LXXXI.
Per eos mensis quibus Vespasianus Alexandriae statos aestivis flatibus dies et certa maris (statos aestivis flatibus dies et certa maris: ‘the regular period for the easterly summer winds and reliable conditions at sea’. The favorable period extended from the end of May to about the 20th of July, after which the Etesian winds (cf. Book 2, ch. 98) would blow the opposite way for about forty days.) opperiebatur, multa miracula evenere, quis caelestis favor et quaedam in Vespasianum inclinatio numinum ostenderetur. (quis caelestis favor … numinum ostenderetur: quis is for quibus: ‘by which the favor of the gods might be shown’: use of rel. clause to express purpose) e plebe Alexandrina quidam oculorum tabe notus genua eius advolvitur, (e plebe Alexandrina quidam oculorum tabe notus genua eius advolvitur: ‘some man from the lower class of Alexandria, well known for a wasting disease of the eyes, threw [himself] at his feet’; e plebe is abl. of origin or provenance; the prep. e, ex, or de is required with common names. oculorum tabe notus: added to assure the reader that the blindness was not faked; genua eius advolvitur: the passive advolvitur, here without se and with direct object, has middle sense; more frequently found with dative.) remedium caecitatis exposcens gemitu, monitu (gemitu, monitu: gemitu is abl. of manner or of attendant circumstance; monitu ia abl. of cause.) Serapidis dei, quem dedita superstitionibus gens ante alios colit; precabaturque principem ut genas et oculorum orbis dignaretur respergere oris excremento. (oris excremento: ‘the excretion of the mouth’; Tacitus shuns the use of realistic terms such as saliva or sputum, deeming them inappropriate in a work of history; cf. note for cum utrumque pertemptasset, alterum capiti subdidit in Book 2, ch. 49.) alius manum aeger eodem deo auctore ut pede ac vestigio Caesaris calcaretur orabat. (alius manum aeger eodem deo auctore ut pede ac vestigio Caesaris calcaretur orabat: ‘another man with a diseased hand was imploring him, the same god being the prompter, that [the hand] be stepped on by the sole of Vespasian’s foot’. manum aeger: manum is example of Greek acc. or acc. of relation, ‘disabled as to his hand’; pede ac vestigio is hendiadys, ‘with the sole of the foot’.) Vespasianus primo inridere, aspernari; atque illis instantibus modo famam vanitatis metuere, modo obsecratione ipsorum et vocibus adulantium in spem induci: (inridere, aspernari; … metuere, … induci: historical infinitives; another is disserere further down.) postremo aestimari a medicis iubet an talis caecitas ac debilitas ope humana superabiles forent. (aestimari … iubet an talis caecitas ac debilitas ope humana superabiles forent: ‘he orders that it be determined whether such blindness and [foot] impairment were curable by human skill.’ an …forent: an introduces the second part of a disjunctive question in indir. discourse after aestimari, the first part being merely implied. The particle in such cases may denote disbelief or surprise. iubet, though present, is here historical tense in regard to sequence of tenses, as revealed by the use of forent in place of sint.) medici varie disserere: huic non exesam vim luminis et redituram si pellerentur obstantia; illi elapsos in pravum artus, si salubris vis adhibeatur, posse integrari. (huic non exesam vim luminis [esse] et redituram si pellerentur obstantia; illi elapsos [esse] in pravum artus, si salubris vis adhibeatur, posse integrari: two symmetrical conditional sentences of the same type in indirect discourse after the hist. infinitive disserere, thus subject to the sequence of tenses: ‘[they said] that, for this man, the power to see had not been eaten away (exesam [esse], from exedo) and would return if the obstructions were removed; for that man, that the joints [of the hand] had slipped into a crooked position (in pravum), and could be put right if a beneficial force were applied’. adhibeatur is repraesentatio for adhiberetur; cf. A.G. 589, a., ex. 3.) id fortasse cordi deis (cordi deis: alicui cordi esse, idiom, ‘to be dear to someone’; double dative, of purpose and of interest respectively) et divino ministerio principem electum; denique patrati remedii gloriam penes Caesarem, inriti ludibrium penes miseros fore. (patrati remedii gloriam penes Caesarem, inriti ludibrium penes miseros fore: ‘that the glory of the successful remedy was destined to be for Vespasian, the derision of the failed [remedy] for the unfortunate [suppliants]’. The prep. penes governs the accusative.) igitur Vespasianus cuncta fortunae suae patere ratus nec quicquam ultra incredibile, laeto ipse vultu, (laeto ipse vultu: ipse is emphatic, ‘the would-be emperor, no less!’; laeto …vultu is abl. of manner.) erecta quae adstabat multitudine, (erecta quae adstabat multitudine: abl. abs. with dependent rel. clause: ‘the dense crowd that stood around being excitred’) iussa exequitur. statim conversa ad usum manus, ac caeco reluxit dies. utrumque qui interfuere nunc quoque memorant, (utrumque qui interfuere nunc quoque memorant: ‘those who were present speak of each of the two [miracles] even today’; nunc quoque: that is, at the time the Historiae were being written during Trajan’s reign (98 – 117 A.D.) postquam nullum mendacio pretium.