LXXIV.
Crebrae interim et muliebribus blandimentis infectae ab Othone ad Vitellium epistulae offerebant pecuniam et gratiam et quemcumque [e] quietis locis prodigae vitae legisset. (quemcumque [locum] … legisset: subjunctive for rel. clause of potential sense: ‘any place he might have chosen’ ) paria Vitellius ostentabat, primo mollius, stulta utrimque et indecora simulatione, (stulta utrimque et indecora simulation: abl. abs.: ‘the pretense [of civility] being both foolish and shameful’) mox quasi rixantes (quasi rixantes: ‘as if brawling’) stupra ac flagitia in vicem obiectavere, neuter falso. (neuter falso: ‘neither falsely’, ‘both speaking the truth’) Otho, revocatis quos Galba miserat legatis, (revocatis quos Galba miserat legatis: see ch. 19.) rursus ad utrumque Germanicum exercitum et ad legionem Italicam easque quae Lugduni agebant copias specie senatus (specie senatus: ‘under the appearance of the senate’, i.e. ‘as if sent by the senate’) misit. (rursus … misit: did Otho send Galba’s envoys back to Germany or did he send new ones? Most translators opt for the latter choice, which seems more reasonable.) legati apud Vitellium remansere, promptius quam ut retenti viderentur; (remansere, promptius quam ut retenti viderentur: ‘they stayed behind too readily to appear held back by force’; quam ut or quam qui or even quam alone is found used after comparatives to usher in a clause of characteristic (of consecutive sense) with subjunctive; the construction is on the pattern of the English ‘too …to …’, e.g. ‘too good to be true’. Cf. A.G. 535. C. and G. 631. 3.) praetoriani, quos per simulationem officii (per simulationem officii: ‘to add, at least in appearance, dignity to the mission’) legatis Otho adiunxerat, remissi antequam legionibus miscerentur. addidit epistulas Fabius Valens nomine Germanici exercitus ad praetorias et urbanas cohortis de viribus partium magnificas et concordiam offerentis; increpabat ultro quod tanto ante (tanto ante: a convenient hyperbole: the time difference between Vitellius’ and Otho’s claim to the empire is little more than ten days, Jan. 3 for Vitellius and Jan. 15 for Otho.) traditum Vitellio imperium ad Othonem vertissent. (quod … vertissent: causal quod is followed by indicative, except in indir. speech.)