XXXVI.
At (at: beside its function as an adversative conjunction, at may serve to introduce a change of subject. Tacitus resumes where he left off at the end of Book 2. ) Vitellius profecto Caecina, cum Fabium Valentem paucis post diebus ad bellum impulisset, (cum … impulisset: for use of pluperfect subjunctive after temporal cum, see note in ch. 31.) curis luxum obtendebat: (curis luxum obtendebat: ‘he was using pleasures as a veil over his cares’.) non parare arma, non adloquio exercitioque militem firmare, non in ore vulgi agere, (non in ore vulgi agere: ‘he kept himself hidden from public view’.) sed umbraculis hortorum abditus, ut ignava animalia, quibus si cibum suggeras, (si …suggeras: present subjunctive often found with indefinite second person subject to express a supposition likely to be true (potential) for all time; such present is called universal present. Cf. G. 596 and A.G. 514, D. a.) iacent torpentque, praeterita instantia futura pari oblivione dimiserat. atque illum in nemore Aricino (in nemore Aricino: Ariccia is today a municipality 15 miles SE of Rome. In ancient times it had groves sacred to Diana.) desidem et marcentem proditio Lucilii Bassi ac defectio classis Ravennatis perculit; nec multo post de Caecina adfertur mixtus gaudio dolor et descivisse et ab exercitu vinctum. plus apud socordem animum laetitia quam cura valuit. (de Caecina adfertur mixtus gaudio dolor et descivisse et ab exercitu vinctum [esse]. plus apud socordem animum laetitia quam cura valuit: ‘a sorrow mixed with gladness concerning Caecina is delivered to him, [namely] that not only had he deserted, but also that he had been imprisoned by the army. Joy was more potent than grief with a lazy temperament [like his]’; et …et: ‘not only …, but also …’; adfertur is hist. present.) multa cum exultatione (multa cum exultatione: abl. of manner) in urbem revectus frequenti contione pietatem militum laudibus cumulat; Publilium Sabinum praetorii praefectum ob amicitiam Caecinae vinciri iubet, substituto in locum eius Alfeno Varo. (Alfeno Varo: cf. Book 2, 29.)