LII.
Posito ubique bello magna pars senatus extremum discrimen adiit, profecta cum Othone ab urbe, dein Mutinae (Mutinae: Modena, NE of Bologna; Mutinae is locative.) relicta. illuc adverso de proelio adlatum: sed milites ut falsum rumorem aspernantes, quod infensum Othoni senatum arbitrabantur, (quod …arbitrabantur: quod is normally followed by indicative.) custodire sermones, vultum habitumque trahere (custodire … trahere: historical infinitives) in deterius; conviciis postremo ac probris causam et initium caedis quaerebant, cum alius insuper metus senatoribus instaret, (cum alius insuper metus senatoribus instaret: ‘while another danger was also posing a problem for the senators’. senatoribus: dat. with instare, a member of a large group of intransitive verbs that are so constructed. Cf. G. 347, R. 2. cum …instaret: temporal cum is with subjunctive if the tense is imperfect.) ne praevalidis iam Vitellii partibus cunctanter excepisse victoriam crederentur. (ne praevalidis iam Vitellii partibus cunctanter excepisse victoriam crederentur: negative purpose clause: ‘lest they be thought to have reluctantly welcomed the victory, now that Vitellius’ party was strongest’. praevalidis …partibus is abl. abs.) ita trepidi et utrimque anxii coeunt, (utrimque anxii coeunt: ‘they convened, fearful on two counts’.) nemo privatim expedito consilio, (nemo privatim expedito consilio: ‘no one with ready advice separately [from the others]’.) inter multos societate culpae tutior. onerabat paventium curas ordo Mutinensis (ordo Mutinensis: ‘the town council of Modena’) arma et pecuniam offerendo, appellabatque patres conscriptos (patres conscriptos: patres conscripti is the honorific title used in addressing the Roman senate. Note that conscripti is a noun, not an adjective modifying patres. The title shoud be read as patres [et] conscripti where patres are the members of the ancient aristocracy and conscripti are new members enrolled to make up for the loss of senators — from death or other causes — and to provide for the expansion of the senate over time. Cf. ut novus adhuc et in senatum nuper adscitus magnis inimicitiis claresceret in next chapter for example of a newly conscriptus senator.) intempestivo honore. (intempestivo honore: abl. of manner, ‘with ill-timed deference’)