Hist. 1.2.1Opus adgredior opīmum cāsibus, atrōx proeliīs, discors sēditiōnibus, ipsā etiam pāce saevum.I am embarking on a work rich in disasters, grim with battles, torn by mutinies, savage even in peace itself. Hist. 1.2.1Quattuor prīncipēs ferrō interēmptī: trīna bella cīvīlia, plūra externa ac plērumque permixta: prosperae in Oriente, adversae in Occidente rēs: turbātum Illyricum, Galliae nūtantēs, perdomita Britannia et statim omissa: coortae in nōs Sarmatārum ac Suēbōrum gentēs, nōbilitātus clādibus mūtuīs Dācus, mōta prope etiam Parthōrum arma falsī Nerōnis lūdibriō.Four emperors were slain by the sword: there were three civil wars, more foreign ones, and often both at once: success in the East, failure in the West: Illyricum in turmoil, the Gallic provinces wavering, Britain thoroughly subdued and at once let go: the peoples of the Sarmatians and Suebi rose against us, the Dacian was made famous by defeats given and taken, and even the arms of the Parthians were almost set in motion by the trickery of a false Nero. Hist. 1.2.1Iam vērō Ītalia novīs clādibus vel post longam saeculōrum seriem repetītīs adflīcta.Italy, moreover, was struck by disasters either new or recurring after a long succession of centuries.
Hist. 1.2.1Haustae aut obrutae urbēs, fēcundissima Campāniae ōra;Cities were swallowed up or buried, along the most fertile coast of Campania; Hist. 1.2.1et urbs incendiīs vāstāta, cōnsūmptīs antīquissimīs dēlūbrīs, ipsō Capitōliō cīvium manibus incēnsō.and Rome was laid waste by fires, its most ancient shrines consumed, the Capitol itself set ablaze by the hands of citizens. Hist. 1.2.1Pollūtae caerimōniae, magna adulteria: plēnum exiliīs mare, īnfectī caedibus scopulī.Sacred rites were defiled, there were adulteries in high places: the sea was full of exiles, its cliffs stained with killings. Hist. 1.2.1Atrōcius in urbe saevītum: nōbilitās, opēs, omissī gestīque honōrēs prō crīmine et ob virtūtēs certissimum exitium.In the city the savagery was worse: noble birth, wealth, offices declined or held were grounds for accusation, and virtues brought the surest ruin. Hist. 1.2.1Nec minus praemia dēlātōrum invīsa quam scelera, cum aliī sacerdōtia et cōnsulātūs ut spolia adeptī, prōcūrātiōnēs aliī et interiōrem potentiam, agerent verterent cūncta odiō et terrōre.Nor were the rewards of the informers less hateful than their crimes, since some, having obtained priesthoods and consulships as spoils, others procuratorships and power at court, drove and overturned everything through hatred and terror.
Hist. 1.2.1Corruptī in dominōs servī, in patrōnōs lībertī;Slaves were bribed against their masters, freedmen against their patrons; Hist. 1.2.1et quibus dēerat inimīcus per amīcōs oppressī.and those who had no enemy were ruined by their friends.