Salvete,
I've been struggling for over one hour to make heads or tails of the following sentence:
"Ac tametsi in ipso (= Iugurtha) magna vis animi erat, confirmatus ab omnibus, quorum potentia aut scelere cuncta ea gesserat, quae supra diximus, C. Baebium tribunum plebis magna mercede parat, cuius impudentia contra ius et iniurias omnis munitus foret."
In particular, there are two very similar relative clauses containing a relative pronoun in the genitive + a substantive (or two) in the ablative (of means?):
- (homines) quorum potentia aut scelere (Iugurtha) cuncta ea gesserat
- tribunus plebis... cuius impudentia... (Iugurtha) munitus foret
Which I understand as meaning something like:
- those thanks to/through the power or wickedness of whom Iugurtha had accomplished all those things...
- the tribune of the people thanks to/through/by the shamelessness of whom Iugurtha whould be protected against...
I'm not even sure these heavy sentences are correct English, but it's just to get a rough, literal idea.
Is my interpretation correct?
If so, the whole sentence could be translated like this:
"Although he (Iugurtha) was strong in character, reassured by all those who had allowed him, through their power or their wickidness, to accomplish all of the things I recalled above, he bribed C. Baebius, the tribune of the people, with a large sum of money so that the latter's shamelessness would protect him from the law and any damage."
Also, I'm not entirely sure about my interpretation of confirmatus, parat. And I hope the subjects I supplied (Iugurtha) are correct...
Thanks in advance!
I've been struggling for over one hour to make heads or tails of the following sentence:
"Ac tametsi in ipso (= Iugurtha) magna vis animi erat, confirmatus ab omnibus, quorum potentia aut scelere cuncta ea gesserat, quae supra diximus, C. Baebium tribunum plebis magna mercede parat, cuius impudentia contra ius et iniurias omnis munitus foret."
In particular, there are two very similar relative clauses containing a relative pronoun in the genitive + a substantive (or two) in the ablative (of means?):
- (homines) quorum potentia aut scelere (Iugurtha) cuncta ea gesserat
- tribunus plebis... cuius impudentia... (Iugurtha) munitus foret
Which I understand as meaning something like:
- those thanks to/through the power or wickedness of whom Iugurtha had accomplished all those things...
- the tribune of the people thanks to/through/by the shamelessness of whom Iugurtha whould be protected against...
I'm not even sure these heavy sentences are correct English, but it's just to get a rough, literal idea.
Is my interpretation correct?
If so, the whole sentence could be translated like this:
"Although he (Iugurtha) was strong in character, reassured by all those who had allowed him, through their power or their wickidness, to accomplish all of the things I recalled above, he bribed C. Baebius, the tribune of the people, with a large sum of money so that the latter's shamelessness would protect him from the law and any damage."
Also, I'm not entirely sure about my interpretation of confirmatus, parat. And I hope the subjects I supplied (Iugurtha) are correct...
Thanks in advance!