Notes to Tacitus, Agricola excerpts

capesso. -ere, -ivi, -itum
strive to reach, try to get. Here used in a construction of purpose: ad + gerundive capessendos + accusative object magistratus. For further explanation see A&G #503.
magistratus, -us m.
magistracy, political office; subject of capessendos.
degredior, -gredi, -gressus, -a, um
descend, go down; depart. The past participle, the substantive subject of the sentence, refers to Agricola, who has been on military service in Britain in the north.
splendidus, -a, -um
illustrious, distinguished, noble, brilliant.
natales, -ium m. pl.
birth, origin, lineage, descent.
orior, oriri, ortum
rise, spring from, come from.
iungo, iungere, iunxi, iunctum
join, unite, connect; an idiomatic expression for a man to marry: sibi iunxit (another is ducere uxorem).
nitor, niti, nisum/nixum
advance, press forward, strive toward; here used substantively, a dative of advantage modifying Agricola.
decus, -oris n.
source of dignity or grace; embellishment, honor.
robur, -oris n.
source of strength or power; literally, a type of very hard oak, perhaps the material help Domitia offered to Agricola’s political career.
mirus, -a, -um
wonderful, marvelous, amazing.
concordia, -ae f,
harmony, concord; ablative of manner.
mutuus, -a, -um
reciprocal, mutual.
caritas, -tatis, f.
quality of being dear/ holding something dear; affection, regard, esteem.
--, vicis f. genitive
change, alternation, turn; idiom in vicem = in turn, reciprocally.
antepono, -ere, -posui, -positum
put before, give preference to; here a gerund, ablative of cause, with the reflexive pronoun se functioning reciprocally (=each other).
nisi conjunction
if not, except; here with quod it conveys the sense that Agricola and Julia were equally responsible for their shared happiness.
tanto adverb
so much...as; so far; modifies the comparative maior, followed by its correlative in comparison quanto plus.
malus, -a, -um
bad, evil, harmful; understand uxore.
culpa, -ae f.
fault, blame; a partitive genitive with plus.
augeo, -ere, auxi, auctum
add, increase, augment. With a child from a iustum matrimonium, Agricola's social and political stature grew: filia is an ablative of respect.
subsidium, -i n.
relief, help, aid; in here = for.
simul ac co-ordinating conjunction
at the same time as, and also; joins subsidium and solacium equally.
solacium, -i n.
comfort, consolation. what might Tacitus' purpose be in using alliteration here?
tollo, -ere, sustuli, sublatum
raise up, lift; tollere signifies both Agricola's acknowledgement of his son by lifting him and providing for his nurture.
brevi adverb
in a little while, in a short time, soon; briefly; consider the effect of translating it as modifying ante.
amitto, -ere, amisi, amissum
lose by death, lose, dismiss; the subject is Agricola.
consul, -is m.
consul; consul is predicate nominative with Agricola. While two consuls were elected each year, the suffect consul finished the term should a consul be incapacitated by illness or death: Agricola was suffect consul in 76 CE.
egregius, -a, -um
eminent, extraordinary, distinguished; descriptive genitive modifying spei.
tum adverb
at that time, then; Agricola’s daughter was about 12 or 13 years old.
spes, -ei f.
promise, hope; descriptive genitive. Spes is often used to describe the potential of young people (cf. Pliny about Calpurnia in Ep. 4.19.5).
iuvenis, -e
young; a youth.
despondeo, -ere, -spondi, -sponsum
to promise a woman in marriage; betroth; pledge; give up; the woman promised in marriage is in the accusative, while the person she is being promised to takes the dative.
consulatus, -us, m.
consulship, term of office as consul; accusative after post (77 CE).
colloco (1)
settle in a marriage; put together, assemble; understand filiam as the object. Tacitus was then about 23-25 years old at the time of his marriage (scholars disagree on the exact year of his birth).
satis adverb
well enough, adequately.
consto, -are, -stiti, -statum
be well-known, established, apparent; to agree; introduces indirect discourse, which begins at laetatum.
lego, -ere, legi, lectum
read; ablative absolute, with testamentum.
testamentum, -i, n.
will, testament; ablative absolute with lecto. The Roman will was a popular topic in imperial literature: Seneca the Younger describes the phenomenon of unanticipated altruism in will writing (Ben. 4.11.4), while Pliny the Younger describes another incident (Ep. 8.18) and notes that witnessing a will was one of the onerous tasks of city life (Ep. 1.9.2).
coheres, -heredis n.
co-heir; in apposition with Domitianum. What is the effect of the word order in this clause: cohērēdem optimae uxōrī et piissimae fīliae Domitiānum? During the Empire the wealthy, in order to safeguard their legacy, named the emperor as a co-heir; authors report varied imperial response (Tacitus, An. 16.11, Suetonius Dom. 9.2, 12.2).
optimus, -a, -um
best, most excellent, noblest; superlative of bonus, a dative of reference with piisimae, the superlative of pius. These epithets are frequently found on tombstones for wives, mothers, and daughters (click on SPQR for the text of CIL 15475).
scribo, -ere, scripsi, scriptum
write; designate/appoint (juridical/business): direct object is Domitianum. The clause is introduced by quo, the antecedent of which is testamentum.
laetor (1)
delight, rejoice, be gladdened; supply esse for the infinitive in indirect discourse, with eum (=Domitian) as subject, followed by the objects of delight in the ablative case honōre iūdiciōque.
velut adverb
as if, just as.
iudicium, -i n.
judgment; opinion; investigation, trial; with honore, ablative with laetor.
caecus, -a, -um
blind; modifies mens. Perhaps an echo of Lucretius's o miseras hominum mentes, o pectora caeca! (de Rerum Natura 2.14).
corruptus, -a, -um
perverted, corrupt, spoiled; perfect passive participle of corrumpo, modifying mens, the subject of erat.
asiduus, -a, -um
constant, incessant; modifies adulationibus, ablative of means after corrupta.
adulatio, -onis f.
flattery; ablative of means.
ut conjunction
that; with antecedent correlative tam (=so), ut introduces a result clause.
nescio, -ire, -tum
be ignorant, not know; imperfect subjunctive in a result clause, the subject is Domitian. The verb introduces indirect statement (scribi heredem).
princeps, -cipis m.
foremost; chief, leader; prince. Augustus first adopted this term to refer to his ruling position, avoiding the word rex. Note the antithesis of bono patre and malum principem.
superstes, -stitis
surviving; witnessing; ablative absolute with filia atque uxore.
videor, -eri, visus, -a sum
seem; a complementary infinitive after possum.
etiam adverb
even; also; certainly.
beo (1)
bless, delight; perfect passive partiple, it is a predicate adjective modifying the subject of the sentence, Agricola.
incolumis, -e
unharmed; safe; the first of several successive ablatives of manner.
dignitas, -tatis, f.
rank; dignity, position, authority; the word encompasses the total worth that a figure held in the public eye. Agricola's retirement stood in contrast to that of many who attracted the attention of Domitian.
floreo, -ere, -ui
flourish, prosper; blossom; present participle, ablative of manner, modifying fama.
salvus, -a, -um
well, sound; safe.
adfinitas, -tatis, f.
relations by marriage; the reference includes Tacitus himself.
amicitia, -ae f.
friendship; alliance; friendly relations.
futura: future participle in the neuter plural of sum, used as a substantive noun.
effugio, -ere, -i, -itum
escape, flee; run away (from); infinitive object of beatus, separated by the rhetorical device of hyperbaton for emphasis.
mihi filiaeque eius: a dative of reference.
acerbitas, -tatis f.
grief, pain; sharpness, harshness; object of the preposition praeter.
eripio, -ere, eripui, ereptum
snatch away; perfect passive participle modifying parentis.
augeo, -ere, auxi, auctum
add, increase; the direct object is maestitiam, followed by a clause of explanation introduced by quod.
maiestitia, -ae f.
sadness, grief, sorrow.
quod conjunction
because; in that.
adsideo, -ere, -sedi
sit by, sit near; attend upon, take care of (concerning the ill); the infinitive is dependent on contigit.
valetudo, -inis f.
illness; state of health; dative case after adsidere.
foveo, -ere, fovi, fotum
nurture; tend to; infinitive dependent on contigit.
deficio, -ere, -feci,-fectum
fail; disappoint, let down; present participle as a substantive, object of fovere.
satio (1)
satisfy; present passive infinitive dependent on contigit.
vultus, -us m.
fact; appearance; ablative of respect.
complexus, -us m.
embrace; ablative of respect.
contingo, -ere, -tigi, -tactum
happen; come to pass; impersonal usage, followed by the dative (mihi filiaeque eius).
sine dubio: idiom
without doubt, doubtless; certainly.
optimus, -a, -um
best, most excellent; vocative case of the superlative of bonus, followed by the partitive genitive parentum. Why might Tacitus speak to his deceased father-in-law here?
supersum, -esse, -fui
abound, be present, be over and above; a shortened form of superfuerunt (3rd person plural perfect active indicative), its subject is omnia, followed by the indirect object honori tuo.
paucus, -a, -um
few; small, little; comparative form of the adjective, ablative of means.
comploro (1)
lament, bewail; Tacitus continues to address Agricola. Only one ms. contains this reading; the others have compositus es from compono, meaning arrange, settle, be laid to rest (passive).
novus,
recent, new, unaccustomed; superlative form, modifying luce.
desidero (1)
long for, desire, miss; a shortened form of desideraverunt (3rd person plural perfect active indicative), its subject is oculi tui.
admiratio, -nis f.
admiration, wonder; ablative of manner. Mss. contain variant readings for the opening of this sentence and scholars have offered several emendations; this is the simplest and hopefully captures Tacitus' intention.
potius adverb
rather, preferably; comparative of potis. Here Tacitus offers a better alternative to the lamentation described in the previous sentence.
laus, laudis f.
praise; glory; fame.
suppedito (1)
furnish, afford, supply; have in abundance; the protasis of a future less vivid condition, it is in the present subjunctive.
similitudo, -inis f.
imitation, likeness, resemblance, comparison; this is the third and perhaps best way (ascending tricolon) that Tacitus suggests that Agricola be honored.
colo, -ere, colui, cultum
honor; worship; cultivate; inhabit; this present subjunctive may be translated as either the apodosis of the future less vivid condition or a hortatory subjunctive.
coniunctus, -a, -um
connected by marriage, kindred, intimate; superlative form in the genitive of possession, modifying the pronoun cuiusque.
quoque adverb
also, too.
praecipio, -ere, -cepi, -ceptum
teach, instruct, advise, inform, enjoin; direct, order; potential subjunctive, perfect tense. Its direct object is at once id and the indirect statement memoriam venerari; the indirect object is filiae . . .uxori.
sic adverb
thus, so, in such a manner; followed by ut with the subjunctive expressing result. Note the effect here of anaphora and asyndeton.
veneror, -ari, veneratus, -a sum
pay respects; worship; adore, venerate; understand memoriam venerari as an indirect statement in apposition to id.
secum = cum se (i.e., filia et uxor).
revolvo, -ere, -volvi, -volutum
turn over; reflect upon (with se, reflexive: the subject is filia et uxor); following sic . . .ut, the present subjunctive expresses result.
magis comparative adverb
more; followed by quam expressing comparison: animī. . . corporis.
complector, -plecti, complexus, -a sum
embrace, encircle, seize; understand ut introducing this second result clause.


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