Help with Tacitus: pollutae caerimoniae, magna adulteria

[Onofle]

Hello, I need to know which translation best suits the idea of the original text:

"pollutae caerimoniae, magna adulteria:" (Latin)

"Sacred rites were grossly profaned, and there were scandals in high places." (W. Hamilton Fyfe)

"Sacred rites were defiled; there were adulteries in high places." (C. H. Moore)

"Sacred rites were profaned; there was profligacy in the highest ranks;" (Alfred John Church)

 

[Pacifica]

Hello,

They all convey pretty much the same message and are all accurate enough. "Grossly" in the first one is an unnecessary addition to my mind, and "scandals" is a bit of a euphemism compared to the more explicit Latin word. So for those reasons (although they're just details) I would choose one of the other two translations—probably Moore's, as it seems the most straightforward to me.

 

[scrabulista]

Is magna ablative?

 

[Matthaeus]

I'd suppose it just goes with adulteria.

 

[Inak]

Why is "magna" translated "in high places"?

 

[Pacifica]

It seems like in this context "great adulteries" means "adulteries committed by great people".