XVI.
Corsicam ac Sardiniam ceterasque proximi maris insulas fama victricis classis in partibus Othonis tenuit. sed Corsicam prope adflixit Decumi Pacarii procuratoris temeritas, tanta mole belli nihil in summam profutura, ipsi exitiosa. (temeritas, tanta mole belli nihil in summam profutura, ipsi exitiosa: the future participle profutura modifies temeritas, as does exitiosa: lit. ‘a reckless initiative, not going to influence in any way the outcome in such vastness of war, yet fatal to himself’; nihil has adverbial force, ‘not at all’; in summam or ad summam prodesse or proficere: ‘to be helpful to the whole’, ‘to be of general good’) namque Othonis odio iuvare Vitellium Corsorum viribus statuit, inani auxilio etiam si provenisset. (inani auxilio etiam si provenisset: inani auxilio is abl. abs., ‘his support being foolish, even if he had prospered’; si provenisset: pluperfect subjunctive for unreal condition in the past) vocatis principibus insulae consilium aperit, et contra dicere ausos, Claudium Pyrrichum trierarchum Liburnicarum ibi navium, (Liburnicarum … navium: light, agile vessels of the type used by the Liburni, a pirate people of the Dalmatian islands; emperor Augustus had accepted them for service in the Roman navy and they were a factor in his naval victory over Antony and Cleopatra at Actium.) Quintium Certum equitem Romanum, interfici iubet: (interfici iubet: after iubeo the passive infinitive is preferred if the infitive has a subject, in this case Claudium and Certum.) quorum morte exterriti qui aderant, simul ignara et alieni metus socia imperitorum turba (ignara et alieni metus socia imperitorum turba: ‘the mass of ignorant people, uninformed and sharing someone else’s fears’) in verba Vitellii iuravere. sed ubi dilectum agere Pacarius et inconditos homines fatigare militiae muneribus occepit, laborem insolitum perosi (laborem insolitum perosi: the verb perodi, being deponent, its perfect participle has active sense and admits a direct object: ‘hating the unfamiliar labor’) infirmitatem suam reputabant: insulam esse quam incolerent, et longe Germaniam virisque legionum; direptos vastatosque classe etiam quos cohortes alaeque protegerent. (quos … protegerent: subjunctive for relative clause in indirect speech) et aversi repente animi, nec tamen aperta vi: aptum tempus insidiis legere. digressis qui Pacarium frequentabant, nudus et auxilii inops balineis interficitur; trucidati et comites. capita ut hostium ipsi interfectores ad Othonem tulere; neque eos aut Otho praemio adfecit aut puniit Vitellius, in multa conluvie rerum maioribus flagitiis permixtos. (in multa conluvie rerum maioribus flagitiis permixtos: permixtos refers to eos and indirectly to ipsi interfectores: ‘gone lost in the giant political cesspool, amidst much fouler crimes’; maioribus flagitiis may well be abl. of cause: ‘because of greater infamies’)