XXVIII.
Stationem in castris agebat Iulius Martialis tribunus. (stationem … agebat: ‘was responsible for guard duty’; the phrase reoccurs in ch. 29.) is magnitudine subiti sceleris, an corrupta latius castra et, si contra tenderet, exitium metuens, praebuit plerisque suspicionem conscientiae; (is magnitudine subiti sceleris, an corrupta latius castra et, si contra tenderet, exitium metuens, praebuit plerisque suspicionem conscientiae: ‘Martialis, in view of the enormity of the sudden outrage, or perhaps being apprehensive that the camp had been perverted too far and fearful for his life if he tried to resist, gave many people reason to suspect him of connivance’; the particle an, beside being used to introduce the second part of a double question, serves to add emphasis to simple questions by contributing a sense of surprise, incredulity, or indignation as illustrated by the following example from Plautus: an nescis quae sit haec res? ‘Do you really mean you don’t know what this is?’; in the literal translation given above, an is rendered by ‘perhaps’, but the sense proposed in the free translation is more in line with the Latin text.) anteposuere ceteri quoque tribuni centurionesque praesentia dubiis et honestis, (anteposuere ceteri quoque tribuni centurionesque praesentia dubiis et honestis: ‘also the other centurions and tribunes preferred the situation before them to uncertainties and honorable conduct’; dubiis and honestis are dative of the neuter plurals dubia and honesta, something like ‘risky efforts’ and ‘laudable deeds’) isque habitus animorum fuit ut pessimum facinus auderent pauci, plures vellent, omnes paterentur. (is habitus animorum fuit ut … auderent, …vellent,…paterentur: example of consecutive sentence requiring subjunctive in the dependent clause; is has the sense of talis: ‘such was the soldiers’ frame of mind that …’)