Note 7 — URBIS RŌMAE VIRĪ INLŪSTRĒS Complete text as printed
Reading edition
4.7 mulier obvia . . . inquit: ‘a woman met them and said.’
74.8 quaesīta . . . dīxisset: ‘though inquiries were made as to who had said this.’ How literally? dīxisset is a subjunctive of indir. question dependent on quaesīta: cf. p. 3, n. 2.
74.9 Cf. VIII, 43.
74.10 Cf. XXIII, 20.
74.11 i.e. Sulla.
74.12 Cf. p. 13, n. 20.
74.13 lūdicrae artis: ‘the sportive art,’ i.e. what we would call ‘the stage,’ or ‘the drama.’ The better classes at Rome looked with disfavor on the theater. Since no free Roman was allowed to appear upon the stage, the actors were slaves or freedmen. The praetor was empowered to flog actors publicly at will.
74.14 After the election of the quaestors their posts were assigned to them by lot.
75.1 ‘ability.’ It was mainly through Sulla’s efforts that Jugurtha was captured.
75.2 Cf. XXIII, 49.
75.3 Q. Lutatius Catulus, colleague of Marius in 101.
75.4 Cf. 72, n. 2.
75.5 abl. of comparison with īnferior: cf. p. 10, n. 18.
75.6 This butchery occurred in 88. The number of victims is variously stated from 80,000 to 150,000.
75.7 At Chaeronea and Orchomenus in Boeotia. Both battles were fought in 86.
75.8 Cf. p. 47, n. 12.
75.9 quālemcumque pācem: ‘peace on any terms.’
75.10 abl. of the penalty: H 456, 3 (410, III): M 584: A 220, b: G 378, R. 3: B 208, 2, b.
75.11 Cf. p. 1, n. 6.
75.12 Cf. XXIII, 113-122.
75.13 Sulla’s dictatorship differed widely from those of former times (1) because his was unlimited in time, whereas the old dictators held office for six months only; (2) his power extended to every department of government, whereas formerly dictators had been created to accomplish some one object.
75.14 quisquis voluit contains the subject of occīdit.
75.15 ut . . . imperāret: ‘that there might be people for him (Sulla) to rule over.’ For quibus . . . imperāret, see p. 5, n. 3.
76.1 Novō . . . prōposuit: ‘He exposed to public view (in the Forum) a proscription list, an unprecedented and unheard of act.’ exemplō: abl. of manner.
76.2 prōscrīptiōnis: Latin often uses a gen. where English employs an adj. or a noun with adj. value.
76.3 in eōs saevīvit: ‘he vented his rage upon those.’
76.4 ethical dat.: H 432 (389, N. 2): M 541: A 235, e: G 351: B 188, 2, b.
76.5 Neque = et nōn, as often at the beginning of clauses.
76.6 cōnfodiō.
76.7 prōsternō.
76.8 These words all = ‘Lucky.’
76.9 ‘just now,’ ‘but a moment before.’
76.10 ‘remained intact.’
76.11 quī audēret is a rel. clause of result = tālis ut audēret. It characterizes or describes the antecedent adulēscēns. See p. 73, n. 5.
76.12 in līmine iam: ‘when he was already at (on) his own threshold,’ i.e. even the brief comment that he deigned to make was not uttered till the last moment.
77.3 vēnandō . . . coepit: cf. I, 21, vēnandō . . . coepērunt, and note.
77.4 Cf. p. 64, n. 2.
77.5 amāns is treated here as an adj., and so construed with the gen. Cf. cupidus voluptātum, l. 59.
77.6 ‘had thrust up from below.’ Sulla was sitting on a tribunal in the Forum.
77.7 Cf. p. 11, n. 9.
77.8 Sc. erat.
77.9 numquam . . . vituperandus (est): ‘can never be blamed enough.’ In negative sentences the gerundive often conveys this idea of possibility. For its other meanings, see p. 39, n. 11.
77.10 parcō.