The annals of Tacitus

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xii TACITUS, ANNALS IV says : — purus et pressus et, in quantum satis erat, projluens sermo non defuit,—probably not a bad description of Tacitus' own oratory. The younger Pliny, who began his career a few years later, tells us that Tacitus even then was ' in the prime of renown.' Unfortunately none of his own speeches have been preserved ; but those which he introduces into his historical narratives enable us to form some idea of his rhetorical style ; for we may conjecture that they are com- posed according to his own method. Moreover, Pliny gives us this additional piece of evidence. In Epist. ii 11, on his return from a meeting of the Senate, he writes to one of his friends :— 'Tacitus spoke with great eloquence and, what is characteristic of his style, with dignity,' — et, quod eximium orationi eius inest, a-fixvcos. The sixth chapter of the Dialogue, which deals with the secret joys of the orator, reads like a piece of autobiography. A few words are well worth quoting : — quae in publico species ! quae in iudiciis ueneratio ! quod gaudium eonsurgendi assis- tendique inter tacentes et in unum conuersos ! uulgata dicentium gaudia et imperitorum quoque oculis e.vposita per- censeo : ilia secretiora et tantum ipsis orantibus nota maiora sunt. ...extemporalis audaciae atque ipsius temeritatis uel praecipua iucunditas est. Not only the declamation schools ^ and the practice of forensic oratory contributed to the formation of the style of Tacitus. As Ramsay says very well, the rhetorical and epigrammatic phrases with which Tacitus so often closes a chapter or a topic are doubtless due to the practice of recitation. 'We cannot doubt (he continues) that it was in 1 Many of the declaimers never intended to become orators at all. To such men the course served rather as a literary and critical education. When they left the schools, they became writers of epics or history or philosophy, or else the readers to whom such writers must appeal (Summers, I.e., p. 93).
INTRODUCTION xiii the form of recitation to sympathetic audiences that the works of Tacitus were first given to the world' (vol. i, \x 337). Those epigrams, called by Seneca sententiae, hold so much sense in a few words. They were then miich in fashion. Many of them are to be found in Seneca and other writers of the Silver Age. Those of Tacitus are not merely showy conceits. They come direct from life. We admire the pungent flavour he has given them ; but we are still more impressed by the profound knowledge they manifest of character and life^ Many instances of such epigrams might be quoted from the Fourth Book of the Annals. The following are some of the most noteworthy : cuius pari exitio uiguit ceciditque (1) negotia pro solaciis accipiens (13) huic uegatus honor gloriam inteudit (26) nimis ex propinquo diuersa arguens (33) si irascare, adgnita uidentur (34) punitis ingeniis gliscit auctoritas (35) haec mihi in animis uestris templa (38) contemptu famae coutemni uirtutes (38) inuidiam et preces orditur (53) idque Augusta exprobrabat, reposcebat (57) patuit breue confinium artis et falsi (58) tristibus dictis atrocia facta coniungere (71) It is a great mistake to regard the Tacitean prose of the Annals and Histories as 'Silver Latin' and nothing more. Tacitus has not the common fault of the Silver Age,—the stilted declamatory manner, which the education of the time encouraged. A Ciceronian in his youth, later on Tacitus developed a style of his own, of which the main features are ^ See Boissier, p. 23.
Page 1 and 2: Tacitus Annals IV
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Page 6 and 7: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS C. F. CL
Page 8 and 9: (iranitriligE PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY,
Page 10 and 11: Introduction CONTENTS I. Life and w
Page 12 and 13: viii TACITUS, ANNALS IV Vespasian,
Page 14 and 15: X - TACITUS, ANNALS IV Nerva and Tr
Page 18 and 19: xiv TACITUS, ANNALS IV ^''pninitii'
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Page 22 and 23: xviii TACITUS, ANNALS IV IV. GERMAN
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Page 28 and 29: xxiv TACITUS, ANNALS IV See note on
Page 30 and 31: xxvi TACITUS, ANNALS IV See Tarver,
Page 33 and 34: THE ANNALS OF TACITUS: CHAPTERS 1
Page 35 and 36: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 1—5 3 regn
Page 37 and 38: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 5-7 5 honore
Page 39 and 40: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 7—10 7 Dru
Page 41 and 42: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 10—13 9 pr
Page 43 and 44: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 13—16 11 a
Page 45 and 46: CHAPTERS 17—33: EVENTS OF 24 A.D.
Page 47 and 48: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 18—21 15 f
Page 49 and 50: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 21—24 17 n
Page 51 and 52: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 24—28 19 f
Page 53 and 54: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 28—31 21 u
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Page 57 and 58: AB EXCESSV AVGA^STI IV. 34, 35 25 C
Page 59 and 60: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 36—39 27 a
Page 61 and 62: AB EXCESSV AVGVvSTI IV. 39-41 29 ne
Page 63 and 64: AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 41-44 31 Len
Page 65 and 66: AB EXCESSV AVfiVSTI TV. 44, 45 33 p
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AB BXCKSSV AVCIVSTJ IV. 46-48 35 co
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AB BXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 48—51 37 o
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AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 51-55 39 inp
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AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 55-57 41 nrb
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AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 57-60 43 est
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Chapters 62—67: Events of 27 A.D.
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AB EXCESSV AVCrVRTI IV. 62—67 47
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Chapters 68—75 : Events of 28 A.D
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AB EXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 08—71 51 r
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AB BXCESSV AVGVSTI IV. 71—74 53 a
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NOTES ABBREVIATIONS 'i^. = Nipperde
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ON CHAPTERS 1, 2 57 19. summa apisc
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ON CHAPTERS 2—4 59 construction c
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ON CHAPTERS 4, 5 61 and Virg. Georg
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ON CHAPTERS 5, 6 63 5. apud patres
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ON CHAPTERS 6-8 65 13. precandam...
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ON CHAPTERS 8—11 67 9. eo audacia
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ON CHAPTERS 11, 12 69 7. inultam in
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ON CHAPTERS 12—14 71 bavin}:! hel
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ON CHAPTERS U, 15 73 0. Rbodii sece
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ON CHAPTERS 15, 16 75 snlpmn—r.n^
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8. turn uero, ' now ON CHAPTERS 16
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ON CHAPTERS 18, 19 79 detrimenti ca
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ON CHAPTERS 19—21 81 11. pleraquc
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ON CHAPTERS 21—23 83 interdicto i
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ON CHAPTERS 23—25 85 8. primo sui
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ON CHAPTERS 25—27 87 triremes, fr
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ON CHAPTERS 28, 29 89 4. senectutis
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ON CHAPTERS 29—31 91 14. custodes
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ON CHAPTERS 31—33 93 14. magnarum
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ON CHAPTERS 33, 34 95 34 2. postula
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ON CHAPTERS 34—36 97 aduertit, fo
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' 4. ON CHAPTERS 36—38 99 ualidU3
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// IHIIH ON CHAPTERS 38-40 101 17.
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ON CHAPTERS 40, 41 103 34. quanto u
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ON CHAPTERS 42, 43 105 from the pla
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ON CHAPTERS 43—46 107 15. Beposui
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ON CHAPTERS 46—48 109 10. in loco
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ON CHAPTERS 48—50 111 which were
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14. montis anfractu, ' ON CHAPTERS
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ON CHAPTERS 52—54 115 53 I. penii
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ON CHAPTERS 54—56 117 times for t
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1. medlt3t.n, passive. (I stooping
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ON CHAPTERS 57—60 121 castra quib
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ON CHAPTERS 60—62 123 orationis,
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ON CHAPTERS 62—65 125 9. ignotos.
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ON CHAPTERS 66, 67 127 which lies i
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ON CHAPTERS 67—70 129 II. auonam
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ON CHAPTERS 70, 71 131 71 1. ni des
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ON CHAPTERS 72, 73 133 revolt the F
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ON CHAPTERS 73, 74 135 scuta pro cl
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APPENDIX ON SELECT VARIOUS READINGS
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ON SELECT VARIOUS READINGS 139 ' du
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ON SELECT VARIOUS READINGS 141 Med.
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ON SELECT VARIOUS READINGS 143 once
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Actium, 5 Aegium, 13 Aesculapius, 1
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aestimo, 39 aestuaria, 73 agger, 73
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nurus, 12 ob rem iudicandam, 31 obr
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Casks : Dative (cont.) : Person con
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