XLIX.
Sed tum (sed tum: sed has here little or no adversative value, unlike ‘but’; it merely marks the resumption of the narrative interrupted by the backward look at matters in Caligula’s time, thirty or so years earlier; tum refers to the days just prior or after the end of 69 A.D.) legionem in Africa regebat Valerius Festus, sumptuosae adulescentiae neque modica cupiens et adfinitate Vitellii anxius. (Valerius Festus, …neque modica cupiens et adfinitate Vitellii anxius: ‘Valerius Festus, a man with large ambitions, made uneasy by being a relative of Vitellius, …’. It is not known how closely he was related to Vitellius. For Valerius Festus cf. also Book 2, ch. 98.) is crebris sermonibus temptaveritne Pisonem ad res novas an temptanti restiterit, incertum, (temptaveritne Pisonem ad res novas an temptanti restiterit, incertum: ‘not clear whether he tempted Piso to revolt or whether he resisted Piso trying to tempt him’: alternative indirect question; the perfect subjunctive corresponds to the perfect indicative of direct question; temptandi is dative with restiterit.) quoniam secreto eorum nemo adfuit, (secreto eorum nemo adfuit: ‘no one was present at their private meeting’; secreto is dat. with adsum. Tacitus uses secretum in the sense of ‘private interview’: e.g. petito secreto, Book 2, ch. 4; segretum …quaesitum, Book 2, ch. 100.) et occiso Pisone plerique ad gratiam interfectoris inclinavere. nec ambigitur provinciam et militem alienato erga Vespasianum animo fuisse; (nec ambigitur provinciam et militem alienato erga Vespasianum animo fuisse: the use of infinitive with accusative subject after a passive verb, in place of personal construction with nominative, is not found in classical writers. alienato animo is abl. of manner, ‘with estranged feelings’.) et quidam e Vitellianis urbe profugi (quidam e Vitellianis urbe profugi: urbe, place from which, is as a rule with ex or ab and abl, here without a prep. perhaps because of the e before Vitellianis.) ostentabant Pisoni nutantis Gallias, paratam Germaniam, pericula ipsius et in pace suspecto (et in pace suspecto: ‘suspected even in conditions of peace’; et is for etiam. See ch. 38 for the suspicion that Piso had revolted.) tutius bellum. inter quae Claudius Sagitta, praefectus alae Petrianae, (alae Petrianae: mentioned once before in Book 1, ch. 70.) prospera navigatione praevenit Papirium centurionem a Muciano missum, adseveravitque mandata interficiendi Pisonis centurioni data: cecidisse Galerianum consobrinum eius generumque; (cecidisse Galerianum consobrinum eius generumque: ‘that his cousin and son-in-law Galerianus had been killed’; cf. ch 11.) unam in audacia spem salutis, sed duo itinera audendi, seu mallet statim arma, seu petita navibus Gallia ducem se Vitellianis exercitibus ostenderet. (seu mallet statim arma, seu petita navibus Gallia ducem se Vitellianis exercitibus ostenderet: ‘either he might prefer war immediately or, having reached Gaul by ship, he might present himself as a leader to the Vitellian armies’. seu …seu or sive …sive: the repeated conjunctions introduce alternative conditions, usually followed by indicative, but here with subjunctive in indir. speech.) nihil ad ea moto Pisone, (nihil ad ea moto Pisone: nihil is here adverb, not noun: ‘Piso not being drawn at all to these proposals’.) centurio a Muciano missus, ut portum Carthaginis attigit, magna voce laeta Pisoni omnia tamquam principi continuare, (laeta Pisoni omnia tamquam principi continuare: ‘he kept on wishing all the best to Piso, as if he were the emperor’; continuare means ‘to keep on doing something without a break’; both continuare and hortari next are historical infinitives.) obvios et subitae rei miraculo attonitos ut eadem adstreperent hortari. (obvios et subitae rei miraculo attonitos ut eadem adstreperent hortari: ‘he encouraged those he met, amazed by the wonder of the sudden occurrence, to take up the cry’.) vulgus credulum ruere in forum, praesentiam Pisonis exposcere; gaudio clamoribusque cuncta miscebant, indiligentia veri et adulandi libidine. Piso indicio Sagittae vel insita modestia non in publicum egressus est neque se studiis vulgi permisit: centurionemque percontatus, postquam quaesitum sibi crimen caedemque comperit, animadverti in eum iussit, (postquam quaesitum sibi crimen caedemque [esse] comperit, animadverti in eum iussit: ‘after he discovered that a murderous deed had been intended for himself, he ordered that capital punishment be visited on the centurion’; comperit is historical present; crimen caedemque is hendiadys. ) haud perinde spe vitae quam ira in percussorem, (haud perinde spe vitae quam ira in percussorem: ‘not as much in hope of protecting his life as in anger against the assassin’) quod idem ex interfectoribus Clodii Macri cruentas legati sanguine manus ad caedem proconsulis rettulisset. (quod idem ex interfectoribus Clodii Macri cruentas legati sanguine manus ad caedem proconsulis rettulisset: ‘because the same man, one of the murderers of Clodius Macer, had come back, his hands still red with the blood of a legate, to massacre a proconsul’: lit. ‘had brought back his hands red with the blood …’; quod is with subjunctive for assumed reason. For Clodius Macer see Book 1, ch. 7.) anxio deinde edicto Carthaginiensibus increpitis, ne solita quidem munia usurpabat, (usurpabat: ‘discharged’) clausus intra domum, ne qua motus novi causa vel forte oreretur. (ne qua motus novi causa vel forte oreretur: ‘lest some cause of a new outbreak might arise , or even by accident’.)