Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI IVLI
* * * [1] Annum agens sextum decimum patrem amisit;
[When he was 16, he was bereft of his father.]
sequentibusque consulibus flamen Dialis destinatus dimissa Cossutia,
[He was appointed a Flamen Dialis priest by the following consuls, when Cossutia was decommissioned,]
quae familia equestri sed admodum diues praetextato desponsata fuerat,
[he had been related to a distinguished equestrian--albeit a very rich one--]
Corneliam Cinnae quater consulis filiam duxit uxorem, ex qua illi mox Iulia nata est;
[He took Cornelia, the daughter of the 4-time consul Cinna, and from her, Julia was soon born;]
neque ut repudiaret compelli a dictatore Sulla ullo modo potuit.
[nor could he do anything other refuse an order by the dictator Sulla to divorce her.]
quare et sacerdotio et uxoris dote et gentilicis hereditatibus multatus diuersarum partium habebatur,
[Wherefore, the penalty of various, snatching away of both his priesthood, his wife's dowry, and his rights to his family's inheritance,]
ut etiam discedere e medio et quamquam morbo quartanae adgrauante prope per singulas noctes commutare latebras cogeretur
[and eventually he was forced to leave from the community, and even though he fell ill for 4 days, he had to run through the brush at night,]
seque ab inquisitoribus pecunia redimeret,
[And he saved himself from bounty hunters by bribery,]
donec per uirgines Vestales perque Mamercum Aemilium et Aurelium Cottam propinquos et adfines suos ueniam impetrauit.
[until finally he managed to secure a pardon using the Vestal Virgins, his relatives and associates, Mamercus Aemilius and Aurelius Cotta.]
satis constat Sullam, cum deprecantibus amicissimis et ornatissimis uiris aliquamdiu denegasset
[It happens that Sulla, even though initially refused to despite the prayers of his very best friends and most decorated men,]
atque illi pertinaciter contenderent,
[and these contended with him with tenacity,]
expugnatum tandem proclamasse siue diuinitus siue aliqua coniectura:
[until finally he, completely baffled, proclaimed, either out of divine inspiration, or some guess or another]
uincerent ac sibi haberent, dum modo scirent eum,
[that they would win out and hold themselves on his side, only until they finally recognized the man,]
quem incolumem tanto opere cuperent,
[the man whom they so greatly desired to safeguard,]
quandoque optimatium partibus, quas secum simul defendissent, exitio futurum;
[someday he would turn out be the destruction of the ruling classes' party, the very same one that they beforehand defended alongside himself.]
nam Caesari multos Marios inesse.
[said Sulla: "You see, there are many a Marius in that Caesar."]
[2] Stipendia prima in Asia fecit Marci Thermi praetoris contubernio;
[He conducted his very first military service in Asia, under the command of the praetor Marcus Thermus.]
a quo ad accersendam classem in Bithyniam missus desedit apud Nicomeden,
[after which, when he was once sent to Bithynia to summon a fleet, he settled down in the house of Nicomedes,]
non sine rumore prostratae regi pudicitiae;
[and not without the rumor that he had "bent over" his sense of decency to the king."]
quem rumorem auxit intra paucos rursus dies repetita Bithynia per causam exigendae pecuniae,
[and what caused this rumor to grow was that only a few days later, he had to come back to Bithynia because he was short on money,]
quae deberetur cuidam libertino clienti suo.
[which happened to be owned to own of his more libertine clients.]
reliqua militia secundiore fama fuit
[But his reputiation became a more fortunate cause for report[
et a Thermo in expugnatione Mytilenarum corona ciuica donatus est.
[and he was awarded the civic crown by Thermus in the seige at Mytilene.]
[3] Meruit et sub Seruilio Isaurico in Cilicia, sed breui tempore.
[And he gained credit in his service under Servilius Isauricus in Cilicia, but only for a brief period of time.]
nam Sullae morte comperta, simul spe nouae dissensionis,
[You see, after he learned of Sulla's death, and at the same time, in accompaniment with a hope of new dissension,]
quae per Marcum Lepidum mouebatur,
[which began to take motion through Marcus Lepidus,]
Romam propere redit.
[he returned to Roman in haste.]
et Lepidi quidem societate, quamquam magnis condicionibus inuitaretur, abstinuit,
[and although he was invited with great incentives, he stayed away from any association of Lepidus,]
cum ingenio eius diffisus tum occasione,
[because he was more at odds with both his level of intelligence and modus operandi,]
quam minorem opinione offenderat.
[than that he had previously offended the latter in respect to his opinions.]
[4] Ceterum composita seditione ciuili Cornelium Dolabellam consularem et triumphalem repetundarum postulauit;
[On the other hand, when his civil insurrection came to end, he requested that Cornelius Dolabella be denied this triumph and consulship.]
absolutoque Rhodum secedere statuit,
[and when he was absolved, he decided to leave for Rhodes,]
et ad declinandam inuidiam
[both in order to decrease the ill ill]
et ut per otium ac requiem Apollonio Moloni clarissimo tunc dicendi magistro operam daret.
[and so that he, through his leisure and rest time, could devote his time to learning under Apollonios of Molon, the most famous teacher in speaking at the time.]
huc dum hibernis iam mensibus traicit,
[To there while he delayed now for the winter season]
circa Pharmacussam insulam a praedonibus captus est
[he was captured by pirates around the island of Pharmacussa]
mansitque apud eos non sine summa indignatione prope quadraginta dies cum uno medico et cubicularis duobus.
[He remained in their custody, but not without harboring the utmost indignation, for almost 40 days in accompaniment with his doctor and two house slaves.]
nam comites seruosque ceteros initio statim ad expediendas pecunias, quibus redimeretur, dimiserat.
[By that account, he immediately sent away his associates, and the rest of his slaves in the beginning, in order to seek out money by which he could be ransomed back]
numeratis deinde quinquaginta talentis expositus in litore non distulit
[and from there, after 40 talents were totaled up and he was released, he did not leave from the shore]
quin e uestigio classe deducta persequeretur abeuntis ac redactos in potestatem supplicio,
[because he set out, after drawing up a fleet from the itinerary of the gang as it left, and pursued them , whereby they were put to punishment under his authority]
quod saepe illis minatus inter iocum fuerat, adficeret.
[something which he had, through jest, had often previously threatened against them, and performed.]
uastante regiones proximas Mithridate, ne desidere in discrimine sociorum uideretur, ab Rhodo,
[When Mithridates began to destroy the neighboring countries,]
quo pertenderat,
[to the very place he had planned to go,]
transiit in Asiam
[and he travelled to Asia]
auxiliisque contractis et praefecto regis prouincia expulso nutantis
[and with help cut off, and our prefect kicked out of his province by supporters of the king]
ac dubias ciuitates retinuit in fide.
[he kept cities that began to waver on our side.]
[5] Tribunatu militum, qui primus Romam reuerso per suffragia populi honor optigit,
[In his office as commander of the troops, which was the first office in Rome that leads to advancement through the vote of the people,]
actores restituendae tribuniciae potestatis, cuius uim Sulla deminuerat, enixissime iuuit.
[and he most dutifully helped the political actors who devoted themselves to restoring the power of the tribune, whose force Sulla had previously reduced.]
L. etiam Cinnae uxoris fratri, et qui cum eo ciuili discordia Lepidum secuti post necem consulis ad Sertorium confugerant,
[He also helped the brother of Lucius Cinna's wife, and amidst this period of civil strife, they were men who had previously had to the aid of Sertorius in accompaniment with the consuls, after they followed through in killing Lepidus]
reditum in ciuitatem rogatione Plotia confecit
[and he acquired permission to return to the city after an official request by Plotia]
habuitque et ipse super ea re contionem.
[and for his own sake, he made made a public speech upon the matter.]
[6] Quaestor Iuliam amitam uxoremque Corneliam defunctas laudauit e more pro rostris.
[As quaestor, he lavished praise on his aunt Julia, and wife Cornelia, both on account of their moral upstandingness, from the rostra.]
et in amitae quidem laudatione de eius ac patris sui utraque origine sic refert:
[and in fact, when it came to the eulogy of his aunt and both the lineages of his own home country, he said the following:]
'Amitae meae Iuliae maternum genus ab regibus ortum,
[My aunt's family, on her mother's side, was derived from kings,]
paternum cum diis inmortalibus coniunctum est.
[and her father's side was linked to the immortal gods.]
nam ab Anco Marcio sunt Marcii Reges,
[you see, the Marcian kings are related to Ancus Marcius,]
quo nomine fuit mater;
[whose name my mother shared;]
a Venere Iulii, cuius gentis familia est nostra.
[the Julii clan sprung from Venus, from whose stock my family belongs to.]
est ergo in genere et sanctitas regum,
[and thusly through her family lineage, there is also the divine ordainment of kings,]
qui plurimum inter homines pollent,
[men who are much more powerful in the crowd of people,]
et caerimonia deorum, quorum ipsi in potestate sunt reges.'
[and the religious rites of the gods, in whose power kings exist.']
In Corneliae autem locum Pompeiam duxit Quinti Pompei filiam, L. Sullae neptem;
[And yet, in the station fitting of a Cornelia, she took in Pompeia, the daughter of Quintus Pompey, and the niece of Lucius Sulla;]
cum qua deinde diuortium fecit adulteratam opinatus a Publio Clodio,
[with whom, at a later time, she later acquired a divorce from Publius Clodius, after suspecting him of adultery,]
quem inter publicas caerimonias penetrasse ad eam muliebri ueste tam constans fama erat,
[since so consistent is the story that he had snooped into the state's religious ceremonies, dressed in woman's clothing, to see her,]
ut senatus quaestionem de pollutis sacris decreuerit.
[and it turned out the Senate called for an investigation into whether our sacred rites were profaned.']
[7] Quaestori ulterior Hispania obuenit;
[He then served Farther Spain as quaestor;]
I N F I N I T A
