LVI.
Ceterum (ceterum: here with the adversative sense of ‘yet’, ‘however’, ‘in spite of that’.) Italia gravius atque atrocius quam bello adflictabatur. dispersi per municipia et colonias Vitelliani spoliare, rapere, vi et stupris polluere: (spoliare, rapere, … polluere: historical infinitives) in omne fas nefasque avidi aut venales (in omne fas nefasque avidi aut venales: ‘rapacious and dishonest in everything good or bad’. fas and nefas are indeclinable neuter nouns.) non sacro, non profano abstinebant. et fuere qui inimicos suos specie militum interficerent. (fuere qui inimicos suos specie militum interficerent: relative clause of characteristic, for which see A.G. 534-535; subjunctive is required in that the sense is consecutive, ‘such men that would …’.) ipsique milites regionum gnari refertos agros, ditis dominos in praedam aut, si repugnatum foret, (si repugnatum foret: impersonal use of passive, ‘if it had been resisted’. Protasis expressing ideal or potential condition; the pluperf. subjunctive for action completed in the past occurs rarely, according to G. 596, 2.) ad exitium destinabant, obnoxiis ducibus et prohibere non ausis. (obnoxiis ducibus et prohibere non ausis: abl abs., ‘the generals being under obligation to the troops and not daring to stop them’; the perfect participle ausus, like ratus, veritus, arbitratus and others have the force of present participles. See A.G. 491.) minus avaritiae in Caecina, plus ambitionis: (plus ambitionis: ‘greater desire for popularity’) Valens ob lucra et quaestus infamis eoque alienae etiam culpae dissimulator. (dissimulator: a dissembler, a man who pretends not to notice) iam pridem attritis Italiae rebus (iam pridem attritis Italiae rebus: abl. abs., ‘Italy’s wealth having been frittered away long ere now’; attritis is from attero. ) tantum peditum equitumque, vis damnaque et iniuriae aegre tolerabantur.