Germanicus And Piso Flashcards
At Cn. Piso, quo celerius consilia inciperet, postquam Syriam ac legiones attigit, largitione et ambitu infimos militum iuvabat. Cum veteres centuriones, severos tribunes demovisset, locaque eorum clientibus suis attribuisset, desidiam in castris, licentiam in urbibus, lascivientes per agros milites sinebat. Nec plancina, uxor pisonis, se gerebat ut feminam decebat, sed exercitio equitum intererat, et in Agrippinam, in Germanicum contumelias iaciebat. Nota (est) haec Germanico, sed praeverti ad Armenios instantior cura fuit.
But piso, In order to begin his plans more quickly, after he reached Syria and the legions, was helping the worst of soldiers with generous gifts and bribery. When he had demoted the veteran centurions and the strict tribunes and he had handed over their positions to his clients, he was allowing idleness in camps, hooliganism in the cities and soldiers rioting through fields. Nor was Plancina, the wife of piso, conducting herself as a woman ought to, but she was attending the exercise of the Calvary, she was throwing insults at Agrappina, at Germanicus. This is known to Germanicus but his pressing priority was to first attend to the Armenians.
Saevam vim morbi augebat persuasio veneni a Pisone accepti; et reperiebantur solo ac parietibus erutae humanorum corporu, reliquiae, carmina et devotiones et nomen Germanici plumbeis tabulis insculptum, cineres semusti ac tabo obliti aliaque malefica quibus creditur animas numinibus infernis sacrari. Simul missi a Pisone incusabantur quod valetudinis adversae signa expectarent. Haec Germanico haud minus ira qua, per metum accepta sunt. Componit epostula, qua amicitiam ei renuntiabat.
The suspicion of poison received from piso was increasing the savage force of the illness; and in the floor and in the walls were being found, the dug up remains of human bodies, curses and spells and the name of Germanicus inscribed on lead tablets, half burned ash smeared with flesh and other evil things by which it is believed souls are consecrated to the gods of the underworld. At the same time men sent by piso were being suspected because they were waiting for signs of ill health. These things were received by Germanicus not less with anger than with fear. He composed a letter with which he renounced his friendship with him.
Germanicus paulisper se credidit convalescere; deinde fessum fiebat corpus. Ubi finis aderat, abstantes amicis ita adloquitur: “erit vobis occasio querendi apud senatum atque invocandi leges. Decet amicos non prosequi defunctum ignavo questu, sed quae voluerit meminisse, quae mandaverit exsequi. Vindicabatis vos, si me potius quam fortunam meam diligebatis.” Amici, dextram morientis amplectentes, iuraverunt se vitam ante quam ultionem amissuros esse.
Germanicus for a short time believed himself to be recovering. Then his body was becoming tired. When the end had come. He addressed his friends in this way who were standing around: “there will be a chance for you to complain before the senate and a chance to appeal the laws. It is right for friends not to escort a dead man with pointless complaints but to remember what he wanted, what he entrusted. You will avenge me if you honour me rather than my status.” The friends, grabbing the right hand of the dying man, swore they would give up their lives before they’d give up revenge.
Neque multo post mortuus est, ingenti luctu provinciae et circumiacentium populorum. Indiluerunt externae nationes regesque: tanta fuerat illius comitas in socios, mansuetudo in hostes; propter vultum eloquentiamque venerationem omnium adeptus erat. Et erant qui illum magno Alexandro ob formam aetatem genus locumque mortis adaequarent; nam affirmaverunt utrumque corpore decoro praeditum, genere insigni ortum, vix triginta annos natum periisse
And not afterwords he was dead with huge grief of the province and the surrounding peoples. Foreign nations and kings mourned: so great had been his friendliness towards the allies, (so great) his mercy towards the enemies. Because of his face (appearance0 and eloquence he had got the respect of everyone. And there were those who compared him to Alexander the Great because of his appearance, age, the manner and place of death. For they declared that he was endowed with a handsome body, descended from a famous family, he had died at hardly 30 years old
At agrippina, quamquam defessa luctu et corpore aegro, impatiens tamen erat omnium quae ultionem morarentur. Ascendit in navem cum cineribus Germanici et liberis, miserantibus omnibus quod femina summa nobilitate pulcherrimoque matrimonio, quae venerationem omnium mereret, tunc ferales reliquias sinu ferret, incerta ultionis. Pisonem interim apud Coum insula nuntius adsequitur perrisse Germanicum. Quo gavisus caedit vistimas, adit templa. Non modo piso ipse gaudio immoderato se gerit, sed etiam magis insolescit Plancina, quae luctum mortua sorore tum primum in laetum cultum mutavit.
But agrappina, although very tired by grief and by her sick body, was however impatient of all the things that were delaying revenge. She embarked on the ship with Germanicus’ ashes and her children with everybody sad because a woman such high rank and such a beautiful marriage, who deserved everyone’s respect, was carrying the funeral remains in her a,s uncertain of revenge. A messenger reached piso while he was at the island of Kos that Germanise had died. On which (news) having rejoiced he sacrificed bitumen and went to the temples. Not only did piso himself behave with excessive joy, but plancina became even more arrogant who was grieving her sisters death, then for the first time, changed her mourning clothes into her happy clothes.
At romae, postquam fama Germanici valetudinis percrebuit cunctaque, ut ex longinquo, aucta in deterius adferebantur, dolor, ira questus erumpebant: ideo nimirum germanicum in extremas terras relegatum ess, ideo pisoni permissam provinciam. Hos vulgi sermones mors Germanici, ubi nuntiata est, adeo incendit ut, ante edictum magistratuum, ante senatus consultum, sumpto iustitio desererentur fora, clauderentur domus. Ubique silentium et gemitus. Et quamquam insignibus lugentium non abstinebant, altius animis maerebant.
But in Rome, after the rumour of Germanicus’ ill health spread (and all things exaggerated,as from a distance, were being reported as even worse) grief, anger , complains were breaking out:- doubtless for that reason (people said) Germanicus had been exiled to distant realms, for that reason ( people said) the province had been entrusted to piso. The death of Germanicus, when it was announced, ignited these conversations of the common people to such an extent that, before the proclamation of the magistrates before the decree of the senate, the forums were being deserted, with a break from legal business, the houses were being closed. Everywhere - silence and groaning. Although they were not refraining from the outward signs of mourning, they were grieving more deeply in their minds.
