LXXV.
Hic exitus viri haud sane spernendi. quinque et triginta stipendia in re publica fecerat, (stipendia in re publica fecerat: stipendia facere usually refers to years of military service at the end of each of which pay was received; the term also applies to service in general.) domi militiaeque (domi militiaeque: pair of locative forms: ‘in time of peace and in time of war’; also domi bellique, ‘at home and in the field’; cf. G. 411.) clarus. innocentiam iustitiamque eius non argueres; (innocentiam iustitiamque eius non argueres: potential imperfect subjunctive with the indefinite second person singular, especially in set expressions like crederes, putares, videres, cerneres and others. ) sermonis nimius erat: (sermonis nimius erat: lit. ‘he was excessive of speech’, not necessarily ‘loquacious’, but ‘singing his own praise’; sermonis is genitive after an adj. requiring an object of reference (Objective Genitive). Cf. A.G. 349, a.) id unum septem annis quibus Moesiam, duodecim quibus praefecturam urbis obtinuit, calumniatus est rumor. (id unum septem annis quibus Moesiam, duodecim quibus praefecturam urbis obtinuit, calumniatus est rumor: ‘public talk has laid this one thing only to his charge in the seven and twelve years [respectively] during which he governed Moesia and held the prefecture of Rome.’ calumnior is transitive and id unum is direct object.) in fine vitae alii segnem, multi moderatum et civium sanguinis parcum credidere. quod inter omnis constiterit, ante principatum Vespasiani decus domus penes Sabinum erat. (quod inter omnis constiterit, ante principatum Vespasiani decus domus penes Sabinum erat: ‘before Vespasian’s principate, the prestige of the house was in the charge of Sabinus, a fact that no one might dispute.’ quod inter omnis constiterit: lit. ‘what among all people might stand as a solid fact’; constiterit is potential subjunctive, a polite way to express an opinion; both present and perfect subjunctive may be used for present and future action, perfect for past action. Cf. G. 257.) caedem eius laetam fuisse Muciano accepimus. ferebant plerique etiam paci consultum dirempta aemulatione inter duos, (ferebant plerique etiam paci consultum dirempta aemulatione inter duos: ‘many claimed even that [Sabinus’ death] was beneficial for peace, the rivalry between the two being removed.’) quorum alter se fratrem imperatoris, alter (alter … alter: ‘one …the other’) consortem imperii cogitaret. sed (sed: serves as a bridge for resuming the narrative, interrupted at the end of the previous chapter by Tacitus’ reflections on Sabinus’ life and death; sed has here no adversative value in that no contrast exists with anything said in precedence. Translators either ignore it or provide an introductory alternative like the one suggested in this translation.) Vitellius consulis supplicium poscenti populo restitit, placatus ac velut vicem reddens, (velut vicem reddens: ‘as if returning a favor’) quod interrogantibus quis Capitolium incendisset, se reum Atticus obtulerat (quod … obtulerat: causal quod prefers indicative.) eaque confessione, sive aptum tempori mendacium fuit, (sive aptum tempori mendacium fuit: the standard use of sive is in disjunctive situations, sive (seu) …sive (seu), ‘if ..or if’, but Tacitus, being Tacitus, uses sive singly, though only three times in his entire work, according to Gildersleeve (G. 496.) invidiam crimenque agnovisse et a partibus Vitellii amolitus videbatur. (invidiam crimenque agnovisse et a partibus Vitellii amolitus videbatur: ‘he seemed to have accepted responsibility for the hateful crime and to have averted [blame] from Vitellius’ party.’ amolitus [esse] videbatur: personal construction with passive videor: the acc. subject of the infinitive clause becomes the nominative subject of videor, ‘he was seen to have averted …’ ; cf. G 528. invidiam crimenque is hendiadys.)