LXXXI.
Erat Othoni celebre convivium primoribus feminis virisque; qui trepidi, fortuitusne militum furor an dolus imperatoris, manere ac deprehendi an fugere et dispergi periculosius foret, (fortuitusne militum furor an dolus imperatoris [esset], manere … an fugere … periculosius foret: two double indirect questions, the first introduced by –ne … an, the second with an introducing the second part of the question and the particle omitted in the first part; cf. A.G. 335.) modo constantiam simulare, (simulare: hist. infinitive, like the following detegi and intueri) modo formidine detegi, (formidine detegi: ‘they were betrayed by fear’; the hist. infinitive detegi is in place of the perfect detecti sunt.) simul Othonis vultum intueri; utque evenit inclinatis ad suspicionem mentibus, cum timeret Otho, (cum timeret Otho: here cum may be concessive, as the next line seems to bear out; other readings, however, are possible.) timebatur. sed haud secus (haud secus: adverb: ‘not otherwise than …’, ‘just as …’) discrimine senatus (senatus: in the sense of ‘members of the nobility’, ‘his noble guests’) quam suo territus et praefectos praetorii ad mitigandas militum iras statim miserat et abire propere omnis e convivio, iussit. tum vero passim magistratus proiectis insignibus, vitata comitum et servorum frequentia, senes feminaeque per tenebras diversa urbis itinera, rari domos, plurimi amicorum tecta et ut cuique humillimus cliens, (ut cuique humillimus cliens: cuique is dat. of possessor with implied erat, lit. ‘to the extent that to each was a most humble client [available]’ or ‘to the extent that each had a …’) incertas latebras petivere.