Animo vultuque. Hendiadys: he wore in his countenance an expression of heartfelt grief.
Securus odii. Now, that A. was dead, Dom. had nothing to fear in regard to the object of his hatred, or the gratification of his hate. Odii. Gen. of the respect.—Qui—dissimularet. Qui==talis, ut, hence the subj. H. 501, I.; Z. 558.
Lecto testamento. When A.'s will was read.
Honore judicioque. As if a mark of honor and esteem. E. says==judicio honorifico.—Piissimae, devoted, affectionate.
Malum principem. It was customary for rich men at Rome, who were anxious to secure any of their property to their heirs, to bequeath a part of their estates to bad emperors in order to secure the remainder from their rapacity.
This and several preceding sections present a most graphic outline of the life and times of Dom., the more to be prized, because the full picture, which T. doubtless drew of him in the Histories, is lost. The Histories and the Annals are a vast portrait gallery full of such pictures drawn to the life.
XLIV. Natus—excessit. The dates assigned for A.'s birth and death, do not agree with the age ascribed to him. They may be harmonized in either of two ways, each of which has its advocates: by reading primum instead of tertium, or, which is perhaps a more probable amendment, since it only alters the relative position of the two characters, by reading LIV instead of LVI.
Quod si. And if, now if.—Habitum. Personal appearance, cf. G. 5.
Decentior quam sublimior. Well proportioned, rather than tall. R.
Nihil metus. Nothing to inspire fear in his countenance. Antith. to gratia—supererat: kindness of expression rather prevailed. So Gr. and R. For this sense of metus, see note G. 2: ob metum. Död. distinguishes between vultus and oris, making the former refer more to the eyes (as if from volvo, the rolling of the eye), to which it belongs to express anger and fierceness; the latter to the mouth, which is more expressive of kindness.