LXXVIII.
Post Muciani orationem ceteri audentius circumsistere, hortari, responsa vatum et siderum motus referre. (hortari, …referre: historical infinitives) nec erat intactus tali superstitione, ut qui mox rerum dominus Seleucum quendam mathematicum rectorem et praescium palam habuerit. (ut qui …habuerit: lit. ‘as he who …’: relative clause of characteristic with causal sense; cf. B. 283, 3. and G. 626, N. 1. The perf. subjunctive habuerit, in place of the expected habuisset after a historical main verb, can be ascribed to the tendency in Latin to represent the perfect indicative that would be used if the clause were not subordinate. Cf. A.G. 585, c. N. 2.) recursabant animo vetera omina: cupressus arbor in agris eius (eius: not suis, since Vespasian is not the subject of the clause.) conspicua altitudine repente prociderat ac postera die eodem vestigio resurgens procera et latior virebat. grande id prosperumque consensu haruspicum et summa claritudo iuveni admodum (iuveni admodum: admodum is adv. modifying iuveni: ‘to him [still] quite young’.) Vespasiano promissa, sed primo triumphalia et consulatus et Iudaicae victoriae decus implesse fidem ominis videbatur: ut haec adeptus est, (ut haec adeptus est: temporal ut is normally followed by perf. indicative.) portendi sibi imperium credebat. (portendi sibi imperium credebat: ‘he became convinced that the imperial power was portended for him’) est Iudaeam inter Syriamque Carmelus: (Carmelus: Mount Carmel, SE of Haifa in Palestine) ita vocant montem deumque. nec simulacrum deo aut templum–sic tradidere maiores–: ara tantum et reverentia. illic sacrificanti Vespasiano, cum spes occultas versaret animo, Basilides sacerdos inspectis identidem (identidem: ‘again and again’) extis ‘quicquid est’ inquit, ‘Vespasiane, quod paras, seu domum extruere seu prolatare agros sive ampliare servitia, datur tibi magna sedes, ingentes termini, multum hominum.’ has ambages et statim exceperat fama et tunc aperiebat; nec quicquam magis in ore vulgi. crebriores apud ipsum sermones, quanto sperantibus plura dicuntur. (quanto sperantibus plura dicuntur: ‘to the extent that more things are said to the hopeful’) haud dubia destinatione (haud dubia destination: ‘with a clear objective in mind’) discessere Mucianus Antiochiam, Vespasianus Caesaream: (Antiochiam …Caesaream: Antioch is today just inside the Turkish border with Syria, on the seacoast; Caesarea is 25 miles or 40 km. south of Haifa, also on the coast.) illa Syriae, hoc Iudaeae caput est.