21	iuuenales (ludi) were games in honour of Iuventas, the patron goddess of iuuenes, or men of military age. (OCD 792) "(They) were a purely private affair, celebrated within the confines of the imperial estates in Rome though with an audience from the common people. Tacitus and Dio confirm the participation of elderly upper class personages, and the identity of one aged dancer is known, a certain Aelia Catella. Others formed a chorus and the use of masks to conceal identity was forbidden. The climax of the festival was the appearance onstage of Nero, who performed on the lyre." (Bradley, ad loc.)
22	anus is here used as a feminine adjective qualifying matronas.
23	equiti: collective.
23-24	circensibus loca equiti .... tribuit: On the lex Roscia referred to by Warmington, see OCD 1336, s.v. "Roscius Otho, Lucius".

25

ludis: "Serious drama scarcely flourished under the Principate and stage performances usually consisted of pantomime and mime, or the Atellan farce. [OCD 200, s.v. "Atellana"] The two latter catered particularly to the public taste for the obscene." (Bradley, ad loc.) Further to Warmington about which games are meant, if they were staged after the murder of Agrippina, they may have represented a bid for political support.

29

Afrani: OCD 33.

4	dedit: "A gladiatorial contest to mark the completion of the amphitheatre may be assumed." (Bradley, ad loc.)
5	noxiorum: partitive genitive qualifying neminem. "Contests were normally a fight to the death. Nero's attitude may have been the result of Greek influence which discountenanced the violent element of the games. Alternatively, the humanitarian influence of Seneca has been seen as the restraining force." (Bradley, ad loc.)
6	quadringentos .... sescentos: Bradley rightly regards Lipsius's amendment of quadragenos .... sexagenos as more credible.
9	harenae ministeria: musicians, stagehands and the like.
11	pyrrichas: OCD 527-528, s.v. "ephêboi".

14	Pasiphaan: OCCL 412. A fresco at Pompeii shows how Pasiphae's passion for the bull was satisfied. Daedalus, the great craftsman of antiquity, shows Pasiphae a hollow wooden heifer (on wheels!) which he has constructed. She has to climb inside for the bull to mate with her and impregnate her. She is obviously almost swooning with love under the influence of Poseidon. The wooden heifer is the archetype of the many artificial aids devised through the ages for women and men who enjoy sexual experimentation. Punch, 12 March, 1975, 436, satirises the phenomenon in a piece entitled "Gadgets for the Girls".
15	Icarus: OCCL 167 and OCD 425-426, both s.v. "Daedalus". "Icarus' senseless exploit has remained proverbial for neurosis taken to extremes, for a form of spiritual sickness, megalomania. Icarus is the symbol of the rash and uncontrolled, the twofold perversion of judgement and courage." (J. Chevalier and A. Gheerbrant, tr. J. Buchanan-Brown, The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (1996), 537) As for Daedalus (Greek "artful"), his name became synonymous with uncanny skill and inventiveness. "Daedal" and "daedalian" still have currency as English adjectives. James Joyce chose the name Stephen Daedalus in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses for his young self eager to spread his wings beyond Dublin. The former work concludes with an appeal to Daedalus: "Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead."
17	perraro: The per- has intensive force. praedidere: like spectare (19), an infinitive with consueverat.

20	quinquennale: Among the coins commemorating this initiative, one shows Nero's full-length figure in walking mode, wearing a long flowing tunic and holding a lyre, which he appears to be playing. more Graeco: a complete break with the Roman games tradition, dominated as it was by the sensational and the obscene. The Neronia was a cultural and religious festival.
22-23	thermis atque gymnasio: "The conventional view has been that the two buildings were separate structures, but the most recent study suggests that thermae and gymnasium were in fact two names for the same complex of buildings: gymnasium the original name, thermae the usual name from the Flavian period on. The use of both names in the present text, however, would not seem to support this view." (Bradley, ad loc.)
24	toto: a common variant for toti in the dative singular masculine and neuter. (OLD 1953, s.v. totus; GL 76.2, Note)
28	citharae: sc. coronam from 27.
30	Augusti: the revered predecessor again. Revisit the note on 10.1, 35-1.

30	Saeptis: OCD 1346, s.v. "Saepta Iulia".
33	Capitolio: i.e. to Jupiter.
34	uirgines Vestales: OCD 1591.
35	Olympiae: locative case.

3	rettulerim: subjunctive of conditional futurity referring to present time, the perfect denoting the momentary nature of the action. (Woodcock 119) Tiridatis: OCD 1531, s.v. "Tiridates (4)" - and be sure to follow up the cross-references as well.
4	magnis pollicitationibus sollicitatum: According to Dio 62.23.1, it was Corbulo who did the negotiating. Dio 63.2.2-3 states that Tiridates's overland journey took nine months, with Rome paying the cost. Nero met him at Naples and escorted him to Rome. (Dio 63.2.2-3)
7	dispositis .... cohortibus: Tight security arrangements for state occasions are clearly nothing new. No doubt Nero was also anxious to impress Tiridates.
8	curuli: used here as a feminine substantive, sella being originally understood.

11-15	For Dio's riveting account of the event, including the speeches of Tiridates and Nero, see LR 110-112.
15	imperator: OCD 750.
16	Ianum: OCD 793. laurea lata: This was normally done only on the occasion of a triumph.
16-17	See GRC coin 54 for a fine example of the type of coin to which Warmington refers.

Bradley suggests reasons why Nero assumed each consulship when he did. AD 55: "It was perfectly natural that the princeps should appear as ordinarius at the first available opportunity after the succession"; AD 57: when Nero assumed the toga uirilis, it was proclaimed that he should be consul in his twentieth year; AD 58: harder to determine but possibly as a sign of favour for his colleague Valerius Messala; AD 60: the inauguration of the Neronia.

21	Distinguish dictio, "(the action of) speaking, uttering, pleading", and dicio, "dominion, sovereignty, authority". Suetonius describes Nero's debut as a judge in 7.2. "While it is clear that by the end of the Julio-Claudian period the ability of the princeps to hold court had become an established fact, the evidence for the constitutional origins and early working of the court is meagre and controversial. The emperor's court was in theory open to all subjects, but in real terms accessibility to the princeps might be limited by practical, political and social factors." (Bradley, ad loc.)
22-23	sequenti die ... non temere respondit: If Nero did this conscientiously, it would have involved a heavy workload.
23-25	ut continuis .... uices ageret: A noun clause expanding morem. To translate the whole sentence literally, "He-maintained that custom of-enquiring, that with-extended pleas bypassed he-would-treat each (of the matters) singly through turns."
24	singillatim: An innovation of Nero's reign.
25	quotiens .... secederet: Cicero would have used the pluperfect indicative secesserat. (MBA 428, especially Notes 1 and 3; cf. Woodcock 217, Note ii)
28	quod ipsi libuisset: why subjunctive? The clause is generic. See Woodcock 155, especially paragraphs 4-5.
28-29	perinde atque .... uideretur: an unreal comparative clause. (MBA 488-489, 491)

30	libertinorum filios .... non admisit: in accordance with the lex Visellia. (OCD 852) Despite the implications of diu, we know of only one son of a freedman admitted later, the learned lawyer Pegasus. (OCD 1131)
32	qui supra numerum essent: another generic clause.
35	circa Kal. Ian.: C. F. Conrad puts up a sound case for leaving circa stand, instead of changing it to citra, by demonstrating that circa is well attested for "in the vicinity of an approaching event". ("circa or citra? On Suetonius, Nero 15.2", Classical Quarterly 38 (1988), 569-570)
1	Canini Rebili: OCD 285-286, s.v. "Caninius Rebilus, Gaius".
2	On the three helpers named by Warmington as the recipients of honorary triumphs, for Petronius Turpilianus, see OCD 1150; M. Cocceius Nerva, OCD 1038-1039, especially the first paragraph; Tigellinus, OCD 1063, s.v. "Ofonius Tigellinus". triumphalia ornamenta: See the Bradley quote under 4.1, 5.

6-9	"Suetonius and Tacitus both emphasise the lack of urban planning in Rome before the fire. The danger of fire was very real of course. But order and space were the chief priorities of those who replaced the city as well as forestalling fires in the future. Note that Suetonius extends provisions of the colonnades from the insulae to domus." (Bradley, ad loc.)
7-8	excogitavit .... ut .... porticus essent: There is precedent in Cicero for a clause of indirect command governed by excogitare. The use of a simple accusative (formam, 6) in parallel with it, however, is distinctly Silver Age style.
10	Ostia: OCD 1081-1082. tenus regularly follows its noun. (MBA 333; p.186, footnote 6)
10-11	"Nero's interest in the construction of inland waterways appears elsewhere, as also the need to ensure the urban grain supply. The scheme was probably abandoned, though, because of engineering difficulties as elsewhere." (Bradley, ad loc.) Ostia figures very prominently in Nero's coinage. See, for example, the large brass illustrated in Stevenson 590. It depicts a harbour containing several vessels, and a recumbent figure of Neptune at the entrance.
11	ueteri urbi: "Two meanings are possible: (1) one can be argued from the tense of destinarat, which should mean that the Ostian project had been contemplated before 64, the date of the great fire. In this case the old city means Rome before 64, the city as it was before the fire; (2) alternatively, Suetonius may imply a contrast between the city in Nero's time and in his own day." (Bradley, ad loc.)

13	adhibitus sumptibus modis: "The motive may have been to restrict an outflow of cash from Rome to the sources of supply of luxury goods when a concentration of cash within the capital was desired." (Bradley, ad loc.) Further to Warmington, there is not much evidence for patrons' trying to outdo one another in generosity to clients. The patron-client relationship by this time had become rather a formality. (LR 240, Note 70) And Juvenal's fifth Satire presents a horrifying picture of the humiliation of poor clients at the tables of their rich but stingy patrons.
14-17	interdictum ne .... genus proponeretur: Cf. LR 270-272, sec. 69, "Restrictions on associations".
15	cocti: partitive genitive qualifying quid.
16	uênîret: not from uenîre, "to come", but from uêneî, uênîre, uêniî, uênum (for uenum ire, from uenus, "sale"), "to go for sale, be sold".
17-18	affecti suppliciis .... ac maleficae: See LR 573, sec. 171, "Diffusion of oriental religions"; 581-582, sec. 172, "Imperial policy toward the Christians"; and 225-227, sec. 55, for Tacitus's account of the great fire AD 64. The last paragraph of the Tacitus excerpt makes it clear that some Christians were charged with incendiarism, and Suetonius may well have thought this was justified. Was it really? An important discussion of the question occurs in J. H. Bishop, Nero, the Man and the Legend (1964), 79-80. Be sure to read it.

22	repertum: Here the verb means "to make up, devise". (OLD 1618, s.v. "reperio" 6) "The measures which follow may have resulted from an important episode in 61 in which at least five men of senatorial and equestrian rank were convicted in the senate of forging the will of an old and wealthy senator." (Bradley, ad loc.)
24	testamentis: ablative of respect.
25	testatorum: "The witnesses guaranteed the contents of the concealed provisions of the will by attesting the identity of the person making the will. They did not see the will's contents, to which new clauses could not be added without the seals being broken beforehand." (Bradley, ad loc.)
25-26	signaturis: as witnesses. The testator would write in the details of heirs later.
28	Payments to advocates were originally banned under the lex Cincia in 204 BC. (OCD 850)
28-29	subsellis: subsellium, normally "bench", here, by metonymy (MEU 611), means "court" or, in effect, "court costs". (OLD 1848, s.v. "subsellium" 2b). In other words, the aerarium seems to have been made liable for litigants' costs apart from fees for counsel.
30	actu: ablative of respect.
31	reciperatores: "The enactment seems to have been intended to diminish, in appearance at least, imperial encroachment in the sphere of public finances. Reciperatores could not be selected by the princeps." (Bradley, ad loc.)

35-1	Bradley suggests with good reason that Nero's concern for Claudius's reputation would have been most important politically in the early stages of his reign, i.e. around 54/55, when a show of filial pietas was essential; that Rome's military strength in Britain probably improved between 54 and 57; and that the appointment of Q. Veranius around 57 actually marked the start of a policy of expansion. Mr James Stewart, a UQ doctoral student, has supplied the following comment: Brigantia posed problems in the first years of his principate, but this had been localised on the borders of the province. Nero pursued a very aggressive policy from 57 to 60, in the governships of Quintus Veranius and Suetonius Paulinus. Nero spent the final years of his reign consolidating Roman gains on the island. He removed one legion during this period, but it seems unlikely that he would consider a complete withdrawal in 65-66. He made a new policy with the appointment of Petronius Turpilianus, and nothing changed after this time until Vespasian came to power. A. Birley also agrees that Nero18 applies to the revolt of Boudica, and has suggested that Suetonius may have used this passage to attack Hadrian after the Emperor had relieved him of his command (pers. com.). M. Todd, on the other hand, is puzzled by the reference. He believes it is logical to link the passage with the revolt because of the economic difficulty, but cannot be absolutely certain of this (pers. com.).
1	gloriae: dative of disadvantage
2	Ponti .... regnum concedente Polemone: "The annexation thus has to be viewed as an attempt to consolidate the achievements in Armenia of Cn. Domitus Corbulo by securing the line of military sea-communications from the Propontis to Trapezus and allowing descent into Armenia from a secure northern frontier." (Bradley, ad loc.) Alpium: sc. regnum.

4	The Alexandria visit was scheduled for AD 64, the year of the great fire. Could this, Bradley asks, rather than superstition, have been the reason why Nero cancelled?

10	Isthmum perfodere: Modern Corinth has a small harbour which has been in use since a ship canal was completed across the Isthmus of Corinth in 1893. The canal makes an artificial island of the Peloponnesus. During its construction some remnants of Nero's project were found. They reveal careful planning before construction began. It is thought that work continued for three or four months before being abandoned.
13	parabat: "The (imperfect) tense correctly implies that the Caspian expedition belonged to a time near the death of Nero." (Bradley, ad loc.)
14-15	senum pedum: genitive of description, qualifying tironibus. senum is not from senex, but genitive, plural, masculine of the distributive numeral seni, senae, sena, "six each". The genitive plural is usually senum, not senorum, as for most distributives. (GL 97, Remark 1)
15	Magni Alexandri: "A bronze statue from Suffolk depicting Nero as Alexander may date from this period. But there is no need to assume excessive symbolism. Association with Alexander was long since common." (Bradley, ad loc.)
16	phalanga: a third declension Greek accusative.

17-18	reprehensione, laude: ablatives of respect qualifying digna. (MBA 285)
18	non mediocri laude: litotes, i.e. the use of understatement for emphasis and hence the opposite of hyperbole. Cf. our "not bad" when we mean "very good". It is often used ironically, though that is not the case here. The figure is also called meiosis, and MEU 610 gives some very good examples.
18-19	contuli; ut secernerem: As contuli is a pure perfect (GL 235), or perfect with "have", we might have expected primary sequence, i.e. the present subjunctive secernam in the final clause. But historic sequence is by no means uncommon in these circumstances. GL 509.2.1(b) gives the reason very succinctly. Woodcock 140, Note, explains it fully. Have a look at both.

"The material (on music and charioteering, 20.1-25.3) is somewhat disjointed from the main catalogue of atrocities which begins later. This may be seen as an indication that the degree of condemnation implicit in the writing is less severe." (Bradley, ad loc.)

23	Terpnus was certainly a distinguished performer. Vespasian paid him 200,000 sesterces for playing at the dedication of the new stage of the theatre of Marcellus. (Suetonius, Vespasian 19.1) uigentem tunc praeter alios: lit. "flourishing then beyond others".
25-31	Modern singers also attach great importance to physical fitness, though they might not agree with some of Nero's methods.
27-28	quae factitarent: a consecutive qui-clause. factitarent: factitare is the frequentive form of facere.
28-29	This is supported by Pliny the Elder: Nero princeps lamna (plumbi) pectori inposita sub ea cantica exclamans alendis uocibus demonstrauit rationem. (Natural History 34.166)
29	A clyster is the same thing as an enema. The word is derived from the Greek kluzein, "to wash out".
30-31	abstinere pomis cibisque officientibus: "The danger was of causing an obstruction in the throat and affecting the quality of the voice. On certain fixed days of the month Nero ate only chopped leeks preserved in oil because of their value to the voice." (Bradley, ad loc.)
31	blandiente profectu: lit. "with-progress coaxing".
31-32	exiguae uocis et fuscae: genitive of description. "Attention has been drawn to Quintilian's comment, 11.3.171, that the uox fusca was suitable for emotional, mollifying, or pitiful effects, and the conclusion made that Nero specialised in roles which required such results. It should be added, though, that Quintilian in this passage is speaking of the orator's voice, not the singer's. The nature of the singing voice is not necessarily the same as that of the speaking voice." (Bradley, ad loc.) But how many singers has Bradley spoken with? In my experience, the speaking voice is generally a very accurate guide to the singing voice.
34	occultae musicae nullum esse respectum: in contrast to the other saying, "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the accordion but doesn't."

35	Neapoli: locative. Further to Warmington on the Greek character of Naples, read OCD 1031-1032, s.v. "Neapolis". "Nero was obviously not yet confident enough of his popularity to make a full public appearance in Rome." (Bradley, ad loc.)
1	ante .... quam: tmesis. See again the note on 6.1, 30, as well as MBA 443.
2	absoluerat: a misprint for absolueret. For the subjunctive, see MBA 442. nomon: accusative singular of a second declension Greek word, nomos, "time, melody". "Tacitus does not confirm or refute that Nero was in the theatre at the time (of the collapse, if collapse it did), only that the occasion was a signal for Nero to compose thanksgivings for his safety." (Bradley, ad loc., adapted) saepius has no strong comparative force.
4	secreti: objective genitive after impatiens. balineis: Campania in general was famous for its hot springs. (OCD 283)
6	si paulum subbibisset: subjunctive as this is a subordinate clause in oratio obliqua after promisit. Nero's actual words were si paulum subbibero, tinniam .... If sufferi is the correct reading, it derives from sub + ferus and means "rather wild". An alternative reading is sufferti from sub + farcio, and so "crammed full", i.e. "good and loud".

9	Further to Warmington, Puteoli (OCD 1280-1281) was only twelve kilometres north of Naples.
10	neque eo segnius: lit. "and-not less-actively than-that". adulescentulos: The diminutive has overtones of contempt.
11	quinque amplius milia: For the omission of quam, see MBA 275, Note. Suetonius in 25.1 calls these claqueurs the Augustiani. "According to the literary record the functions of the Augustiani were to serve as cheerleaders for Nero's performances and to act as an imperial bodyguard. There seems to be little doubt that some hellenistic influence (lies) behind the conception of the corps. But the question really is one of the degree to which a conscious cultural policy was being promoted, or alternatively, to what extent the hellenistic impact on society was fortuitous or assimilatory." (Bradley, ad loc.)
12-14	qui .... condiscerent .... nauarent: final qui-clauses.
13	bombos is strikingly onomatopoeiac.
13-14	bombos, imbrices, testas: "The first seems to have derived its name from the sound which was like the humming of bees, the second and third from clapping with the hands rounded or hollowed, like roof -tiles, or flat, like bricks or flat tiles." (J. C. Rolfe, Loeb, ad loc.)
16	sine anulos: so that they could applaud the harder?