VII.
Non fallebat duces impetus militum, sed bellantibus aliis placuit expectari. bello civili victores victosque numquam solida fide coalescere, nec referre Vitellium an Othonem superstitem fortuna faceret. (nec referre Vitellium an Othonem superstitem fortuna faceret: ‘it made no difference whether fortune made Vitellius or Otho the survivor’; referre, from refert, is impersonal. The infinitive form is required by indir. speech introduced by placuit or by an implied verb of saying; an …faceret: subjunctive in indirect double or alternative question; an may or may not be preceded by utrum before the first member. For all forms of alternative questions cf. A.G. 335, d.) rebus secundis etiam egregios duces insolescere: discordia militis ignavia luxurie et suismet vitiis alterum bello, alterum victoria periturum. (discordia militis ignavia luxurie et suismet vitiis alterum bello, alterum victoria periturum: ‘because of the soldiers’ discord, sloth and luxury and even more because of their own vices, one was going to die in war, the other in victory.’; suismet: the enclitic –met adds emphasis.) igitur arma in occasionem distulere, Vespasianus Mucianusque nuper, ceteri olim mixtis consiliis; (mixtis consiliis: may be abl. of cause, ‘for various reasons’ or abl. abs., ‘after an interchange of opinions’, lit. ‘views having been exchanged’.) optimus quisque amore rei publicae, multos dulcedo praedarum stimulabat, alios ambiguae domi res: (ambiguae domi res: ‘the uncertain state of things at home’; domi is locative; for more on the locative case cf. A.G. 80 and 427, 3.) ita boni malique causis diversis, studio pari, bellum omnes cupiebant.