LXXXVI.
Prodigia insuper terrebant diversis auctoribus vulgata: investibulo Capitolii (Capitolii: by Capitolium is here meant the temple of Jupiter on the Capituline hill, not the hill itself.) omissas habenas bigae, cui Victoria institerat, (cui Victoria institerat: cui is dat. with insistere; institerat is indicative in that the rel. clause is not part of the indirect discourse opened by prodigia vulgata, but an incidental explanation offered by the author.) erupisse cella Iunonis (cella Iunonis: the Capitol had three cellae, devoted one each to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.) maiorem humana speciem, statuam divi Iulii in insula Tiberini amnis (in insula Tiberini amnis: at the apex of the eastward bend of the Tiber, in line with the center of Rome.) sereno et immoto die ab occidente in orientem (ab occidente in orientem: Plutarch and Suetonius, who mention the same prodigy, saw in it a sign of Vespasian’s rise to power in the east.) conversam, prolocutum in Etruria bovem, insolitos animalium partus, et plura alia rudibus saeculis etiam in pace observata, quae nunc tantum in metu audiuntur. sed praecipuus et cum praesenti exitio etiam futuri pavor (sed praecipuus et cum praesenti exitio etiam futuri pavor: ‘but together with present disasters there was also a fear surpassing all others of the future’; cum exitio is abl. of accompaniment.) subita inundatione Tiberis, qui immenso auctu proruto ponte sublicio (ponte sublicio: the bridge, entirely made of wood and resting on wooden piles, was revered by the Romans, both because it was the oldest bridge across the Tiber and because on it Horatius Cocles had single-handedly kept the Etruscans from crossing the river; its exact location is not certain, but it is thought to have been just south of the Insula Tiberini mentioned above.) ac strage obstantis molis refusus, (qui …strage obstantis molis refusus: ‘which [Tiber], driven back by the mass of debris opposing its coursr, …’) non modo iacentia et plana urbis loca, sed secura eius modi casuum (secura eius modi casuum: lit. ‘free of disasters of that kind’) implevit: rapti e publico plerique, plures in tabernis et cubilibus intercepti. fames in vulgus inopia quaestus (inopia quaestus: ‘from scarsity of gainful occupations’) et penuria alimentorum. corrupta stagnantibus aquis insularum (insularum: insulae were large residential buildings, each comprising many apartments available for renting; they were notoriously unsafe on account of slipshod workmanship.) fundamenta, dein remeante flumine dilapsa. utque primum (utque primum: ‘as soon as’) vacuus a periculo animus fuit, id ipsum quod paranti expeditionem Othoni campus Martius et via Flaminia (campus Martius et via Flaminia: the first was a large open space in the NW corner of Rome, where the Tiber makes its first bend upon entering the city, used for sport events and political gatherings; the via Flaminia was the main road from Rome to northern Italy: it went from Rome across the Apennines to Ariminum or Rimini, on the Adriatic coast.) iter belli esset obstructum fortuitis vel naturalibus causis in prodigium et omen imminentium cladium vertebatur. fortuitis vel naturalibus causis in prodigium et omen imminentium cladium vertebatur. (id ipsum quod … iter belli esset obstructum fortuitis vel naturalibus causis in prodigium … vertebatur: iter belli is apposition of campus Martius et via Flaminia: ‘the very fact that the way to war had been obstructed as a result of fortuitous or natural causes was taken as an evil omen’; causal quod is here with subjunctive in that the reason given is no more than popular opinion, hence not factual. Cf. B. 286, 1.)