XLVIII.
Piso unum et tricensimum aetatis annum explebat, (explebat: ‘was completing’) fama meliore quam fortuna. fratres eius Magnum Claudius, Crassum Nero interfecerant: ipse diu exul, quadriduo Caesar, properata adoptione (properata adoption: abl. of cause, ‘thanks to a hasty adoption’) ad hoc tantum maiori fratri praelatus est ut prior occideretur. (ad hoc tantum maiori fratri praelatus est ut prior occideretur: consecutive sentence with tantum and ut introducing the main and the subordinate clause respectively: ‘[Piso] was advantaged over his older brother only in that he was killed before him’) Titus Vinius quinquaginta septem annos variis moribus (variis moribus: ‘with uneven conduct’) egit. pater illi praetoria familia, maternus avus e proscriptis. (e proscriptis: in 43 BC the triumvirs Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus had many of their political enemies declared proscribed persons i.e. outlaws.) prima militia infamis: legatum Calvisium Sabinum habuerat, cuius uxor mala cupidine visendi situm castrorum, per noctem militari habitu ingressa, cum vigilias et cetera militiae munia eadem lascivia (eadem lascivia: abl. of manner, ‘with the same wantonness’) temptasset, (cum …temptasset: subjunctive after temporal cum when the tense is pluperfect) in ipsis principiis (in ipsis principiis: the plur. principia is the headquarters section of a Roman camp; ipsis is indicative of disbelief.) stuprum ausa, et criminis huius reus Titus Vinius arguebatur. (reus … arguebatur: ‘was found guilty’) igitur iussu G. Caesaris oneratus catenis, mox mutatione temporum dimissus, cursu honorum inoffenso (cursu honorum inoffenso: ‘his public career being blameless’; the cursus honorum was the succession of offices of increasing prestige held by aspiring politicians: military tribune, quaestor, aedile, praetor, consul, provincial governor, censor, tribune of the plebs, dictator.) legioni post praeturam praepositus probatusque servili deinceps probro respersus est (respersus est: lit. ‘he was bespattered with disgrace’.) tamquam scyphum aureum in convivio Claudii furatus, (tamquam … furatus: ‘because he had stolen…’; Tacitus often uses tamquam with almost the same causal force as quia or quod; cf. G. 602, R 4; furatus, being deponent, has active sense, ‘having stolen’) et Claudius postera die soli omnium Vinio fictilibus ministrari iussit. sed Vinius proconsulatu (proconsulatu: ‘during his proconsulship’) Galliam Narbonensem (Galliam Narbonensem: the part of Gaul known today as Provence) severe integreque (severe integreque: hendiadys, ‘with strict honesty’) rexit; mox Galbae amicitia in abruptum tractus, audax, callidus, promptus et, prout animum intendisset, (prout animum intendisset: ‘according as his nature might have directed’; prout is found more often than not followed by indicative; the subjunctive denotes the potential sense of the clause.) pravus aut industrius, eadem vi. testamentum Titi Vinii magnitudine opum inritum, (magnitudine opum inritum: ‘declared invalid on account of Vinius’ enormous wealth’) Pisonis supremam voluntatem paupertas firmavit.