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Tacitus · Historiae I

Histories 1.4

Rome after Nero's fall

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Hist. 1.4.1Cēterum antequam dēstināta compōnam, repetendum vidētur quālis status urbis, quae mēns exercituum, Quis habitus prōvinciārum, quid in tōtō terrārum orbe validum, quid aegrum fuerit, ut nōn modo cāsūs ēventūsque rērum, quī plērumque fortuītī sunt, sed ratiō etiam causaeque nōscantur.But before I set out what I have planned, it seems right to go back over the condition of the city, the temper of the armies, the attitude of the provinces, what was strong and what was ailing throughout the whole world, so that not only the incidents and outcomes of events, which are mostly due to chance, but also their reasons and causes may be understood. Hist. 1.4.1Fīnis Nerōnis ut laetus prīmō gaudentium impetū fuerat, ita variōs mōtūs animōrum nōn modo in urbe apud patrēs aut populum aut urbānum mīlitem, sed omnīs legiōnēs ducēsque concīverat, ēvulgātō imperiī arcānō posse prīncipem alibī quam Rōmae fierī.The end of Nero, though welcome in the first rush of rejoicing, had stirred varied emotions not only in the city among the senators or the people or the city garrison, but among all the legions and generals, for a secret of empire had been revealed, that an emperor could be made elsewhere than at Rome.

Hist. 1.4.1Sed patrēs laetī, ūsurpātā statim lībertāte licentius ut ergā prīncipem novum et absentem;But the senators were glad, at once seizing their freedom with greater licence, as was natural towards an emperor who was new and absent; Hist. 1.4.1prīmōrēs equitum proximī gaudiō patrum;the leading knights came next to the senators in their joy; Hist. 1.4.1pars populī integra et magnīs domibus adnexa, clientēs lībertīque damnātōrum et exulum in spem ērēctī: plēbs sordida et circō ac theātrīs suēta, simul dēterrimī servōrum, aut quī adēsīs bonīs per dēdecus Nerōnis alēbantur, maestī et rūmōrum avidī.the sound part of the people, attached to the great houses, and the clients and freedmen of the condemned and exiled, were roused to hope: the base rabble, used to the circus and the theatres, together with the worst of the slaves, or those who, having squandered their property, were kept by Nero's disgraceful bounty, were gloomy and greedy for rumours.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×1, ablative absolute ×3

Latin vocabulary for this passage (104 words)
cēterum (adv.)but, however; for the rest
antequam, conj.before than, sooner than, before
dēstinō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumfasten, make fast
compōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positumput together; mend, set in order
repetō, -ere, -petīvī, -petītumdemand back; seek again
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
quālis, -eof what sort? what kind of?
status, -ūs m.condition, state
urbs, urbis, f.city
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.what?
mēns, mentis f.mind, spirit
exercitus, -ūs, m.army
habitus, -ūs m.condition, state; bearing, character
prōvincia, -ae f.province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul
quis, quid, interrog. pron.who? which? what?
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
tōtus, -a, -umall the, the whole or entire
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
orbis, -is, m.circle; orbis terrae or terrārum, circle of the earth or lands, earth, world
validus, -a, -umstrong
aeger, -gra, -grumsick, ill; as noun, a sick man
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
nōn, adv.not
modo, adv.only
cāsus, -ūs, m.fall; chance, accident
ēventus, -ūs m.outcome, result
que, enclitic conj.and
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
plērumque (adv.)generally, mostly
fortuītus, -a, -umaccidental, happening by chance; n. pl., accidents
sed, conj.but
ratiō, -ōnis, f.plan, means, method, manner; reason; account
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
causa, -ae, f.cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
nōscō, -ere, nōvī, nōtumget to know (perf. nōvī: know)
fīnis, -is, m.end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country
laetus, -a, -umglad, joyful
prīmus, -a, -umfirst, foremost
gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsusbe glad, rejoice
impetus, -ūs, m.attack; impetum facere, to charge
ita, adv.in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
varius, -a, -umvarious
mōtus, -ūs m.motion, movement; uprising
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
apud, prep, with acc.among, with
pater, patris, m.father
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
populus, -ī m.people, nation
urbānus, -a, -umof the city (Rome), urban
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
omnis, -eall, every
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
dux, ducis, m. and f.leader, commander
concieō, -ēre, -cīvī, -citusbring together, gather; stir up
ēvulgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusmake public, divulge
imperium, -ī, n.command; sway, rule
arcānum, -ī n.secret, mystery
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
prīnceps, -ipisfirst, chief; as noun: leader
alibī (adv.)elsewhere; alius alibi: some in one place, some in another
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
fīō, fierī, factus sumbe done or made, become, happen
ūsurpō, -āre, -āvī, -ātususe, employ; put into practice
statim, adv.on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately
lībertās, -tātis, f.freedom, liberty
licenter (adv.)freely, without restraint; licentius: too freely
ergā, prep, with acc.toward, for
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrusbe away, be absent, be distant; be wanting
prīmōrēs, -um m. pl.the leading men, the front rank
eques, equitis m.horseman; (pl.) cavalry
proximus, -a, -umnearest, next
gaudium, -ī, n.gladness, joy
pars, partis, f.part, side, direction
integer, -gra, -grumuntouched, fresh, whole
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
domus, -ūs, f.house, home
adnectō (annectō), -ere, -nexuī, -nexustie on, attach, connect
cliēns, -entis m.client, dependent
lībertus, -ī m.freedman (a former slave, in relation to his former master)
damnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumcondemn
exsul, -ulis m.exile, banished person
spēs, speī, f.hope
ērigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctusraise or set up, raise, lift; cheer, encourage
plēbs, plēbis f.the common people
sordidus, -a, -umdirty; mean, base, of low status
circus, -ī m.circle; racecourse, circus (Circus Maximus)
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
theātrum, -ī n.theatre
suētus, -a, -umaccustomed, used (to); usual, customary
simul, adv.at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as
dēterior, -iusworse, poorer
servus, -ī, m.slave, servant
adedō, -ēsse, -ēdī, -ēsuseat into, eat up
bonus, -a, -umgood
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
dēdecus, -decoris, n.dishonor, disgrace
alō, -ere, -uī, -tusnourish
maestus, -a, -umsad, dejected, gloomy
rūmor, -ōris m.rumour, report
avidus, -a, -umeager, greedy (for: gen.)
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.