IV.
Ceterum (ceterum: a connective adverb much favored by Tacitus, variously translated as ‘but’, ‘in any case’, ‘in other respects’, ‘be that as it may’, ‘to resume’, etc.; often awkward to render into English and sometimes best ignored) antequam destinata componam, (antequam …componam: subjunctive after antequam to denote expectation or design) repetendum videtur (repetendum [esse] videtur: ‘it seems proper that it should be called back to mind’: impersonal use of both videor and of the gerundive with forms of esse expressed or implied; Latin relies on the latter construction, known as the Passive Periphrastic Conjugation, to express duty, necessity, desirability.) qualis status urbis, quae mens exercituum, quis habitus provinciarum, quid in toto terrarum orbe validum, quid aegrum fuerit, (quid …fuerit: subjunctive in indir. question: fuerit corresponds to fuit of direct question; cf. G. 467.) ut non modo casus eventusque rerum, qui plerumque fortuiti sunt, sed ratio etiam causaeque noscantur. finis Neronis ut laetus primo gaudentium impetu (primo gaudentium impetu: ‘in the first outpouring of the people’s rejoicing’) fuerat, ita (ut …, ita …: ut introduces the dependent clause of a comparative sentence, ita the main clause.) varios motus animorum non modo in urbe apud patres aut populum aut urbanum militem, sed omnis legiones ducesque conciverat, evulgato imperii arcano posse principem alibi quam Romae fieri. (evulgato …arcano posse principem …fieri: ‘the secret being revealed that an emperor was possible to be made …’; the abl. abs. evulgato arcano performs the role of a verb of saying governing a declarative clause in the infinitive; the use of a following clause dependent on the abl. abs., frequently found in Tacitus, was begun by Cicero and extended by Livy; cf. G. 410, Note 4; other cases will be noted as they occur.) sed patres laeti, usurpata statim libertate licentius ut erga principem novum et absentem; (usurpata … libertate licentius ut erga principem novum et absentm: ‘liberty being grasped at without restraint, as with respect to an emperor new and absent’. It took Galba, the new and absent prince, some months to reach Rome from Spain: cf. note for Galbae iter in ch. 6. libertate licentius: striking juxtaposition, liberty inevitably degenerating into license) primores equitum proximi gaudio patrum; pars populi integra et magnis domibus adnexa, clientes libertique damnatorum et exulum in spem erecti: plebs sordida et circo ac theatris sueta, simul deterrimi servorum, aut qui adesis bonis per dedecus Neronis alebantur, maesti et rumorum avidi.