XLIX.
Post quae dimotis omnibus paulum requievit. atque illum supremas iam curas animo volutantem repens tumultus avertit, (illum supremas iam curas animo volutantem repens tumultus avertit: ‘a sudden tumult distracted him already revolving in his mind the final cares [of life]. ) nuntiata consternatione ac licentia militum; namque abeuntibus exitium minitabantur, (namque abeuntibus exitium minitabantur: ‘for they threatened death for those leaving’; minitor is often found with dative of person.) atrocissima in Verginium (Verginium: for Verginius Rufus see Book 1, ch. 8, 77.) vi, quem clausa domo obsidebant. increpitis seditionis auctoribus regressus vacavit abeuntium adloquiis, (increpitis seditionis auctoribus regressus vacavit abeuntium adloquiis: ‘the authors of the uproar having been reprimanded, Otho, returning, made time for the parting words of those leaving’.) donec omnes inviolati digrederentur. (donec omnes inviolati digrederentur: donec + indicative fixes the attention on the terminus or factual time limit of the action of the main verb; donec + subjunctive on the waiting for the limit to be attained. See also donec Otho se ipse interficeret in next chapter.) vesperascente die sitim haustu gelidae aquae sedavit. (vesperascente die sitim haustu gelidae aquae sedavit: ‘towards dusk he stilled his thirst with a draft of icy water.’; vesperascente die is abl. of Time When or Within Which.) tum adlatis pugionibus duobus, cum utrumque pertemptasset, alterum capiti subdidit. (cum utrumque pertemptasset, alterum capiti subdidit: ‘after he had tested both, he placed one under his pillow’; cum …pertemptasset: temporal cum requires subjunctive if the tense is imperfect or pluperfect; capiti subdidit: the verb subdo is usually found with dative; capiti is metonymy for the part of the bed where the head rests. Suetonius in narrating the same events uses pulvinus, ‘cushion’, a homely term hardly befitting Tacitus’ higher style.) et explorato iam profectos amicos, (explorato iam profectos amicos [esse]: ‘it having been ascertained that his friends had already left, …’. explorato: the impersonal use of a perfect participle as abl. abs., followed by a dependent clause, is rare except in later Latin. Cf. G. 410, N. 4 and A.G. 419, b.) noctem quietam, utque adfirmatur, non insomnem egit: luce prima in ferrum pectore incubuit. ad gemitum morientis ingressi liberti servique et Plotius Firmus praetorii praefectus unum vulnus invenere. funus maturatum; ambitiosis id precibus petierat ne amputaretur caput ludibrio futurum. (ambitiosis id precibus petierat ne amputaretur caput ludibrio futurum: lit. ‘he had demanded this with insistent prayers, [namely] that his head be not cut off destined to outrage’; ludibrio is dative of destination.) tulere corpus praetoriae cohortes cum laudibus et lacrimis, vulnus manusque eius exosculantes. quidam militum iuxta rogum interfecere se, non noxa neque ob metum, sed aemulatione decoris et caritate principis. (noxa … aemulatione … caritate: ablatives of cause) ac postea promisce (postea promisce: ‘later, frequently’) Bedriaci, Placentiae (Bedriaci, Placentiae: locatives, cf. A.G. 80, 427.) aliisque in castris celebratum id genus mortis. Othoni sepulchrum extructum est modicum et mansurum. (modicum et mansurum: ‘modest and enduring’) hunc vitae finem habuit septimo et tricensimo aetatis anno. (vitae finem habuit: he died on the 16th of April 69 A.D. after 95 days as emperor.)