XXXVII.
Mox senatum composita in magnificentiam (in magnificentiam: ‘aiming to impress’) oratione adlocutus, exquisitis patrum adulationibus attollitur. (attollitur: change to present to give emphasis to the grovelling response of the senate) initium atrocis in Caecinam sententiae a L. Vitellio factum; dein ceteri composita indignatione, quod consul rem publicam, dux imperatorem, tantis opibus tot honoribus cumulatus amicum prodidisset, velut pro Vitellio conquerentes, suum dolorem proferebant. (ceteri composita indignatione, quod [Caecina] … prodidisset, velut pro Vitellio conquerentes, suum dolorem proferebant: ‘the other senators, with studied indignation – as if complaining on behalf of Vitellius because [Caecina] had betrayed … – were [in fact] expressing their own resentment’. Tacitus likely means that they felt Caecina had stolen a march on them, in that he had secured the favor of Vespasian and his personal safety in time. quod … prodidisset: quod is with subjunctive in that the reason given is not real but contrived.) nulla in oratione cuiusquam erga Flavianos duces obtrectatio: errorem imprudentiamque exercituum culpantes, Vespasiani nomen suspensi et vitabundi (suspensi et vitabundi: ‘anxious and deliberately evasive’) circumibant, (nomen …circumibant: the verb eo becomes transitive when compounded with circum; many verbs, prefixed with this or other prepositions, do so. Cf. G. 331.) nec defuit qui unum consulatus diem (is enim in locum Caecinae supererat) magno cum inrisu tribuentis accipientisque eblandiretur. (nec defuit qui unum consulatus diem (is enim in locum Caecinae supererat) magno cum inrisu tribuentis accipientisque eblandiretur: lit. ‘nor was there someone wanting who did obtain by flattery one day of the consulate (this [one day] was in fact left [to serve] in place of Caecina), with great derision of the giver and of the receiver’. nec defuit qui … eblandiretur: subjunctive in rel. clause of characteristic, the sense being consecutive. ) pridie kalendas Novembris (pridie kalendas Novembris: the calends fall on the first day of the month, so Oct. 31 is the day before the calends of November.) Rosius Regulus iniit eiuravitque. (iniit eiuravitque: ‘he entered and resigned office’; eiuravit means that he swore the customary oath of having done nothing contrary to law while in office.) adnotabant periti numquam antea non abrogato magistratu neque lege lata alium suffectum; (numquam antea non abrogato magistratu neque lege lata alium suffectum [esse]: ‘never before had another been appointed unless the magistrate had vacated the office or a law been passed’. abrogato magistratu neque lege lata is abl. abs. of conditional sense.) nam consul uno die et ante fuerat (nam consul uno die et ante fuerat: ‘for a consul for one day had been even before’; et is in place of etiam.) Caninius Rebilus C. Caesare dictatore, cum belli civilis praemia festinarentur.