L.
Sed ubi Festo consternatio vulgi, centurionis supplicium veraque et falsa more famae in maius innotuere, (ubi … veraque et falsa more famae in maius innotuere: ‘when all the news, true and false, became known in an exaggerated form, in the usual way of rumors’; ubi …innotuere: innotuere is from innotesco; ubi is regularly found with perfect indicative, less commonly with pluperfect. See ubi … substiterat below.) equites in necem Pisonis mittit. illi raptim vecti obscuro adhuc coeptae lucis (obscuro adhuc coeptae lucis: ‘in the dimness of the still uncertain light’, i.e. in the half-light of predawn.) domum proconsulis inrumpunt destrictis gladiis, et magna pars Pisonis ignari, quod Poenos auxiliaris Maurosque in eam caedem delegerat. (quod … delegerat: causal quod with indicative, except for assumed reason.) haud procul cubiculo obvium forte servum quisnam et ubi esset Piso interrogavere. (quisnam et ubi esset Piso interrogavere: subjunctive in indirect question: ‘they asked just who and where Piso was’; quisnam is emphatic interrogative pronoun.) servus egregio mendacio se Pisonem esse respondit ac statim obtruncatur. nec multo post Piso interficitur; namque aderat qui nosceret, Baebius Massa e procuratoribus Africae, (namque aderat qui nosceret, Baebius Massa e procuratoribus Africae: Baebius Massa, a dangerous informer under Domitian (cf. Agricola 45), often mentioned in Pliny’s letters; he was responsible for the ruin of many prominent citizens. qui noscerent: rel. clause of purpose or rel. clause of characteristic: subjunctive in order in either case; e procuratoribus Africae: usually one per province, but in this case perhaps more than one in view of the importance of Africa for the food supply of Rome. Procuratores were imperial officials assigned to the provinces to handle fiscal matters and, unofficially, to keep an eye on the governors.) iam tunc optimo cuique exitiosus et inter causas malorum quae mox tulimus saepius rediturus. (optimo cuique exitiosus et inter causas malorum quae mox tulimus saepius rediturus: ’ruinous to the best of our men and destined to reappear often among the causes of the evils we soon had to bear’) Festus Adrumeto, (Adrumeto: modern Susa, south of Tunis and ancient Carthage) ubi speculabundus (speculabundus: ‘on the lookout for new developments’) substiterat, ad legionem contendit praefectumque castrorum Caetronium Pisanum vinciri iussit proprias ob simultates, (proprias ob simultates: ‘on account of personal animosity’) sed Pisonis satellitem vocabat militesque et centuriones quosdam puniit, alios praemiis adfecit, neutrum ex merito, (neutrum ex merito: ‘neither measure from a good cause’; merito is abl of source.) sed ut oppressisse bellum crederetur. mox Oeensium Lepcitanorumque (Oeensium Lepcitanorumque: ‘of the people of Oea (modern Tripoli) and of Leptis (Leptis Magna, modern Lebda, east of Tripoli and also on the coast)’) discordias componit, quae raptu frugum et pecorum inter agrestis modicis principiis, iam per arma atque acies exercebantur; (quae raptu frugum et pecorum inter agrestis modicis principiis, iam per arma atque acies exercebantur: ‘which [enmity], from modest beginnings (the theft of crops and cattle among the peasants), was now kept going by veritable armed conflict’; per arma atque acies is hendiadys. raptu is abl. of cause and modicis principiis is either apposition of raptu or abl. of separation.) nam populus Oeensis multitudine inferior Garamantas exciverat, gentem indomitam et inter accolas latrociniis fecundam. (populus Oeensis multitudine inferior Garamantas exciverat, gentem indomitam et inter accolas latrociniis fecundam: ‘the people of Oea, inferior in numbers, had summoned to their help the Garamantae, an intractable race very adept at stealing among their neighbors’; Garamantas: Garamantae or Garamantes, a tribe living in the Fezzan region of southwestern Lybia. latrociniis is abl. of specification with fecundam.) unde artae Lepcitanis res, (artae Lepcitanis res [errant]: ‘the situation for the people of Leptis was critical’.) lateque vastatis agris intra moenia trepidabant, donec interventu cohortium alarumque fusi Garamantes et recepta omnis praeda, nisi quam vagi per inaccessa mapalium ulterioribus vendiderant. (nisi quam vagi per inaccessa mapalium ulterioribus vendiderant: ‘except for that part of the loot which they, while wandring through inaccessible tent communities, had sold to people farther inland.