LIV.
At (at: here denotes contrast rather than opposition) Vitellius fractis apud Cremonam rebus nuntios cladis occultans stulta dissimulatione remedia potius malorum quam mala differebat. quippe confitenti consultantique supererant spes viresque: (quippe confitenti consultantique supererant spes viresque: quippe is here conjunction, not adv.: ‘since to him confessing the truth and seeking counsel hope and forces remained.’ The two present participles are in place of a conditional clause, ‘if he had avowed the truth and sought counsel, he …’ Cf. A.G. 496.) cum e contrario laeta omnia fingeret, (cum … fingeret: temporal cum is construed with imperf. or pluperf. subjunctive to give the circumstances under which the action of the main verb takes place (also called circumstantial cum, narrative cum, or historical cum). Cf. G. 585.) falsis ingravescebat. mirum apud ipsum de bello silentium; prohibiti per civitatem sermones, eoque plures ac, si liceret, (si liceret: imperf. subjunctive for condition contrary to fact) vere narraturi, quia vetabantur, atrociora vulgaverant. nec duces hostium augendae famae deerant, (nec duces hostium augendae famae deerant: lit. ‘neither were enemy generals lacking for these reports to be exaggerated’: use of dative gerundive to express purpose or fitness becomes frequent from Livy on; classical Latin prefers ad + acc., a construction by no means absent in Tacitus (e.g. ad tuendam urbem in next chapter).) captos Vitellii exploratores circumductosque, ut robora victoris exercitus noscerent, remittendo; (captos Vitellii exploratores circumductosque, … remittendo: lit. ‘by sending back Vitellius’ spies having been captured and conducted around’; freely, ‘by sending back Vitellius’ spies after capturing them and conducting them around the Fabian camp.’) quos omnis Vitellius secreto percontatus interfici iussit. notabili constantia centurio Iulius Agrestis post multos sermones, quibus Vitellium ad virtutem frustra accendebat, perpulit ut ad viris hostium spectandas quaeque apud Cremonam acta forent (quaeque apud Cremonam acta forent: ‘…and whatever had come to pass near Cremona.’; acta forent: passive plup. subjunctive for past action in rel. clause in indir. speech.) ipse mitteretur. nec exploratione occulta fallere Antonium temptavit, sed mandata imperatoris suumque animum professus, ut cuncta viseret postulat. (mandata imperatoris suumque animum professus, ut cuncta viseret postulat: ‘having openly revealed the emperor’s directives and his own intent, he asks to see everything’. professus: profiteor being deponent and transitive, professus is active in meaning, like the English active perf. participle, ‘having revealed’, and may have a direct object. ut cuncta viseret postulat: postulo may be followed by ut clause or by infinitive. Note the sudden change to historical present, which here retains its function as a secondary or historical tense with respect to ut viseret (viseret in place of visat). Cf. A.G. 485, e.) missi qui locum proelii, Cremonae vestigia, captas legiones ostenderent. (missi qui …ostenderent: rel. clause expressing purpose.) Agrestis ad Vitellium remeavit abnuentique vera esse quae adferret, atque ultro corruptum arguenti ‘quando quidem’ inquit (abnuenti vera esse quae adferret, atque ultro corruptum arguenti …inquit: ‘to Vitellius refusing to believe that what he (Agrestis) reported was true and even alleging he had been corrupted, he said: …’. ultro: adverb, ‘in addition’, ‘besides’) ‘magno documento opus est, nec alius iam tibi aut vitae aut mortis meae usus, dabo cui credas.’ (‘quando quidem …magno documento opus est, …dabo cui credas’: quando quidem is conj. of causal sense, like quando; both are consrtrued with indicative: ‘since some great proof is required, I will give you one you may believe.’ opus est requires abl. of the thing needed; dabo cui credas: elliptic for dabo id cui credas where credas is potential subjunctive.) atque ita digressus voluntaria morte dicta firmavit. quidam iussu Vitellii interfectum, de fide constantiaque eadem tradidere.