[65.5] dēgere potuerat: ‘he might have spent.’ Cf. tuērī poterant, [l. 12].
[65.6] adipīscor.
[65.7] aerārium effūdit: ‘he wasted (the money in) the treasury.’ The reference is to the corn law mentioned in the next sentence. This entitled all citizens residing in Rome to a certain measure of corn monthly for less than the market price. The distribution was thus a constant drain upon the treasury.
[65.8] ‘citizenship.’
[65.9] ‘tried to give.’ The imperfect tense, like the present, often denotes attempted action; cf. dīvidēbat, [l. 16], and commendābat, [l. 22]. He was unable to carry the law, as the citizens of Rome itself were jealous of any extension of the franchise. The Italians did not obtain citizenship till 89 B.C.
[65.10] quantā . . . contentiōne: ‘with the greatest possible energy.’ Cf. quantō potuit apparātū, IX, 39, and note.
[66.1] omnēs bonī: ‘all loyal citizens.’ bonī, like optimātēs, often has this political meaning. Cf. the derivation of aristocracy.
[66.2] Sc. obsistēbat.
[66.3] Quī . . . cōnstās: ‘How do you explain your conduct?’ How literally? See (4) quī in vocabulary.
[66.4] Nōlim: ‘I should hardly desire’; lit. ‘I should be unwilling.’ The subjunctive is often thus used in a modest assertion: H 556 (486, N. 1): M 719: A 311, b: G 257, 2: B 280, 1. Cf. possit, [l. 72]. Often, as here, the modesty is assumed ironically.