XLIX.
Isdem diebus Sex. Papinius consulari familia (Sex. Papinius consulari familia: Sextius Papinius may have been the son of the consul of the same name for the preceding year, 36 A.D. See ch. 40. consulari familia is abl. of origin without preposition with nouns indicating family.) repentinum et informem exitum delegit, iacto in praeceps corpore. (iacto in praeceps corpore: abl. abs., lit. ‘his body having been hurled headlong from a height’) causa ad matrem referebatur, quae pridem repudiata adsentationibus atque luxu perpulisset iuvenem ad ea quorum effugium non nisi morte inveniret. (causa ad matrem referebatur, quae pridem repudiata adsentationibus atque luxu perpulisset iuvenem ad ea quorum effugium non nisi morte inveniret: ‘the cause was traced back to the mother, who, long before repudiated by the husband, through shameless allurements and sensual appeals had pushed the young man to acts the escape of which he might find in death only.’ The two rel. clauses introduced by quae and quorum are with subjunctive in virtual oratio obliqua after referebatur; non nisi: without a verb of its own, non nisi, often as one word, became in time a locution meaning ‘not unless’, ‘only’. See example in Germania ch. 14.) igitur accusata in senatu, quamquam genua patrum advolveretur luctumque communem et magis imbecillum tali super casu feminarum animum aliaque in eundem dolorem maesta et miseranda diu ferret, (quamquam genua patrum advolveretur luctumque communem et magis imbecillum tali super casu feminarum animum aliaque in eundem dolorem maesta et miseranda diu ferret: ‘although she was trying to embrace the knees of the fathers and long invoked (ferret) to her defense the anguish common to all in the face of such a tragedy, the more fragile heart of a woman, and other doleful and pitiable appeals in the same heartbreaking vein, … ‘; quamquam … advolveretur, … ferret: regularly with indicative, in later Latin and especially in Tacitus, quamquam is found with subjunctive, perhaps in imitation of quamvis; advolveretur is middle voice and has conative sense. See also note for genua advolveretur in Book 1, ch. 13.) urbe tamen in decem annos prohibita est, donec minor filius lubricum iuventae exiret. (donec minor filius lubricum iuventae exiret: ‘until her younger son would go past the lures of youth’; donec, ‘until’, takes indicative to denote a factual time limit in the past and subjunctive when the time limit is prospective, thus there is hint of expectation or suspense. Tacitus most often uses subjunctive, seemingly heedless of any considerations.)