Tacitus, Annals, 15.20­-23, 33­-45. Latin Text, Study Aids with Vocabulary, and Commentary, 2013a

quas a Tigellino paratas [sc. esse]
prodigentia narranda sit. Tacitus here runs two sentences into one. Taken
apart the Latin would be: celeberrimae epulae ... fuere, quae a Tigellino [sunt]
paratae; quas/ eas ut exemplum referam... Put differently, the quas does double
duty as both accusative object of referam and as subject accusative of the
indirect statement dependent on referam. In English, this is impossible to
reproduce and it is best to translate with two sentences: ‘the most celebrated
feasts were those that were arranged by Tigellinus; these I shall describe
as an example...’ Woodman notes on quas ... ut exemplum referam: ‘This
statement, with its combination of the noun exemplum and a first-person
verb, is unique in the Annals and signals that the following description is
digressive. The start of the digression is marked by Igitur (37. 2), which
picks up ut exemplum referam, and its closure is marked by denique (37. 4).’ 139
Ofonius Tigellinus was prefect of the Praetorian Guard, the
emperor’s bodyguard, an extremely influential position under the Caesars.
Here he is presented as the architect of an appalling display of imperial
decadence.
One banquet will serve Tacitus
as representative of the rest. This approach will save him from having to
detail all the other orgies that took place under Nero: eadem intimates that
Tigellinus’ banquet is nothing exceptional – though in reality, Tacitus has
surely chosen an event of particular excess and debauchery. The feigned
weariness in the ne-clause underscores Tacitus’ contempt (and his skill in
focused, economical exposition), though he also clearly revels in relating
this sort of outrage and knows what his readers want, too.
The word seems to be a Tacitean neologism – it occurs nowhere
else in Latin literature. Its meaning here is something akin to ‘excessive
extravagance or prodigality’, but its etymological affinity with prodigium
(‘ominous, unnatural occurrence’, ‘portent’) also hints at monstrosity.
convivium navium aliarum tractu moveretur. naves auro et ebore
distinctae; remigesque exoleti per aetates et scientiam libidinum
Oceano abusque petiverat.
139 Woodman (1998) 171–72.