Germania and Agricola Part 30

_Majoribus reservatam_. _Majoribus_==ill.u.s.trioribus. Syria was the richest province in the Empire, and the praefectship of it the most honorable office.

_Ex secretioribus ministeriis_. _One of his private secretaries, or confidential agents_.

_Codicillos_. Under the Emperors this word is used to denote an imperial letter or diploma. Properly a billet, diminutive of _codex_, tablet (==_caudex_, trunk of a tree).

_Syria dabatur_. Syria was one of the Provinces, that were at the disposal of the Emperor.

_Ex ingenio principis_. _In accordance with_ (cf. _ex_, G. 7) _the_ (dissimulating) _genius or policy of Domitian_. The design, if not real, at least imputed to him, was to withdraw Agricola from his province and his troops at all events, by the offer of the best province in the Empire if need be; but that object having been secured by Agricola's voluntary retirement, the offer, and even the ordinary civilities of life, especially official life, were deemed unnecessary. Compare this with the concluding sentence of the preceding chapter.

_Celebritate et frequentia_. Hendiadys: _By the number of distinguished men who might go out to meet him_ (and escort him into the city).

_0fficio_==salutatione. Dr.--_Brevi osculo_, lit. a _hasty kiss_==_cold and formal salutation_. The kiss was a common mode of salutation among the Romans, in the age of the Emperors. See Becker's Gallus, p. 54.

_Turbae servientium_. The usual and characteristic a.s.sociates, as well as attendants of Domitian. A severe cut, though quite incidental and very concise.

_Otiosos_. Ant.i.th. to _militare_. _Men in civil life_, cf. note on _otio_, II.

_Otium auxit_. Augere otium==sequi altissimum otium. Dr.

_Penitus_==inwardly, i.e. sincerely, _zealously_. So R. But Dr.== prorsus, omnino, valde.--_Cultu modicus. Simple in dress_, cf. note on _cultus_, G. 6.--_Comitatus_, pa.s.sive, so used by Cic. also.--_Uno aut altero. One or two_.

_Per ambitionem_==ex vitae splendore et numeroso comitatu. Br. cf. note on _ambitio_, G. 27.

_Quaererent--interpretarentur_. _Many inquired_ (with wonder) _into the reputation_ (of a man so una.s.suming), _and few explained_ or _understood_ (the true reason of his humble manner of life). _Interpretarentur_, not _famam_ but the facts above mentioned, and the necessity A. was under of living as he did.--_Viso aspectoque. On seeing him and directing their attention particularly to him_.

XLI. _Crimen==public accusation_.--_Querela==private complaint_.-- _Princeps, gloria, genus_. Supply, as a predicate, _causa periculi_; these were the causes that put A's life in jeopardy.

_Militares viri_==duces. So Corbulo is called, Ann. 15, 26.

_Expugnati et capti_. _Defeated and taken captive_, For. and Fac.

Properly _expugnare_ is said of a fortress or city. But _ektoliorkein_ in Greek is used in the same way, of persons. Compare _expugnatis praesidiis_, 16, note. The wars particularly referred to are those against Decebalus, leader of the Dacians, which lasted four years and in which Moesia also was invaded by the Dacians, and several Roman armies with their commanders were lost (Suet. Dom. 6.); and that of the Pannonian legions against the German tribes of the Marcomanni and the Quadi (Dion, 67, 7).

_Hibernis--dubitatum_, i.e. the enemy not only met them on the river banks, which formed the borders of the empire, but attacked the winter quarters of their troops, and threatened to take away the territory they had already acquired.

_Funeribus_, sc. militarium virorum.--_Cladibus_, sc. cohortium. Dr.

_Amore et fide_. _Out of affection and fidelity_ (sc. to their imperial master).--_Malignitate et livore_. _Out of envy and hatred_ (sc. towards A.).

_p.r.o.num deterioribus_. _Inclined to the worse measures_, or it may be, to the _worse advisers_.

_In ipsam--agebatur_==invito gloria aucta, simulque pernicies accelerata. W.

XLII. _Asiae et Africae_. He drew lots, _which_ he should have, _both_ being put into the lot.--_Proconsulatum_. See H. 1, 49. note, on proconsul. A. had already been consul, 9.

_Sortiretur_. _In which he would, or such that he must, obtain by lot_, etc. Cf. H. 501, I.; Z. 558.

_Occiso Civica_. Cf. Suet. Dom. 10: complures senatores, et in his aliquot consulares, interemit, ex quibus _Civicam Cerealem in ipso Asiae proconsulate_.

_Nec Agricolae--exemplum_. _A warning was not wanting to A_. (to avoid the dangerous post); _nor a precedent to Dom_. (for disposing of A. in the same way if he accepted the office).

_Iturusne esset_. Subj. cf. H. 525; Z. 552.--_Interrogarent_. H. 500; Z. 567.

_In--excusatione_. _In urging his request_ (before Dom.) _to be excused_.

_Paratus simulatione_. Al. simulationi. _Furnished with deceit, armed_, as it were, _with hypocrisy_.

_In arrogantiam compositus_. _a.s.suming a proud demeanor_.

_Beneficii invidia_, lit. _the odium of such a kindness==so odious a favor_. The idea is, he did not blush to let A. return thanks for a signal injury, as if it were a real kindness. "A refinement of cruelty not unfrequently practised by the worst Roman Emperors." Ky. The only peculiarity in the case of Dom. was, the unblushing impudence with which he perpetrated the wrong, cf. 45. See a fine commentary on this pa.s.sage in Sen. de Benef. 4, 17: Quis est, qui non beneficus _videri_ velit? qui non inter scelera et injurias opinionem bonitatis affectet? velit quoque _iis videri beneficium dedisse, quos laesit? gratias itaque agi sibi ab his, quos afflixere, patiuntur_.

_Salarium_. Properly salt-money, i.e. a small allowance to the soldiers for the purchase of salt. Cf. _clavarium_, H. 3, 50, note. But after Augustus, official pay, _salary_.

_Ne--emisse_. _That he might not appear to have purchased a compliance with his virtual prohibition_ (viz. of A.'s accepting the proconsulship).

_Proprium humani_, etc. Mark the sentiment.

_Irrevocabilior_. _More implacable_. Found in this sense only in T. Cf.

Bot. Lex. Tac.

_Illicita_. Unlawful, i.e. forbidden by the powers that be. Explained by _contumacia_ and _inani jactatione libertatis_ above. T. is animadverting upon the conduct of certain stoics and republicans, who obtruded their opinions upon those in power, and coveted the glory of martyrdom.

_Eo--excedere_. Reach the same height of distinction. _Eo_ Old dat. cf.

_eo inopiae_ 28, note. _Excedere_, lit. come out to, _arrive at_. Cf.

Val. Max. 5, 6, 4: _ad summum imperii fastigium excessit_.

_Per abrupta_. "Through abrupt and dangerous paths." Ky.

_Ambitiosa morte_, i.e. morte ultro adita captandae gloriae causa apud posteros. For. and Fac.

XLIII. _Luctuosus, afflictive_, is stronger than _tristis, sad_.

_Vulgus_. The lower cla.s.ses, _the ignorant and indolent rabble_.-- _Populus_. _The common people, tradesmen, mechanics_, and the like.

Hence, _aliud agens_, which implies that they were too busy with something else of a private nature, to give much attention to public affairs or the concerns of their neighbors.--_Populus_ and _vulgus_ are brought together in a similar way, Dial. de Clar. Orat. 7: Vulgus quoque imperitum et tunicatus hic populus, etc.

_n.o.bis--ausim_. _I should not dare to affirm that we_ (the friends of A.) _found any conclusive proof_, that he was poisoned.--_Ceterum_. _But_.

This implies that the circ.u.mstantial evidence, which he goes on to specify, convinced the writer and his friends, as well as the public, that poison administered by direction of Dom., was really the means of hastening A. out of the world. Dion Ca.s.sius expressly affirms, that he was poisoned, 66, 20.

_Princ.i.p.atus_. The imperial government in general, i.e. former Emperors.

_Momenta ipsa deficientis_. _Each successive stage of his decline_.

_Ipsa_ is omitted in the common editions. But it rests on good authority and it adds to the significance of the clause: _the very moments_, as it were, were reported to Dom.

_Per dispositos cursores_. Dom. appears not to have been at Rome at this time, but in the Alban Villa (cf. 45), or somewhere else.

_Constabat_. That was an _admitted point_, about which there was entire _agreement_ (_con_ and _sto_).