V.
Res poscere videtur, quoniam iterum in mentionem incidimus viri saepius memorandi, (quoniam iterum in mentionem incidimus viri saepius memorandi: ‘since we happen to make mention for a second time of a man of whom we shall speak rather often’; quoniam … incidimus: like quod, quoniam is regularly with indicative. viri …memorandi: genitive gerundive, ‘of the man to be spoken of’; saepius: when a comparative lacks the second term of comparison it has the force of ‘rather’, ‘too’, ‘fairly’.) ut vitam studiaque eius, et quali fortuna sit usus, paucis repetam. (res poscere videtur, … ut … quali fortuna sit usus, paucis repetam: poscere may be found followed by a ut clause with subjunctive in place of infinitive: ‘the matter seems to require that I briefly repeat what fortune he enjoyed.’ quali fortuna sit usus: subjunctive for indir. question; quali fortuna is abl. with utor.) Helvidius Priscus [regione Italiae Carecina] e municipio Cluviis, ([regione Italiae Carecina] e municipio Cluviis: Cluviae is modern Casoli in SE Abruzzi, about 16 miles or 25 km. south of Chieti. Carecina is the region inhabited by the Carecini or Caricini or Curaceni, a tribe of the Samnites.) patre, qui ordinem primi pili duxisset, (patre, qui ordinem primi pili duxisset: if the reading is correct, patre is abl. abs. with dependent rel. clause of chracteristic: ‘his father, being one who had led a century of the first rank.’ Cf. A.G. 537, 2. ordinem ducere: to command an ordo, ‘a unit’, usually a century; for primi pili see note at the outset of ch. 70 in Book 3.) ingenium inlustre altioribus studiis iuvenis admodum dedit, (ingenium inlustre altioribus studiis iuvenis admodum dedit: ‘as a young man he dedicated his brilliant talents entirely to the pursuit of higher knowledge.’) non, ut plerique, ut nomine magnifico segne otium velaret, sed quo firmior adversus fortuita rem publicam capesseret. (quo firmior adversus fortuita rem publicam capesseret: quo replaces ut in purpose clauses, especially with comparatives: ‘that thereby he might — the stronger against the caprices of fortune– engage in a life of public service’; rem publicam capessere is idiom.) doctores sapientiae (doctores sapientiae: ‘teachers of philosophy’, more properly, ‘of Stoic philosophy’; Tacitus shuns the Greek word and uses sapientia instead.) secutus est, qui sola bona quae honesta, mala tantum quae turpia, potentiam nobilitatem ceteraque extra animum neque bonis neque malis adnumerant. (neque bonis neque malis adnumerant: ‘they assign to neither the good nor the bad qualities.’ Here adnumero is with dative, frequently with in or cum + abl.) quaestorius adhuc (quaestorius adhuc: ‘while still a quaestor’) a Paeto Thrasea gener delectus e moribus soceri nihil aeque ac libertatem hausit, (nihil aeque ac libertatem hausit: ‘he absorbed more than anything else love of liberty.’ nihil aeque ac: ‘nothing as much as …’) civis, senator, maritus, gener, amicus, cunctis vitae officiis aequabilis, opum contemptor, recti pervicax, constans adversus metus.