LXXXVII.
Dum haec per provincias a Vespasiano ducibusque partium geruntur, (dum …geruntur: dum, ‘while’, + pres. indicative.) Vitellius contemptior in dies segniorque, ad omnis municipiorum villarumque amoenitates resistens, gravi urbem agmine petebat. sexaginta milia armatorum sequebantur, licentia corrupta; (licentia corrupta: corrupta agrees with milia.) calonum numerus amplior, procacissimis etiam inter servos lixarum (calonum … lixarum: calones were soldiers’ servants and slaves, lixae were sutlers, small mechants, or vendors selling provisions to the soldiers.) ingeniis; (procacissimis … lixarum ingeniis: abl. abs., ‘the behavior of the sutlers and merchants being most provoking’) tot legatorum amicorumque comitatus inhabilis ad parendum, etiam si summa modestia regeretur. (etiam si summa modestia regeretur: ‘even if [such vast multitude] were controlled with the strictest discipline’; regeretur: imperf. subjunctive for condition contrary to fact.) onerabant multitudinem obvii ex urbe senatores equitesque, quidam metu, multi per adulationem, ceteri ac paulatim omnes ne aliis proficiscentibus (aliis proficiscentibus: abl. abs., ‘with all the others leaving’) ipsi remanerent. (ne … remanerent: negative purpose clause) adgregabantur e plebe flagitiosa per obsequia Vitellio cogniti, scurrae, histriones, aurigae, quibus ille amicitiarum dehonestamentis mire gaudebat. (quibus ille amicitiarum dehonestamentis mire gaudebat: amicitiarum is objective genitive after the plur. noun dishonestamenta, ‘in the disgrace of whose friendships he amazingly found pleasure’. Cf A.G. 348.) nec coloniae modo aut municipia congestu copiarum, (congestu copiarum: ‘because of the massing of food supplies.) sed ipsi cultores arvaque maturis iam frugibus ut hostile solum vastabantur.