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Tacitus · Historiae I

Histories 1.19

The senate and the German embassy

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Hist. 1.19.1Inde apud senātum nōn cōmptior Galbae, nōn longior quam apud mīlitem sermō: Pīsōnis cōmis ōrātiō.Then in the senate Galba's speech was no more polished and no longer than it had been before the soldiers: Piso's address was gracious. Hist. 1.19.1Et patrum favor aderat: multī voluntāte, effūsius quī nōluerant, mediī ac plūrimī obviō obsequiō, prīvātās spēs agitantēs sine pūblicā cūrā.And the senators' support was there: many gave it willingly, those who had not wanted it more effusively, the neutral and the majority with ready compliance, turning over private hopes without concern for the public good. Hist. 1.19.1Nec aliud sequentī quadrīduō, quod medium inter adoptiōnem et caedem fuit, dictum ā Pīsōne in pūblicō factumve.Nor did Piso say or do anything else in public in the following four days, which were the interval between the adoption and the murder. Hist. 1.19.1Crēbriōribus in diēs Germānicae dēfectiōnis nūntiīs et facilī cīvitāte ad accipienda crēdendaque omnia nova cum trīstia sunt, cēnsuerant patrēs mittendōs ad Germānicum exercitum lēgātōs.As reports of the German revolt grew more frequent day by day, and the citizens were ready to accept and believe all news when it is bad, the senators had decided that envoys should be sent to the German army.

Hist. 1.19.1Agitātum sēcrētō num et Pīsō proficīscerētur, maiōre praetextū, illī auctōritātem senātūs, hic dignātiōnem Caesaris lātūrus.It was debated in secret whether Piso too should go, for greater show, they bringing the authority of the senate, he the dignity of a Caesar. Hist. 1.19.1Placēbat et Lacōnem praetōriī praefectum simul mittī: is cōnsiliō intercessit.It was proposed that Laco, the praetorian prefect, be sent at the same time: he blocked the plan. Hist. 1.19.1Lēgātī quoque (nam senātus ēlēctiōnem Galbae permīserat) foedā incōnstantia nōminātī, excūsātī, substitūtī, ambitū remanendī aut eundī, ut quemque metus vel spēs impulerat.The envoys too (for the senate had left the choice to Galba) were, with shameful inconstancy, named, excused and replaced, through intrigue to stay or to go, as fear or hope had driven each man.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×1, gerunds and gerundives ×5

Latin vocabulary for this passage (97 words)
inde (adv.)from there; then
apud, prep, with acc.among, with
senātus, -ūs m.senate
nōn, adv.not
cōmptus, -a, -umneatly arranged; (of style) polished, elegant
longus, -a, -umlong; tedious
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
sermō, -ōnis, m.conversation, talk, speech
cōmis, -ecourteous, affable, kind, friendly
ōrātiō, -ōnis, f.speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
pater, patris, m.father
favor, -ōris m.goodwill, support, applause
adsum, adesse, adfuībe present, be at hand
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
voluntās, -tātis, f.wish, will
effūsē (adv.)far and wide, without restraint
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
nōlō, nōlle, nōluīnot wish, be unwilling
medius, -a, -ummid, middle
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
obvius, -a, -umin the way, meeting; sē obvium dare: come to meet
obsequium, -ī n.compliance, obedience; service (to a god): obsequium praestāre Deō
prīvātus, -a, -umprivate
spēs, speī, f.hope
agitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdrive about; discuss, debate
sine, prep. with abl.without
pūblicus, -a, -umpublic, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
cūra, -ae f.care, concern (cūrae esse: to be a concern)
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
quadrīduum, -ī n.period of four days
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
adoptiō, -ōnis f.adoption
caedēs, -is, f.cutting down, killing, slaughter
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
pūblicum, -ī n.open street, public place
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
crēber, -bra, -brumfrequent, numerous; close together
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
Germānicus, -a, -umGerman, of the Germans
dēfectiō, -ōnis f.revolt, desertion
nūntius, -ī, m.messenger; message
facilis, -e (comp. facilior)easy
cīvitās, -tātis, f.state
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptustake to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer
crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusbelieve
que, enclitic conj.and
omnis, -eall, every
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
trīstis, -esad, gloomy
cēnseō, cēnsēre, cēnsuī, cēnsusthink, believe, consider
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missussend
exercitus, -ūs, m.army
lēgātus, -ī, m.ambassador
sēcrētō (adv.)privately, in secret
num, adv., introducing a question to which a negative answer is expecteduntranslatable
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sumset out, depart, march
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
praetextus, -ūs m.outward show; pretext, pretence
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
auctōritās, -tātis f.influence, authority, prestige
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
dignātiō, -ōnis f.esteem, regard; rank, standing
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
placeō, -ēre, placuī, placitum (+ dat.)please (placuit eī: he decided)
praetōrium, -ī n.governor's residence, headquarters
praefectus, -ī m.commander, officer
simul, adv.at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
cōnsilium, -ī, n.advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence
intercēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessumcome between, pass (of time)
quoque, adv.also
nam, conj.for
ēlēctiō, -ōnis f.choice, selection; vas ēlēctiōnis: chosen instrument
permittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missumallow, permit; entrust
foedus, -a, -umfoul, loathsome, hideous
incōnstantia, -ae f.fickleness, inconsistency, changeableness
nōminō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumname, mention
excūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusexcuse, make excuses for
substituō, -ere, -stituī, -stitūtumput behind, place in reserve; substitute
ambitus, -ūs m.canvassing for office; bribery at elections (lēgēs ambitus: the bribery laws)
remaneō, -ēre, -mānsīstay behind, remain
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
eō, īre, iī, itusgo
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
metus, -ūs m.fear, dread
velor; vel … vel: either … or
impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsusdrive or urge on, incite, urge
Tacitus, Historiae I. Latin text: C. D. Fisher, Cornelii Taciti Historiarum Libri (Oxford, 1911), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.