Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA PLINII SECUNDI
PLINIUS SECUNDUS Novocomensis equestribus militiis industrie functus procurationes quoque splendidissimas et continuas summa integritate administravit,
[Pliny the Second, a native of Novum Comum, after serving industriously in the military cavalry, also administered the most splendid and continuous government functions, with the highest degree of integrity,]
et tamen liberalibus studiis tantam operam dedit,
[and yet he devoted such a tremendous amount of effort to his liberal studies,]
ut non temere quis plura in otio scripserit.
[that no one could easily be found to have written more in their leisure.]
Itaque bella omnia, quae unquam cum Germanis gesta sunt, XX voluminibus comprehendit,
[And so, he wrote compilations in 20 volumes on all the wars that were at any time waged in Germany,]
itemque "Naturalis Historiae" XXXVII libros absolvit.
[and at the same time, he wrote off the 37 books of Natural History.]
Periit clade Campaniae;
[He died during the catastrophe of Campania;]
cum enim Misenensi classi praeesset
[you see, when he was commanding the fleet in Misenum]
et flagrante Vesubio ad explorandas propius causas liburnica pertendisset,
[and he had to aim his own boat towards the flaming Vesuvius, in order to investigate its cause from a nearer distance,]
nec adversantibus ventis remeare posset,
[he could not manage to steer back against the headwinds,]
vi pulveris ac favillae oppressus est,
[and he was overwhelmed by the sheer force of the dust and cinders,]
vel ut quidam existimant a servo suo occisus,
[or rather, some judge that he was killed by his own slave,]
quem aestu deficiens ut necem sibi maturaret oraverat.
[whom he, suffering from the heat, had begged to speed his death.]
I N F I N I T A
