Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI VESPASIANI
I. Rebellione trium principum et caede incertum diu et quasi vagum imperium suscepit
firmavitque tandem gens Flavia,
[After the insurgency of three emperors, and undetermined slaughter, at last the Flavian clan took under its wing the control of the government, which had for a long time been hazy,]
obscura illa quidem ac sine ullis maiorum imaginibus,
[that one being of quite obscure origin, and lacking any public statues of their ancestors,]
sed tamen rei p. nequaquam paenitenda;
[and despite this, one did not suffer in vain during the Republic;]
constet licet,
[so, let us agree]
Domitianum cupiditatis ac saevitiae merito poenas luisse.
[that it had deservedly paid the price for Domitian's cupidity and cruelty.]
T. Flavius Petro, municeps Reatinus, bello civili Pompeianarum partium centurio an evocatus, profugit ex Pharsalica, acie domumque se contulit,
[Titus Flavius Petro, mayor of Reate, either a centurion on Pompey's side during the Civil War, or a lawyer, once carried his step home from the battlefield,]
ubi deinde venia et missione impetrata coactiones argentarias factitavit.
[when, after that, once he had been granted pardon and immunity, he made a living as a tax collector.]
Huius filium, cognomine Sabinus, expers militiae (etsi quidem eum primipilarem, nonnulli, cum adhuc ordiens duceret, sacramento solutum per causam valitudinis tradunt) publicum quadragesimae in Asia egit;
[He brought his son, whose name was Sabinus and was an experienced man of war --actually, some say that he was a soldier of first rank of spears, when he, a lieutenant, used to take the lead, and was discharged with a stipend on account of his failing health--he spent 40 years as a tax collector;]
manebantque imagines a civitatibus ei positae sub hoc titulo:
[they remained there, after they had been set up by the citizens, accompanied by this inscription:]
kalos telonesanti.
καλος τελονεσαντι
["A good business"]
Postea faenus apud Helvetios exercuit
[After that, he practised his business among the Helvetians]
ibique diem obiit superstitibus uxore Vespasia Polla et duobus ex ea liberis,
[and there, he passed away, survived by his wife Vespasia Polla and two children from her,]
quorum maior Sabinus ad praefecturam urbis,
minor Vespasianus ad principatum usque processit.
[the older of whom was promoted to the mayorship of the city, and the young, Vespasian, almost to the head of the empire.]
Polla, Nursiae honesto genere orta, patrem habuit Vespasium Pollionem,
[Polla, who was born and raised from a noble lineage from Nursia, had a father named Vespasius Pollio,]
ter tribunum militum praefectumque castrorum,
[who was thrice a commander of the army and head of camp,]
fratrem senatorem praetoriae dignitatis.
[while her brother was a senator with the office among the Praetorians.]
Locus etiam ad sextum miliarium a Nursia Spoletium euntibus in monte summo appellatur Vespasiae,
[Also, a place around 6 miles from Nursia is called by travellers going to Spoleto, Vespasiae, at it very highest point,]
ubi Vespasiorum complura monumenta exstant,
[where a great deal of statues of Vespasian still stand,]
magnum indicium splendoris familiae et vetustatis.
[as a great token of his family's splendor and long standing.]
Non negaverim iactatum a quibusdam Petronis patrem e
regione Transpadana fuisse mancipem operarum,
[I will not've denied that Petro's father, once he had been cast out from the region across the Po River valley by certain unnamed fellows, had once been an supervisor of works,]
quae ex Vmbria in
Sabinos ad culturam agrorum quotannis commeare soleant;
[I mean, works that are accustomed every year to travel from Umbria to the land of the Sabines for the cultivation of their farms;]
subsedisse
autem in oppido Reatino, uxore ibidem ducta.
[in any event, the man had still made his living in the town of Reate, and he took his wife there in the same place.]
Ipse ne vestigium
quidem de hoc, quamvis satis curiose inquirerem, inveni.
[I myself can say I found no evidence regarding this, to tell you the truth, although I should beg the question all the more curiously.]
Vespasianus natus est in Sabinis ultra Reate vico modico,
[Vespasian was born in the lands of the Sabines, on the other side of the Reate, that very modest country town,]
cui
nomen est Phalacrinae,
[to which belongs the name, Phalacrina,]
XV. kal. Dec. vesperi, Q. Sulpicio Camerino
C. Poppaeo Sabino cons.,
[in the evening of the 15th Kalends of December, in the consul years of Quintus Sulpicius Camerinus and Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus,]
quinquennio ante quam Augustus excederet;
[on the 5th anniversary before which Augustus would pass away;]
educatus sub paterna avia Tertulla in praediis Cosanis.
[He was raised under his paternal aunt, Tertulla, under the customs of Cosa.]
Quare
princeps quoque et locum incunabulorum assidue frequentavit,
[Thereafter, the emperor too eagerly visited the former place of his cribs and things,]
manente villa qualis fuerat olim,
[at the time when once there was still a country estate remaining,]
ne quid scilicet oculorum
consuetudini deperiret;
[lest something naturally seem missing to assessment by one's eyes;]
et aviae memoriam tanto opere dilexit,
[and he so greatly liked the memory of his grandmother,]
ut
sollemnibus ac festis diebus pocillo quoque eius argenteo potare
perseveraverit.
[that he spent holidays and feast days too drinking from a silver cup of hers.]
Sumpta virili toga, latum clavum, quamquam fratre adepto, diu
aversatus est,
[He donned his toga of manhood, and the wide senatorial stripe, but he was cast aside for a long time, although his brother was excelling,]
nec ut tandem appeteret compelli nisi a matre
potuit.
[nor could he be compelled to finally engage himself, except by his mother.]
Ea demum extudit magis convicio quam precibus vel
auctoritate,
[In the end, she pushed him more by her strict punishment than by her entreaties and authority,]
dum eum identidem per contumeliam anteambulonem
fratris appellat.
[and at the same time, she, out of spite, called him a "step-down from his brother".]
Tribunatum in Thracia meruit;
[He gained a position as tribune in Thrace;]
quaestor Cretam et Cyrenas
provinciam sorte cepit;
[as quaestor, he received Crete and the province of Cyrene by lot;]
aedilitatis ac mox praeturae candidatus,
[and as soon as he stood as a candidate for an aedileship and then praetorship,]
illam non sine repulsa sectoque vix adeptus est loco,
[he obtained that first office, not without first refusing it, and giving up his position,]
hanc prima
statim petitione et in primis;
[and obtaining the second one by an initial request;]
praetor infensum senatui Gaium ne
quo non genere demeretur,
[as praetor, so that he would seem to offend Gaius, a man spiteful to the senate class, in any sort or fashion,]
ludos extraordinarios pro victoria eius
Germanica depoposcit,
[he demanded for extraordinary gladiatorial shows in honor of his victories in Germany,]
poenaeque coniuratorum addendum censuit
[and he voted for additional penalties for conspirators]
ut
insepulti proicerentur.
[in that they would be left to rot outside unburied.]
Egit et gratias ei apud amplissimum
ordinem,
[And he gave thanks to this man to the utmost degree]
quod se honore cenae dignatus esset.
[because he had deemed him deserving of a banquet's honor.]
Inter haec Flaviam Domitillam duxit uxorem,
[As these were going on, he took a wife, Flavia Domitilla,]
Statilii Capellae
equitis R. Sabratensis ex Africa delicatam olim Latinaeque
condicionis,
[the choice daughter from Sabratensia in Africa of a Roman knight Statilius Capella who once had the status of being a Latin citizen,]
sed mox ingenuam et civem Rom. reciperatorio iudicio
pronuntiatam,
[but over time was pronounced as native born Roman by the judge's favor,]
patre asserente Flavio Liberale Ferenti genito nec
quicquam amplius quam quaestorio scriba.
[with her father wedding her to a family member, Flavius Liberalis Ferentius, although this man had achieved no higher ranking than a quaestor's secretary.]
Ex hac liberos tulit
Titum et Domitianum et Domitillam.
[From this point, she born free-born children, Titus, Domitian, and Domitilla.]
Vxori ac filiae superstes fuit,
[He survived the death's of his wife and daughter,]
atque utramque adhuc privatus amisit.
[and he lost both of them at the time when he was not on duty.]
Post uxoris excessum
Caenidem, Antoniae libertam et a manu, dilectam quondam sibi
revocavit in contubernium,
[After the passing of his wife, he invited Caenis into his private life, a women freed from the Antonia's possession, and one of his sweethearts,]
habuitque etiam imperator paene iustae
uxoris loco.
[and even as emperor, he often treated her in a position similar to a wife.]
IV.
Claudio principe Narcissi gratia legatus legionis in Germaniam
missus est;
[Under the emperor Claudius, he was sent to Germany as the commander of a legion, as a favor to Narcissus;]
inde in Britanniam translatus tricies cum hoste
conflixit.
[soon after he was transferred to Britain, he crossed swords with the enemy.]
Duas validissimas gentes superque viginti oppida et
insulam Vectem Britanniae proximan in dicionem redegit,
[He subjugated two of the sturdiest nations of people there, and over twenty towns, and Vectis, an island near Britain,]
partim
Auli Plautii legati consularis, partim Claudi ipsius ductu.
[partly under the lead of the consular legate, Aulus Plautius, and partly under Claudius himself.]
Quare
triumphalia ornamenta et in brevi spatio duplex sacerdotium
accepit,
[For that, he received the honor of wearing triumphal garb and two offices among the priests in a short span of time,]
praeterea consulatum, quem gessit per duos novissimos
anni menses.
[and a position as consul after that, which he performed for the last two months of the next year.]
Medium tempus ad proconsulatum usque in otio
secessuque egit,
[He spent the interim of that time as a pro-consul, until his break period and termination,]
Agrippinam timens potentem adhuc apud filium et
defuncti quoque Narcissi amici perosam.
[as he began to fear Agrippina, already influential with her son and also a rival of his now-deceased patron Narcissus.]
I N F I N I T A
Showing posts with label Suetonius. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suetonius. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Suetonius, The Grammarians
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILII DE GRAMMATICIS
[1] Grammatica Romae ne in usu quidem olim, nedum in honore ullo erat,
[At one point, the study of grammar in Rome was indeed not a common thing, nor associated with any degree of honor,]
rudi scilicet ac bellicosa etiam tum civitate,
[especially at that time when our city was crude and particularly fixated on fighting its wars,]
necdum magnopere liberalibus disciplinis vacante.
[and it still greatly lacked experience with fields of higher learning.]
Initium quoque eius mediocre extitit,
[And even the beginning of this field came about rather in mediocre fashion,]
siquidem antiquissimi doctorum, qui iidem et poetae et semigraeci erant,
[even when the very oldest examples of our wise men, who were, one and the same, poets and still linked to Grecian heritage,]
(Livium et Ennium dico,
[I speak of Livius Andronicus and Ennius,]
quos utraque lingua domi forisque docuisse adnotatum est)
[about whom it is quite familiar knowledge that they had taught in Latin and Greek in their homes and in public]
nihil amplius quam Graecos interpretabantur,
[they, by no greater degree, understood anything in Greek,]
aut si quid ipsi Latine composuissent praelegebant.
[nor even these men had wrote anything in Latin, did they read it at length.]
Nam quod nonnulli tradunt duos libros de litteris syllabisque,
[You see, as to the fact that some people pass down two books on the subject of letters and syllables,]
item de metris ab eodem Ennio editos,
[and other publications by Ennius concerning meters, after that point in time,]
iure arguit L. Cotta non poetae sed posterioris Ennii esse,
[while Lucius Cotta, by rights, argued that they did not belong to any poet prior to Ennius,]
cuius etiam de augurandi disciplina volumina ferantur.
[whose scrolls also make a summary about the discipline of augury.]
[2] Primus igitur, quantum opinamur,
studium grammaticae in urbem intulit Crates Mallotes,
[Therefore, the first man who brought the study of grammar to the city, as I understand it, was Crates Mallotes,]
Aristarchi aequalis,
[a contemporary of Aristarchus,]
qui missus ad senatum ab Attalo rege inter secundum ac tertium Punicum bellum sub ipsam Ennii mortem,
[who, once he had been sent to the Senate by King Attalus between our second and third wars against Carthage, right before the death of Ennius himself,]
cum regione Palatii prolapsus in cloacae foramen crus fregisset,
[when he had broken his leg on the Palatine Hill, having fallen into the opening of a sewer,]
per omne legationis simul et valitudinis tempus plurimas acroasis subinde fecit
[and from then on, he spent all of his time in recovery teaching and holding a great deal of auditions,]
assidueque disseruit,
[and spoke in public at an incessant rate,]
ac nostris exemplo fuit ad imitandum.
[and gave us an example to model ourselves after.]
Hactenus tamen imitati, ut carmina parum adhuc divulgata vel defunctorum amicorum vel si quorum aliorum probassent,
[And yet enough people took his example, so that they had praised his poems that had not been widely circulated, even if they belonged to his deceased companions or someone else,]
diligentius retractarent
[and they would more diligently draw them back]
ac legendo commentandoque etiam ceteris nota facerent;
[and would also make them well-known by allowing others to read and comment on them;]
ut C. Octavius Lampadio Naevii Punicum bellum,
[such was the case when Gaius Octavius gave Naevius' account of the Punic War to Lampadius,]
quod uno volumine et continenti scriptura expositum divisit in septem libros:
[which, although it was published in a single volume and unsegmented prose, he divided into seven books:]
ut postea Q. Vargunteius annales Ennii,
[likewise, after that, when Quintus Vargunteius managed Ennius' Annales,]
quos certis diebus in magna frequentia pronuntiabat;
[which he gradually published in large quantities over a fixed period of days;]
ut Laelius Archelaus Vettiasque Philocomus Lucilii satyras familiaris sui,
[and likewise when Laelius Archelaos and Vettias Philocomos handled the satyr plays of their familiar, Lucilius,]
quas legisse se apud Archelaum Pompeius Lenaeus, apud Philocomum Valerius Cato praedicant.
[which Pompeius Laenaeus claims that he had read directly to Archelaos, but Valerius Cato says, directly to Philocomos.]
Instruxerunt auxeruntque ab omni parte grammaticam L. Aelius Lanuvinus generque Aelii Ser. Clodius,
[Lucius Aelius Lanuvius and the son-in-law of Aelius, Servius Clodius, taught and expanded the field of grammar in every respect,]
uterque eques Ro. multique ac varii et in doctrina et in re p. usus.
[both of whom were Roman knights who were experienced in many different ways on the subjects of their teaching and their state.]
Aelius cognomine duplici fuit;
[Aelius was a man with two nicknames;]
nam et Praeconinus, quod pater eius praeconium fecerat, vocabatur,
[you see, he was also called Praeconinus, because his father had been a town criar,]
et Stilo, quod orationes nobilissimo cuique scribere solebat;
[and Stilo, because he used to write his speeches with the noblest type you can imagine.]
tantus optimatium fautor,
[he was such a supporter of the aristocrats,]
ut Metellum Numidicum in exilium comitatus sit.
[that he accompanied Metellus Numidicus in exile.]
Servius cum librum soceri nondum editum fraude intercepisset,
[When Servius had intercepted his father-in-law's book, which had been published, by act of fraud,]
et ob hoc repudiatus pudore ac taedio secessisset ab urbe,
[his reputation had been dashed on account of this, and he had to leave the city in a state of burden,]
in podagrae morbum incidit;
[he then was stricken with gangrene of the foot;]
cuius impatiens veneno sibi perunxit pedes
[and he, unable to cope with this, smeared poisoned upon his feet,]
et enecuit ita, ut parte ea corporis quasi praemortua viveret.
[and so he died, as if living with this condition of his body was de facto death sentence.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILII DE GRAMMATICIS
[1] Grammatica Romae ne in usu quidem olim, nedum in honore ullo erat,
[At one point, the study of grammar in Rome was indeed not a common thing, nor associated with any degree of honor,]
rudi scilicet ac bellicosa etiam tum civitate,
[especially at that time when our city was crude and particularly fixated on fighting its wars,]
necdum magnopere liberalibus disciplinis vacante.
[and it still greatly lacked experience with fields of higher learning.]
Initium quoque eius mediocre extitit,
[And even the beginning of this field came about rather in mediocre fashion,]
siquidem antiquissimi doctorum, qui iidem et poetae et semigraeci erant,
[even when the very oldest examples of our wise men, who were, one and the same, poets and still linked to Grecian heritage,]
(Livium et Ennium dico,
[I speak of Livius Andronicus and Ennius,]
quos utraque lingua domi forisque docuisse adnotatum est)
[about whom it is quite familiar knowledge that they had taught in Latin and Greek in their homes and in public]
nihil amplius quam Graecos interpretabantur,
[they, by no greater degree, understood anything in Greek,]
aut si quid ipsi Latine composuissent praelegebant.
[nor even these men had wrote anything in Latin, did they read it at length.]
Nam quod nonnulli tradunt duos libros de litteris syllabisque,
[You see, as to the fact that some people pass down two books on the subject of letters and syllables,]
item de metris ab eodem Ennio editos,
[and other publications by Ennius concerning meters, after that point in time,]
iure arguit L. Cotta non poetae sed posterioris Ennii esse,
[while Lucius Cotta, by rights, argued that they did not belong to any poet prior to Ennius,]
cuius etiam de augurandi disciplina volumina ferantur.
[whose scrolls also make a summary about the discipline of augury.]
[2] Primus igitur, quantum opinamur,
studium grammaticae in urbem intulit Crates Mallotes,
[Therefore, the first man who brought the study of grammar to the city, as I understand it, was Crates Mallotes,]
Aristarchi aequalis,
[a contemporary of Aristarchus,]
qui missus ad senatum ab Attalo rege inter secundum ac tertium Punicum bellum sub ipsam Ennii mortem,
[who, once he had been sent to the Senate by King Attalus between our second and third wars against Carthage, right before the death of Ennius himself,]
cum regione Palatii prolapsus in cloacae foramen crus fregisset,
[when he had broken his leg on the Palatine Hill, having fallen into the opening of a sewer,]
per omne legationis simul et valitudinis tempus plurimas acroasis subinde fecit
[and from then on, he spent all of his time in recovery teaching and holding a great deal of auditions,]
assidueque disseruit,
[and spoke in public at an incessant rate,]
ac nostris exemplo fuit ad imitandum.
[and gave us an example to model ourselves after.]
Hactenus tamen imitati, ut carmina parum adhuc divulgata vel defunctorum amicorum vel si quorum aliorum probassent,
[And yet enough people took his example, so that they had praised his poems that had not been widely circulated, even if they belonged to his deceased companions or someone else,]
diligentius retractarent
[and they would more diligently draw them back]
ac legendo commentandoque etiam ceteris nota facerent;
[and would also make them well-known by allowing others to read and comment on them;]
ut C. Octavius Lampadio Naevii Punicum bellum,
[such was the case when Gaius Octavius gave Naevius' account of the Punic War to Lampadius,]
quod uno volumine et continenti scriptura expositum divisit in septem libros:
[which, although it was published in a single volume and unsegmented prose, he divided into seven books:]
ut postea Q. Vargunteius annales Ennii,
[likewise, after that, when Quintus Vargunteius managed Ennius' Annales,]
quos certis diebus in magna frequentia pronuntiabat;
[which he gradually published in large quantities over a fixed period of days;]
ut Laelius Archelaus Vettiasque Philocomus Lucilii satyras familiaris sui,
[and likewise when Laelius Archelaos and Vettias Philocomos handled the satyr plays of their familiar, Lucilius,]
quas legisse se apud Archelaum Pompeius Lenaeus, apud Philocomum Valerius Cato praedicant.
[which Pompeius Laenaeus claims that he had read directly to Archelaos, but Valerius Cato says, directly to Philocomos.]
Instruxerunt auxeruntque ab omni parte grammaticam L. Aelius Lanuvinus generque Aelii Ser. Clodius,
[Lucius Aelius Lanuvius and the son-in-law of Aelius, Servius Clodius, taught and expanded the field of grammar in every respect,]
uterque eques Ro. multique ac varii et in doctrina et in re p. usus.
[both of whom were Roman knights who were experienced in many different ways on the subjects of their teaching and their state.]
Aelius cognomine duplici fuit;
[Aelius was a man with two nicknames;]
nam et Praeconinus, quod pater eius praeconium fecerat, vocabatur,
[you see, he was also called Praeconinus, because his father had been a town criar,]
et Stilo, quod orationes nobilissimo cuique scribere solebat;
[and Stilo, because he used to write his speeches with the noblest type you can imagine.]
tantus optimatium fautor,
[he was such a supporter of the aristocrats,]
ut Metellum Numidicum in exilium comitatus sit.
[that he accompanied Metellus Numidicus in exile.]
Servius cum librum soceri nondum editum fraude intercepisset,
[When Servius had intercepted his father-in-law's book, which had been published, by act of fraud,]
et ob hoc repudiatus pudore ac taedio secessisset ab urbe,
[his reputation had been dashed on account of this, and he had to leave the city in a state of burden,]
in podagrae morbum incidit;
[he then was stricken with gangrene of the foot;]
cuius impatiens veneno sibi perunxit pedes
[and he, unable to cope with this, smeared poisoned upon his feet,]
et enecuit ita, ut parte ea corporis quasi praemortua viveret.
[and so he died, as if living with this condition of his body was de facto death sentence.]
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Vitellius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA VETELLII
I. Vitelliorum originem alii aliam et quidem diversissimam tradunt,
[Some people tell of a different and most undetermined origin when it comes to Vitellius' family,]
partim veterem et nobilem,
[some saying that it was long-standing and noble in class,]
partim vero novam et obscuram atque etiam sordidam;
[while others say that it was actually new to the scene, with obscure origins, and perhaps even disreputable ones;]
quod ego per adulatores obtrectatoresque imperatoris Vitellii evenisse opinarer,
[and that's something that I would have to occur as a result of emperor Vitellius' adulators and detractors,]
nisi aliquanto prius de familiae condicione variatum esset.
[unless, by some degree, a previous change of fortune occurred as to his family's condition.]
Exstat Q. Elogi ad Quintum Vitellium Divi Augusti quaestorem libellus,
[There's a small book by Quintus Elogius written to Quintus Vitellius, a quaestor of Augustus, now deified,]
quo continetur,
[in which there is written]
Vitellios Fauno Aboriginum rege et Vitellia, quae multis locis pro numine coleretur, ortos toto Latio imperasse;
[that the Vitellians, having risen all around Latium, had ruled under one king of the original inhabitants, Faunus, and Vitellia, who used to be worshipped in various places liked a deity;]
horum residuam stirpem ex Sabinis transisse Romam atque inter patricios adlectam;
[the lineage of these people that was left over had journeyed over to Rome from the lands of the Sabines and was then incorporated into the class of patricians;]
indicia stirpis mansisse diu viam Vitelliam ab Ianiculo ad mare usque, item coloniam eiusdem nominis,
[and the original character of the family lineage resided for a long time along the Via Vitellia, that ran from the Janiculum all the way to the sea, and also in a settlement byhe same name,]
quam gentili copia adversus Aequiculos tutandam olim depoposcissent;
[which, with their high-ranking hordes, once upon a time, whose patrimony they had demanded in confrontation with the Aequiculi;]
tempore deinde Samnitici belli praesidio in Apuliam misso quosdam ex Vitellis subsedisse Nuceriae,
[thenafter, a certain number of Vitellius' family settled down in Nuceria, during the time of the Samnite War, when a garrison was sent to Apulia,]
eorumque progeniem longo post intervallo repetisse urbem atque ordinem senatorium.
[and after a long interval of time, their descendents sought to reside in the city again, as well as admission into the senatorial class.]
II. Contra plures auctorem generis libertinum prodiderunt,
[On the one hand, several people related that the founder of their family lineage was a freedman,]
Cassius Severus nec minus alii eundem et sutorem veteramentarium,
[like Cassius Severus, not least of those who say that the same fellow was also a cobbler for beasts of burden,]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA VETELLII
I. Vitelliorum originem alii aliam et quidem diversissimam tradunt,
[Some people tell of a different and most undetermined origin when it comes to Vitellius' family,]
partim veterem et nobilem,
[some saying that it was long-standing and noble in class,]
partim vero novam et obscuram atque etiam sordidam;
[while others say that it was actually new to the scene, with obscure origins, and perhaps even disreputable ones;]
quod ego per adulatores obtrectatoresque imperatoris Vitellii evenisse opinarer,
[and that's something that I would have to occur as a result of emperor Vitellius' adulators and detractors,]
nisi aliquanto prius de familiae condicione variatum esset.
[unless, by some degree, a previous change of fortune occurred as to his family's condition.]
Exstat Q. Elogi ad Quintum Vitellium Divi Augusti quaestorem libellus,
[There's a small book by Quintus Elogius written to Quintus Vitellius, a quaestor of Augustus, now deified,]
quo continetur,
[in which there is written]
Vitellios Fauno Aboriginum rege et Vitellia, quae multis locis pro numine coleretur, ortos toto Latio imperasse;
[that the Vitellians, having risen all around Latium, had ruled under one king of the original inhabitants, Faunus, and Vitellia, who used to be worshipped in various places liked a deity;]
horum residuam stirpem ex Sabinis transisse Romam atque inter patricios adlectam;
[the lineage of these people that was left over had journeyed over to Rome from the lands of the Sabines and was then incorporated into the class of patricians;]
indicia stirpis mansisse diu viam Vitelliam ab Ianiculo ad mare usque, item coloniam eiusdem nominis,
[and the original character of the family lineage resided for a long time along the Via Vitellia, that ran from the Janiculum all the way to the sea, and also in a settlement byhe same name,]
quam gentili copia adversus Aequiculos tutandam olim depoposcissent;
[which, with their high-ranking hordes, once upon a time, whose patrimony they had demanded in confrontation with the Aequiculi;]
tempore deinde Samnitici belli praesidio in Apuliam misso quosdam ex Vitellis subsedisse Nuceriae,
[thenafter, a certain number of Vitellius' family settled down in Nuceria, during the time of the Samnite War, when a garrison was sent to Apulia,]
eorumque progeniem longo post intervallo repetisse urbem atque ordinem senatorium.
[and after a long interval of time, their descendents sought to reside in the city again, as well as admission into the senatorial class.]
II. Contra plures auctorem generis libertinum prodiderunt,
[On the one hand, several people related that the founder of their family lineage was a freedman,]
Cassius Severus nec minus alii eundem et sutorem veteramentarium,
[like Cassius Severus, not least of those who say that the same fellow was also a cobbler for beasts of burden,]
Suetonius, Life of Otho
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA OTHONIS
I. Maiores Othonis orti sunt oppidio Ferentio,
[Otho's ancestors arose from the town of Ferentium,]
familia vetere et honorata atque ex principibus Etruriae.
[from a long-standing and greatly honored family, one sprung also from the leading men of Etruria.]
Avus M. Salvius Otho, patre equite R.,
[His grandfather, Marcus Salvius Otho, was a Roman knight,]
matre humili incertum an ingenua,
[his mother perhaps from a lowly, or at least common stock,]
per gratiam Liviae Augustae, in cuius domo creverat, senator est factus
[but through the kind favor of the emperess Livia, in whose mansion she had entered, he was appointed a senator]
nec praeturae gradum excessit.
[but he never reached any office higher than praetor.]
Pater L. Otho, materno genere praeclaro multarumque et magnarum propinquitatum, tam carus tamque non absimilis facie Tiberio principi fuit,
[His father, Lucius Otho, whose maternal lineage was greatly distinguished by many great relatives, was so beloved by the emperor Tiberius and so similar in appearance to him]
ut plerique procreatum ex eo crederent.
[that a great many people believed that he was fathered by the man.]
Vrbanos honores, proconsulatum Africae et extraordinaria imperia severissime administravit.
[He ran administrations in offices over the City, a proconsulship in Africa, and unusually prestigious commands, all in the most severe manners one can imagine.]
Ausus etiam est in Illyrico milites quosdam,
[He even tried his hand against several soldiers in Illyria,]
quod motu Camilli ex paenitentia praepositos suos quasi defectionis adversus Claudium auctores occiderant,
[because they, as though defecting from Claudius, had previously killed the men he had appointed to remedy the mutiny of Camillus,]
capite punire et quidem ante principia se coram,
[that is, he dared to sentence them to death, and indeed, before his own eyes, in the commander's quarters,]
quamvis ob id ipsum promotos in ampliorem gradum a Claudio sciret.
[even though he knew that, as a consequence of this same action, they would be compelled to even fuller disgust of Claudius.]
Quo facto sicut gloriam auxit,
[So it was accomplished, the very moment he increased his reputation,]
ita gratiam minuit;
[he likewise killed his popularity.]
quam tamen mature reciperavit detecta equitis R. fraude,
[And yet, he soon cut that in half after he had detected the scandal of a Roman knight]
quem prodentibus servis necem Claudio parere compererat.
[whom he had discovered had order his slaves to assassinate Claudius.]
Namque et senatus honore rarissimo, statua in Palatio posita, prosecutus est eum et Claudius adlectum inter patricios,
[So by that token, he was allowed the rarest honor in the Senate: his statue placed on the Palatine Hill, and Claudius followed after him and enrolled him into the order of the patricians,]
conlaudans amplissimis verbis, hoc quoque adiecit:
[and as he praised him with the most complimentary words he could find, he also added this comment:]
Vir, quo meliores liberos habere ne opto quidem.
["A man, for whom I truly wish to have no superior sons."]
Ex Albia Terentia splendida femina duos filios tulit,
[From a splendid woman, Albia Terentia, he fathered two sons,]
L. Titianum et minorem M. cognominem sibi;
[Lucius Titianus and the younger one Marcus, named after himself;]
tulit et filiam,
[he fathered a daughter,]
quam vixdum nubilem Druso Germanici filio despondit.
[whom he soon married off as a young bride to Germanicus' son, Drusus.]
II. Otho imperator IIII. Kal. Mai. natus est Domitio Ahenobarbo cons.Camillo Arruntio,
[The emperor Otho was born on the 4th Kalends of May in the consul year of Domitius Ahenobarbus and Camillus Arruntius,]
A prima adulescentia prodigus ac procax,
[From the very first stage of youth, he was a prodigy, and very talkative,]
adeo ut saepe flagris obiurgaretur a patre,
[so much so that he often used to be beaten with whippings by his father,]
ferebatur et vagari noctibus solitus atque invalidum quemque obviorum vel potulentum corripere ac distento sago impositum in sublime iactare.
[it was rumored that he used to wander around in the nights, laying his hands on any weakling or drunkard he met, and after putting him into a stretched out sack, toss him into the air.]
Post patris deinde mortem libertinam aulicam gratiosam, quo efficacius coleret, etiam diligere simulavit quamvis anum ac paene decrepitam:
[After his father's passing, he even pretended to have a crush on a charming flute-player, a freedwoman, about which he adored her too thoroughly, even though she was an old woman and almost in the last stage of her life:]
per hanc insinuatus Neroni,
[through her, he was introduced to Nero,]
facile summum inter amicos locum tenuit congruentia morum,
[with ease, he held the highest priority in his leisurely events among his friends,]
ut vero quidam tradunt,
[at least, in truth, as certain men tell it,]
et consuetudine mutui stupri.
[and from the habit of the scandals they shared.]
et consuetudine mutui stupri.
[and in the habit of the disgrace they shared.]
Ac tantum potentia valuit,
[And so great did his power thrive,]
ut damnatum repetundis consularem virum, ingens praemium pactus,
[that he demanded an immense bribe from a man already found guilty of corruption,]
prius quam plene restitutionem ei impetrasset non dubitaret in senatum ad agendas gratias introducere.
[and no sooner had he gained gained his full acquittal than did he not even hesitate to bring into the presence of the Senate in order to give thanks.]
III. Omnium autem consiliorum secretorumque particeps die, quem necandae matri Nero destinarat,
[However, he was a conspirator in all plans and secrets, and the one whom Nero put in charge of assassinating his mother,]
ad avertendas suspicionem cenam utrique exquisitissimae comitatis dedit;
[and in order to avert her suspicion, he gave her a feast with her as the honored guest;]
item Poppaeam Sabinam tunc adhuc amicam eius, abductam marito demandatamque interim sibi, nuptiarum specie recepit,
[and then, he received Poppaea Sabina, at that time one of her allies, with the grandeur of a wedding ceremony, even though she has been abducted from her husband and demanded back to him in the meantime,]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA OTHONIS
I. Maiores Othonis orti sunt oppidio Ferentio,
[Otho's ancestors arose from the town of Ferentium,]
familia vetere et honorata atque ex principibus Etruriae.
[from a long-standing and greatly honored family, one sprung also from the leading men of Etruria.]
Avus M. Salvius Otho, patre equite R.,
[His grandfather, Marcus Salvius Otho, was a Roman knight,]
matre humili incertum an ingenua,
[his mother perhaps from a lowly, or at least common stock,]
per gratiam Liviae Augustae, in cuius domo creverat, senator est factus
[but through the kind favor of the emperess Livia, in whose mansion she had entered, he was appointed a senator]
nec praeturae gradum excessit.
[but he never reached any office higher than praetor.]
Pater L. Otho, materno genere praeclaro multarumque et magnarum propinquitatum, tam carus tamque non absimilis facie Tiberio principi fuit,
[His father, Lucius Otho, whose maternal lineage was greatly distinguished by many great relatives, was so beloved by the emperor Tiberius and so similar in appearance to him]
ut plerique procreatum ex eo crederent.
[that a great many people believed that he was fathered by the man.]
Vrbanos honores, proconsulatum Africae et extraordinaria imperia severissime administravit.
[He ran administrations in offices over the City, a proconsulship in Africa, and unusually prestigious commands, all in the most severe manners one can imagine.]
Ausus etiam est in Illyrico milites quosdam,
[He even tried his hand against several soldiers in Illyria,]
quod motu Camilli ex paenitentia praepositos suos quasi defectionis adversus Claudium auctores occiderant,
[because they, as though defecting from Claudius, had previously killed the men he had appointed to remedy the mutiny of Camillus,]
capite punire et quidem ante principia se coram,
[that is, he dared to sentence them to death, and indeed, before his own eyes, in the commander's quarters,]
quamvis ob id ipsum promotos in ampliorem gradum a Claudio sciret.
[even though he knew that, as a consequence of this same action, they would be compelled to even fuller disgust of Claudius.]
Quo facto sicut gloriam auxit,
[So it was accomplished, the very moment he increased his reputation,]
ita gratiam minuit;
[he likewise killed his popularity.]
quam tamen mature reciperavit detecta equitis R. fraude,
[And yet, he soon cut that in half after he had detected the scandal of a Roman knight]
quem prodentibus servis necem Claudio parere compererat.
[whom he had discovered had order his slaves to assassinate Claudius.]
Namque et senatus honore rarissimo, statua in Palatio posita, prosecutus est eum et Claudius adlectum inter patricios,
[So by that token, he was allowed the rarest honor in the Senate: his statue placed on the Palatine Hill, and Claudius followed after him and enrolled him into the order of the patricians,]
conlaudans amplissimis verbis, hoc quoque adiecit:
[and as he praised him with the most complimentary words he could find, he also added this comment:]
Vir, quo meliores liberos habere ne opto quidem.
["A man, for whom I truly wish to have no superior sons."]
Ex Albia Terentia splendida femina duos filios tulit,
[From a splendid woman, Albia Terentia, he fathered two sons,]
L. Titianum et minorem M. cognominem sibi;
[Lucius Titianus and the younger one Marcus, named after himself;]
tulit et filiam,
[he fathered a daughter,]
quam vixdum nubilem Druso Germanici filio despondit.
[whom he soon married off as a young bride to Germanicus' son, Drusus.]
II. Otho imperator IIII. Kal. Mai. natus est Domitio Ahenobarbo cons.Camillo Arruntio,
[The emperor Otho was born on the 4th Kalends of May in the consul year of Domitius Ahenobarbus and Camillus Arruntius,]
A prima adulescentia prodigus ac procax,
[From the very first stage of youth, he was a prodigy, and very talkative,]
adeo ut saepe flagris obiurgaretur a patre,
[so much so that he often used to be beaten with whippings by his father,]
ferebatur et vagari noctibus solitus atque invalidum quemque obviorum vel potulentum corripere ac distento sago impositum in sublime iactare.
[it was rumored that he used to wander around in the nights, laying his hands on any weakling or drunkard he met, and after putting him into a stretched out sack, toss him into the air.]
Post patris deinde mortem libertinam aulicam gratiosam, quo efficacius coleret, etiam diligere simulavit quamvis anum ac paene decrepitam:
[After his father's passing, he even pretended to have a crush on a charming flute-player, a freedwoman, about which he adored her too thoroughly, even though she was an old woman and almost in the last stage of her life:]
per hanc insinuatus Neroni,
[through her, he was introduced to Nero,]
facile summum inter amicos locum tenuit congruentia morum,
[with ease, he held the highest priority in his leisurely events among his friends,]
ut vero quidam tradunt,
[at least, in truth, as certain men tell it,]
et consuetudine mutui stupri.
[and from the habit of the scandals they shared.]
et consuetudine mutui stupri.
[and in the habit of the disgrace they shared.]
Ac tantum potentia valuit,
[And so great did his power thrive,]
ut damnatum repetundis consularem virum, ingens praemium pactus,
[that he demanded an immense bribe from a man already found guilty of corruption,]
prius quam plene restitutionem ei impetrasset non dubitaret in senatum ad agendas gratias introducere.
[and no sooner had he gained gained his full acquittal than did he not even hesitate to bring into the presence of the Senate in order to give thanks.]
III. Omnium autem consiliorum secretorumque particeps die, quem necandae matri Nero destinarat,
[However, he was a conspirator in all plans and secrets, and the one whom Nero put in charge of assassinating his mother,]
ad avertendas suspicionem cenam utrique exquisitissimae comitatis dedit;
[and in order to avert her suspicion, he gave her a feast with her as the honored guest;]
item Poppaeam Sabinam tunc adhuc amicam eius, abductam marito demandatamque interim sibi, nuptiarum specie recepit,
[and then, he received Poppaea Sabina, at that time one of her allies, with the grandeur of a wedding ceremony, even though she has been abducted from her husband and demanded back to him in the meantime,]
Suetonius, Life of Nero
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA NERONIS
I. Ex gente Domitia duae familiae claruerunt,
Calvinorum et Aenobarborum.
[Two families distinguished themselves from the clan of Domitians, the Calvini and the Ahenobarbi.]
Aenobarbi auctorem originis itemque cognominis habent L. Domitium,
[The Ahenobarbi take as their original and eponymous founder, Lucius Domitius,]
cui rure quondam revertenti iuvenes gemini augustiore forma ex occursu imperasse traduntur,
[to whom, once upon a time in the countryside, a pair of identical twins, young men of extremely prestigious stature, ordered him, as he approached]
nuntiaret senatui ac populo victoriam,
[that he should announce something to the senate as well as the people,]
de qua incertum adhuc erat;
[about what is not exactly clear;]
atque in fidem maiestatis adeo permulsisse malas,
[and that he so had the power to soothe over evils when entrusted to the faith of his command]
ut e nigro rutilum aerique similem capillum redderent.
[that his hair turned from red to black, almost in the appearance of bronze.]
Quod insigne mansit et in posteris eius,
[And that remained a sign of prestige for his posterity,]
ac magna pars rutila barba fuerunt.
[and a large number of them had red beards.]
Functi autem consulatibus septem,
[And still, seven of them served as consuls,]
triumpho censuraque duplici
[and a pair of triumphs and offices as censor]
et inter patricios adlecti perseveraverunt omnes in eodem cognomine.
[and once they were recruited into the class of patricians, they persevered through time with this very same name.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA NERONIS
I. Ex gente Domitia duae familiae claruerunt,
Calvinorum et Aenobarborum.
[Two families distinguished themselves from the clan of Domitians, the Calvini and the Ahenobarbi.]
Aenobarbi auctorem originis itemque cognominis habent L. Domitium,
[The Ahenobarbi take as their original and eponymous founder, Lucius Domitius,]
cui rure quondam revertenti iuvenes gemini augustiore forma ex occursu imperasse traduntur,
[to whom, once upon a time in the countryside, a pair of identical twins, young men of extremely prestigious stature, ordered him, as he approached]
nuntiaret senatui ac populo victoriam,
[that he should announce something to the senate as well as the people,]
de qua incertum adhuc erat;
[about what is not exactly clear;]
atque in fidem maiestatis adeo permulsisse malas,
[and that he so had the power to soothe over evils when entrusted to the faith of his command]
ut e nigro rutilum aerique similem capillum redderent.
[that his hair turned from red to black, almost in the appearance of bronze.]
Quod insigne mansit et in posteris eius,
[And that remained a sign of prestige for his posterity,]
ac magna pars rutila barba fuerunt.
[and a large number of them had red beards.]
Functi autem consulatibus septem,
[And still, seven of them served as consuls,]
triumpho censuraque duplici
[and a pair of triumphs and offices as censor]
et inter patricios adlecti perseveraverunt omnes in eodem cognomine.
[and once they were recruited into the class of patricians, they persevered through time with this very same name.]
Suetonius, Life of Horace
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA HORATI
Q. HORATIUS FLACCUS, Venusinus,
[Quintus Horatius Flaccus was from Venusia,]
patre ut ipse tradit libertino et exactionum coactore
[as even he admitted that his father was a freedman and debt collector]
(ut vero creditum est salsamentario,
[as, in fact, it is believed to be tongue in cheek]
cum illi quidam in altercatione exprobrasset:
[when a certain fellow had chewed him out in an altercation:]
"Quotiens ego vidi patrem tuum brachio se emungentem!")
["I've so often seen your father milking himself himself with its arm!"]
bello Philippensi excitus a Marco Bruto imperatore, tribunus militum meruit;
[He was recruited during the war in Philippi by his commander Marcus Brutus, and he served as military tribune;]
victisque partibus venia impetrata scriptum quaestorium comparavit.
[when his faction was defeated, and he gained pardon, he prepared the written records for the quaestor.]
Ac primo Maecenati, mox Augusto insinuatus non mediocrem in amborum amicitia locum tenuit.
[And he enjoyed a rather prestigious friendship, first with Maecenas, then with Augustus.]
Maecenas quantopere eum dilexerit satis testatur illo epigrammate:
[How greatly did Maecenas favor him, enough for him to speak the following of that man in an epigram:]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA HORATI
Q. HORATIUS FLACCUS, Venusinus,
[Quintus Horatius Flaccus was from Venusia,]
patre ut ipse tradit libertino et exactionum coactore
[as even he admitted that his father was a freedman and debt collector]
(ut vero creditum est salsamentario,
[as, in fact, it is believed to be tongue in cheek]
cum illi quidam in altercatione exprobrasset:
[when a certain fellow had chewed him out in an altercation:]
"Quotiens ego vidi patrem tuum brachio se emungentem!")
["I've so often seen your father milking himself himself with its arm!"]
bello Philippensi excitus a Marco Bruto imperatore, tribunus militum meruit;
[He was recruited during the war in Philippi by his commander Marcus Brutus, and he served as military tribune;]
victisque partibus venia impetrata scriptum quaestorium comparavit.
[when his faction was defeated, and he gained pardon, he prepared the written records for the quaestor.]
Ac primo Maecenati, mox Augusto insinuatus non mediocrem in amborum amicitia locum tenuit.
[And he enjoyed a rather prestigious friendship, first with Maecenas, then with Augustus.]
Maecenas quantopere eum dilexerit satis testatur illo epigrammate:
[How greatly did Maecenas favor him, enough for him to speak the following of that man in an epigram:]
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Pliny the Younger
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.]
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.]
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Domitian
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DOMITIANI
I. Domitianus natus est VIIII. Kal. Novemb. patre consule designato inituroque mense insequenti honorem,
[Domitian was born on the 8th Kalends of November, when his father was designated consul, and was about to take his office in the following month,]
regione urbis sexta ad Malum Punicum,
[in the region's sixth region, in Malum Punicum,]
domo quam postea in templum gentis Flaviae convertit.
[in a house which he later converted into the Temple of the Flavian clan.]
Pubertatis ac primae adulescentiae tempus tanta inopia tantaque infamia gessisse fertur,
[Its said that the time of his young male life, and the first stages of adulthood, were spent in such great poverty, and wanton state of hunger,]
ut nullum argenteum vas in usu haberet;
[that he didn't even have a single single pot at his disposal;]
satisque constat Clodium Pollionem praetorium virum,
[and it's agreed that Clodius Pollio, a man of praetorian rank,]
in quem est poema Neronis quod inscribitur Luscio,
[to whom Nero's poem is addressed, the one that's written by Luscius,]
chirographum eius conversasse et
nonnumquam protulisse noctem sibi pollicentis;
[and had made him his personal secretary, and at various times, had spent the night with the man, who made various promises to him;]
nec defuerunt qui affirmarent, corruptum Domitianum et a Nerva successore mox suo.
[nor is there a lack of fellows who would declare that Domitian was also corrupted by Nerva, soon to be his own successor.]
Bello Vitelliano confugit in Capitolium cum patruo Sabino ac parte praesentium copiarum,
[During the war against Vitellius, he fled with his uncle Sabinus and a portion of the troops present there to the Capitol,]
sed irrumpentibus adversariis et ardente templo apud aedituum clam pernoctavit,
[but he secretly spent the night in at the temple assistant's home, when while the adversaries were breaking in and the temple burning,]
ac mane Isiaci celatus habitu interque sacrificulos variae superstitionis,
[and in the morning, hidden in a custom of a foreigner, and among the sacrificial attendants of different superstitions,]
cum se trans Tiberim ad condiscipuli sui matrem comite uno contulisset,
[when after he had stole himself across the Tiber to the mother of his fellow student, in accompaniment with a companion,]
ita latuit,
[so he hid,]
ut scrutantibus qui vestigia subsecuti erant,
[so that while there were those who were following her tracks among the bounty-hunters,]
deprehendi non potuerit.
[he still was not taken into custody.]
Post victoriam demum progressus et Caesar consalutatus,
[After finally going forth after the victory, and he was hailed officially as Caesar,]
honorem praeturae urbanae consulari potestate suscepit titulo tenus
[he took upon himself the office of city praetor, more as a title than in respect to its official power]
(nam iuris dictionem ad collegam proximum transtulit);
[you see, he transferred the diction of the law to his next collegue]
ceterum omnem vim dominationis tam licenter exercuit,
[and he exercised the farthest limits of his violent hegemony so unrestrainedly]
ut iam tum qualis esset ostenderet.
[that already at that time, he began to show what kind of man he was.]
Ne exsequar singula,
[Let me know pass detail by detail,]
contrectatis multorum uxoribus,
[when the wives of many men were acquisitioned]
Domitiam Longinam Aelio Lamiae nuptam etiam in matrimonium abduxit,
[he also officially married Domitia Longina, who had been bethrothed to Aelius Lamia,]
atque uno die super XX. officia urbana aut peregrina distribuit,
[and in a single day, he he assigned over 20 city and overseas offices of government,]
mirari se Vespasiano dictitante,
[when even Vespasian had to declare himself impressed,]
quod successorem non et sibi mitteret.
[given that, at the time, he did not assign him as his successor.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DOMITIANI
I. Domitianus natus est VIIII. Kal. Novemb. patre consule designato inituroque mense insequenti honorem,
[Domitian was born on the 8th Kalends of November, when his father was designated consul, and was about to take his office in the following month,]
regione urbis sexta ad Malum Punicum,
[in the region's sixth region, in Malum Punicum,]
domo quam postea in templum gentis Flaviae convertit.
[in a house which he later converted into the Temple of the Flavian clan.]
Pubertatis ac primae adulescentiae tempus tanta inopia tantaque infamia gessisse fertur,
[Its said that the time of his young male life, and the first stages of adulthood, were spent in such great poverty, and wanton state of hunger,]
ut nullum argenteum vas in usu haberet;
[that he didn't even have a single single pot at his disposal;]
satisque constat Clodium Pollionem praetorium virum,
[and it's agreed that Clodius Pollio, a man of praetorian rank,]
in quem est poema Neronis quod inscribitur Luscio,
[to whom Nero's poem is addressed, the one that's written by Luscius,]
chirographum eius conversasse et
nonnumquam protulisse noctem sibi pollicentis;
[and had made him his personal secretary, and at various times, had spent the night with the man, who made various promises to him;]
nec defuerunt qui affirmarent, corruptum Domitianum et a Nerva successore mox suo.
[nor is there a lack of fellows who would declare that Domitian was also corrupted by Nerva, soon to be his own successor.]
Bello Vitelliano confugit in Capitolium cum patruo Sabino ac parte praesentium copiarum,
[During the war against Vitellius, he fled with his uncle Sabinus and a portion of the troops present there to the Capitol,]
sed irrumpentibus adversariis et ardente templo apud aedituum clam pernoctavit,
[but he secretly spent the night in at the temple assistant's home, when while the adversaries were breaking in and the temple burning,]
ac mane Isiaci celatus habitu interque sacrificulos variae superstitionis,
[and in the morning, hidden in a custom of a foreigner, and among the sacrificial attendants of different superstitions,]
cum se trans Tiberim ad condiscipuli sui matrem comite uno contulisset,
[when after he had stole himself across the Tiber to the mother of his fellow student, in accompaniment with a companion,]
ita latuit,
[so he hid,]
ut scrutantibus qui vestigia subsecuti erant,
[so that while there were those who were following her tracks among the bounty-hunters,]
deprehendi non potuerit.
[he still was not taken into custody.]
Post victoriam demum progressus et Caesar consalutatus,
[After finally going forth after the victory, and he was hailed officially as Caesar,]
honorem praeturae urbanae consulari potestate suscepit titulo tenus
[he took upon himself the office of city praetor, more as a title than in respect to its official power]
(nam iuris dictionem ad collegam proximum transtulit);
[you see, he transferred the diction of the law to his next collegue]
ceterum omnem vim dominationis tam licenter exercuit,
[and he exercised the farthest limits of his violent hegemony so unrestrainedly]
ut iam tum qualis esset ostenderet.
[that already at that time, he began to show what kind of man he was.]
Ne exsequar singula,
[Let me know pass detail by detail,]
contrectatis multorum uxoribus,
[when the wives of many men were acquisitioned]
Domitiam Longinam Aelio Lamiae nuptam etiam in matrimonium abduxit,
[he also officially married Domitia Longina, who had been bethrothed to Aelius Lamia,]
atque uno die super XX. officia urbana aut peregrina distribuit,
[and in a single day, he he assigned over 20 city and overseas offices of government,]
mirari se Vespasiano dictitante,
[when even Vespasian had to declare himself impressed,]
quod successorem non et sibi mitteret.
[given that, at the time, he did not assign him as his successor.]
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Vergil
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA VERGILI
P. VERGILIUS MARO Mantuanus parentibus modicis fuit
[Publius Vergilius Maro was born to parents of middle means,]
ac praecipue patre, quem quidam opificem figulum, plures Magi cuiusdam viatoris initio mercennarium,
mox ob industriam generum tradiderunt,
[and notably from a father whom certain people said was a sculptor of clay, but most think he was, in the beginning, a mercenary hired by a road engineer named Magus, but soon became his son in law, out of sheer hard work]
egregieque substantiae silvis coemendis et apibus curandis auxisse reculam.
[and that he had grown an estate of considerable fortune from bee-farming and forestry.]
Natus est Gn. Pompeio Magno M. Licinio Crasso primum conss. Iduum Octobrium die in pago qui Andes dicitur
[He was born in the consul year of Gnaeus Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus, on the 1st Ides of October, in the district called Andes,]
et abest a Mantua non procul.
[and he was not far from Mantua.]
Praegnas eo mater somniavit enixam se laureum ramum,
[His mother pregnant with him dreamed that she was holding on to a laurel branch,]
quem contactu terrae coaluisse
[which she had then planted down, touching the earth]
et excrevisse ilico in speciem maturae arboris
[and all of sudden, the appearance of a full-grown tree sprung out]
refertaeque variis pomis et floribus,
[one with an assortment of fruits and blossoms,]
ac sequenti luce cum marito rus propinquum petens ex itinere devertit
[and as the dawn following, she, searching the neighboring countryside at the side of her husband, turn off the normal path of their journey,]
atque in subiecta fossa partu levata est.
[and raised herself to the ditch beneath her to deliver their baby.]
Ferunt infantem ut sit editus neque vagisse
[They say he, as an infant, as soon as he came into the world, never cried once]
et adeo miti vultu fuisse,
[and had such a calm demeanor,]
ut haud dubiam spem prosperioris geniturae iam tum daret.
[that even at that time, he gave certain hope of his good fortune to come.]
Et accessit aliud praesagium,
[And another omen happened,]
siquidem virga populea more regionis in puerperiis eodem statim loco depacta ita brevi evaluit tempore,
[that indeed, by the custom of the region, a stick from a poplar tree, once it was plucked down into the ground from its very first years, it sprouted in so brief a period of time]
ut multo ante satas populos adaequavisset,
[that it had by far equaled fully grown poplar trees,]
quae arbor Vergilii ex eo dicta atque etiam consecrata est summa gravidarum ac fetarum religione suscipientium ibi et solventium vota.
[which is now called Vergil's tree, ever since that point, and has even been consecrated by the most devout sacrifice of pregnant animals, and in that place, that receive and accomplish their prayers.]
Initia aetatis Cremonae egit usque ad virilem togam,
[He spent the beginning of his life in Cremona until he donned his manly toga,]
quam XV anno natali suo accepit iisdem illis consulibus iterum duobus,
[which he received on his fifteen birthday, on the consul of the very same men,]
quibus erat natus,
[in which he was born,]
evenitque ut eo ipso die Lucretius poeta decederet.
[and it happened that the poet Lucretius died on that very same day.]
Sed Vergilius a Cremona Mediolanum et inde paulo post transiit in urbem.
[But after that, Vergil moved from Cremona to Mediolanum, and shortly after that, to the big city.]
Corpore et statura fuit grandi,
[He was a man of great stature and girth,]
aquilo colore, facie rusticana, valetudine varia;
[with a parched hue, a yeoman's appearance, and uneasy health;]
nam plerumque a stomacho et a faucibus ac dolore capitis laborabat,
[you see, he struggled mostly from stomach and throat problems, as well as headaches,]
sanguinem etiam saepe reiecit.
[and often he even coughed up blood.]
Cibi vinique minimi;
[He tolerated only the smallest amounts of food and wine;]
libidinis in pueros pronioris,
[he tended to be more turned on to boys,]
quorum maxime dilexit Cebetem et Alexandrum,
[of whom he liked Cebetus and Alexander the most,]
quem secunda "Bucolicorum" egloga Alexim appellat,
[whom he calls Alexis in the second eclogue of his Bucolics,]
donatum sibi ab Asinio Pollione,
[after he was given to him by Asinius Pollio,]
utrumque non ineruditum, Cebetem vero et poetam.
[and both of these boys were quite educated, in fact, Cebetus was even a poet.]
Vulgatum est consuesse eum et cum Plotia Hieria.
[And it was publicly known that he had attached himself to him, and at Plotia Hieria's side.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA VERGILI
P. VERGILIUS MARO Mantuanus parentibus modicis fuit
[Publius Vergilius Maro was born to parents of middle means,]
ac praecipue patre, quem quidam opificem figulum, plures Magi cuiusdam viatoris initio mercennarium,
mox ob industriam generum tradiderunt,
[and notably from a father whom certain people said was a sculptor of clay, but most think he was, in the beginning, a mercenary hired by a road engineer named Magus, but soon became his son in law, out of sheer hard work]
egregieque substantiae silvis coemendis et apibus curandis auxisse reculam.
[and that he had grown an estate of considerable fortune from bee-farming and forestry.]
Natus est Gn. Pompeio Magno M. Licinio Crasso primum conss. Iduum Octobrium die in pago qui Andes dicitur
[He was born in the consul year of Gnaeus Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus, on the 1st Ides of October, in the district called Andes,]
et abest a Mantua non procul.
[and he was not far from Mantua.]
Praegnas eo mater somniavit enixam se laureum ramum,
[His mother pregnant with him dreamed that she was holding on to a laurel branch,]
quem contactu terrae coaluisse
[which she had then planted down, touching the earth]
et excrevisse ilico in speciem maturae arboris
[and all of sudden, the appearance of a full-grown tree sprung out]
refertaeque variis pomis et floribus,
[one with an assortment of fruits and blossoms,]
ac sequenti luce cum marito rus propinquum petens ex itinere devertit
[and as the dawn following, she, searching the neighboring countryside at the side of her husband, turn off the normal path of their journey,]
atque in subiecta fossa partu levata est.
[and raised herself to the ditch beneath her to deliver their baby.]
Ferunt infantem ut sit editus neque vagisse
[They say he, as an infant, as soon as he came into the world, never cried once]
et adeo miti vultu fuisse,
[and had such a calm demeanor,]
ut haud dubiam spem prosperioris geniturae iam tum daret.
[that even at that time, he gave certain hope of his good fortune to come.]
Et accessit aliud praesagium,
[And another omen happened,]
siquidem virga populea more regionis in puerperiis eodem statim loco depacta ita brevi evaluit tempore,
[that indeed, by the custom of the region, a stick from a poplar tree, once it was plucked down into the ground from its very first years, it sprouted in so brief a period of time]
ut multo ante satas populos adaequavisset,
[that it had by far equaled fully grown poplar trees,]
quae arbor Vergilii ex eo dicta atque etiam consecrata est summa gravidarum ac fetarum religione suscipientium ibi et solventium vota.
[which is now called Vergil's tree, ever since that point, and has even been consecrated by the most devout sacrifice of pregnant animals, and in that place, that receive and accomplish their prayers.]
Initia aetatis Cremonae egit usque ad virilem togam,
[He spent the beginning of his life in Cremona until he donned his manly toga,]
quam XV anno natali suo accepit iisdem illis consulibus iterum duobus,
[which he received on his fifteen birthday, on the consul of the very same men,]
quibus erat natus,
[in which he was born,]
evenitque ut eo ipso die Lucretius poeta decederet.
[and it happened that the poet Lucretius died on that very same day.]
Sed Vergilius a Cremona Mediolanum et inde paulo post transiit in urbem.
[But after that, Vergil moved from Cremona to Mediolanum, and shortly after that, to the big city.]
Corpore et statura fuit grandi,
[He was a man of great stature and girth,]
aquilo colore, facie rusticana, valetudine varia;
[with a parched hue, a yeoman's appearance, and uneasy health;]
nam plerumque a stomacho et a faucibus ac dolore capitis laborabat,
[you see, he struggled mostly from stomach and throat problems, as well as headaches,]
sanguinem etiam saepe reiecit.
[and often he even coughed up blood.]
Cibi vinique minimi;
[He tolerated only the smallest amounts of food and wine;]
libidinis in pueros pronioris,
[he tended to be more turned on to boys,]
quorum maxime dilexit Cebetem et Alexandrum,
[of whom he liked Cebetus and Alexander the most,]
quem secunda "Bucolicorum" egloga Alexim appellat,
[whom he calls Alexis in the second eclogue of his Bucolics,]
donatum sibi ab Asinio Pollione,
[after he was given to him by Asinius Pollio,]
utrumque non ineruditum, Cebetem vero et poetam.
[and both of these boys were quite educated, in fact, Cebetus was even a poet.]
Vulgatum est consuesse eum et cum Plotia Hieria.
[And it was publicly known that he had attached himself to him, and at Plotia Hieria's side.]
Monday, May 16, 2011
Suetonius, The Rhetors
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILII DE RHETORIBVS
[1] Rhetorica quoque apud nos perinde atque grammatica fere recepta est,
[The art of speaking too was received by us, and to some extent, the study of grammar thereafter,]
paulo etiam difficilius,
[and this came with somewhat more difficulty,]
quippe quam constet nonnunquam etiam prohibitam exerceri.
[as, in fact, it happened that, at times, it was not possible to be employed.]
Quod ne cui dubium sit vetus S. C. item censorium edictum subiiciam:
[Which, lest there be any old doubt about the senatorial decree, I will likewise mention the edict of the censors:]
C. Fannio Strabone M. Valerio Messala cons. M. Pomponius praetor senatum consuluit.
[In the consul years of Gaius Fannius Strabo and Marcus Valerius Messala, Marcus Pomponius the praetor convened the Senate.]
Quod verba facta sunt de philosophis et rhetoribus,
[Let's mark the words that were said about philosophers and orators,]
de ea re ita censuerunt,
[on which matter, people agreed about the following,]
ut N. Pomponius praetor animadiverteret
[when the praetor Naevius Pomponius paid heed,]
curaretque, ut si ei e re p. fideque sua videretur,
[and took care to see that if he could appear to serve the republic with his loyalty,]
uti Romae ne essent.
[that is, to make sure that these kind of people were not present in Rome.]
De eisdem interiecto tempore CN. Domitius Aenobarbus, L. Licinius Crassus censores ita edixerunt:
[In the interim, the censors Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Lucius Licinius Crassus so decreed about these very men:]
Renuntiatum est nobis,
["We have both officially announced,]
esse homines qui novum genus disciplinae instituerunt,
[there are people who have instructed a new field of discipline,]
ad quos inventus in ludum conveniat;
[to whom it befits to become a matter of mockery;]
eos sibi nomen imposuisse Latinos rhetoras;
[we've decreed to impose the title of Latin rhetors upon them;]
***
Maiores nostri, quae liberos suos discere et quos in ludos itare vellent, instituerunt.
[Our forefathers instructed how they wanted their books to teach and be prepared for schools.]
Haec nova, quae praeter consuetudinern ac morem maiorum fiunt,
[These new things, which went beyond the tradition and custom of the ancestors,]
neque placent neque recta videntur.
[neither became popular nor seemed to be appropriate.]
Quapropter et iis qui eos ludos habent,
[And wherefore, for those men who possess these kinds of schools,]
et iis qui eo venire consuerunt,
[and for those who are accustomed to frequent them,]
videtur faciundum
[it seems obligatory to make it]
ut ostenderemus nostram sententiam, nobis non placere.
[that I should reveal my opinion, that is, that I don't approve of them.]
Paulatim et ipsa utilis honestaque apparuit,
[And gradually, this appeared useful, and honest,]
multique eam et praesidii causa et gloriae appetiverunt.
[and many people sought this, in order to gain higher standing and glory.]
Cicero ad praeturam usque etiam Graece declamitavit,
[Even Cicero spoke rhetorically, in Greek, during his office as praetor,]
Latine vero senior quoque
[and in fact, as a older fellow, in Latin took]
et quidem cum consulibus Hirtio et Pansa,
[and indeed, in accompaniment with the consuls Hirtius and Pansa,]
quos discipulos et grandis praetextatos vocabat.
[whom he used to call his students, and greatly distinguished.]
CN. Pompeium quidam historici tradiderunt sub ipsum civile bellum,
[Certain historians say talk about Gnaeus Pompey, during the civil war itself,]
quo facilius C. Curioni promptissimo iuveni, causam Caesaris defendenti, contradiceret,
[whereby he spoke against only of the most educated young men around, Gaius Curio, who was Caesar's defense lawyer,]
repetisse declamandi consnetudinem;
[and he had invoked his practice of speaking rhetorically;]
M. Antonium, item Augustum ne Mutinensi quidem bello omisisse.
[in fact, in order, to not miss out on Mark Antony Antony, and Augustus too, during the war against Mutina.]
Nero Caesar primo imperii anno, publice quoque bis antea, declamavit.
[Nero Caesar, in the very first year of his reign as emperor, spoke as an orator, and also two years ago in the presence of the public.]
Plerique autem oratorum etiam declamationes ediderunt.
[And yet, most of the orators also gave rhetorical presentations too.]
Quare magno studio hominibus iniecto,
[Whereby, after a great passion fell upon people, ]
magna etiam professorum ac doctorum profluxit copia,
[a tremendous group of oratory teachers and instructors flooded forth too,]
adeoque floruit,
[and there practice flourished so very much]
ut nonnulli ex infima fortuna in ordinem senatorium atque ad summos honores processerint.
[that some leapt from the worst lot in life all the way to the order of the Senate, as well as the greatest positions of power.]
Sed ratio docendi nec una omnibus, nec singulis eadero semper fuit,
[But the practice of teaching was not the same thing for all people, nor was it always called such for each and every individual,]
quando vario modo quisque discipulos exercuerunt.
[while each of them trained their students in a variety of ways.]
Nam et dicta praeclare per omnes figuras, per casus et apologos aliter atque aliter exponere, et narrationes cum breviter ac presse tum latius et uberius explicare consuerant;
[You see, they were accustomed to make speech distinguished through all kinds of rhetorical figures, to expound in one way or another through improvisation and defenses, and to lay out their anecdotes, both with brevity and gravity, and as widely and richly as possible;]
interdum Graecorum scripta convertere,
[at other times, to translate the writings of Greeks,]
ac illustres laudare vel vituperare;
[and to praise, or condemn, famous men;]
quaedam etiam ad usum communis vitae instituta turn utilia et necessaria, tum perniciosa et supervacanea ostendere;
[also to demonstrate specific knowledge for the good of life in the community, as useful and necessary, and at other times, as pernicious and beyond useless;]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILII DE RHETORIBVS
[1] Rhetorica quoque apud nos perinde atque grammatica fere recepta est,
[The art of speaking too was received by us, and to some extent, the study of grammar thereafter,]
paulo etiam difficilius,
[and this came with somewhat more difficulty,]
quippe quam constet nonnunquam etiam prohibitam exerceri.
[as, in fact, it happened that, at times, it was not possible to be employed.]
Quod ne cui dubium sit vetus S. C. item censorium edictum subiiciam:
[Which, lest there be any old doubt about the senatorial decree, I will likewise mention the edict of the censors:]
C. Fannio Strabone M. Valerio Messala cons. M. Pomponius praetor senatum consuluit.
[In the consul years of Gaius Fannius Strabo and Marcus Valerius Messala, Marcus Pomponius the praetor convened the Senate.]
Quod verba facta sunt de philosophis et rhetoribus,
[Let's mark the words that were said about philosophers and orators,]
de ea re ita censuerunt,
[on which matter, people agreed about the following,]
ut N. Pomponius praetor animadiverteret
[when the praetor Naevius Pomponius paid heed,]
curaretque, ut si ei e re p. fideque sua videretur,
[and took care to see that if he could appear to serve the republic with his loyalty,]
uti Romae ne essent.
[that is, to make sure that these kind of people were not present in Rome.]
De eisdem interiecto tempore CN. Domitius Aenobarbus, L. Licinius Crassus censores ita edixerunt:
[In the interim, the censors Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Lucius Licinius Crassus so decreed about these very men:]
Renuntiatum est nobis,
["We have both officially announced,]
esse homines qui novum genus disciplinae instituerunt,
[there are people who have instructed a new field of discipline,]
ad quos inventus in ludum conveniat;
[to whom it befits to become a matter of mockery;]
eos sibi nomen imposuisse Latinos rhetoras;
[we've decreed to impose the title of Latin rhetors upon them;]
***
Maiores nostri, quae liberos suos discere et quos in ludos itare vellent, instituerunt.
[Our forefathers instructed how they wanted their books to teach and be prepared for schools.]
Haec nova, quae praeter consuetudinern ac morem maiorum fiunt,
[These new things, which went beyond the tradition and custom of the ancestors,]
neque placent neque recta videntur.
[neither became popular nor seemed to be appropriate.]
Quapropter et iis qui eos ludos habent,
[And wherefore, for those men who possess these kinds of schools,]
et iis qui eo venire consuerunt,
[and for those who are accustomed to frequent them,]
videtur faciundum
[it seems obligatory to make it]
ut ostenderemus nostram sententiam, nobis non placere.
[that I should reveal my opinion, that is, that I don't approve of them.]
Paulatim et ipsa utilis honestaque apparuit,
[And gradually, this appeared useful, and honest,]
multique eam et praesidii causa et gloriae appetiverunt.
[and many people sought this, in order to gain higher standing and glory.]
Cicero ad praeturam usque etiam Graece declamitavit,
[Even Cicero spoke rhetorically, in Greek, during his office as praetor,]
Latine vero senior quoque
[and in fact, as a older fellow, in Latin took]
et quidem cum consulibus Hirtio et Pansa,
[and indeed, in accompaniment with the consuls Hirtius and Pansa,]
quos discipulos et grandis praetextatos vocabat.
[whom he used to call his students, and greatly distinguished.]
CN. Pompeium quidam historici tradiderunt sub ipsum civile bellum,
[Certain historians say talk about Gnaeus Pompey, during the civil war itself,]
quo facilius C. Curioni promptissimo iuveni, causam Caesaris defendenti, contradiceret,
[whereby he spoke against only of the most educated young men around, Gaius Curio, who was Caesar's defense lawyer,]
repetisse declamandi consnetudinem;
[and he had invoked his practice of speaking rhetorically;]
M. Antonium, item Augustum ne Mutinensi quidem bello omisisse.
[in fact, in order, to not miss out on Mark Antony Antony, and Augustus too, during the war against Mutina.]
Nero Caesar primo imperii anno, publice quoque bis antea, declamavit.
[Nero Caesar, in the very first year of his reign as emperor, spoke as an orator, and also two years ago in the presence of the public.]
Plerique autem oratorum etiam declamationes ediderunt.
[And yet, most of the orators also gave rhetorical presentations too.]
Quare magno studio hominibus iniecto,
[Whereby, after a great passion fell upon people, ]
magna etiam professorum ac doctorum profluxit copia,
[a tremendous group of oratory teachers and instructors flooded forth too,]
adeoque floruit,
[and there practice flourished so very much]
ut nonnulli ex infima fortuna in ordinem senatorium atque ad summos honores processerint.
[that some leapt from the worst lot in life all the way to the order of the Senate, as well as the greatest positions of power.]
Sed ratio docendi nec una omnibus, nec singulis eadero semper fuit,
[But the practice of teaching was not the same thing for all people, nor was it always called such for each and every individual,]
quando vario modo quisque discipulos exercuerunt.
[while each of them trained their students in a variety of ways.]
Nam et dicta praeclare per omnes figuras, per casus et apologos aliter atque aliter exponere, et narrationes cum breviter ac presse tum latius et uberius explicare consuerant;
[You see, they were accustomed to make speech distinguished through all kinds of rhetorical figures, to expound in one way or another through improvisation and defenses, and to lay out their anecdotes, both with brevity and gravity, and as widely and richly as possible;]
interdum Graecorum scripta convertere,
[at other times, to translate the writings of Greeks,]
ac illustres laudare vel vituperare;
[and to praise, or condemn, famous men;]
quaedam etiam ad usum communis vitae instituta turn utilia et necessaria, tum perniciosa et supervacanea ostendere;
[also to demonstrate specific knowledge for the good of life in the community, as useful and necessary, and at other times, as pernicious and beyond useless;]
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Tibullus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA TIBULLI
"Te quoque Vergilio comitem non aequa, Tibulle,
Mors iuvenem campos misit ad Elysios,
["You too, did Death unfairly send to the Elysian Fields, as a young man, and a friend of Vergil,]
Ne foret, aut elegis molles qui fleret amores
Aut caneret forti regia bella pede."
[lest he should be present, and be a man who could either weep the the softness of his love affairs, or sing of the royal wars in a sturdy meter."]
Albius Tibullus eques Romanus, insignis forma cultuque corporis observabilis, ante alios Corvinum Messalam oratorem dilexit,
[Albius Tibullus was a Roman with equestrian status, renowned for his handsome looks, and noticeable from the upkeep of his body, who gained the favor of the orator Corvinus Messala,]
cuius etiam contubernalis Aquitanico bello militaribus donis donatus est.
[from whose gifts, along with his fellow soldiers, he benefitted during the war against the Aquitani,]
Hic multorum iudicio principem inter elegiographos obtinet locum.
[This man gains a top spot among elegaic writers, according to the opinion of many people.]
Epistolae quoque eius amatoriae, quamquam breves, omnino utiles sunt.
[His love letters too, although brief, are completely respectable.]
Obiit adulescens,
[He died a young man,]
ut indicat epigramma supra scriptum.
[as the epigram written above shows.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA TIBULLI
"Te quoque Vergilio comitem non aequa, Tibulle,
Mors iuvenem campos misit ad Elysios,
["You too, did Death unfairly send to the Elysian Fields, as a young man, and a friend of Vergil,]
Ne foret, aut elegis molles qui fleret amores
Aut caneret forti regia bella pede."
[lest he should be present, and be a man who could either weep the the softness of his love affairs, or sing of the royal wars in a sturdy meter."]
Albius Tibullus eques Romanus, insignis forma cultuque corporis observabilis, ante alios Corvinum Messalam oratorem dilexit,
[Albius Tibullus was a Roman with equestrian status, renowned for his handsome looks, and noticeable from the upkeep of his body, who gained the favor of the orator Corvinus Messala,]
cuius etiam contubernalis Aquitanico bello militaribus donis donatus est.
[from whose gifts, along with his fellow soldiers, he benefitted during the war against the Aquitani,]
Hic multorum iudicio principem inter elegiographos obtinet locum.
[This man gains a top spot among elegaic writers, according to the opinion of many people.]
Epistolae quoque eius amatoriae, quamquam breves, omnino utiles sunt.
[His love letters too, although brief, are completely respectable.]
Obiit adulescens,
[He died a young man,]
ut indicat epigramma supra scriptum.
[as the epigram written above shows.]
Suetonius, Life of Lucan
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA LUCANI
M. ANNAEUS LUCANUS CORDUBENSIS prima ingenii experimenta in "Neronis laudibus" dedit quinquennali certamine,
[Marcus Annaeus Lucan, of Cordoba, gave a 15-year effort in the first application of his talent to his "Praise of Nero"]
dein "Civile Bellum," quod a Pompeio et Caesare gestum est, recitavit,
[and then, he recited his "Civil War", the one that was waged between Pompey and Caesar,]
ut praefatione quadam aetatem et initia sua cum Vergilio comparans ausus sit dicere:
[such that he dared to say the following, as though he were invoking his own generation and beginning through Vergil's words:]
"et quantum mihi restat
Ad Culicem?"
["and how much of "Ad Culicem" do I have left?"]
Hic initio adolescentiae, cum ob infestum matrimonium patrem suum ruri agere longissime cognovisset
[At this point, in the beginning of his youth, he lived in his life way out of the countryside, on account of a politically dangerous marriage,]
*** Revocatus Athenis a Nerone
[but he was recalled from Athens by Nero,]
cohortique amicorum additus
[and included among the cohort of his associates]
atque etiam quaestura honoratus,
[and was even appointed a position as quaestor,]
non tamen permansit in gratia.
[Nevertheless, he did not remain in his good graces.]
Siquidem aegre ferens,
[And so he took this rather personally,]
recitante se subito ac nulla nisi refrigerandi sui causa indicto senatu recessisse,
[and taking up the habit of reciting his written works, he departed from the senate, by no other reason except that his connections had grown cold,]
neque verbis adversus principem neque factis exstantibus post haec temperavit,
[though he neither tried to speak against the emperor in his words, nor did anything of the sort, except for the following,]
adeo ut quondam in latrinis publicis clariore cum strepitu ventris emissi hemistichium Neronis magna consessorum fuga pronuntiarit:
[such that it happened that, one time, in the public bathrooms, he announced in public that a great exodus of fellow restroom-goes would be scared away by the tremendous rip of one of Nero's BMs]
"Sub terris tonuisse putes."
["You'd think that it had thundered beneath the earth itself."]
Sed et famoso carmine cum ipsum tum potentissimos amicorum gravissime proscidit.
[But, with this famous song of his, he not only showed dissent, in the sharpest tones, but also his most powerful friends.]
Ad extremum paene signifer Pisonianae coniurationis exstitit,
[Barely did the leader of Piso's conspiracy meet his end,]
multus in gloria tyrannicidarum palam praedicanda ac plenus minarum,
[than he openly basked in the glory of predicting the tyrant's death, all full of threats he was,]
usque eo intemperans ut Caesaris caput proximo cuique iactaret.
[even to the point that he was itching to have Caesar's head tossed about from person to person.]
Verum detecta coniuratione nequaquam parem animi constantiam praestitit;
[However, when the plot was revealed, he found no similar boldness of mind;]
facile enim confessus
[you see, he quickly confessed,]
et ad humillimas devolutus preces matrem quoque innoxiam inter socios nominavit,
[and after he broke down to the most humiliating bout of begging, he also ratted out his mother's name, though she remained uncharged among her fellow conspirators,]
sperans impietatem sibi apud parricidam principem profuturam.
[as he hoped that the emperor might find it advantageous to commit the murder of his own mother.]
Impetrato autem mortis arbitrio libero codicillos ad patrem corrigendis quibusdam versibus suis exaravit,
[Nevertheless, after his execution was officially ordered by her son, he scribbled out a few books whoses lines needed editing,]
epulatusque largiter brachia ad secandas venas praebuit medico.
[and after having a tremendous feast, he had his doctor slit the veins to his lungs.]
Poemata eius etiam praelegi memini,
[Even I remember him reading his poetry,]
confici vero ac proponi venalia non tantum operose et diligenter sed inepte quoque.
[and his sold works were completed and put on the market, but not so meticulously, and diligently at times, and even ineptly at others.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA LUCANI
M. ANNAEUS LUCANUS CORDUBENSIS prima ingenii experimenta in "Neronis laudibus" dedit quinquennali certamine,
[Marcus Annaeus Lucan, of Cordoba, gave a 15-year effort in the first application of his talent to his "Praise of Nero"]
dein "Civile Bellum," quod a Pompeio et Caesare gestum est, recitavit,
[and then, he recited his "Civil War", the one that was waged between Pompey and Caesar,]
ut praefatione quadam aetatem et initia sua cum Vergilio comparans ausus sit dicere:
[such that he dared to say the following, as though he were invoking his own generation and beginning through Vergil's words:]
"et quantum mihi restat
Ad Culicem?"
["and how much of "Ad Culicem" do I have left?"]
Hic initio adolescentiae, cum ob infestum matrimonium patrem suum ruri agere longissime cognovisset
[At this point, in the beginning of his youth, he lived in his life way out of the countryside, on account of a politically dangerous marriage,]
*** Revocatus Athenis a Nerone
[but he was recalled from Athens by Nero,]
cohortique amicorum additus
[and included among the cohort of his associates]
atque etiam quaestura honoratus,
[and was even appointed a position as quaestor,]
non tamen permansit in gratia.
[Nevertheless, he did not remain in his good graces.]
Siquidem aegre ferens,
[And so he took this rather personally,]
recitante se subito ac nulla nisi refrigerandi sui causa indicto senatu recessisse,
[and taking up the habit of reciting his written works, he departed from the senate, by no other reason except that his connections had grown cold,]
neque verbis adversus principem neque factis exstantibus post haec temperavit,
[though he neither tried to speak against the emperor in his words, nor did anything of the sort, except for the following,]
adeo ut quondam in latrinis publicis clariore cum strepitu ventris emissi hemistichium Neronis magna consessorum fuga pronuntiarit:
[such that it happened that, one time, in the public bathrooms, he announced in public that a great exodus of fellow restroom-goes would be scared away by the tremendous rip of one of Nero's BMs]
"Sub terris tonuisse putes."
["You'd think that it had thundered beneath the earth itself."]
Sed et famoso carmine cum ipsum tum potentissimos amicorum gravissime proscidit.
[But, with this famous song of his, he not only showed dissent, in the sharpest tones, but also his most powerful friends.]
Ad extremum paene signifer Pisonianae coniurationis exstitit,
[Barely did the leader of Piso's conspiracy meet his end,]
multus in gloria tyrannicidarum palam praedicanda ac plenus minarum,
[than he openly basked in the glory of predicting the tyrant's death, all full of threats he was,]
usque eo intemperans ut Caesaris caput proximo cuique iactaret.
[even to the point that he was itching to have Caesar's head tossed about from person to person.]
Verum detecta coniuratione nequaquam parem animi constantiam praestitit;
[However, when the plot was revealed, he found no similar boldness of mind;]
facile enim confessus
[you see, he quickly confessed,]
et ad humillimas devolutus preces matrem quoque innoxiam inter socios nominavit,
[and after he broke down to the most humiliating bout of begging, he also ratted out his mother's name, though she remained uncharged among her fellow conspirators,]
sperans impietatem sibi apud parricidam principem profuturam.
[as he hoped that the emperor might find it advantageous to commit the murder of his own mother.]
Impetrato autem mortis arbitrio libero codicillos ad patrem corrigendis quibusdam versibus suis exaravit,
[Nevertheless, after his execution was officially ordered by her son, he scribbled out a few books whoses lines needed editing,]
epulatusque largiter brachia ad secandas venas praebuit medico.
[and after having a tremendous feast, he had his doctor slit the veins to his lungs.]
Poemata eius etiam praelegi memini,
[Even I remember him reading his poetry,]
confici vero ac proponi venalia non tantum operose et diligenter sed inepte quoque.
[and his sold works were completed and put on the market, but not so meticulously, and diligently at times, and even ineptly at others.]
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Titus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI TITI
I. Titus cognomine paterno, amor ac deliciae generis humani,
[Titus was named for his father, and he was the love and delight of the entire human race,]
(tantum illi ad promerendam omnium voluntatem vel ingenii vel artis vel fortunae superfuit,
[so much of either his talent, or skill, or good fortune, prevailed for the purpose of gaining the respect of every person]
et, quod difficillimum est, in imperio:
[and in such a commanding position of power, something which is extremely difficult to attain.]
quando privatus atque etiam sub patre principe ne odio quidem,
nedum vituperatione publica caruit),
[When he was a private citizen, and under his father, who was emperor, he never incurred anyone's hatred, so long as he avoided the criticism of the public eye,]
natus est III. Kal. Ian. insigni anno Gaiana nece,
prope Septizonium, sordidis aedibus, cubiculo vero perparvo et obscuro
[He was born on the 3rd Kalends of January in the famous year when Gaius <Caligula> was assassinated, near Septizonium, in a rather filthy house, in fact, in an extremely small and dark room,]
(nam manet adhuc et ostenditur);
[you see, it still stands and is shown off to the public;]
II. educatus in aula cum Britannico simul,
[He was educated in the same school as Britannicus,]
ac paribus disciplinis et apud eosdem magistros institutus.
[and he was brought up with exact the same studies and by the same instructors.]
Quo quidem tempore aiunt metoposcopum, a Narcisso Claudii liberto adhibitum,
[At that time, in fact, people say that a spy, given his assignment by Claudius' freedman Narcissus,]
ut Britannicum inspiceret,
[to keep watch over Britannicus]
constantissime affirmasse,
[at most assuredly as possible asserted]
illud quidem nullo modo, ceterum Titum, qui tunc prope astabat, utique imperaturum.
[that, in fact, that boy, in no way, could be Titus' superior, in any respect, that is, the boy who was standing off from him nearby.]
Erant autem adeo familiares,
[And yet, they were such close acquaintances,]
ut de potione, qua Britannicus hausta periit,
[that when it concerned the very drink from which Britannicus died, gulping it down,]
Titus quoque iuxta cubans gustasse credatur
[Titus, who was lying next to him, is believed to have also sampled it]
gravique morbo adflictatus diu.
[and to have fallen sick for a long time from a grave illness.]
Quorum omnium mox memor,
[He soon mindful of all of these things,]
statum ei auream in Palatio posuit,
[dedicated a golden statue of him on the Palatine Hill,]
et alteram ex ebore equestrem,
[and another one, on horse-back, and made from ivory,]
quae Circensi pompa hodieque praefertur,
[which is rounded to this very day upon Circus' procession,]
dedicavit prosecutusque est.
[so he dedicated and followed through on this.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI TITI
I. Titus cognomine paterno, amor ac deliciae generis humani,
[Titus was named for his father, and he was the love and delight of the entire human race,]
(tantum illi ad promerendam omnium voluntatem vel ingenii vel artis vel fortunae superfuit,
[so much of either his talent, or skill, or good fortune, prevailed for the purpose of gaining the respect of every person]
et, quod difficillimum est, in imperio:
[and in such a commanding position of power, something which is extremely difficult to attain.]
quando privatus atque etiam sub patre principe ne odio quidem,
nedum vituperatione publica caruit),
[When he was a private citizen, and under his father, who was emperor, he never incurred anyone's hatred, so long as he avoided the criticism of the public eye,]
natus est III. Kal. Ian. insigni anno Gaiana nece,
prope Septizonium, sordidis aedibus, cubiculo vero perparvo et obscuro
[He was born on the 3rd Kalends of January in the famous year when Gaius <Caligula> was assassinated, near Septizonium, in a rather filthy house, in fact, in an extremely small and dark room,]
(nam manet adhuc et ostenditur);
[you see, it still stands and is shown off to the public;]
II. educatus in aula cum Britannico simul,
[He was educated in the same school as Britannicus,]
ac paribus disciplinis et apud eosdem magistros institutus.
[and he was brought up with exact the same studies and by the same instructors.]
Quo quidem tempore aiunt metoposcopum, a Narcisso Claudii liberto adhibitum,
[At that time, in fact, people say that a spy, given his assignment by Claudius' freedman Narcissus,]
ut Britannicum inspiceret,
[to keep watch over Britannicus]
constantissime affirmasse,
[at most assuredly as possible asserted]
illud quidem nullo modo, ceterum Titum, qui tunc prope astabat, utique imperaturum.
[that, in fact, that boy, in no way, could be Titus' superior, in any respect, that is, the boy who was standing off from him nearby.]
Erant autem adeo familiares,
[And yet, they were such close acquaintances,]
ut de potione, qua Britannicus hausta periit,
[that when it concerned the very drink from which Britannicus died, gulping it down,]
Titus quoque iuxta cubans gustasse credatur
[Titus, who was lying next to him, is believed to have also sampled it]
gravique morbo adflictatus diu.
[and to have fallen sick for a long time from a grave illness.]
Quorum omnium mox memor,
[He soon mindful of all of these things,]
statum ei auream in Palatio posuit,
[dedicated a golden statue of him on the Palatine Hill,]
et alteram ex ebore equestrem,
[and another one, on horse-back, and made from ivory,]
quae Circensi pompa hodieque praefertur,
[which is rounded to this very day upon Circus' procession,]
dedicavit prosecutusque est.
[so he dedicated and followed through on this.]
Suetonius, Life of Galba
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA GALBAE
I. Progenies Caesarum in Nerone defecit; quod futurum,
[The descendents of Caesar's family went extinct by the end of Nero's reign, and this was something that was destined to happen]
compluribus quidem signis,
sed vel evidentissimis duobus apparuit.
[even, on top of a great many omens, but finally it became apparent from two of the clearest possible.]
Liviae, olim post Augusti statim nuptias Veientanum suum revisendi, praetervolans aquila gallinam albam ramulum lauri rostro tenentem, ita ut rapuerat, demisit in gremium;
[Once upon a time, an eagle, clutching a white hen that had a small twig of laurel in its beak, which it had previously snatched up, dropped it into Livia's lap, while she was visiting her family in Veii after immediately after her wedding to Augustus, ]
cumque nutriri alitem, pangi ramulum placuisset,
[and after she had it feed and nurtured, and the little branch put on display,]
tanta pullorum suboles provenit,
[such a great mass of feathers sprout out from it,]
ut hodieque ea uilla ad Gallinas vocetur,
[that even today this village is said to belong to the "Hens"]
tale vero lauretum,
[and in fact, it was that very laurel branch,]
ut triumphaturi Caesares inde laureas decerperent;
[that caused the Caesars to pluck down laurel boughs on triumphal occasions, from then on;]
fuitque mox triumphantibus,
[and soon, it became the case for those celebrating triumphs,]
illas confestim eodem loco pangere;
[to spread these things as often as possible in that very same location.]
et observatum est,
[and it was observed as law,]
sub cuiusque obitum arborem ab ipso institutam elanguisse.
[that death should be the price for anyone who decided to lie under the tree that had been planted there.] <rough translation -- suggestions???>
Ergo novissimo Neronis anno et silva omnis exaruit radicitus,
[and so, in the very last year of Nero's reign, the entire wood burned down, to the very roots,]
et quidquid ibi gallinarum erat interiit;
[and whatever chickens that had been there, died;]
ac subinde tacta de caelo Caesarum aede,
[and thereafter, when the palace of the Caesars was struck by lightning,]
capita omnibus simul statuis deciderunt,
[the heads fell off all the statues, all at one time,]
Augusti etiam sceptrum e manibus excussum est.
[and even the scepter in Augustus' hands had been knocked out of place.]
II. Neroni Galba successit nullo gradu contingens Caesarum domum,
[Galba succeeded Nero, though never treading a single step in the house of the Caesars,]
sed haud dubie nobilissimus
[but without a doubt, he was one of the most highly born members of society]
magnaque et vetere prosapia,
[from a great and time-honored family lineage,]
ut qui statuarum titulis pronepotem se Quinti Catuli Capitolini semper ascripserit,
[so much that he was a man who always wrote upon the placards of his statues that his forefather was Quintus Catulus Capitolinus,]
imperator vero etiam stemma in atrio proposuerit,
[and in fact, even as emperor, he set out garlanded statues in the atrium,]
quo paternam originem ad Iovem, maternam ad Pasiphaen Minois uxorem referret.
[that suggested that his paternal lineage came from Jove, and his maternal one from Minos' wife Pasiphae.]
III. Imagines et elogia universi generis exsequi longum est:
[It's a lengthy endeavor to draw out all the images and explanations of his entire family tree:]
familiae breviter attingam.
[I shall only touch briefly upon his family.]
Qui prius Sulpiciorum cognomen Galbae tulit, cur aut unde traxerit, ambigitur.
[It's not exactly clear who was the first of the Sulpicians to take the nickname Galba, or why, or from where name comes from.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA GALBAE
I. Progenies Caesarum in Nerone defecit; quod futurum,
[The descendents of Caesar's family went extinct by the end of Nero's reign, and this was something that was destined to happen]
compluribus quidem signis,
sed vel evidentissimis duobus apparuit.
[even, on top of a great many omens, but finally it became apparent from two of the clearest possible.]
Liviae, olim post Augusti statim nuptias Veientanum suum revisendi, praetervolans aquila gallinam albam ramulum lauri rostro tenentem, ita ut rapuerat, demisit in gremium;
[Once upon a time, an eagle, clutching a white hen that had a small twig of laurel in its beak, which it had previously snatched up, dropped it into Livia's lap, while she was visiting her family in Veii after immediately after her wedding to Augustus, ]
cumque nutriri alitem, pangi ramulum placuisset,
[and after she had it feed and nurtured, and the little branch put on display,]
tanta pullorum suboles provenit,
[such a great mass of feathers sprout out from it,]
ut hodieque ea uilla ad Gallinas vocetur,
[that even today this village is said to belong to the "Hens"]
tale vero lauretum,
[and in fact, it was that very laurel branch,]
ut triumphaturi Caesares inde laureas decerperent;
[that caused the Caesars to pluck down laurel boughs on triumphal occasions, from then on;]
fuitque mox triumphantibus,
[and soon, it became the case for those celebrating triumphs,]
illas confestim eodem loco pangere;
[to spread these things as often as possible in that very same location.]
et observatum est,
[and it was observed as law,]
sub cuiusque obitum arborem ab ipso institutam elanguisse.
[that death should be the price for anyone who decided to lie under the tree that had been planted there.] <rough translation -- suggestions???>
Ergo novissimo Neronis anno et silva omnis exaruit radicitus,
[and so, in the very last year of Nero's reign, the entire wood burned down, to the very roots,]
et quidquid ibi gallinarum erat interiit;
[and whatever chickens that had been there, died;]
ac subinde tacta de caelo Caesarum aede,
[and thereafter, when the palace of the Caesars was struck by lightning,]
capita omnibus simul statuis deciderunt,
[the heads fell off all the statues, all at one time,]
Augusti etiam sceptrum e manibus excussum est.
[and even the scepter in Augustus' hands had been knocked out of place.]
II. Neroni Galba successit nullo gradu contingens Caesarum domum,
[Galba succeeded Nero, though never treading a single step in the house of the Caesars,]
sed haud dubie nobilissimus
[but without a doubt, he was one of the most highly born members of society]
magnaque et vetere prosapia,
[from a great and time-honored family lineage,]
ut qui statuarum titulis pronepotem se Quinti Catuli Capitolini semper ascripserit,
[so much that he was a man who always wrote upon the placards of his statues that his forefather was Quintus Catulus Capitolinus,]
imperator vero etiam stemma in atrio proposuerit,
[and in fact, even as emperor, he set out garlanded statues in the atrium,]
quo paternam originem ad Iovem, maternam ad Pasiphaen Minois uxorem referret.
[that suggested that his paternal lineage came from Jove, and his maternal one from Minos' wife Pasiphae.]
III. Imagines et elogia universi generis exsequi longum est:
[It's a lengthy endeavor to draw out all the images and explanations of his entire family tree:]
familiae breviter attingam.
[I shall only touch briefly upon his family.]
Qui prius Sulpiciorum cognomen Galbae tulit, cur aut unde traxerit, ambigitur.
[It's not exactly clear who was the first of the Sulpicians to take the nickname Galba, or why, or from where name comes from.]
Suetonius, Life of Crispus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA PASSIENI CRISPI
PASSIENUS CRISPUS, municeps Viselliensis, tirocinio suo in senatu ita coepit:
[Passienus Crispus, from the city of Visellio, began his political career thusly in the senate:]
"Patres conscripti et tu Caesar!" propter quod simulata oratione plenissime a Tiberio conlaudatus est.
["There are the conscripted fathers <senators>, and then there's you Caesar!", was the line in his speech, for which he was a most fully praised en masse by Tiberius.]
Plurimas sponte causas apud centumviros egit,
[By his own initiative, he tried many cases in the court of the centumviri,]
pro qua re in basilica Iulia eius statua posita est.
[on which account his statue was set up in the Basilica Julia.]
Consulatus duos gessit.
[He completed two terms as consul.]
Uxores habuit duas, primam Domitiam, deinde Agrippinam, illam amitam, hanc matrem Neronis Caesaris.
[He had two wives, first Domitia, and then Agrippina, the former being the aunt, and the latter the mother of Nero Caesar.]
Possedit bis milies sestertium.
[He collected an estate of 2000 sesterces.]
Omnium principum gratiam adpetivit,
[He sought the favor of all the emperors,]
sed praecipue C. Caesaris,
[but most of all, from Gaius Caesar,]
quem iter facientem secutus est pedibus.
[whom he followed on foot, while the latter was on travel.]
Hic nullo audiente ab Nerone interrogatus,
[This man was once asked by Nero, with no other witness present,]
haberetne sicut ipse cum sorore germana consuetudinem,
[whether he, like Nero, made it a custom to sleep with his sister,]
"Nondum" inquit,
[to which he answered, "Not yet,"]
quantumvis decenter et caute,
[in however a fitting and prudent manner he could manage,]
ne aut negando eum argueret
[he could not manage ever to say no to him]
aut adsentiendo semet mendacio dehonestaret.
[and he began to bring shame upon himself by agreeing to stoop to mendacity.]
Periit per fraudem Agrippinae, quam heredem reliquerat,
[He was killed by one of Agrippina's schemes, whom he had beforehand made his heir,]
et funere publico elatus est.
[and he was carried out in a public funeral.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA PASSIENI CRISPI
PASSIENUS CRISPUS, municeps Viselliensis, tirocinio suo in senatu ita coepit:
[Passienus Crispus, from the city of Visellio, began his political career thusly in the senate:]
"Patres conscripti et tu Caesar!" propter quod simulata oratione plenissime a Tiberio conlaudatus est.
["There are the conscripted fathers <senators>, and then there's you Caesar!", was the line in his speech, for which he was a most fully praised en masse by Tiberius.]
Plurimas sponte causas apud centumviros egit,
[By his own initiative, he tried many cases in the court of the centumviri,]
pro qua re in basilica Iulia eius statua posita est.
[on which account his statue was set up in the Basilica Julia.]
Consulatus duos gessit.
[He completed two terms as consul.]
Uxores habuit duas, primam Domitiam, deinde Agrippinam, illam amitam, hanc matrem Neronis Caesaris.
[He had two wives, first Domitia, and then Agrippina, the former being the aunt, and the latter the mother of Nero Caesar.]
Possedit bis milies sestertium.
[He collected an estate of 2000 sesterces.]
Omnium principum gratiam adpetivit,
[He sought the favor of all the emperors,]
sed praecipue C. Caesaris,
[but most of all, from Gaius Caesar,]
quem iter facientem secutus est pedibus.
[whom he followed on foot, while the latter was on travel.]
Hic nullo audiente ab Nerone interrogatus,
[This man was once asked by Nero, with no other witness present,]
haberetne sicut ipse cum sorore germana consuetudinem,
[whether he, like Nero, made it a custom to sleep with his sister,]
"Nondum" inquit,
[to which he answered, "Not yet,"]
quantumvis decenter et caute,
[in however a fitting and prudent manner he could manage,]
ne aut negando eum argueret
[he could not manage ever to say no to him]
aut adsentiendo semet mendacio dehonestaret.
[and he began to bring shame upon himself by agreeing to stoop to mendacity.]
Periit per fraudem Agrippinae, quam heredem reliquerat,
[He was killed by one of Agrippina's schemes, whom he had beforehand made his heir,]
et funere publico elatus est.
[and he was carried out in a public funeral.]
Suetonius, Life of Claudius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI CLAVDI
[1] Patrem Claudi Caesaris Drusum, olim Decimum mox Neronem praenomine, Livia, cum Augusto gravida nupsisset, intra mensem tertium peperit,
[Livia, after she had married Augustus during her pregnancy, gave birth in her third trimester to Claudius Caesar's father, Drusus, whose first name was Decimus Nero,]
fuitque suspicio ex vitrico per adulterii consuetudinem procreatum.
[and it became a subject of suspicion that he had been fathered by his stepfather, out of his lusty habits.]
Statim certe vulgatus est versus:
[For certain, the verse was immediately published:]
Tois eutuchousi kai trimena paidia.
[τοις ευτυχουσι και τριμενα παιδια . ]
Is Drusus in quaesturae praeturaeque honore dux Raetici,
[This man Drusus was the general of the Rhaetian campaign during his office as quaestor and then praetor,]
deinde Germanici belli Oceanum septemtrionalem primus Romanorum ducum navigavit
[and then he was the first Roman general to navigate the North Sea during the German campaign,]
transque Rhenum fossas navi et immensi operis effecit,
[and he built across the Rhine through ships and immense construction,]
quae nunc adhuc Drusinae vocantur.
[which are now called to this day the Drusinae.]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI CLAVDI
[1] Patrem Claudi Caesaris Drusum, olim Decimum mox Neronem praenomine, Livia, cum Augusto gravida nupsisset, intra mensem tertium peperit,
[Livia, after she had married Augustus during her pregnancy, gave birth in her third trimester to Claudius Caesar's father, Drusus, whose first name was Decimus Nero,]
fuitque suspicio ex vitrico per adulterii consuetudinem procreatum.
[and it became a subject of suspicion that he had been fathered by his stepfather, out of his lusty habits.]
Statim certe vulgatus est versus:
[For certain, the verse was immediately published:]
Tois eutuchousi kai trimena paidia.
[τοις ευτυχουσι και τριμενα παιδια . ]
Is Drusus in quaesturae praeturaeque honore dux Raetici,
[This man Drusus was the general of the Rhaetian campaign during his office as quaestor and then praetor,]
deinde Germanici belli Oceanum septemtrionalem primus Romanorum ducum navigavit
[and then he was the first Roman general to navigate the North Sea during the German campaign,]
transque Rhenum fossas navi et immensi operis effecit,
[and he built across the Rhine through ships and immense construction,]
quae nunc adhuc Drusinae vocantur.
[which are now called to this day the Drusinae.]
Suetonius, Life of Augustus
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI AVGVSTI
[1] Gentem Octaviam Velitris praecipuam olim fuisse, multa declarant.
[People say many things about the Octavian clan, most of all that they were from Velitrae,]
Nam et vicus celeberrima parte oppidi iam pridem Octavius vocabatur
[You see, for a long time already, there was a street in one area of this town named Octavius]
et ostendebatur ara Octavio consecrata,
[and an altar was revealed to dedicated publicly to Octavius,]
qui bello dux finitimo, cum forte Marti rem divinam faceret,
[who, as a general in a neighboring military campaign, while he was a performing a religious ceremony to Mars, by chance,]
nuntiata repente hostis incursione,
[when an incursion of the enemy was suddenly announced,]
semicruda exta rapta foco prosecuit,
[he cut off the half-burned entrails he seized from the fire,]
atque ita proelium ingressus victor redit.
[and he thusly, after he entered the fight, he returned as victor.]
Decretum etiam publicum extabat,
[Also there survived a public decree,]
quo cavebatur ut in posterum quoque simili modo exta Marti redderentur,
[whereby it was forbidden to later posterity too for entrails to be given back to Mars in the same fashion,]
reliquiaeque ad Octavios referrentur.
[and that the remainders had to be brought back to Octavian family.]
[2] Ea gens a Tarquinio Prisco rege inter minores gentis adlecta in senatum,
[This very tribe was favored personally by King Tarquinius Priscus from among the lesser nations,]
mox a Servio Tullio in patricias traducta,
[and soon it was drafted into the ranks of the patrician class by Servius Tullius,]
procedente tempore ad plebem se contulit,
[and over the passing years, it transferred itself to the plebeian class,]
ac rursus magno intervallo per Divum Iulium in patriciatum redit.
[and again, after a great interval of time, it returned to patrician status through Julius Caesar, now deified.]
Primus ex hac magistratum populi suffragio cepti C. Rufus.
[Gaius Rufus was the first from the family to be appointed a public office by the vote of the people.]
Is quaestorius CN. et C. procreavit,
[He, as quaestor, fathered Gnaeus and then Gaius,]
a quibus duplex Octaviorum familia defluxit conditione diversa.
[from whom, two branches of the Octavian clan separated onto a different path.]
Siquidem Gnaeus et deinceps ab eo reliqui omnes functi sunt honoribus summis.
[And indeed, Gnaeus, and all the others to follow after him, were endowed with the very highest positions of state.]
At Gaius eiusque posteri, seu fortuna seu voluntate, in equestri ordine constiterunt usque ad Augusti patrem.
[But Gaius, and his descendants, whether by the fall of their luck or by their own volition, decided to their lineage would stay in the equestrian order, that is until Augustus.]
Proavus Augusti secundo Punico bello stipendia in Sicilia tribunus militum fecit Aemilio Papo imperatore.
[Augustus' great-grandfather served as a military tribune in Sicily during our second war against Carthage, when Aemilius Papus was the head commander.]
Avus municipalibus magisteriis contentus abundante patrimonio tranquillissime senuit.
[His grandfather, satisfied with the offices of his local town, lived his life out off his ample estate, in the greatest peace and quiet possible.]
Sed haec alii;
[But other men concern these things;]
ipse Augustus nihil amplius quam equestri familia ortum se scribit vetere ac locuplete,
[Augustus himself wrote nothing more about his origins except that he was born from an long-standing and rich family of equestrian stock,]
et in qua primus senator pater suus fuerit.
[and in which, his father was the very first senator.]
M. Antonius libertinum ei proavum exprobrat,
[Mark Antony mocks the fact that his ancestor was a lowly freedman,]
restionem e pago Thurino, avum argentarium.
[a ropemaker from the region of Thurii, on top of accusing his grandfather of being a moneymaker.]
Nec quicquam ultra de paternis Augusti maioribus repperi.
[There is nothing that beyong this that can be verified concerning Augustus' ancestry.]
[3] C. Octavius pater a principio aetatis et re et existimatione magna fuit,
[His father Gaius Octavius, from the very beginning of his lifetime, enjoyed great standing and esteem,]
ut equidem mirer hunc quoque a nonnullis argentarium
atque etiam inter divisores operasqe compestris proditum;
[that, in fact, I wonder how this man was handed over by some money-dealer, ever among the administrators and their operation;]
amplis enim innutritus opibus,
[you see, he was not raised up from ample wealth,]
honores et adeptus est facile
[but he easily attained positions of power]
et egregie administravit.
[and he governed with distinction.]
Ex praetura Macedoniam sortitus, fugitivos, residuam Spartaci et Catilinae manum, Thurinum agrum tenentis, in itinere delevit,
[As soon as he left from his prefecture in Macedonia, he, along his journey, wiped out fugitives, the remaining cohort belong to Spartacus and Cataline, who was occupying the Thurian countryside,]
negotio sibi in senatu extra ordinem dato.
[after the matter was granted to his control, in an emergency measure in the Senate.]
Provinciae praefuit non minore iustitia quam fortitudine;
[He did his province good no less through his sense of justice than from his strength;]
namque Bessis ac Thracibus magno proelio fusis, ita socios tractavit,
[on that account, when Bessi and Thracians rushed upon each other in a large-scale battle, he took upon allies in such a way]
ut epistolae M. Ciceronis exstent
[that there are still letters written by Marcus Cicero]
quibus Quintum fratrem eodem tempore parum secunda fama proconsulatum Asiae administrantem, hortatur
[in which he urges his brother Quintus, who at that time was running his proconsulate in Asia, and with little luck]
et monet, imitetur in promerendis sociis vicinum suum Octavium.
[and warns him to follow the example of his neighbor Octavius in gaining the service of allies.]
[4] Decedens Macedonia, prius quam profiteri se candidatum consulatus posset,
[Leaving Macedonia permanently, before he could run as a candidate for the consulship,]
mortem obiit repentinam,
[he fell ill from a sudden ailment,]
superstitibus liberis Octavia maiore,
[the last among the freeborn descendents from Octavia the Elder,]
quam ex Ancharia, et Octavia minore item Augusto, quos ex Atia tulerat.
[that is from Acharia, and Octavia the Younger, as well as Augustus, both of whom took their lineage from Atia.]
Atia M. Atio Balbo et Iulia, sorore C. Caesaris, genita est.
[Atia was descended from Marcus Atius Balbus and Julia, the sister of Gaius Caesar.]
Balbus, paterna stirpe Aricinus, multis in familia senatoriis imaginibus, a matre Magnum Pompeium artissimo contingebat gradu
[Balbus, a resident from Aricinum by his paternal lineage, in accompaniment with the many senatorial statues in his family, gained Pompey the Great from most artful promotion by his mother]
functusque honore praeturae inter vigintiviros agrum Campanum plebi Iulia lege divisit.
[and he, commissioned with the office of the praetor, divided the farmland of Campania for the common folk in the company of the Commission of 20, in accordance to the Julian Law.]
Verum idem Antonius, despiciens etiam maternam Augusti originem, proavum eius Afri generis fuisse et modo unguentariam tabernam modo pistrinum Ariciae exercuisse obicit.
[But in fact, Antony, at the very same time, since he looked down even on Augustus' maternal lineage, claimed that his great-grandfather was born from an African lineage and, at one time, had operated a perfume shop, and at another, a miller in Aricia.]
Cassius quidem Parmensis quadam epistola non tantum ut pistoris,
sed etiam ut nummulair nepotem sic taxat Augustum:
[In truth, Cassius of Parma, in some letter or another, not only assigns Augustus to be the grandson of miller, but also a money-changer as well:]
Materna tibi farinast ex crudissimo Ariciae pistrino:
["Here's your maternal family's grain, from the crudest baker Aricia's ever seen:]
hanc finxit manibus collybo decoloratis Nerulonensis mensarius.
["He fashioned this to his interest rates, now the Nerulonian money-changer with hands like a discolored ghoul."]
[5] Natus est Augustus M. Tullio Cicerone C. Antonio conss. XIIII. Kal. Octob., paulo ante solis exortum, regione Palati, ad Capita bubulo,
[Augustus was born during the consul years of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius on the 13 Kalends of October, a little while before sunrise, in the region of Palatus, near the cattle-bearing Capita,]
ubi nunc sacrarium habet,
[where a shrine now stands,]
aliquanto post quam excessit constitutum.
[only after which time it stood out, after its construction.]
Nam ut senatus actis continetur,
[You see, as the Senate lies within his power,]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
SVETONI TRANQVILII VITA DIVI AVGVSTI
[1] Gentem Octaviam Velitris praecipuam olim fuisse, multa declarant.
[People say many things about the Octavian clan, most of all that they were from Velitrae,]
Nam et vicus celeberrima parte oppidi iam pridem Octavius vocabatur
[You see, for a long time already, there was a street in one area of this town named Octavius]
et ostendebatur ara Octavio consecrata,
[and an altar was revealed to dedicated publicly to Octavius,]
qui bello dux finitimo, cum forte Marti rem divinam faceret,
[who, as a general in a neighboring military campaign, while he was a performing a religious ceremony to Mars, by chance,]
nuntiata repente hostis incursione,
[when an incursion of the enemy was suddenly announced,]
semicruda exta rapta foco prosecuit,
[he cut off the half-burned entrails he seized from the fire,]
atque ita proelium ingressus victor redit.
[and he thusly, after he entered the fight, he returned as victor.]
Decretum etiam publicum extabat,
[Also there survived a public decree,]
quo cavebatur ut in posterum quoque simili modo exta Marti redderentur,
[whereby it was forbidden to later posterity too for entrails to be given back to Mars in the same fashion,]
reliquiaeque ad Octavios referrentur.
[and that the remainders had to be brought back to Octavian family.]
[2] Ea gens a Tarquinio Prisco rege inter minores gentis adlecta in senatum,
[This very tribe was favored personally by King Tarquinius Priscus from among the lesser nations,]
mox a Servio Tullio in patricias traducta,
[and soon it was drafted into the ranks of the patrician class by Servius Tullius,]
procedente tempore ad plebem se contulit,
[and over the passing years, it transferred itself to the plebeian class,]
ac rursus magno intervallo per Divum Iulium in patriciatum redit.
[and again, after a great interval of time, it returned to patrician status through Julius Caesar, now deified.]
Primus ex hac magistratum populi suffragio cepti C. Rufus.
[Gaius Rufus was the first from the family to be appointed a public office by the vote of the people.]
Is quaestorius CN. et C. procreavit,
[He, as quaestor, fathered Gnaeus and then Gaius,]
a quibus duplex Octaviorum familia defluxit conditione diversa.
[from whom, two branches of the Octavian clan separated onto a different path.]
Siquidem Gnaeus et deinceps ab eo reliqui omnes functi sunt honoribus summis.
[And indeed, Gnaeus, and all the others to follow after him, were endowed with the very highest positions of state.]
At Gaius eiusque posteri, seu fortuna seu voluntate, in equestri ordine constiterunt usque ad Augusti patrem.
[But Gaius, and his descendants, whether by the fall of their luck or by their own volition, decided to their lineage would stay in the equestrian order, that is until Augustus.]
Proavus Augusti secundo Punico bello stipendia in Sicilia tribunus militum fecit Aemilio Papo imperatore.
[Augustus' great-grandfather served as a military tribune in Sicily during our second war against Carthage, when Aemilius Papus was the head commander.]
Avus municipalibus magisteriis contentus abundante patrimonio tranquillissime senuit.
[His grandfather, satisfied with the offices of his local town, lived his life out off his ample estate, in the greatest peace and quiet possible.]
Sed haec alii;
[But other men concern these things;]
ipse Augustus nihil amplius quam equestri familia ortum se scribit vetere ac locuplete,
[Augustus himself wrote nothing more about his origins except that he was born from an long-standing and rich family of equestrian stock,]
et in qua primus senator pater suus fuerit.
[and in which, his father was the very first senator.]
M. Antonius libertinum ei proavum exprobrat,
[Mark Antony mocks the fact that his ancestor was a lowly freedman,]
restionem e pago Thurino, avum argentarium.
[a ropemaker from the region of Thurii, on top of accusing his grandfather of being a moneymaker.]
Nec quicquam ultra de paternis Augusti maioribus repperi.
[There is nothing that beyong this that can be verified concerning Augustus' ancestry.]
[3] C. Octavius pater a principio aetatis et re et existimatione magna fuit,
[His father Gaius Octavius, from the very beginning of his lifetime, enjoyed great standing and esteem,]
ut equidem mirer hunc quoque a nonnullis argentarium
atque etiam inter divisores operasqe compestris proditum;
[that, in fact, I wonder how this man was handed over by some money-dealer, ever among the administrators and their operation;]
amplis enim innutritus opibus,
[you see, he was not raised up from ample wealth,]
honores et adeptus est facile
[but he easily attained positions of power]
et egregie administravit.
[and he governed with distinction.]
Ex praetura Macedoniam sortitus, fugitivos, residuam Spartaci et Catilinae manum, Thurinum agrum tenentis, in itinere delevit,
[As soon as he left from his prefecture in Macedonia, he, along his journey, wiped out fugitives, the remaining cohort belong to Spartacus and Cataline, who was occupying the Thurian countryside,]
negotio sibi in senatu extra ordinem dato.
[after the matter was granted to his control, in an emergency measure in the Senate.]
Provinciae praefuit non minore iustitia quam fortitudine;
[He did his province good no less through his sense of justice than from his strength;]
namque Bessis ac Thracibus magno proelio fusis, ita socios tractavit,
[on that account, when Bessi and Thracians rushed upon each other in a large-scale battle, he took upon allies in such a way]
ut epistolae M. Ciceronis exstent
[that there are still letters written by Marcus Cicero]
quibus Quintum fratrem eodem tempore parum secunda fama proconsulatum Asiae administrantem, hortatur
[in which he urges his brother Quintus, who at that time was running his proconsulate in Asia, and with little luck]
et monet, imitetur in promerendis sociis vicinum suum Octavium.
[and warns him to follow the example of his neighbor Octavius in gaining the service of allies.]
[4] Decedens Macedonia, prius quam profiteri se candidatum consulatus posset,
[Leaving Macedonia permanently, before he could run as a candidate for the consulship,]
mortem obiit repentinam,
[he fell ill from a sudden ailment,]
superstitibus liberis Octavia maiore,
[the last among the freeborn descendents from Octavia the Elder,]
quam ex Ancharia, et Octavia minore item Augusto, quos ex Atia tulerat.
[that is from Acharia, and Octavia the Younger, as well as Augustus, both of whom took their lineage from Atia.]
Atia M. Atio Balbo et Iulia, sorore C. Caesaris, genita est.
[Atia was descended from Marcus Atius Balbus and Julia, the sister of Gaius Caesar.]
Balbus, paterna stirpe Aricinus, multis in familia senatoriis imaginibus, a matre Magnum Pompeium artissimo contingebat gradu
[Balbus, a resident from Aricinum by his paternal lineage, in accompaniment with the many senatorial statues in his family, gained Pompey the Great from most artful promotion by his mother]
functusque honore praeturae inter vigintiviros agrum Campanum plebi Iulia lege divisit.
[and he, commissioned with the office of the praetor, divided the farmland of Campania for the common folk in the company of the Commission of 20, in accordance to the Julian Law.]
Verum idem Antonius, despiciens etiam maternam Augusti originem, proavum eius Afri generis fuisse et modo unguentariam tabernam modo pistrinum Ariciae exercuisse obicit.
[But in fact, Antony, at the very same time, since he looked down even on Augustus' maternal lineage, claimed that his great-grandfather was born from an African lineage and, at one time, had operated a perfume shop, and at another, a miller in Aricia.]
Cassius quidem Parmensis quadam epistola non tantum ut pistoris,
sed etiam ut nummulair nepotem sic taxat Augustum:
[In truth, Cassius of Parma, in some letter or another, not only assigns Augustus to be the grandson of miller, but also a money-changer as well:]
Materna tibi farinast ex crudissimo Ariciae pistrino:
["Here's your maternal family's grain, from the crudest baker Aricia's ever seen:]
hanc finxit manibus collybo decoloratis Nerulonensis mensarius.
["He fashioned this to his interest rates, now the Nerulonian money-changer with hands like a discolored ghoul."]
[5] Natus est Augustus M. Tullio Cicerone C. Antonio conss. XIIII. Kal. Octob., paulo ante solis exortum, regione Palati, ad Capita bubulo,
[Augustus was born during the consul years of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius on the 13 Kalends of October, a little while before sunrise, in the region of Palatus, near the cattle-bearing Capita,]
ubi nunc sacrarium habet,
[where a shrine now stands,]
aliquanto post quam excessit constitutum.
[only after which time it stood out, after its construction.]
Nam ut senatus actis continetur,
[You see, as the Senate lies within his power,]
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Julius Caesar
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;]
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;]
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Suetonius, Life of Terence
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus [Suetonius]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA TERENTI
I. PUBLIUS TERENTIUS AFER, Carthagine natus, serviit Romae Terentio Lucano senatori,
[Publius Terentius Afer, born in Carthage, was a slave in Rome for Terentius Lucanus the senator,]
a quo ob ingenium et formam non institutus modo liberaliter sed et mature manumissus est.
[from whom, on account of his intelligence and good looks, was not only educated generously but was very early on granted his freedom.]
Quidam captum esse existimant, quod fieri nullo modo potuisse Fenestella docet,
[Certain people think that he was captured, something which Fenestella teaches was no way possible,]
cum inter finem secundi Punici belli et initium tertii natus sit et mortuus;
[since he was born and died between the end of the second Punic war and beginning of the third;]
nec si a Numidis et Gaetulis captus sit, ad ducem Romanum pervenire potuisse, nullo commercio inter Italicos et Afros nisi post deletam Carthaginem coepto.
[nor, if he was captured by Numidians and Gaetulians, could he have made it into the hands of a Roman general, since there was no trade between Italians and Africans except when it began after Carthage was destroyed.]
Hic cum multis nobilibus familiariter vixit, sed maxime cum Scipione Africano et C. Laelio.
[Here in Rome, he not only lived in familiarity with many noblemen, but most of all in the presence of Scipio Africanus and Gaius Laelius.]
Quibus etiam corporis gratia conciliatus existimatur, quod et ipsum Fenestella arguit, contendens utroque maiorem natu fuisse,
[One even thinks that he was welcomed into their circle because his athleticism impressed them, something which even Fenestella argues, as he contends that he would not have been much older than either one of these men,]
quamvis et Nepos aequales omnes fuisse tradat et Porcius suspicionem de consuetudine per haec faciat:
[although Nepos says that they were all the same age, and Porcius draws suspicion about this line of think for the following reasons:]
"Dum lasciviam nobilium et laudes fucosas petit,
["Meanwhile he seeks the lust and swarthy praises of noblemen,]
Dum Africani vocem divinam inhiat avidis auribus,
[Meanhile he breathes a divine voice into the eager ears of the African,]
Dum ad Philum se cenitare et Laelium pulchrum putat,
[Meanwhile he imagines himself dining alongside Philus and handsome Laelius,]
Dum in Albanum crebro rapitur ob florem aetatis suae:
[Meanwhile he was repeatedly snatched to the Alban fellow, because he is in the prime of his youth:]
Post sublatis rebus ad summam inopiam redactus est.
[And after all these affairs are laid aside, he fell into the greatest poverty one can imagine.]
Itaque e conspectu omnium abit Graeciam in terram ultimam.
[And so, he left from the sight of all for the farthest land in Greece.]
Mortuust Stymphali, Arcadiae in oppido.
[He died in Stymphalis, in an Arcadian town.]
Nil Publius
Scipio profuit, nil illi Laelius, nil Furius,
Tres per id tempus qui agitabant nobiles facillime.
[In no way did Publius Scipio, did Laelius, did Furius help him, and these three fellows used to play the roles of nobles most easily of all, in that period of time.]
Eorum ille opera ne domum quidem habuit conducticiam,
[Indeed, he did not own a house, but a temporary residence as a result of these men]
Saltem ut esset quo referret obitum domini servulus."
[And pray tell, what was the result? That a "little slave boy" brought back the news of his master.]
II. Scripsit comoedias sex, ex quibus primam "Andriam" cum aedilibus daret,
iussus ante Caecilio recitare, ad cenantem cum venisset, dictus est initium quidem fabulae,
[He wrote six comedies, the first of which, Andria, he give at the side of aediles, since he was ordered beforehand to recite it to Caecilius, and when he came to him dining, so indeed is it said to be the beginning of the story.]
quod erat contemptiore vestitu, subsellio iuxta lectulum residens legisse, post paucos vero versus invitatus
[Because he was dressed in less distinguished clothing, he read it on a stool next to a small litter, but after only a few lines he was given an invitation]
ut accumberet cenasse una,
[and where? To sit beside there to dine together with him]
dein cetera percucurrisse non sine magna Caecilii admiratione.
[and thenafter his other works never ran their course without Caecilius expressing his great admiration.]
Et hanc autem et quinque reliquas aequaliter populo probavit, quamvis Vulcatius dinumeratione omnium ita scribat:
[In any event, he approved the play I mentioned and five others, with equal discrimination, although Vulcatius writes about the numbering of all his works: ]
"Sumetur Hecyra sexta ex his fabula."
["Hecyra was undertaken folowing his sixth play."]
"Eunuchus" quidem bis die acta est meruitque pretium quantum nulla antea cuiusquam comoedia, id est octo milia nummorum;
[In truth, Eunuch was put on on the 2nd day, and won more prize money than any comedy before, 8000 pieces of money;]
propterea summa quoque titulo ascribitur.
[Wherefore top prize was also granted to its title.]
Nam "Adelphorum" principium Varro etiam praefert principio Menandri.
[To be specific, Varro also preferred his very beginning to the Adelphoi to Menander's beginning.]
III. Non obscura fama est adiutum Terentium in scriptis a Laelio et Scipione,
[Terence's fame in writing was aided by Laelius and Scipio,]
eamque ipse auxit numquam nisi leviter refutare conatus,
[and he himself never added increased this, ever, except when he, in jest, tried to make a refutation]
ut in prologo "Adelphorum":
[as in the prologue of the Adelphoi:]
"Nam quod isti dicunt malevoli,
["You see, whatever ill-wishing fellows like these say.]
homines nobiles
Hunc adiutare assidueque una scribere;
[men of noble rank support this man and write in unanimity, and with enthusiasm;]
Quod illi maledictum vehemens esse existumant,
[which is something those fools think is a violent insult,]
Eam laudem hic ducit maxumam,
[but this man takes this as the greatest praise of all,]
quom illis placet
Qui vobis univorsis et populo placent,
[who takes pleasure in that fact that his works delight all of you in the audience, and the populace,]
Quorum opera in bello, in otio, in negotio
Suo quisque tempore usus est sine superbia."
[who has enjoyed making his pieces of art in times of war, on break, and during work, without a jot of arrogance."]
Videtur autem se levius defendisse,
[And yet, he seems to have defended himself less seriously,]
quia sciebat et Laelio et Scipioni non ingratam esse hanc opinionem;
[because he knew that this mindset was no a matter of delight to both Laelius and Scipio;]
quae tamen magis et usque ad posteriora tempora valuit.
[still, he enjoyed success even more, despite these things, even up to the later generations.]
C. Memmius in oratione pro se ait:
[Gaius Memmius says in a speech on his behalf:]
"P. Africanus, qui a Terentio personam mutuatus, quae domi luserat ipse,
["Publius Africanus, since the time his mind had been influenced by Terence, whatever that very man had previously played in his home,]
nomine illius in scenam detulit."
[he brought the same to the stage under the name of that other fellow."]
Nepos auctore certo comperisse se ait,
[Nepos says that he had discovered himself in the acquaintance of a true author,]
69-130 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
C. SVETONI TRANQVILLVI DE POETIS
VITA TERENTI
I. PUBLIUS TERENTIUS AFER, Carthagine natus, serviit Romae Terentio Lucano senatori,
[Publius Terentius Afer, born in Carthage, was a slave in Rome for Terentius Lucanus the senator,]
a quo ob ingenium et formam non institutus modo liberaliter sed et mature manumissus est.
[from whom, on account of his intelligence and good looks, was not only educated generously but was very early on granted his freedom.]
Quidam captum esse existimant, quod fieri nullo modo potuisse Fenestella docet,
[Certain people think that he was captured, something which Fenestella teaches was no way possible,]
cum inter finem secundi Punici belli et initium tertii natus sit et mortuus;
[since he was born and died between the end of the second Punic war and beginning of the third;]
nec si a Numidis et Gaetulis captus sit, ad ducem Romanum pervenire potuisse, nullo commercio inter Italicos et Afros nisi post deletam Carthaginem coepto.
[nor, if he was captured by Numidians and Gaetulians, could he have made it into the hands of a Roman general, since there was no trade between Italians and Africans except when it began after Carthage was destroyed.]
Hic cum multis nobilibus familiariter vixit, sed maxime cum Scipione Africano et C. Laelio.
[Here in Rome, he not only lived in familiarity with many noblemen, but most of all in the presence of Scipio Africanus and Gaius Laelius.]
Quibus etiam corporis gratia conciliatus existimatur, quod et ipsum Fenestella arguit, contendens utroque maiorem natu fuisse,
[One even thinks that he was welcomed into their circle because his athleticism impressed them, something which even Fenestella argues, as he contends that he would not have been much older than either one of these men,]
quamvis et Nepos aequales omnes fuisse tradat et Porcius suspicionem de consuetudine per haec faciat:
[although Nepos says that they were all the same age, and Porcius draws suspicion about this line of think for the following reasons:]
"Dum lasciviam nobilium et laudes fucosas petit,
["Meanwhile he seeks the lust and swarthy praises of noblemen,]
Dum Africani vocem divinam inhiat avidis auribus,
[Meanhile he breathes a divine voice into the eager ears of the African,]
Dum ad Philum se cenitare et Laelium pulchrum putat,
[Meanwhile he imagines himself dining alongside Philus and handsome Laelius,]
Dum in Albanum crebro rapitur ob florem aetatis suae:
[Meanwhile he was repeatedly snatched to the Alban fellow, because he is in the prime of his youth:]
Post sublatis rebus ad summam inopiam redactus est.
[And after all these affairs are laid aside, he fell into the greatest poverty one can imagine.]
Itaque e conspectu omnium abit Graeciam in terram ultimam.
[And so, he left from the sight of all for the farthest land in Greece.]
Mortuust Stymphali, Arcadiae in oppido.
[He died in Stymphalis, in an Arcadian town.]
Nil Publius
Scipio profuit, nil illi Laelius, nil Furius,
Tres per id tempus qui agitabant nobiles facillime.
[In no way did Publius Scipio, did Laelius, did Furius help him, and these three fellows used to play the roles of nobles most easily of all, in that period of time.]
Eorum ille opera ne domum quidem habuit conducticiam,
[Indeed, he did not own a house, but a temporary residence as a result of these men]
Saltem ut esset quo referret obitum domini servulus."
[And pray tell, what was the result? That a "little slave boy" brought back the news of his master.]
II. Scripsit comoedias sex, ex quibus primam "Andriam" cum aedilibus daret,
iussus ante Caecilio recitare, ad cenantem cum venisset, dictus est initium quidem fabulae,
[He wrote six comedies, the first of which, Andria, he give at the side of aediles, since he was ordered beforehand to recite it to Caecilius, and when he came to him dining, so indeed is it said to be the beginning of the story.]
quod erat contemptiore vestitu, subsellio iuxta lectulum residens legisse, post paucos vero versus invitatus
[Because he was dressed in less distinguished clothing, he read it on a stool next to a small litter, but after only a few lines he was given an invitation]
ut accumberet cenasse una,
[and where? To sit beside there to dine together with him]
dein cetera percucurrisse non sine magna Caecilii admiratione.
[and thenafter his other works never ran their course without Caecilius expressing his great admiration.]
Et hanc autem et quinque reliquas aequaliter populo probavit, quamvis Vulcatius dinumeratione omnium ita scribat:
[In any event, he approved the play I mentioned and five others, with equal discrimination, although Vulcatius writes about the numbering of all his works: ]
"Sumetur Hecyra sexta ex his fabula."
["Hecyra was undertaken folowing his sixth play."]
"Eunuchus" quidem bis die acta est meruitque pretium quantum nulla antea cuiusquam comoedia, id est octo milia nummorum;
[In truth, Eunuch was put on on the 2nd day, and won more prize money than any comedy before, 8000 pieces of money;]
propterea summa quoque titulo ascribitur.
[Wherefore top prize was also granted to its title.]
Nam "Adelphorum" principium Varro etiam praefert principio Menandri.
[To be specific, Varro also preferred his very beginning to the Adelphoi to Menander's beginning.]
III. Non obscura fama est adiutum Terentium in scriptis a Laelio et Scipione,
[Terence's fame in writing was aided by Laelius and Scipio,]
eamque ipse auxit numquam nisi leviter refutare conatus,
[and he himself never added increased this, ever, except when he, in jest, tried to make a refutation]
ut in prologo "Adelphorum":
[as in the prologue of the Adelphoi:]
"Nam quod isti dicunt malevoli,
["You see, whatever ill-wishing fellows like these say.]
homines nobiles
Hunc adiutare assidueque una scribere;
[men of noble rank support this man and write in unanimity, and with enthusiasm;]
Quod illi maledictum vehemens esse existumant,
[which is something those fools think is a violent insult,]
Eam laudem hic ducit maxumam,
[but this man takes this as the greatest praise of all,]
quom illis placet
Qui vobis univorsis et populo placent,
[who takes pleasure in that fact that his works delight all of you in the audience, and the populace,]
Quorum opera in bello, in otio, in negotio
Suo quisque tempore usus est sine superbia."
[who has enjoyed making his pieces of art in times of war, on break, and during work, without a jot of arrogance."]
Videtur autem se levius defendisse,
[And yet, he seems to have defended himself less seriously,]
quia sciebat et Laelio et Scipioni non ingratam esse hanc opinionem;
[because he knew that this mindset was no a matter of delight to both Laelius and Scipio;]
quae tamen magis et usque ad posteriora tempora valuit.
[still, he enjoyed success even more, despite these things, even up to the later generations.]
C. Memmius in oratione pro se ait:
[Gaius Memmius says in a speech on his behalf:]
"P. Africanus, qui a Terentio personam mutuatus, quae domi luserat ipse,
["Publius Africanus, since the time his mind had been influenced by Terence, whatever that very man had previously played in his home,]
nomine illius in scenam detulit."
[he brought the same to the stage under the name of that other fellow."]
Nepos auctore certo comperisse se ait,
[Nepos says that he had discovered himself in the acquaintance of a true author,]
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