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Tacitus · Historiae I

Histories 1.84

The soldiers storm the palace

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Hist. 1.84.1Mīlitum impetus nē foribus quidem Palātiī coercitus quō minus convīvium inrumperent, ostendī sibi Othōnem expostulantēs, vulnerātō Iūliō Mārtiāle tribūnō et Vitelliō Sāturnīnō praefectō legiōnis, dum ruentibus obsistunt.The soldiers' onslaught was not stopped even by the doors of the Palatine from bursting into the banquet, as they demanded that Otho be shown to them; the tribune Julius Martialis and Vitellius Saturninus, prefect of the legion, were wounded while they tried to stem the rush. Hist. 1.84.1Undique arma et minae, modo in centuriōnēs tribūnōsque, modo in senātum ūniversum, lymphātīs caecō pavōre animīs, et quia nēminem ūnum dēstināre īrae poterant, licentiam in omnīs poscentibus, dōnec Othō contrā decus imperiī torō īnsistēns precibus et lacrimīs aegrē cohibuit, rediēruntque in castra invītī neque innocentēs.Everywhere there were arms and threats, now against the centurions and tribunes, now against the whole senate, their minds frenzied with blind panic, and since they could not single out any one man for their anger, they demanded licence against all, until Otho, against the dignity of empire, standing on a couch, with difficulty restrained them by prayers and tears; and they returned to the camp unwilling and not innocent.

Hist. 1.84.1Posterā diē velut captā urbe clausae domus, rārus per viās populus, maesta plēbs;The next day, as if the city had been captured, houses were shut, few people were in the streets, the populace was gloomy; Hist. 1.84.1dēiectī in terram mīlitum vultūs ac plūs trīstitiae quam paenitentiae.the soldiers' faces were cast down to the ground, and there was more sullenness than repentance. Hist. 1.84.1Manipulātim adlocūtī sunt Licinius Proculus et Plōtius Firmus praefectī, ex suō quisque ingeniō mītius aut horridius.The prefects Licinius Proculus and Plotius Firmus addressed them maniple by maniple, each according to his own nature, more mildly or more harshly. Hist. 1.84.1Fīnis sermōnis in eō ut quīna mīlia nummum singulīs mīlitibus numerārentur: tum Othō ingredī castra ausus.The speeches ended with the decision that five thousand sesterces should be counted out to each soldier: then Otho dared to enter the camp. Hist. 1.84.1Atque illum tribūnī centuriōnēsque circumsistunt, abiectīs mīlitiae īnsignibus ōtium et salūtem flāgitantēs.And the tribunes and centurions surround him, throwing away their badges of service and demanding discharge and safety. Hist. 1.84.1Sēnsit invidiam mīles et compositus in obsequium auctōrēs sēditiōnis ad supplicium ultrō postulābat.The soldiers sensed the ill-feeling, and, now settled into obedience, actually demanded that the authors of the mutiny be punished.

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Grammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×2, ablative absolute ×4

Latin vocabulary for this passage (119 words)
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
impetus, -ūs, m.attack; impetum facere, to charge
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
forēs, -ium f. pl.door, double door; entrance
quidem, adv.in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
coerceō, -ēre, coercuī, coercitumrestrain, keep in check
quō, adv.to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long?
minus, comp. adv.less
convīvium, -ī n.banquet, dinner party
inrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptusburst into or in
ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch out before, show, explain
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
expostulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdemand urgently; complain, remonstrate
vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuswound
tribūnus, -ī m.tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion)
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
praefectus, -ī m.commander, officer
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
ruō, -ere, -ī, -itūrusrush
obsistō, -ere, -stitī, -stitum (+ dat.)stand in the way of, resist
undique, adv.from or on all sides
arma, -ōrum, n. plur.arms, weapons
minae, -ārum, f. plur.threats
modo, adv.only
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
centuriō, -ōnis m.centurion (officer commanding about 80 men)
que, enclitic conj.and
senātus, -ūs m.senate
ūniversus, -a, -umall together, whole, entire, all
lymphō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdrive mad; lymphātus: frenzied, out of one's mind
caecus, -a, -umblind
pavor, -ōris, m.terror, panic
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
quia (conj.)because
nēmō, nēminis, m. and f.no one, nobody
ūnus, -a, -umone; only, alone
dēstinō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumfasten, make fast
īra, -ae, f.anger, wrath
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
licentia, -ae f.freedom; lack of restraint, lawlessness
omnis, -eall, every
poscō, poscere, poposcīask, demand
dōnec (conj.)until; while, as long as
contrā, prep, with acc.against, contrary to
decus, -oris n.honour, glory; what is fitting, propriety
imperium, -ī, n.command; sway, rule
torus, -ī m.cushion, mattress; couch
īnsistō, -ere, īnstitīstand on
prex, precis f. (usu. pl.)prayer, entreaty
lacrima, -ae, f.tear
aegrē, adv.ill, with difficulty
cohibeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushold back, restrain, keep in check
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo back, return
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.camp
invītus, -a, -umunwilling
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
innocēns, -entisharmless; innocent
posterus, -a, -umfollowing, next
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
veluteven or just as, as
capiō, capere, cēpī, captustake, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt
urbs, urbis, f.city
claudō, -ere, clausī, clausumclose, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear
domus, -ūs, f.house, home
rārus, -a, -umscattered, few
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
via, -ae, f.road, way
populus, -ī m.people, nation
maestus, -a, -umsad, dejected, gloomy
plēbs, plēbis f.the common people
dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow down, cast, drive out of one's course
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
vultus, -ūs m.face, expression
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
plūs (adv.)more
trīstitia, -ae, f.sadness
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
paenitentia, -ae f.repentance, change of heart
manipulātim (adv.)by maniples, company by company
alloquor (adloquor), -loquī, -locūtus sumspeak to, address
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
ingenium, -ī n.natural ability, talent, cleverness; character
mītis, -emild, gentle (adv. mītissimē: as gently as possible)
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
horridē (adv.)roughly, harshly, sternly
fīnis, -is, m.end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country
sermō, -ōnis, m.conversation, talk, speech
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
quīnī, -ae, -afive each, five at a time
mīlle, indecl. adj.a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands;
nummus, -ī, m.coin
singulī, -ae, -aone at a time, single
numerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscount, number; reckon, count as
tum, adv.then, at that time
ingredior, -ī, ingressus sumgo into, enter
audeō, audēre, ausus sumdare
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
circumsistō, -ere, circumstetīstand around, surround
abiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow away
mīlitia, -ae f.military service
īnsigne, -is n.badge, mark, decoration
ōtium, -ī n.leisure, rest; peace, quiet
salūs, salūtis, f.safety, deliverance, escape
flāgitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumdemand urgently
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsusperceive, feel
invidia, -ae f.envy, jealousy, ill will
compōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positumput together; mend, set in order
obsequium, -ī n.compliance, obedience; service (to a god): obsequium praestāre Deō
auctor, -ōris m.originator, instigator
sēditiō, -ōnis f.riot, mutiny, discord
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
supplicium, -ī, n.punishment, torture
ultrō (adv.)of one's own accord; besides (ultrō citrōque: back and forth)
postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusask, request, demand
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.