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Friday, April 15, 2011

Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Life of Clodius Albinus

Augustan Histories [Historia Augusta]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
117-284 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)


 VITA CLODII ALBINI IULII CAPITOLINI

I. 1 Uno eodemque prope tempore post Pertinacem,
[At one moment of time after Pertinax's reign]

qui auctore Albino interemptus est,
[who was killed by the culprit, Albinus]

 Iulianus a senatu Romae, Septimius Severus ab exercitu in Syria, Pescennius Niger in Oriente, Clodius Albinus in Gallia imperatores appellati.
[Julianus was proclaimed emperor by the Senate in Rome, Septimius Severus by the army in Syria, Pescennius Niger in the East, and Clodius Albinus in Gaul.]

 2 Et Clodium quidem Herodianus dicit Severi Caesarem fuisse.
[And in fact, Herodian says that Clodius was Caesar under Severus.]

 Sed cum alter alterum indignaretur imperare
[But since one used to deem the other unqualified to rule,]

nec Galli ferre possent aut Germaniciani exercitus,
[nor could the Gallic and Germanic legions bear him,]

quod et ipsi suum specialem principem haberent,
[and because also these men had chosen their own particular emperor,]

undique cuncta turbata sunt.
[the state of affairs everywhere in chaos.]

 3 Fuit autem Clodius Albinus familia nobili, Hadrumetinus tamen ex Africa.
[In any event, Clodius Albinus was born from a noble family, and still, as Hadrumetinus from Africa.]

4 Quare sortem illam, quae Severum laudatum in Pescennii vita diximus,
ad se traherat,
[Wherefore he participated in that event by which I described out Severus earned praised, in the biography of Pescennius,]

 nolens intellegi "pessimus Albus",
[and never wishing to be referred to, "the worst fellow, Albus"]

 quod eodem versu continebatur,
[which was included in that same verse,]

 quo et Severi laus et adprobatio Nigri Pescennii.
[by which you can find both praise of Severus and compliments of Pescennius Niger.]

 5 Sed priusquam vel de vita eius vel de morte dissero,
[But before I shall make my discussion either about his life, or his death,]

 etiam hoc discendum est, quod eum nobilem fecit.
[there is a certain topic that needs to be discussed, something made him of noble rank.]


II. 1 Nam ad hunc eundem quondam Commodus, cum [eum] successorem Albino daret, litteras dederat,
[You see, once upon a time, Commodus had sent letters to his particularly fellow, even when he had established his successor in Albinus,]

quibus iusserat,
[through which he had ordered beforehand,]

 ut Caesar esset.
[that he be made a Caesar.]

 exemplum indidi :
[and that an inscription had been stamped on:]

 "Imperator Commodus Clodio Albino.
["From emperor Commodus, to Clodius Albinus.]

 Alias ad te publice de successione atque honore tuo misi,
[I sent other letters to you publicly that regard my succession and the office of power that belongs you,]

sed hanc familiarem et domesticam, omnem, ut vides, mea manu scriptam,
[but let my write by my own hand, this one, an intimate and private one, in all, as you see,]

qua tibi do facultatem,
[whereby I grant you the power,]

 ut, si necessitas fuerit, ad milites prodeas et tibi Caesareanum nomen adsumas.
[such that, should the necessity arise, to come out to the troops and take upon yourself the title of Caesar.]

3 Audio enim et Septimium Severum et Nonium Marcum male de me apud milites loqui,
[You see, I hear that both Septimius Severus and Nonius Marcus speak ill of me to the troops,]

 ut sibi parent stationis Augustae procurationem.
[such that they now prepare to usurp my station as Augustus for themselves.]

4 Habebis praeterea, cum id feceris,
[Moreover, will you have, once you have done this,]

dandi stipendii usque ad tres aureos liberam potestatem,
[the free power to bequeath up to 3 gold pieces as a payment for military service,]

 quia et super hoc ad procuratores meos litteras misi,
[since I have sent the letters above this one, to my official administrators,]

 quas ipse signatas excipies signo Amazonio
[you yourself will receive them, which have been stamped with my Amazonian ring,]

et, cum opus fuerit,
[and should the occasion arise,]

 rationalibus dabis, ne te non audiant, cum de aerario volueris imperare.
[you will give them to the secretaries, should they not wish to hear you, once you deem it time to take command of the treasury.]




5 Sane ut tibi insigne aliquod imperialis maiestatis accedat,
[I mean for a distinguished amount of imperial power to come to you,]

 iam habebis utendi coccini pallii facultatem
[you shall now have access to use the royal purple in cloak]

vel me praesente et ad me et cum mecum fueris,
[or, in my presences, you've shall come to my side and with remain their alongside myself,]

habiturus et purpuram sed sine auro,
[and you will wear the royal purple, but in accompaniment with no gold,]

quia ita et proavus meus Verus, qui puer vita functus, ab Hadriano, qui eum adoptavit, accepit."
[because such was the tradition that my own ancestor, Verus, who died was a young boy, receive his succession from Hadrian, who adopted him,]

III. 1 His litteris acceptis [Albinus] facere id, quod iubebat, noluit, videns Commodum propter mores suos,
[After he received this letters, Albinus did not wish to do what he was ordered, see through Commodus to his bad habits,]

 quibus rem pub. perdiderat
[by which he had ruined the state]

 et se dedecoraverat,
[and had dishonored himself,]

quandocumque feriendum et timens,
[and he ever frightfully cause harm to others,]

 ne ipse pariter occideretur.
[in fear that he he himself should be likewise murdered.]

 2 Extat denique illius contio,
[And finally did the assembly of that man appear,]