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:]
I N F I N I T A
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Year of the Four Tyrants [Quadrigae Tyrannorum]]
Augustan Histories [Historia Augusta]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
117-284 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
FLAVI VOPISCI SYRACUSII
FIRMUS SATURNINUS
PROCULUS ET BONOS<US>
<i.e. QUADRIGAE TYRANNORUM>
I. 1 Minusculos tyrannos scio plerosque tacuisse aut breviter praeterisse.
[I know that many two-bit tyrannical rulers have hushed their voice and only briefly passed along.]
nam et Suetonius Tranquillus, emendatissimus et candidissimus scriptor, Antoni[n]um, Vindicem tacuit,
[you see, Suetonius Tranquillus, one of the most honest and accurate writers, omitted Antoninus and Vindex,]
contentus eo quod eos cursim perstrinxerat,
[content in the fact that he had hastily strung these men along,]
et Marius Maximus, qui Avidium Marci temporibus, Albinum et Nigrum Severi non suis propriis libris sed alienis innexuit.
[and Marius Maximus, who had latched onto Avidius, during the period in which Marcus, and Albinus and Niger during the reign of Severus, not from his own books, but those that belong to others.]
2 et de Suetonio non miramur,
[And I'm not suprised when it comes to Suetonius,]
cui familiare fuit amare brevitatem.
[for whom it was a familiar custom to delight in brevity.]
quid Marius Maximus, homo omnium verbosissimus, qui et mythist[h]oricis se voluminibus inplicavit, num ad istam descriptionem curamque descendit?
[But why wouldn't Marius Maximus, a man who was as long-winded as you could find them and who linked himself to the scrolls of mythographers, not descend upon such a rendition and topic of interest as we have here?]
3 atque contra, Treb<ell>i<u>s Pollio ea fuit diligentia,
[And on the other side, there was Trebellius Pollio, with that kind of diligence,]
ea cura in edendis bonis malisque principibus,
[and that kind of interest in publishing the good and evil deeds of our emperors,]
ut etiam triginta tyrannos uno breviter libro concluderet,
[and to what avail? That he finished describing thirty tyrannical rulers briefly and in a single book,]
qui Valeriani et Gallieni nec multo superiorum aut inferiorum principum fuere temporibus.
[and those Valerians and Gallieni, who, by great extent, did not belong to a time ruled by superior or inferior emperors.]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
117-284 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
FLAVI VOPISCI SYRACUSII
FIRMUS SATURNINUS
PROCULUS ET BONOS<US>
<i.e. QUADRIGAE TYRANNORUM>
I. 1 Minusculos tyrannos scio plerosque tacuisse aut breviter praeterisse.
[I know that many two-bit tyrannical rulers have hushed their voice and only briefly passed along.]
nam et Suetonius Tranquillus, emendatissimus et candidissimus scriptor, Antoni[n]um, Vindicem tacuit,
[you see, Suetonius Tranquillus, one of the most honest and accurate writers, omitted Antoninus and Vindex,]
contentus eo quod eos cursim perstrinxerat,
[content in the fact that he had hastily strung these men along,]
et Marius Maximus, qui Avidium Marci temporibus, Albinum et Nigrum Severi non suis propriis libris sed alienis innexuit.
[and Marius Maximus, who had latched onto Avidius, during the period in which Marcus, and Albinus and Niger during the reign of Severus, not from his own books, but those that belong to others.]
2 et de Suetonio non miramur,
[And I'm not suprised when it comes to Suetonius,]
cui familiare fuit amare brevitatem.
[for whom it was a familiar custom to delight in brevity.]
quid Marius Maximus, homo omnium verbosissimus, qui et mythist[h]oricis se voluminibus inplicavit, num ad istam descriptionem curamque descendit?
[But why wouldn't Marius Maximus, a man who was as long-winded as you could find them and who linked himself to the scrolls of mythographers, not descend upon such a rendition and topic of interest as we have here?]
3 atque contra, Treb<ell>i<u>s Pollio ea fuit diligentia,
[And on the other side, there was Trebellius Pollio, with that kind of diligence,]
ea cura in edendis bonis malisque principibus,
[and that kind of interest in publishing the good and evil deeds of our emperors,]
ut etiam triginta tyrannos uno breviter libro concluderet,
[and to what avail? That he finished describing thirty tyrannical rulers briefly and in a single book,]
qui Valeriani et Gallieni nec multo superiorum aut inferiorum principum fuere temporibus.
[and those Valerians and Gallieni, who, by great extent, did not belong to a time ruled by superior or inferior emperors.]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae, The Three Gordians
Augustan Histories [Historia Augusta]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
117-284 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
GORDIANI TRES IULI CAPITOLINI
I. 1 Fuerat quidem consilium, venerabilis Auguste,
[Indeed, it had been my decision, venerable Augustus,]
ut singulos quosque imperatores exemplo multorum libris singulis ad tuam clementiam destinarem.
[that I should describe each and every one of the emperors, in individual books, as a lesson to the public about your own clemency.]
2 Nam id multos fecisse vel ipse videram
[You see, either I myself had seen many men act,]
vel lectione conceperant.
[or they had grown clear from reading about them.]
3 Sed inprobum visum est vel pietatem tuam tuam multitudine distinere librorum vel meum laborem plurimis voluminibus occupare.
[But it seemed inappropriate to either address your sense of duty in a multitude of books, or to take to task my labor in a great deal of scrolls.]
4 Quare tres Gordianos hoc libro conexui,
[So that's why I've rounded off the three Gordiani in this book,]
consulens et meo labori et lectioni tuae,
[as I plan for my hard work and your reading,]
ne cogeneris plurimos codices volvendo unam tamen paene historiam lectitare.
[for you not to be forced to have to repeatedly read still another individual historical biography, by rolling up several codices of men who share the same stock.]
5 Sed ne ego, qui longitudinem librorum fugi multitudinemque verborum, in eam incurrisse videar, quam me urbane declinare confingo,
[But, lest I, for my part, who think it right to flee lengthy books and multitude of words, or to have run upon the point, which I'm, in sophisticated fashion, holding fast to decline,]
iam rem adgrediar.
[I will now begin the matter of my story.]
II. 1 Gordiani non, ut quidam inperiti scriptores locuntur, duo sed tres fuerunt,
[There were not two Gordians, as certain unlearned writers say, rather three of them,]
idque docente Arriano, scriptore Graecae historiae, docente item Dexippo, Graeco auctore, potuerunt addiscere,
[as the instructor Arrian, a writer of Greek history, and likewise the instructor Dexippus, another Greek author, have managed to teach the matter,]
qui etiamsi breviter, ad finem tamen omnia persecuti sunt.
[and these were men who, even if only briefly, still described every detail to the end.]
2 Horum Gordianus senior, id est primus, natus est patre Maecio Marullo, matre Ulpia Gordiana,
[The older Gordian, that is the first one, was born to his father named Maecius Marullus, and mother Ulpia Gordiana,]
originem paternam ex Gracchorum genere habuit,
[his father's lineage being Greek,]
maternam ex Traiani imperatoris,
[his mother's from the emperor Trajan,]
patre, avo, proavo consulibus, socero, prosocero et item alio prosocero et duobus absoceris consulibus,
[and his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were consuls, and father in law, grandfather in law, and likewise, on the other side of his family, grandfather in law, and too great grandfathers in law, were all consuls,]
3 ipse consul ditissimus ac potentissimus,
[but he was the richest and most powerful consul of them all,]
Romae Pompeianam domum possidens,
[and he owned a house in Rome and Pompeii,]
in provinciis tantum terrarum habens quantum nemo privatus.
[and no private citizen had as much land as he in the provinces.]
4 Is post consulatum, quem egerat cum Alexandro, ad proconsulatum Africae missus est ex senatus consulto.
[This man, after his consulship, which he served alongside Alexander, was assigned to the proconsulship of Africa by the decree of the senate.]
III. 1 Sed priusquam de imperio eius loquar,
[But before I begin to speak about his time in power,]
dicam pauca de moribus:
[let me say a few words about his character:]
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
117-284 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)
GORDIANI TRES IULI CAPITOLINI
I. 1 Fuerat quidem consilium, venerabilis Auguste,
[Indeed, it had been my decision, venerable Augustus,]
ut singulos quosque imperatores exemplo multorum libris singulis ad tuam clementiam destinarem.
[that I should describe each and every one of the emperors, in individual books, as a lesson to the public about your own clemency.]
2 Nam id multos fecisse vel ipse videram
[You see, either I myself had seen many men act,]
vel lectione conceperant.
[or they had grown clear from reading about them.]
3 Sed inprobum visum est vel pietatem tuam tuam multitudine distinere librorum vel meum laborem plurimis voluminibus occupare.
[But it seemed inappropriate to either address your sense of duty in a multitude of books, or to take to task my labor in a great deal of scrolls.]
4 Quare tres Gordianos hoc libro conexui,
[So that's why I've rounded off the three Gordiani in this book,]
consulens et meo labori et lectioni tuae,
[as I plan for my hard work and your reading,]
ne cogeneris plurimos codices volvendo unam tamen paene historiam lectitare.
[for you not to be forced to have to repeatedly read still another individual historical biography, by rolling up several codices of men who share the same stock.]
5 Sed ne ego, qui longitudinem librorum fugi multitudinemque verborum, in eam incurrisse videar, quam me urbane declinare confingo,
[But, lest I, for my part, who think it right to flee lengthy books and multitude of words, or to have run upon the point, which I'm, in sophisticated fashion, holding fast to decline,]
iam rem adgrediar.
[I will now begin the matter of my story.]
II. 1 Gordiani non, ut quidam inperiti scriptores locuntur, duo sed tres fuerunt,
[There were not two Gordians, as certain unlearned writers say, rather three of them,]
idque docente Arriano, scriptore Graecae historiae, docente item Dexippo, Graeco auctore, potuerunt addiscere,
[as the instructor Arrian, a writer of Greek history, and likewise the instructor Dexippus, another Greek author, have managed to teach the matter,]
qui etiamsi breviter, ad finem tamen omnia persecuti sunt.
[and these were men who, even if only briefly, still described every detail to the end.]
2 Horum Gordianus senior, id est primus, natus est patre Maecio Marullo, matre Ulpia Gordiana,
[The older Gordian, that is the first one, was born to his father named Maecius Marullus, and mother Ulpia Gordiana,]
originem paternam ex Gracchorum genere habuit,
[his father's lineage being Greek,]
maternam ex Traiani imperatoris,
[his mother's from the emperor Trajan,]
patre, avo, proavo consulibus, socero, prosocero et item alio prosocero et duobus absoceris consulibus,
[and his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were consuls, and father in law, grandfather in law, and likewise, on the other side of his family, grandfather in law, and too great grandfathers in law, were all consuls,]
3 ipse consul ditissimus ac potentissimus,
[but he was the richest and most powerful consul of them all,]
Romae Pompeianam domum possidens,
[and he owned a house in Rome and Pompeii,]
in provinciis tantum terrarum habens quantum nemo privatus.
[and no private citizen had as much land as he in the provinces.]
4 Is post consulatum, quem egerat cum Alexandro, ad proconsulatum Africae missus est ex senatus consulto.
[This man, after his consulship, which he served alongside Alexander, was assigned to the proconsulship of Africa by the decree of the senate.]
III. 1 Sed priusquam de imperio eius loquar,
[But before I begin to speak about his time in power,]
dicam pauca de moribus:
[let me say a few words about his character:]
Cicero, Concerning Proconsular Consuls
Marcus Tullius Cicero [Cicero or Tully]
106-43 BC *executed by 2nd Triumvirate (specifically Mark Antony)
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
M. TVLLI CICERONIS DE PROVINCIIS CONSVLARIBUS ORATIO
1 I. [1] Si quis vestrum, patres conscripti, exspectat quas sim provincias decreturus,
[If one of you, my fellow senators, are eager to know which provinces I will be decreed,]
consideret ipse secum
[he should taken into consideration in his own right]
qui mihi homines ex provinciis potissimum detrahendi sint;
[who might be the men who most of all must be dragged away from the provinces, for my sake;]
non dubitabit quid sentire me conveniat,
[he will not be in doubt why it suits me to feel this way,]
cum, quid mihi sentire necesse sit, cogitarit.
[as soon as he considers why it might be necessary that I feel this way.]
Ac si princeps eam sententiam dicerem, laudaretis profecto;
[and if I, as a leading citizen, should speak this opinion of my, you would immediately speak praise;]
si solus, certe ignosceritis;
[if I was alone, you shall've surely been left in the dark;]
etiamsi paulo minus utilis vobis sententia videretur,
[even if it should seem all the less a useful thought to you all,]
veniam tamen aliquam dolori meo tribueritis.
[still you will've bestowed some degree of forgiveness for this mistake on my part.]
Nunc vero, Patres conscripti, non parva adficior voluptate,
[Now really, conscripted Senators, I'm inspired by pure desire, a great amount of it,]
vel quod hoc maxime rei publicae conducit Syriam Macedoniamque decerni,
[either because, most of all, it opens up Syria and Macedonia to be determined by the commonwealth,]
ut dolor meus nihil a communi utilitate dissentiat,
[so that my own grief not disagree in any way to with the welfare of our community,]
vel quod habeo auctorem P. Servilium,
[or because I have at my disposal Publius Servilius,]
qui ante me sententiam dixit,
[who spoke his point of view before me,]
virum clarissimum
[a most distinguished gentleman]
et cum in universam rem publicam, tum etiam erga meam salutem fide ac benevolentia singulari.
[and who has shown a singular loyalty and goodwill both to every member of our commonwealth, as well as for the sake of my own safety.]
[2] Quodsi ille, et paulo ante, et quotienscumque ei locus dicendi ac potestas fuit,
[But if the man I speak of, just a while ago, and let me add, the exact same station and power of speaking belongs to him,]
Gabinium et Pisonem, duo rei publicae portenda ac paene funera,
[and Gabinius and Piso, two men who often portend the death of our commonwealth,]
cum propter alias causas,
[not only on account of other reasons,]
tum maxime propter illud insigne scelus eorum et importunam in me crudelitatem,
[but on account of their most notorious wickedness and unseasonable cruelty against me,]
non solum sententia sua,
sed etiam verborum gravitate esse notandos putavit,
[--he not only thought that they they must be marked down in response to their ideology but to the seriousness of their declarations as well,]
quonam me animo in eos esse oportet,
[why so does it suit me to direct my attention upon these men,]
cuius illud salutem pro pignore tradiderunt ad explendas suas cupiditates?
[and the safety of whom they betrayed, despite swearing an oath, so that they could gratify their own desires?]
Sed ego in hac sententia dicenda non parebo dolori meo,
[But, for my sake, I will not be swayed by own grief on this opinion, though it is one that need be spoken,]
non iracundiae serviam.
[I will not indulge my resentment.]
Quo animo unus quisque vestrum debet esse in illos, hoc ero;
[And with this same mindset, each and every one of you all ought approaches those men I speak of, and I will do the same;]
praecipuum illum et proprium sensum doloris mei, quem tamen vos communem semper vobis mecum esse duxistis, a sententia dicenda amovebo,
[I will detach from the argument that I must make that utter and personal feeling that is my own grief, the one which you yet all have taken upon, as always, as belonging to yourselves, as well as to me, ]
ad ulciscendi tempora reservabo.
[and I will postpone the time when I must think about revenge.]
II. [3] Quattuor sunt provinciae, Patres conscripti,
[My fellow senators, there are four provinces,]
de quibus adhuc intellego sententias esse dictas,
[about which I, at this point, understand the following facts need be declared,]
Galliae duae, quas hoc tempore uno imperio videmus esse coniunctas et Syria et Macedonia,
[the two Gauls, which we, at one time, see were linked under a single administration of government, and Syria, and then Macedonia,]
quas vobis invitis et oppressis pestiferi illi consules properversae rei publicae praemiis occupaverunt.
[which the ill-bearing consuls I speak of occupied as rewards from an ever-changing commonwealth, even while all of you were unwilling and overwhelmed.]
Decernandae nobis sunt lege Sempronia duae.
[There are two that need to be examined under the Sempronian law.]
Quid est quod possimus de Syria Macedonia dubitare?
[Why is it that we manage to remain muddled onSyria and Macedonia?]
Mitto quod eas ita partas habent ii,
[I submit that these men thusly occupy these regions,]
qui nunc obtinent,
[I mean, the ones now receiving them,]
ut non ante attingerint,
[but not so that they could attain them beforehand,]
quam hunc ordinem condemnarint,
[as they have damned this here class of men,]
quam auctoritatem vestram e civitate exterminarint,
[and as they have extinguished your own right to govern, right out of your city,]
quam fidem publicam, quam perpetuam populi Romani salutem, quam me ac meos omnis foedissime crudelissimeque vexarint.
[and as they have disturbed the faith of the people, as they have the permanent safety of the Roman public, and in the foulest and most heinous ways, myself and all of my supporters.]
106-43 BC *executed by 2nd Triumvirate (specifically Mark Antony)
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
M. TVLLI CICERONIS DE PROVINCIIS CONSVLARIBUS ORATIO
1 I. [1] Si quis vestrum, patres conscripti, exspectat quas sim provincias decreturus,
[If one of you, my fellow senators, are eager to know which provinces I will be decreed,]
consideret ipse secum
[he should taken into consideration in his own right]
qui mihi homines ex provinciis potissimum detrahendi sint;
[who might be the men who most of all must be dragged away from the provinces, for my sake;]
non dubitabit quid sentire me conveniat,
[he will not be in doubt why it suits me to feel this way,]
cum, quid mihi sentire necesse sit, cogitarit.
[as soon as he considers why it might be necessary that I feel this way.]
Ac si princeps eam sententiam dicerem, laudaretis profecto;
[and if I, as a leading citizen, should speak this opinion of my, you would immediately speak praise;]
si solus, certe ignosceritis;
[if I was alone, you shall've surely been left in the dark;]
etiamsi paulo minus utilis vobis sententia videretur,
[even if it should seem all the less a useful thought to you all,]
veniam tamen aliquam dolori meo tribueritis.
[still you will've bestowed some degree of forgiveness for this mistake on my part.]
Nunc vero, Patres conscripti, non parva adficior voluptate,
[Now really, conscripted Senators, I'm inspired by pure desire, a great amount of it,]
vel quod hoc maxime rei publicae conducit Syriam Macedoniamque decerni,
[either because, most of all, it opens up Syria and Macedonia to be determined by the commonwealth,]
ut dolor meus nihil a communi utilitate dissentiat,
[so that my own grief not disagree in any way to with the welfare of our community,]
vel quod habeo auctorem P. Servilium,
[or because I have at my disposal Publius Servilius,]
qui ante me sententiam dixit,
[who spoke his point of view before me,]
virum clarissimum
[a most distinguished gentleman]
et cum in universam rem publicam, tum etiam erga meam salutem fide ac benevolentia singulari.
[and who has shown a singular loyalty and goodwill both to every member of our commonwealth, as well as for the sake of my own safety.]
[2] Quodsi ille, et paulo ante, et quotienscumque ei locus dicendi ac potestas fuit,
[But if the man I speak of, just a while ago, and let me add, the exact same station and power of speaking belongs to him,]
Gabinium et Pisonem, duo rei publicae portenda ac paene funera,
[and Gabinius and Piso, two men who often portend the death of our commonwealth,]
cum propter alias causas,
[not only on account of other reasons,]
tum maxime propter illud insigne scelus eorum et importunam in me crudelitatem,
[but on account of their most notorious wickedness and unseasonable cruelty against me,]
non solum sententia sua,
sed etiam verborum gravitate esse notandos putavit,
[--he not only thought that they they must be marked down in response to their ideology but to the seriousness of their declarations as well,]
quonam me animo in eos esse oportet,
[why so does it suit me to direct my attention upon these men,]
cuius illud salutem pro pignore tradiderunt ad explendas suas cupiditates?
[and the safety of whom they betrayed, despite swearing an oath, so that they could gratify their own desires?]
Sed ego in hac sententia dicenda non parebo dolori meo,
[But, for my sake, I will not be swayed by own grief on this opinion, though it is one that need be spoken,]
non iracundiae serviam.
[I will not indulge my resentment.]
Quo animo unus quisque vestrum debet esse in illos, hoc ero;
[And with this same mindset, each and every one of you all ought approaches those men I speak of, and I will do the same;]
praecipuum illum et proprium sensum doloris mei, quem tamen vos communem semper vobis mecum esse duxistis, a sententia dicenda amovebo,
[I will detach from the argument that I must make that utter and personal feeling that is my own grief, the one which you yet all have taken upon, as always, as belonging to yourselves, as well as to me, ]
ad ulciscendi tempora reservabo.
[and I will postpone the time when I must think about revenge.]
II. [3] Quattuor sunt provinciae, Patres conscripti,
[My fellow senators, there are four provinces,]
de quibus adhuc intellego sententias esse dictas,
[about which I, at this point, understand the following facts need be declared,]
Galliae duae, quas hoc tempore uno imperio videmus esse coniunctas et Syria et Macedonia,
[the two Gauls, which we, at one time, see were linked under a single administration of government, and Syria, and then Macedonia,]
quas vobis invitis et oppressis pestiferi illi consules properversae rei publicae praemiis occupaverunt.
[which the ill-bearing consuls I speak of occupied as rewards from an ever-changing commonwealth, even while all of you were unwilling and overwhelmed.]
Decernandae nobis sunt lege Sempronia duae.
[There are two that need to be examined under the Sempronian law.]
Quid est quod possimus de Syria Macedonia dubitare?
[Why is it that we manage to remain muddled onSyria and Macedonia?]
Mitto quod eas ita partas habent ii,
[I submit that these men thusly occupy these regions,]
qui nunc obtinent,
[I mean, the ones now receiving them,]
ut non ante attingerint,
[but not so that they could attain them beforehand,]
quam hunc ordinem condemnarint,
[as they have damned this here class of men,]
quam auctoritatem vestram e civitate exterminarint,
[and as they have extinguished your own right to govern, right out of your city,]
quam fidem publicam, quam perpetuam populi Romani salutem, quam me ac meos omnis foedissime crudelissimeque vexarint.
[and as they have disturbed the faith of the people, as they have the permanent safety of the Roman public, and in the foulest and most heinous ways, myself and all of my supporters.]
Cicero, In Defense of Marcus Marcellus [Pro Marcello]
Marcus Tullius Cicero [Cicero or Tully]
106-43 BC *executed by 2nd Triumvirate (specifically Mark Antony)
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
M. TVLLI CICERONIS PRO M. MARCELLO ORATIO
[1] [I] Diuturni silenti, patres conscripti,
[Everyday silence, my fellow Senators,]
quo eram his temporibus usus—
[which I had enjoyed in times like these--]
non timore aliquo, sed partim dolore, partim verecundia—
[not with any sense of fear, but rather in grief partly, and in a sense of shame partly--]
finem hodiernus dies attulit,
[the arrival of today brought an end,]
idemque initium quae vellem
[and at the same time, these are the things that I was wanting in the beginning,]
quaeque sentirem meo pristino more dicendi.
[and these were the things I was feeling, by my own long-standing custom of speaking.]
Tantam enim mansuetudinem, tam inusitatam inauditamque clementiam, tantum in summa potestate rerum omnium modum, tam denique incredibilem sapientiam ac paene divinam,
[You see, so much consideration, so much uncanny and unheard-of mercy, so tremendous a manner of performing deeds at the highest level of power, and most importantly, such incredible and often divinely inspired wisdom]
tacitus praeterire nullo modo possum.
[I, in no way, can neglect to mention in silence.]
[2] M. enim Marcello vobis, patres conscripti, reique publicae reddito, non illius solum, sed etiam meam vocem et auctoritatem et vobis et rei publicae conservatam ac restitutam puto.
[Let me explain, my fellow senators: I am rendering Marcus Marcellus unto you all, and our commonwealth; I not only think that his alone, no, but my own right to speak and authority has been preserved and restored for the sake of you all, and for the Republic.]
106-43 BC *executed by 2nd Triumvirate (specifically Mark Antony)
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
M. TVLLI CICERONIS PRO M. MARCELLO ORATIO
[1] [I] Diuturni silenti, patres conscripti,
[Everyday silence, my fellow Senators,]
quo eram his temporibus usus—
[which I had enjoyed in times like these--]
non timore aliquo, sed partim dolore, partim verecundia—
[not with any sense of fear, but rather in grief partly, and in a sense of shame partly--]
finem hodiernus dies attulit,
[the arrival of today brought an end,]
idemque initium quae vellem
[and at the same time, these are the things that I was wanting in the beginning,]
quaeque sentirem meo pristino more dicendi.
[and these were the things I was feeling, by my own long-standing custom of speaking.]
Tantam enim mansuetudinem, tam inusitatam inauditamque clementiam, tantum in summa potestate rerum omnium modum, tam denique incredibilem sapientiam ac paene divinam,
[You see, so much consideration, so much uncanny and unheard-of mercy, so tremendous a manner of performing deeds at the highest level of power, and most importantly, such incredible and often divinely inspired wisdom]
tacitus praeterire nullo modo possum.
[I, in no way, can neglect to mention in silence.]
[2] M. enim Marcello vobis, patres conscripti, reique publicae reddito, non illius solum, sed etiam meam vocem et auctoritatem et vobis et rei publicae conservatam ac restitutam puto.
[Let me explain, my fellow senators: I am rendering Marcus Marcellus unto you all, and our commonwealth; I not only think that his alone, no, but my own right to speak and authority has been preserved and restored for the sake of you all, and for the Republic.]
Cicero, In Defense of Marcus Scaurus [Pro Scauro]
Marcus Tullius Cicero [Cicero or Tully]
106-43 BC *executed by 2nd Triumvirate (specifically Mark Antony)
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
M. TVLLI CICERONIS PRO M. SCAVRO ORATIO
[1] [a] maxime fuit optandum M. Scauro, iudices,
[Judges, Marcus Scaurus once wished most of all,]
ut nullo suscepto cuiusquam odio sine offensione ac molestia retineret,
[that he could hold back, while avoiding any hatred from anybody and without offense and harassment, ]
id quod praecipue semper studuit,
generis, familiae, nominis dignitatem.
[as he ever, most of all, looked after this thing, the dignitaty of his lineage, his family, and his name.]
[c] subiit etiam populi iudicium inquirente Cn. Domitio tribuno plebis.
[He even endured the judgement of the people, when the tribune of the plebs Gnaeus Domitius investigated into him.]
[d] reus est factus a Q. Servilio Caepione lege Servilia,
[He was forced to defend himself against charges from Quintus Servilius Caepio, in violation of the Servilian Law,]
cum iudicia penes equestrem ordinem essent
[when rights to sit on the jury belonged to the equestrian order]
et P. Rutilio damnato nemo tam innocens videretur
[and when, once Publius Rutilius was condemned, no one seemed so innocent]
ut non timeret illa.
[that he would have to fear those kinds of things.]
[e] ab eodem etiam lege Varia custos ille rei publicae proditionis est in crimen vocatus;
[and from that point, that man was also accused, by Varius' proposed law, for the crime of treason;]
vexatus a Q. Vario tribuno plebis est.
[the tribune of the plebs has grown upset from Quintus Varius' actions.]
[f] non enim tantum admiratus sum ego illum virum,
[You see, for my part, I've not only come to admired such a man that I speak of,]
sicut omnes,
[as does everyone,]
sed etiam praecipue dilexi.
[but actually I've come to especially like him.]
106-43 BC *executed by 2nd Triumvirate (specifically Mark Antony)
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
M. TVLLI CICERONIS PRO M. SCAVRO ORATIO
[1] [a] maxime fuit optandum M. Scauro, iudices,
[Judges, Marcus Scaurus once wished most of all,]
ut nullo suscepto cuiusquam odio sine offensione ac molestia retineret,
[that he could hold back, while avoiding any hatred from anybody and without offense and harassment, ]
id quod praecipue semper studuit,
generis, familiae, nominis dignitatem.
[as he ever, most of all, looked after this thing, the dignitaty of his lineage, his family, and his name.]
[c] subiit etiam populi iudicium inquirente Cn. Domitio tribuno plebis.
[He even endured the judgement of the people, when the tribune of the plebs Gnaeus Domitius investigated into him.]
[d] reus est factus a Q. Servilio Caepione lege Servilia,
[He was forced to defend himself against charges from Quintus Servilius Caepio, in violation of the Servilian Law,]
cum iudicia penes equestrem ordinem essent
[when rights to sit on the jury belonged to the equestrian order]
et P. Rutilio damnato nemo tam innocens videretur
[and when, once Publius Rutilius was condemned, no one seemed so innocent]
ut non timeret illa.
[that he would have to fear those kinds of things.]
[e] ab eodem etiam lege Varia custos ille rei publicae proditionis est in crimen vocatus;
[and from that point, that man was also accused, by Varius' proposed law, for the crime of treason;]
vexatus a Q. Vario tribuno plebis est.
[the tribune of the plebs has grown upset from Quintus Varius' actions.]
[f] non enim tantum admiratus sum ego illum virum,
[You see, for my part, I've not only come to admired such a man that I speak of,]
sicut omnes,
[as does everyone,]
sed etiam praecipue dilexi.
[but actually I've come to especially like him.]
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Nepos, Aristides
Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS ARISTIDES
[1] ARISTIDES, Lysimachi filius, Atheniensis, aequalis fere fuit Themistocli.
[Aristides, son of Lysimachus, and an Athenian, was almost the equal of Themistocles.]
Itaque cum eo de principatu contendit;
[Therefore, he competed with him for top control of the state;]
namque obtrectarunt inter se.
[on that account, they bickered greatly among themselves.]
2 In his autem cognitum est,
[Nevertheless, it is known among these men,]
quanto antestaret eloquentia innocentiae.
[how far his innocence surpassed his eloquence.]
Quamquam enim adeo excellebat Aristides abstinentia,
[You see, although Aristides so far began to excel by virtue of his moderation,]
ut unus post hominum memoriam,
[such that only a single person in human memory,]
quem quidem nos audierimus,
[at least one that I've heard of,]
cognomine Iustus sit appellatus,
[might could have been given the nicknamed "One-eyed"]
tamen a Themistocle collabefactus,
[and yet the injury was done to him by Themistocles,]
testula illa exsilio decem annorum multatus est.
[but he was fined with a 10-year exile for that famous dust-up.]
3 Qui quidem cum intellegeret reprimi concitatam multitudinem non posse
[That is, he who in fact began to understand that the crowd of people that had gathered round could not be beaten back]
cedensque animadvertisset quendam scribentem,
[and as he began to leave, he turned his attention to a particular man who had set about to writing,]
ut patria pelleretur,
[that he should be kicked out of the country,]
quaesisse ab eo dicitur,
[it is said that he had asked from this man]
quare id faceret
[why in the world he was doing this]
aut quid Aristides commisisset,
[and what Aristides had done in the time before,]
cur tanta poena dignus duceretur.
[and why he should be worthy of receiving so harsh a crime.]
Cui ille respondit se ignorare Aristiden,
[ ...something for which that man replies that he doesn't know about Aristides,]
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS ARISTIDES
[1] ARISTIDES, Lysimachi filius, Atheniensis, aequalis fere fuit Themistocli.
[Aristides, son of Lysimachus, and an Athenian, was almost the equal of Themistocles.]
Itaque cum eo de principatu contendit;
[Therefore, he competed with him for top control of the state;]
namque obtrectarunt inter se.
[on that account, they bickered greatly among themselves.]
2 In his autem cognitum est,
[Nevertheless, it is known among these men,]
quanto antestaret eloquentia innocentiae.
[how far his innocence surpassed his eloquence.]
Quamquam enim adeo excellebat Aristides abstinentia,
[You see, although Aristides so far began to excel by virtue of his moderation,]
ut unus post hominum memoriam,
[such that only a single person in human memory,]
quem quidem nos audierimus,
[at least one that I've heard of,]
cognomine Iustus sit appellatus,
[might could have been given the nicknamed "One-eyed"]
tamen a Themistocle collabefactus,
[and yet the injury was done to him by Themistocles,]
testula illa exsilio decem annorum multatus est.
[but he was fined with a 10-year exile for that famous dust-up.]
3 Qui quidem cum intellegeret reprimi concitatam multitudinem non posse
[That is, he who in fact began to understand that the crowd of people that had gathered round could not be beaten back]
cedensque animadvertisset quendam scribentem,
[and as he began to leave, he turned his attention to a particular man who had set about to writing,]
ut patria pelleretur,
[that he should be kicked out of the country,]
quaesisse ab eo dicitur,
[it is said that he had asked from this man]
quare id faceret
[why in the world he was doing this]
aut quid Aristides commisisset,
[and what Aristides had done in the time before,]
cur tanta poena dignus duceretur.
[and why he should be worthy of receiving so harsh a crime.]
Cui ille respondit se ignorare Aristiden,
[ ...something for which that man replies that he doesn't know about Aristides,]
Friday, May 27, 2011
Martial, Epigram 1.7
Marcus Valerius Martialis
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
7
Stellae delicium mei columba,
Verona licet audiente dicam,
[The dove, the pet of my favorite Stella,]
uicit, Maxime, passerem Catulli.
[beats Catullus' sparrow, o Maximus.]
Tanto Stella meus tuo Catullo
quanto passere maior est columba.
[However much greater my favorite Stella is than Catullus, is the very same amount the dove is greater than the sparrow.]
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
7
Stellae delicium mei columba,
Verona licet audiente dicam,
[The dove, the pet of my favorite Stella,]
uicit, Maxime, passerem Catulli.
[beats Catullus' sparrow, o Maximus.]
Tanto Stella meus tuo Catullo
quanto passere maior est columba.
[However much greater my favorite Stella is than Catullus, is the very same amount the dove is greater than the sparrow.]
Martial, Spectacular Sights 13
Marcus Valerius Martialis
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
XIII
Icta graui telo confossaque uulnere mater
sus pariter uitam perdidit atque dedit.
[Stricken by the heavy spear, and pierced through along her wound, a mother sow simultaneously lost her life, and gave it too.]
O quam certa fuit librato dextera ferro!
[O how certain was the right hand that aimed that iron!]
Hanc ego Lucinae credo fuisse manum.
[I can say that I believe that it had been the very hand of Lucina.]
Experta est numen moriens utriusque Dianae, 5
[Dying, she experienced the two-fold power of Diana,]
quaque soluta parens quaque perempta fera est.
[through which a parent can be delivered, and through which a beast can be slain to the ground.]
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
XIII
Icta graui telo confossaque uulnere mater
sus pariter uitam perdidit atque dedit.
[Stricken by the heavy spear, and pierced through along her wound, a mother sow simultaneously lost her life, and gave it too.]
O quam certa fuit librato dextera ferro!
[O how certain was the right hand that aimed that iron!]
Hanc ego Lucinae credo fuisse manum.
[I can say that I believe that it had been the very hand of Lucina.]
Experta est numen moriens utriusque Dianae, 5
[Dying, she experienced the two-fold power of Diana,]
quaque soluta parens quaque perempta fera est.
[through which a parent can be delivered, and through which a beast can be slain to the ground.]
Martial, Spectacular Sights 12
Marcus Valerius Martialis
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
XII
Inter Caesareae discrimina saeua Dianae
fixisset grauidam cum leuis hasta suem,
[Between the savage boundaries of Caesarea, the light-weight spear of Diana had already stuck a heavy sow,]
exiluit partus miserae de uulnere matris.
[and the offspring spilled out from the wound of its doomed mother.]
O Lucina ferox, hoc peperisse fuit?
[O cruel Lucina, what was the point of this delivery?]
Pluribus illa mori uoluisset saucia telis, 5
[Wounded, she had began to die from even more spears,]
omnibus ut natis triste pateret iter.
[so that she could tread her sad journey in accompaniment with all her childrens.]
Quis negat esse satum materno funere Bacchum?
[Who can deny that Bacchus was born at the very point of his mother's death?]
sic genitum numen credite:
[so, believe in the divine power of procreation:]
nata fera est.
[Birth is a wild animal.]
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