XCII.
Praeposuerat praetorianis Publilium Sabinum a praefectura cohortis, Iulium Priscum tum centurionem: Priscus Valentis, Sabinus Caecinae gratia pollebant; (Valentis …Caecinae gratia pollebant: ‘they wielded power by the goodwill of Valens and Caecina.) inter discordis Vitellio nihil auctoritas. (inter discordis Vitellio nihil auctoritas: ‘between the two generals battling for power, Vitellius had no authority’. Vitellio is dat. of possessor with implied erat. nihil is here adverb, not noun, lit. ‘Vitellius had authority not in the least’.) munia imperii Caecina ac Valens obibant, olim anxii odiis, quae (olim anxii odiis, quae …: ‘suspicious [of each othet] by reason of long-standing hatreds, which …’; quae is neuter plur. agreeing with odiis in gender and number.) bello et castris male dissimulata pravitas amicorum et fecunda gignendis inimicitiis civitas auxerat, (fecunda gignendis inimicitiis civitas auxerat: ‘[which hatreds] Rome, prolific of breeding discords, had magnified’.) dum ambitu comitatu et immensis salutantium agminibus contendunt comparanturque, variis in hunc aut illum Vitellii inclinationibus; (dum ambitu comitatu et immensis salutantium agminibus contendunt comparanturque, variis in hunc aut illum Vitellii inclinationibus: ‘while the two emulated each other and were compared for homage, attendance, and the largest processions of clients, Vitellius’ variable favor inclined towards the one or the other’. dum …contendunt comparanturque: dum + pres. indicative; variis …inclinationibus is abl. abs., ‘Vitellius’ preferences being variable’.) nec umquam satis fida potentia, ubi nimia est: simul ipsum Vitellium, subitis offensis aut intempestivis blanditiis mutabilem, (subitis offensis aut intempestivis blanditiis mutabilem: lit. ‘liable to change in his sudden resentments or ill-timed playfulness’) contemnebant metuebantque. nec eo segnius invaserant domos (nec eo segnius invaserant domos …: ‘nor for that reason had they less actively seized on mansions, …’.) hortos opesque imperii, cum flebilis et egens nobilium turba, quos ipsos liberosque patriae Galba reddiderat, nulla principis misericordia iuvarentur. (cum …quos …reddiderat …iuvarentur: subjunctive would be expected in a rel. clause within –i.e., dependent on– a cum clause itself in the subjunctive. (Cf. A.G. 591, 2. and 592, 3.) However, quos … reddiderat is a parenthetic clause, a sort of explanation directed at the reader, thus outside the grammar rules governing the context it finds itself in. Cf. G. 628, R.) gratum primoribus civitatis etiam plebs adprobavit, quod reversis ab exilio iura libertorum concessisset, (gratum primoribus civitatis etiam plebs adprobavit, quod reversis ab exilio iura libertorum concessisset: lit. ‘even the populace approved of a kind act agreeable to the leading class, since Vitellius had given to those returning from exile the rights over their freedmen’. iura libertorum: such as the obligation on the part of the freedman to come to the aid of his patron fallen on hard times; gratum: neutral substantive adjective, ‘something that causes pleasure’; quod …concessisset: subjunctive after quod in that the clause is in indir. discourse after adprobavit.) quamquam id omni modo servilia ingenia corrumpebant, (quamquam id… corrumpebant: concessive quamquam requires indicative; id refers to ius libertorum or even to gratum.) abditis pecuniis per occultos aut ambitiosos sinus, (per occultos aut ambitiosos sinus: ‘by means of pockets either obscure or influential’, i.e. secure with people either too poor or too powerful to warrant a search) et quidam in domum Caesaris transgressi atque ipsis dominis potentiores. (dominis potentiores: dominis is abl. of comparison.)