XLIV.
Nullam caedem Otho maiore laetitia excepisse, nullum caput tam insatiabilibus oculis perlustrasse dicitur, (Otho … perlustrasse dicitur: cf. Galba … locutus [esse] fertur in ch. 15) seu tum primum levata omni sollicitudine mens vacare gaudio coeperat, (mens vacare gaudio coeperat: ‘his mind was becoming free for rejoicing’; gaudio is dat. of purpose.) seu recordatio maiestatis in Galba, amicitiae in Tito Vinio quamvis immitem animum imagine tristi confuderat, Pisonis ut inimici et aemuli caede laetari ius fasque credebat. (caede laetari ius fasque [esse] credebat: ‘he thought it was in keeping with human and divine law to rejoice in [Piso’s] murder’; ius fasque: ius is all that is legally permissible, fas is all that is morally right; caede is abl. with the verb laetor) praefixa contis capita gestabantur inter signa cohortium iuxta aquilam legionis, certatim ostentantibus cruentas manus qui occiderant, qui interfuerant, qui vere qui falso ut pulchrum et memorabile facinus iactabant. (ostentantibus cruentas manus qui occiderant, qui interfuerant, qui …iactabant: abl. abs. with a present participle in the ablative and nominative subject furnished by three dependent rel. clauses following; such constructions are only found in post-classical writers; cf. G. 410, Note 4 and A.G. 419 b.) plures quam centum viginti libellos (libellos: ‘petitions’) praemium exposcentium ob aliquam notabilem illa die (illa die: see note at the outset of ch. 43) operam Vitellius postea invenit, omnisque conquiri et interfici iussit, non honori Galbae, sed tradito principibus more munimentum ad praesens, in posterum ultionem. (tradito principibus more munimentum ad praesens, in posterum ultionem [esse]: abl. abs. governing infinitive clause: ‘the rule handed down to princes being that safety is for now, correction for later’; the words echo those closing ch. 40.)