From Cicero’s Pro Milone 14:
divisa sententia est postulante nescio quo—nihil enim necesse est omnium me flagitia proferre—sic reliqua auctoritas senatus empta intercessione sublata est.
I get the general idea, but what is the exact sense of “empta?” The translation I have says “corrupt” but I’m not precisely sure how to derive that from “empta.”
He’s claiming the intercession was “bought” i.e. procured by bribery. Vote buying is not a new practice.
That’s how I originally took it, but the translation (and lack of note,) made me second guess. Thanks!
Because I had to work hard on this quotation, I present a trial translation for correction.
At the demand of somebody [postulante nescio quo] the proposal [sententia] was divided into separate parts for decision[divisa est]–I needn’t [nihil enim necesse est . . . me] detail shameful misconduct [ flagitia proferre] that involved everybody [omnium]–in this way the remaining authority of the senate[sic reliqua auctoritas senatus ] was thrown away[sublata est] by a purchased vote. [empta interecessione]
Hlawson, that sounds good to me. It’s not difficult from the syntax, which is actually quite straightforward, but because of the technical use of the vocabulary.
Many thanks Barry. For me, the technical meaning of divisa est was hard to find. In addition, I hesitated for a time over the antecedent of omnium. Finally it took me a while to work up a satisfactory reading of postulante …quo.