amicis, non eadem omnibus decora respondit: sibi satis aetatis neque aliud paenitendum quam quod inter ludibria et pericula anxiam senectam toleravisset, (Arruntius, cunctationem … suadentibus amicis, non eadem omnibus decora respondit: sibi satis aetatis neque aliud paenitendum [esse] quam quod inter ludibria et pericula anxiam senectam toleravisset: in oratio obliqua after respondit: ‘to his friends counseling postponement [of suicide], he answered that the proper line of conduct was not the same for everyone: he himself had enough years behind him and no regret other than his having put up with an old age full of anxieties among humiliations and perils,’ sibi satis aetatis neque aliud paenitendum quam quod … : sibi serves a dual purpose: as dat. of possessor with implied esse (which becomes subject in translation, ‘he had enough years’); as dat. of agent with the periphrastic paenitendum; ‘nothing needed be regretted by him’; for use of dat. of agent with passive verbs, see next note below. neque aliud … quam quod: ‘nothing other than the fact that …’); quod … toleravisset; subjunctive for rel. clause in indirect discourse) diu Seiano, nunc Macroni, semper alicui potentium invisus, non culpa sed ut flagitiorum impatiens. (diu Seiano, nunc Macroni, semper alicui potentium invisus [esse], non culpa sed ut flagitiorum impatiens: ‘that he was always hated by someone among the powerful, for a long time by Sejanus, now by Macro, not through any fault of his, but because [he was] intolerant of wrongdoing’; invisus [esse] is personal construction with a passive verb, in place of invisum [esse] in indirect discourse (after verbs of saying). See G. 528 and A.G. 582. alicui potentium: partitive genitive after an indefinite pronoun; flagitiorum impatiens: objective genitive after an adjective, in poetry and later writers found with almost any adjective, but originally limited to only a few. Seiano, Macroni, and alicui are datives with invideo. ) sane paucos ad suprema principis dies posse vitari: quem ad modum evasurum imminentis iuventam? (sane paucos ad suprema principis dies posse vitari: quem ad modum evasurum imminentis iuventam?: ‘no doubt, the few days to Tiberius’ death could be passed safely: [but] how was he going to escape the youth of the prince who was soon to succeed him?’ quem ad modum evasurum [esse] …?: the question is asked for rhetorical effect, as it suggests its own answer, thus equivalent to a main clause requiring infinitive in oratio obliqua. For more on the subject see L. 2313, 2317. quem ad modum is often found as one word.) an, cum Tiberius post tantam rerum experientiam vi dominationis convulsus et mutatus sit, G. Caesarem vix finita pueritia, ignarum omnium aut pessimis innutritum, meliora capessiturum (an, cum Tiberius post tantam rerum experientiam vi dominationis convulsus et mutatus sit, G. Caesarem vix finita pueritia, ignarum omnium aut pessimis innutritum, meliora capessiturum …?: ‘when Tiberius after such long experience of public affairs was disfigured and altered by excess of power, was it possible that Caligula, hardly past boyhood, not knowing anything, and nurtured under the worst influences, would engage on a better course …’ cum Tiberius … vi dominationis convulses and mutatus sit: a cum temporal clause has subjunctive in oratio obliqua. sit is repraesentatio (cf. A.G. 585, b. and Note) for esset or foret, expected after a historical verb of saying like respondit above. Tacitus appears to have preceded the historian Lord Acton (1834 – 1902) by over eighteen hundred years in thinking that absolute power corrupts absolutely. an … Caesarem … capessiturum [esse]: the interrogative particle an, often used by Tacitus to introduce a simple question (here in indirect discourse), usually marks doubt, disbelief, or surprise. Thus, the question asked is rhetorical, equivalent to a statement, since the answer is impliedly negative; in indirect discourse it is the infinitive, not the subjunctive, that must be used. pessimis may well be the abl. of pessima, ‘worst influences’, rather than of pessimi, ‘worst teachers’.) Macrone duce, qui ut deterior ad opprimendum Seianum delectus plura per scelera rem publicam conflictavisset? (Macrone duce, qui ut deterior ad opprimendum Seianum delectus plura per scelera rem publicam conflictavisset?: ‘… under the guidance of Macro, who chosen as worse [than Sejanus] to stamp him out, had plagued the state with too many crimes?’; ad opprimendum Sejanum: occasional use of ad + gerundive to express purpose in Tacitus, who often prefers the dative Sejano oppimendo; see note for capiendo diademati in ch. 43. plura per scelera: plura can on occasion have the heightened sense of ‘too many’; Macrone duce: participles are not essential in forming ablatives abs.: they are often replaced by nouns indicating the agent, like duce, rege, auctore, suasore, deprecatore, consule, teste, etc.) prospectare iam se acrius servitium eoque fugere simul acta et instantia. (prospectare iam se acrius servitium eoque fugere simul acta et instantia: ‘that he (se) already saw ahead an even harsher bondage and therefore he was escaping [both] past and present evils’; acta et instantia: there is a total of six plur. neuter adjectives in the chapter used as nouns.) haec vatis in modum dictitans venas resolvit. documento sequentia erunt bene Arruntium morte usum. (haec vatis in modum dictitans venas resolvit. documento sequentia erunt bene Arruntium morte usum: ‘often saying these words in the manner of a prophet, he severed his veins. The events that followed shall be a proof that Arruntius resorted to death wisely.’ documento is dative of purpose, ‘for a proof’.) Albucilla inrito ictu ab semet vulnerata iussu senatus in carcerem fertur. (Albucilla inrito ictu ab semet vulnerata iussu senatus in carcerem fertur: lit. ‘Albucilla, wounded by herself by an ineffectual stab, was taken to prison on orders from the senate.’ semet: the reflexive se and semet are used interchangeably, though in origin the latter may have had emphatic force. fertur in historical present, as is decernuntur below.) stuprorum eius ministri, Carsidius Sacerdos praetorius ut in insulam deportaretur, Pontius Fregellanus amitteret ordinem senatorium, et eaedem poenae in Laelium Balbum decernuntur, (stuprorum eius ministri, Carsidius Sacerdos praetorius ut in insulam deportaretur, Pontius Fregellanus amitteret ordinem senatorium, et eaedem poenae in Laelium Balbum decernuntur: ‘her accomplices in lust, the ex-praetor Sacerdos and Pontius Fregellanus were sentenced, [the one] to be deported to an island, [the other] to leave the senatorial order, and both (eaedem) penalties were meted out to Laelius Balbus.’ Sacerdos had been accused of furnishing grain to Tacfarinas in Book 4, ch. 13, but was absolved. Fregellanus is otherwise unknown. eaedem poenae: the deportatio entailed also expulsion from the senate.) id quidem a laetantibus, quia Balbus truci eloquentia habebatur, promptus adversum insontis. (id quidem a laetantibus, quia Balbus truci eloquentia habebatur, promptus adversum insontis: ‘indeed this sentence [was imposed] by an elated senate, since Balbus was considered an orator of unforgiving eloquence, zealous in pursuing the innocent.’ truci eloquentia is abl. of quality.)