Tiberius tamen, ludibria seriis permiscere solitus, egit gratis benevolentiae patrum: sed quos omitti posse, quos deligi? Semperne eosdem an subinde alios? Et honoribus perfunctos an iuvenes, privatos an e magistratibus? Quam deinde speciem fore sumentium in limine curiae gladios? Neque sibi vitam tanti, si armis tegenda foret.
None the less, Tiberius, with his habit of blending jest and earnest, expressed his thanks for the good-will of the Fathers:'But who could be passed over'who chosen? Were the chosen to be always the same, or with now and then a change? Men with their career behind them, or youths? Private individuals or officials? Finally, what sort of figure would his protectors make when assuming their swords on the threshold of the curia? Nor, indeed, did he hold his life to be worth the price, if it had to be shielded by arms.
final_alignments\Tacitus_Annals_Book6.json