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

first and the second item with et and juxtaposing the first two (introduced
by iam) and the last (introduced by exim) asyndetically.
The word opes (‘riches’; cf. English ‘opulence’)
makes clear the preciousness of the spoils destroyed, whilst the glory of their
acquisition is represented by victoriis – in contrast to Nero’s lavish use of
riches and opulence, these were won in the proper Roman military manner.
decora refers to works of Greek art, which had
been brought to Rome in the course of Rome’s conquest (and plunder) of the
Greek world. In fact, Nero was among the most avid collectors. The use of
the word decus, which can designate both social and aesthetic value (‘high
esteem, honour, glory’ – ‘pleasing appearance, beauty, grace, splendour’)
conveys the magnificence of the artefacts lost.
Tacitus is referring to
destroyed works of literature. Although Rome’s great Palatine Library
was not damaged until its destruction in AD 363, many important texts
may well have been burnt in temple records or private homes. The
attributes antiqua et incorrupta contain an oblique and curious appraisal
of the value of the works in question: Tacitus almost seems to be saying
that these literary products were ancient and hence morally sound (i.e.
untouched by the corruption that later set in), passing judgement on
literary outputs in imperial times. The loss of this ancient, untainted
literature is all the mere keenly felt given that his own times are no longer
conducive to producing monumenta incorrupta. Alternatively, one could
consider seeing here a rhetorical displacement of the attribute, with
incorrupta modifying monumenta grammatically, but ingeniorum in terms
of sense. The implications for Tacitus’ view on literary production in
imperial Rome are the same.
ut quamvis in tanta resurgentis urbis pulchritudine multa seniores
Tacitus admits that the new city
built by Nero was full of beauty, made clear by tanta, which modifies, in
hyperbaton, pulchritudine. The phrase in tanta ... pulchritudine embraces
the genitive resurgentis urbis, stressing the comprehensive beautification
of the new Rome that rose after the conflagration. The vivid present
participle resurgentis (lit. ‘rising again’) suggests that, even as the new
beauty rose up, people realised the irreplaceable losses.