LXVII.
Proximus Vitellio e praetoriis cohortibus metus erat. separati primum, deinde addito honestae missionis lenimento, (deinde addito honestae missionis lenimento: abl. abs., ‘the solace of an honorable discharge having been added’) arma ad tribunos suos deferebant, donec motum a Vespasiano bellum crebresceret: (donec …crebresceret: for donec + subjunctive cf. note for donec omnes inviolati digrederentur in ch. 49.) tum resumpta militia robur Flavianarum partium fuere. prima classicorum legio (prima classicorum legio: often mentioned, beginning with Book 1, ch. 6; first named Classica, was renamed Adiutrix by Galba.) in Hispaniam missa ut pace et otio mitesceret, (ut pace et otio mitesceret: purpose clause, ‘with a view to making it more tractable through restful leisure’; pace et otio is hendiadys.) undecima ac septima suis hibernis (suis hibernis: in Dalmatia for the Eleventh, in Pannonia for the Seventh) redditae, tertiadecimani struere amphitheatra iussi; nam Caecina Cremonae, Valens Bononiae spectaculum gladiatorum edere (edere: ‘to exhibit’) parabant, numquam ita ad curas intento Vitellio ut voluptatum oblivisceretur. (numquam ita ad curas intento Vitellio ut voluptatum oblivisceretur: abl. abs. serving as the main clause of a consecutive sentence: ‘Vitellius being never so preoccupied by work as to be forgetful of pleasures’. An example of Tacitus’ unconventional use of the abl. abs. More of the same in next chapter.)