LXXVII.
Sic distractis exercitibus ac provinciis Vitellio quidem (quidem: ‘really’) ad capessendam principatus fortunam (ad capessendam … fortunam: ‘for fortune to be caught’ or ‘for catching fortune’: whereas in English the latter gerund phrase is grammatically acceptable, that is not the case in Latin, since the acc. gerund, with or without ad, cannot have a direct object; recourse is made instead to a paraphrasis whereby the gerund is turned into a verbal adjective of passive meaning, the gerundive, modifying the direct object, so instead of saying ‘for catching fortune’ Latin prefers ‘for fortune to be caught’.) bello opus erat, Otho ut in multa pace (ut in multa pace: ‘as in times of profound peace’) munia imperii obibat, (munia imperii obibat: ‘performed the functions of command’) quaedam ex dignitate rei publicae, pleraque contra decus ex praesenti usu properando. (pleraque contra decus ex praesenti usu properando: ‘hurrying many measures along contrary to decorum just to meet the demands of the moment’; ex praesenti usu: ‘from pressing need’) consul cum Titiano fratre in kalendas Martias ipse; proximos mensis Verginio destinat ut aliquod exercitui Germanico delenimentum; iungitur Verginio Pompeius Vopiscus praetexto veteris amicitiae; plerique Viennensium honori (Viennensium honori: perhaps Vopiscus was a native of Vienne, for which see ch. 65; honori is dat. of purpose, ‘for the honor of …’.) datum interpretabantur. ceteri consulatus ex destinatione Neronis aut Galbae (ex destinatione Neronis aut Galbae: ‘in keeping with Nero’s or Galba’s assignment’) mansere, Caelio ac Flavio Sabinis in Iulias, (Caelio ac Flavio Sabinis: regardless of the name, neither was Vespasian’s brother or near relative; Caelius was a famous jurist and Flavius would later become consul; note that Sabinis is dat. plural, in that Caelius and Flavius share the same cognomen) Arrio Antonino et Mario Celso in Septembris, (ceteri consulatus … in Septembris: in imperial times, the duration of consulships was at the emperor’s discretion, who tried to soothe the ambition of as many candidates as possible. For the year 69 AD the count is as follows: —Jan. and Feb.: Otho and Titianus; —March and April: Verginius and Vopiscus: —May and June: Caelius and Flavius Sabinus; —July and Aug.: Arrius Antoninus and Marius Celsus. That left the last four months of the year open, of which Valens and Caecina took Sept. and Oct., after Vitellius’ victory (cf. Book 2, ch. 72) and two others the rest, for a total of twelve consuls. Note that in Iulias and in Septembris are short for in kalendas Iulias and in kalendas Septembris.) quorum honoribus ne Vitellius quidem victor intercessit. sed (sed: here a mere connective without adversative sense) Otho pontificatus auguratusque (pontificatus auguratusque: both the college of pontifices and the college of augurs were composed of 16 members presided by the emperor as pontifex maximus.) honoratis iam senibus (honoratis iam senibus: ‘to aged citizens who had already received the highest honors for service’) cumulum dignitatis (cumulum dignitatis: ‘as the pinnacle of their dignity’) addidit, aut recens ab exilio reversos nobilis adulescentulos avitis ac paternis sacerdotiis in solacium (in solacium: ‘as a consolation’) recoluit. redditus Cadio Rufo, Pedio Blaeso, Saevino P . . . (Cadio Rufo, Pedio Blaeso, Saevino P . . .: Cadius Rufus and Pedius Blaesus were condemned for corrupt government of provinces; Saevinus P … has not been identified, the name not being decipherable in the earliest manuscript in existence, of which all the others are copies.) senatorius locus. repetundarum criminibus sub Claudio ac Nerone ceciderant: (repetundarum criminibus … ceciderant: ‘had been disgraced on charges of extorsion’; repetundarum is elliptic for pecuniae repetundae, lit. ‘money to be recovered’.) placuit ignoscentibus verso nomine, quod avaritia fuerat, videri maiestatem, (placuit ignoscentibus verso nomine, quod avaritia fuerat, videri maiestatem: ‘it was decided by those who pardoned [them] that what had been extorsion be seen as treason, the name of the charge being changed’; maiestatem is lese majesty or high treason.) cuius tum odio etiam bonae leges peribant. (cuius tum odio etiam bonae leges peribant: ‘in the then abhorrence of which (i.e. of the charge of treason) even good laws lost all force’.)