who had been drawn into the senate by the popular party. This
refers, in the first place, to the opposition made, through the
instrumentality of the Latins, to the scheme of the Gracchi to
settle poor Roman citizens in Latin colonies; and secondly, to the
ingratitude of the equites, to whom G. Gracchus had transferred
the administration of justice, after having taken it from the senate.
Respecting _modo--interdum_, instead of _modo--modo_, see Zumpt,
S 723.
[247] Sallust admits that the Gracchi went somewhat too far, but blames
the violence with which the faction of the optimates took
vengeance upon them; 'for,' says he, 'a good man prefers being
conquered, to taking revenge for injury done to him in a violent
manner'--intimating that the optimates ought to have borne the
injury done to them by the Gracchi, rather than avenge it with
murder and assassination.
[248] _Acerbius_; that is, _nimis acerbe_, or _acerbius quam par est_.
[249] _Omnis civitatis_ for _totius civitatis_, in opposition to the
patres. _Parem_; that is, _velim_, which is followed in the apodosis
by the same subjunctive present, or the future indicative. See Zumpt,
S 524, note 1. _Res_, the same as _materia_, _argumentum_, 'subject.'

43. Post Auli foedus exercitusque nostri foedam fugam, Metellus et
Silanus consules designati,[250] provincias inter se partiverant,
Metelloque Numidia evenerat, acri viro et quamquam adverso populi
partium,[251] fama tamen aequabili et inviolata. Is ubi primum
magistratum ingressus est, alia omnia sibi cum collega ratus, ad bellum,
quod gesturus erat, animum intendit.[252] Igitur diffidens veteri
exercitui, milites scribere, praesidia[253] undique accersere, arma,
tela, equos et cetera instrumenta militiae parare, ad hoc commeatum
affatim, denique omnia, quae in bello vario et multarum rerum egenti usui