Augustan Histories [Historia Augusta]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
117-284 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
FLAVI VOPISCI SYRACUSII PROBUS
I. 1 Certum est,
[It is certain,]
quod Sallustius Crispus quo<d>que Marcus Cato et Gellius historici sententiae modo in litteras rettulerunt,
[that Sallust Crispus and Marcus Cato, and Gellius only established something of a historical truth in their writing,]
omnes omnium virtutes tantas esse,
[that everyone's virtues were only as great]
qua<n>tas videri eas voluerint eorum ingenia,
[as the talents of these men wanted them to seem,]
qui unius cuius<que> facta descripserint.
[that is, those who wrote the deeds of each and every man down.]
2 inde est quod Alexander Magnus Mac[h]edo, cum ad Achillis sepulchrum venisset, graviter ingemescens 'felicem te', inquit,
[Hence is the case when Alexander the Great of Macedon, when he had arrived at the tomb of Achilles, moaning in a grave tone, said, "Lucky you,"]
'iuvenis, qui talem praeconem tuarum virtutum repperisti',
['my chap, since you found such a great crier for your feats of courage,']
Homerum intellegi volens,
[Willingly, I've read Homer through,]
qui Achillem tantum in virtutum studio fecit,
[but he only made Achilles as great by virtue of his heroic feats,]
quantum ipse valebat ingenio.
[by the same measure he himself prevailed by virtue of his genius.]
3 Quorsum haec pertineant, mi Celsine, fortassis requiris.
[What the hell do these matters pertain to, you, my friend Celsinus, might by chance ask.]
I N F I N I T A
