XXXIX.
Kalendis Ianuariis in senatu, quem Iulius Frontinus (Iulius Frontinus: first mentioned as governor of Britain in Agricola 17, where Tacitus says that ‘he was a great man as far as greatness was then allowed’. He is the author of Strategemata, ‘The Tricks of War’, which has survived.) praetor urbanus vocaverat, legatis exercitibusque ac regibus (regibus: such as Sohaemus, king of Sophene and parts of Syria, Antiochus, king of Commagene, Herod Agrippa, the brother of Berenice and king of NE Palestine) laudes gratesque decretae; Tettio Iuliano (Tettio Iuliano: mentioned at some length in Book 2, ch. 85) praetura, tamquam transgredientem in partis Vespasiani legionem deseruisset, (tamquam … deseruisset: as often in Tacitus, tamquam has almost the causal force of quod when indicating an assumed reason; cf. G. 602, N. 4.) ablata ut in Plotium Grypum (Plotium Grypum: he appears to have been given command of the Seventh legion in Moesia as replacement of Tettius Iulianus who had abandoned it.) transferretur; Hormo (Hormo: freedman of Vespasian; cf. Book 3, ch. 12, 28) dignitas equestris data. et mox eiurante Frontino Caesar Domitianus praeturam cepit. eius nomen epistulis edictisque praeponebatur, vis penes Mucianum erat, nisi quod (nisi quod: ‘except that’: nisi quod sets a limit to what has being stated previously.) pleraque Domitianus instigantibus amicis aut propria libidine audebat. sed praecipuus Muciano metus e Primo Antonio Varoque Arrio, (Varo .. Arrio: Arrius Varus is decribed in Book 3, Ch. 6.) quos recentis clarosque (recentis clarosque: ‘new on the scene’ + ‘famous’ = ‘new celebrities’, hendiadys) rerum fama ac militum studiis etiam populus fovebat, quia in neminem ultra aciem saevierant. et ferebatur Antonius Scribonianum Crassum, (Scribonianum Crassum: brother of Piso, whom Galba had chosen as his successor; cf. Book 1, ch. 14-15 and 47.) egregiis maioribus et fraterna imagine fulgentem, ad capessendam rem publicam hortatus, (ferebatur Antonius Scribonianum … ad capessendam rem publicam hortatus [esse]: ferebatur Antonius … hortatus [esse] is an example of personal construction in an infinitive clause when the introductory verb (here ferebatur) is passive, i.e. when the subject of the infinitive clause is the same as that of the introductory verb. Compare with impersonal construction, e.g.: ferunt Antonium hortatum esse. ad capessendam rem publicam: the idiom rem publicam capessere normally means ‘to enter public life’, but taken literally it has the sense of ‘to seize power’; Antonius may very well have left his words open to interpretation when broaching the dangerous subject.) haud defutura consciorum manu, ni Scribonianus abnuisset, (haud defutura consciorum manu, ni Scribonianus abnuisset: conditional sentence with plup. subjunctive in the protasis, for negative condition contrary to fact in the past, and apodosis in the form of an abl. abs. Use of the future participle in an abl. abs., to express something likely to happen in the future, can probably be found only in Tacitus.) ne paratis quidem corrumpi facilis, adeo metuens incerta. (ne paratis quidem corrumpi facilis, adeo metuens incerta: ‘not an easy man to be corrupted even by things proven feasible, to such an extent fearing uncertainties’; paratis is the neuter abl. plural of paratus, used as a noun in the sense of ‘things sure to succeed’. paratis is abl. of instrument, not of agent, with corrumpi.) igitur Mucianus, quia propalam opprimi Antonius nequibat, (quia … nequibat: quia is normally followed by indicative.) multis in senatu laudibus cumulatum secretis promissis onerat, citeriorem Hispaniam (citeriorem Hispaniam: the upper and larger portion of Spain, also called Hispania Tarraconensis) ostentans discessu Cluvii Rufi vacuam; simul amicis eius tribunatus praefecturasque (tribunatus praefecturasque: such as military tribunes in the legions or prefects of cohorts and cavalry regiments) largitur. dein postquam inanem animum (inanem animum: ‘vain’, ‘conceited’, ‘complacent’; renderings of inanem as ‘empty-headed’, ‘foolish’, ‘inane’ seem off the mark when applied to Antonius, arguably the best general in Vespasian’s army. He was a blunt man, a pitiable diplomat, a hothead, a crook, but no fool.) spe et cupidine impleverat, viris abolet dimissa in hiberna legione septima, cuius flagrantissimus in Antonium amor. et tertia legio, familiaris Arrio Varo miles, (tertia legio, familiaris Arrio Varo miles: ‘the Third legion, troops closely tied to Varus’; the legion had served under Corbulo (cf. Book 2, ch. 76.) in Arminia, where Varus may have first being connected with it. in Syriam remissa; pars exercitus in Germanias (in Germanias: to stamp out Civilis’ revolt) ducebatur. sic egesto quidquid turbidum (egesto quidquid turbidum: ‘anything turbulent having been purged’; egesto is from egero, not egeo.) redit urbi sua forma legesque et munia magistratuum.