[19.]
[110] That is, he was only quaestor, but had the powers of a praetor, being commissioned to supply the place of a praetor.
[111] Respecting the indicative dicunt, see Zumpt, § 563.
[20.]
[112] The author now continues his account of the conspiracy entered into in B.C. 64.
[113] Per ignaviam, ‘by means of cowardice,’ here means, ‘with the assistance of cowardly men,’ ‘such as you are not, since I have evidence of your valour and trustworthiness.’ Vana ingenia are men of untrustworthy character. In both cases the abstract quality is mentioned instead of the person possessing it.
[114] Diversi, ‘separately;’ that is, at different times, and in different places.
[115] Tetrarcha is a title which properly belonged only to such princes as ruled over the fourth part of a whole nation. Such a division took place in Galatia, and afterwards also in Judaea. A similar title, ethnarcha, but that of king also, was sometimes granted to powerful princes; or, when they had had it before, the Roman senate sometimes allowed them to keep it.
[116] Pro fidem, or proh fidem, is an exclamation, and pro an interjection. The accus. fidem is governed by some such verb as testor or invoco. See Zumpt, § 361.
[117] Superare here has an intransitive meaning, ‘to exist in abundance.’
[118] Lar familiaris, a domestic or family divinity, whose image stood in the interior of the house, by the domestic altar; hence lar, or the plural lares, is sometimes used in the sense of ‘a house,’ or ‘home.’
[119] Toreumata are the vasa caelata mentioned in [chap. 11]; works in metal, especially silver, with raised figures. The instrument called by the Latins caelum, was called by the Greeks τορος,whence τορευειν, τορευμα.
[120] ‘They cannot master their wealth;’ that is, they are not able to spend it.
[121] Quin — that is, qui non or quo non? ‘why not?’
[122] En, as well as ecce, are most commonly construed with the accusative.
[21.]
[123] Tabulae novae are literally ‘new registers of debts;’ that is, a change or reduction of debts, when, for example, the interest already paid was deducted from the principal, or when the amount of debts was reduced by one-half, or even by three-fourths. Such regulations of debts in favour of debtors were often resorted to in the revolutions of the ancient republics.
[124] ‘If he should be consul with him, he would begin to carry the matter into effect.’
[125] Ignominia, ‘disgrace’ which a person incurs, either because he has been condemned in a court of law, or with which he has been branded by the censors.
[22.]
[126] Popularis, properly ‘a fellow-countryman,’ or ‘belonging to the same people;’ but Sallust here, and in [chapter 24], uses it in the more general sense of particeps, socius, ‘associate.’
[127] Dictitare, a contraction for dictitavere: ‘it was frequently said that Catiline had done it for this reason.’ This contraction has nothing that is offensive here, though in form it is the same as the present infinitive; for such an ambiguity of form is not always avoided, provided the context clearly shows what the meaning is. Dictitare contains a repetition of what is implied in fuere qui dicerent.
[23.]
[128] Met is a suffix which may be appended to all the cases of suus, and answers to our ‘own.’ It is usually followed by ipse. See Zumpt, § 139, note.
[129] Stuprum is the name for every unchaste connexion with unmarried as well as with married women; but adulterium is the illicit intercourse with married women.
[130] ‘To behave more ferociously;’ for agere and agitare, even without an accusative, signify ‘to behave,’ ‘conduct one’s self,’ ‘lead a life.’
[131] Sublato auctore, ‘without mentioning the one of whom she had learned it.’
[132] ‘The nobility was boiling with envy;’ a figurative expression, taken from the boiling of water over the fire, which is frequently used to describe violent passions. So also incendi, ardere, flagrare cupiditate.
[133] A homo novus was at Rome the name for any person, none of whose ancestors had been invested with a curule office; that is, with the consulship, praetorship, quaestorship, or curule aedileship.
[134] Post fuere; that is, postposita sunt, ‘were put on one side.’