LXXXVIII.
Multae et atroces inter se militum caedes, post seditionem Ticini (post seditionem Ticini: cf. ch.68.) coeptam manente legionum auxiliorumque discordia; (manente legionum auxiliorumque discordia: abl. abs, ‘the hatred of the legions and auxiliary units persisting’.) ubi adversus paganos certandum foret, consensu. (ubi adversus paganos certandum foret, consensus: lit. ‘whenever it would have to be fought against civilians, [they were] in agreement’; ubi …foret: ubi + susjunctive is essentially post-classical, to denote iterative action, with ubi = ‘whenever’. See also ubi … procidissent below. Cf. G. 567, N.; consensu: ‘by mutual assent’) sed plurima strages ad septimum ab urbe lapidem. (ad septimum ab urbe lapidem: ‘at the seventh milestone from Rome’) singulis ibi militibus (singulis …militibus: ‘for each soldier’) Vitellius paratos cibos (paratos cibos: ‘cooked rations’) ut gladiatoriam saginam dividebat; et effusa plebes totis se castris miscuerat. incuriosos (incuriosos: ‘not paying attention’) milites–vernacula utebantur urbanitate—([plebs] vernacula utebantur urbanitate: ‘[the common people] made use of their coarse urban savviness’ or ‘they were eager to show their rude city wit’; vernacula is from verna, a slave born in a master’s household, therefore allowed greater impudence. Romana urbanitas has survived the centuries, or at least the perception of it in the rest of Italy, where the notion that every resident of Rome views himself as smarter and world-wiser than anyone else on earth is pervasive. ) quidam spoliavere, abscisis furtim balteis an accincti forent rogitantes. (an accincti forent rogitantes: ‘asking repeatedly whether they had thir swords on’; subjunctive in indirect question introduced by the particle an; rogitantes: rogito is the frequentative form of rogo.) non tulit ludibrium insolens contumeliarum animus: (insolens contumeliarum animus: ‘temperament intolerant of ridicule’) inermem populum gladiis invasere. caesus inter alios pater militis, cum filium comitaretur; (cum filium comitaretur: ’when he was accompanying his son’; temporal cum + subjunctive when the tense is imperfect; cf. also cum …vitarent below) deinde agnitus et vulgata caede temperatum ab innoxiis. (temperatum [est] ab innoxiis: impersonal use of passive, ‘it was refrained from [the killing of] harmless people’. See also trepidatum next.) in urbe tamen trepidatum praecurrentibus passim militibus; (praecurrentibus passim militibus: abl. abs.) forum maxime petebant, cupidine visendi locum (cupidine visendi locum: fairly rare example of genitive gerund with direct object, in place of gerundive cupidine loci visendi.) in quo Galba iacuisset. nec minus saevum spectaculum erant ipsi, tergis ferarum et ingentibus telis horrentes, (tergis ferarum et ingentibus telis horrentes: ‘hirsute owing to their animal skins and long pikes’) cum turbam populi per inscitiam parum vitarent, (cum turbam populi … parum vitarent : ’whenever they did not dodge the crowds with enough skill, …’.) aut ubi lubrico viae vel occursu alicuius procidissent, (aut ubi lubrico viae vel occursu alicuius procidissent: ‘or whenever they had suffered a fall on the slippery pavement or from the the jostling of someone …’. ubi … procidissent: for ubi + subjunctive see note for ubi adversus paganos certandum foret, consensus above ) ad iurgium, mox ad manus et ferrum transirent. (ad iurgium, mox ad manus et ferrum transirent: ‘they might resort to insults, then to their fists and swords’. transirent is potential subjunctive.) quin et tribuni praefectique cum terrore et armatorum catervis volitabant. (quin et tribuni praefectique cum terrore et armatorum catervis volitabant: ‘on top of this, tribunes and prefects with swarms of terror-inspiring armed men, scurried this way and that, [patrolling the city]’. quin et: ‘and furthermore’, ‘nay, even …’. cum terrore et armatorum catervis: may be hendiadys; cum introduces an abl. of manner. volitabant: volitare is the frequentative form of volare.)