The annals of Tacitus

ON CHAPTERS 18, 19 79
detrimenti caperet— , establishing a kind of martial law. Also,
F. suggests that uigiiiis may be a reference to an old phrase
uiijilia consuhiris. See Cie. Phil, i 1; and, generally, for
Tiberius' preference for old constitutional formalities, see i 7
Tiberius per consules cuncta incipiebat tamquam uetere re publica.
multa adseueratione...coguiitur patres, 'with this profound
solemnity he convened the Senate'; 'with repeated protestations'
of the urgency of the case, etc. [P.F.]. Cf. ii 31 accusatio apud
putres adseueratione eadem peracta.
quasi... ageretur, ' as if Silius were being dealt with according
to law.' le (/e aaere is a commoner phrase.
aut Varro consul, 'or Varro were really consul,'—seeing that
the various departments of government were being gradually
handed over to the Emperor. See Introduction v.
13. aut illud res publica asset, ' or that state of things were
really a commonwealth.' For the syntax cf. i 49 non viedicinam
illnd appellans. For res ^«(ftZ/Va in the sense of 'ordered
commonwealth ' cf. i 43 quotus quisque reliquns qui rem publicam
iiidisset? also xiii 28 manebat quaedam imago rei publicae. In
these passages it does not mean a republican form of government
as opposed to a monarchy.
15. non occultante...premeretur, 'making it clear whose
displeasure was bearing him down.'
conscientia belli... arguebantur, 'he was charged with having
connived at the movement of Sacrovir, and with sullying his
victory by rapacity. The conduct of his wife Sosia was also
brought up against him ' [R.]. For the syntax cf. Livy xl 54
stimulabat animum et alter filius hand dithie rex connersique in
eum omnium oculi et destituta senectus ; and xl 24 fiiga per
Paeoniam praeparata arguebatur et corrupti quidam.
IC. Sacrouir diu dissimulatus, lit. ' the fact that he had long
ignored the proceedings of Sacrovir.' Cf. xv 71 Acilia...dis-
simulata. For conscientia belli, ' through privity to his rebellion,'
cf. xii 31 conscientia rebellionis. iiacrovir and Florus. two
Eomanised provincials in Gaul, engaged in a conspiracy to throw
off the Eoman yoke. Florus undertook to gain over the Eelgae
and Treviri ; Sacrovir intrigued among the Aedui and other