Feminarum. Pliny has preserved the names of several of this list— Gratilla, wife of Rusticus, Arria, wife of Thrasea, Fannia, daughter of Thrasea and betrothed to Helvidius. Their husbands will be remembered as having been mentioned in 1 and 2.
Carus Metius. An infamous informer, cf. Plin. Epist. 7, 19; Juv. 1, 35; Mart. 12, 25, 5.
Censebatur. Was honored, ironice. Censeri est aestimari, sive existimationem consequi. Dr.
Una—victoria. He had occasioned the death of but one innocent victim.— Adhuc. Up to the death of A., cf. G. 38: adhuc, note.
Albanam arcem. A favorite retreat of Dom. (situated at the foot of the Alban Mount, about seventeen miles from Rome), where he sometimes convened the Senate, and held his court with its troop of informers, cf. note, 43: cursores. Rit. in loc. suggests, that by the use of arcem instead of palatium, T. means to represent Domitian as shutting himself up, like many tyrants, in a fortified castle, and thence sending forth the emissaries of his jealousy and cruelty.
Sententia. His voice, his sentiment expressed in council before Dom.— Intra Albanam arcem, i.e. privately, not publicly, as afterwards at Rome.
Messalini. Fuit inter principea adulatores et delatores. Dr. cf. Plin. Epist. 4, 22; Juv. 4, 113, seq.
Massa Bebius. Primus inter pares of Domitian's tools. He began his career under Vesp. cf. His. 4, 50. He was afterwards impeached and condemned at the instance of the Province of Baetica, Pliny and Senecio advocates for the impeachment, Plin. Epist 7, 33; 3, 4; 6, 29.—Jam tum. At that very time on trial, not merely already at that time. Cf. Hand's Tursel. 3, 113.
Nostra, sc. of the Senate, of which T. was a member, though abroad at the time. Helvidius was arrested in the senate house, cf. Plin. Ep. 9, 13. This was Helvidius the son, who was put to death by Dom. (Suet. 10), as his father was by Vesp. (Suet. 15).
Visus. Al. divisus. Visus==species, adspectus, Wr.—Perfudit. Zeugma. Understand in the first clause horrore perfudit (Dr.) or probro affecit (R.): the spectacle of Mauricus and Rusticus (hurried away, the one to exile, the other to death), filled us with horror; we were stained by the innocent blood of Senecio. Of Rusticus and Senecio, see 2, note. Of Mauricus, see Plin. Ep. 4, 22: quo viro nihil firmius, nihil verius. Also Plin. Ep. 3, 11.