CORNELII TACITI 1 CONTENTS. A.D. 14. 1. Rome under kings and consuls. 2-5. Government and death of Augustus. 6. Murder of Agrippa Postumus. 7. Behaviour of Tiberius. 8-10. Testament, funeral, and character of Augustus. 11-15. Early measures of Tiberius. 16-23. A mutiny of the Pannonian legions 24-30. is quelled by Drusus Jr. 31, 32. A more formidable revolt of the German armies 33-49. is suppressed with greater difficulty by Germanicus. 50, 51. Expedition against the Marsi. 52. Jealousy of Tiberius. 53. Death of Julia Jr. 54. Sodales A.D. 15. 55-59. Germanicus attacks the Chatti. Segestes and Arminius. 60. The Cherusci take up arms. 61, 62. Germanicus 80. Provincial policy of Tiberius. 81. Elections. A.D. 14. 1. Urbem Romam a principio reges habuere; libertatem et A.U.c. 767. tribunorum militum consulare ius diu valuit. Non Cinnae, non 5 Sullae longa dominatio; et Pompei Crassique potentia cito in Caesarem, Lepidi atque Antonii arma in Augustum cessere, qui cuncta discordiis civilibus fessa nomine principis sub imperium accepit. Sed veteris populi Romani prospera vel adversa claris scriptoribus memorata sunt; temporibusque 10 Augusti dicendis non defuere decora ingenia, donec gliscente adulatione deterrerentur. Tiberii Gaique et Claudii ac Neronis res florentibus ipsis ob metum falsae, postquam occiderant, recentibus odiis compositae sunt. Inde consilium mihi pauca de Augusto et extrema tradere, mox Tiberii principatum 15 et cetera, sine ira et studio, quorum causas procul habeo. 2. Postquam Bruto et Cassio caesis nulla iam publica arma, Pompeius apud Siciliam oppressus exutoque Lepido, interfecto Antonio ne Iulianis quidem partibus nisi Caesar dux reliquus, posito triumviri nomine consulem se ferens et ad 5 tuendam plebem tribunicio iure contentum, ubi militem donis, populum annona, cunctos dulcedine otii pellexit, insurgere 4. consulare jus. Given to the military tribunes on various occasions between B.C. 444 and 367 by a compromise between patricians and plebeians. (L. Cornelii) Cinnae. (L. Cornelii) Sullae. (Cn.) Pompeii (Magni). (M. Licinii) Crassi (Divitis). (C. Julium) Caesarem. (M. Aemilii) Lepidi. (M.) Antonii. 5. Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar formed the first triumvirate (a private combination), B. C. 60-53; Lepidus, Antony, and Octavius the second triumvirate (an open assumption of power), B.C. 43-36. 7. principis. The title of princeps was conferred, under the republic, as an honourable distinction on the chief man of the senate. Q. Lutatius Catulus, who died in B. C. 60, had been the last to hold it. Augustus revived it for himself, to avoid the odium of the word rex or dictator (I. 9. N.). 9. scriptoribus. Tacitus constantly employs the dative of agent with passive verbs of all tenses. 10. decora ingenia. Asinius Pollio, T. Livius, Aufidius Bassus, Cremutius Cordus. 11. Tiberii (Neronis Imperatoris). Neronis (Claudii Caesaris Drusi Germanici). 15. cetera. To the death of Nero, where the Historiae began. 2. I. (M. Junio) Bruto. publica arma. There were no armies representing the senate and republic; the triumvirs and Sex. Pompey levied armies as individuals. 2. (Sex.) Pompeius (Magnus). 3. ne Julianis quidem partibus. All the triumvirs claimed to be successors of Julius Caesar. 4. consulem se ferens. B.C. 31-28. In B.C. 23 he assumed the tribunicia potestas and held it for the rest of his life (§ 9, N.). 6. annona. Monthly corn doles of five modii (pecks) each were given in B.C. 5 to 350,000 Romans. The lower classes, when they lost their political power, were gratified by the Government with free bread and shows. In B.C. 2 the number of recipients was diminished by Augustus to 200,000. The soil of Italy had been cropped out, and was now devoted to grazing purposes (III. 54, N.), while the supplies of Rome were imported from abroad by the praefectus annonae (§ 7), an office instituted by Augustus paulatim, munia senatus magistratuum legum in se trahere, nullo adversante, cum ferocissimi per acies aut proscriptione cecidissent, ceteri nobilium, quanto quis servitio promptior, opibus et honoribus extollerentur ac novis ex rebus aucti 10 tuta et praesentia quam vetera et periculosa mallent. Neque provinciae illum rerum statum abnuebant, suspecto senatus populique imperio ob certamina potentium et avaritiam magistratuum, invalido legum auxilio, quae vi, ambitu, postremo pecunia turbabantur. 15 3. Ceterum Augustus subsidia dominationi Claudium Marcellum sororis filium admodum adulescentem pontificatu et curuli aedilitate, M. Agrippam ignobilem loco, bonum militia et victoriae socium, geminatis consulatibus extulit, mox defuncto Marcello generum sumpsit; Tiberium Neronem et Clau- 5 dium Drusum privignos imperatoriis nominibus auxit, integra etiam tum domo sua. Nam genitos Agrippa Gaium ac Lucium in familiam Caesarum induxerat, necdum posita puerili praetexta principes iuventutis appellari, destinari consules specie (VI. 2, N.). The corn was laid up in large stone granaries on the banks of the Tiber, and was brought from Sicily, Africa, and the east. Egypt alone exported 20,000,000 modii annually. The absolute donation of corn was unusual under later emperors; more generally (XV. 18 and 39), it was distributed at low and uniform prices. 7. senatus, magistratuum, legum. As imperator (II. 18, N.) the emperor controlled the armies, as princeps (§ 1, N.) the senate, as pontifex maximus (IV. 17, N.) the religion, by the tribunicia potestas (I. 9, N.) the people, as censor (XI. 13, N.) he chose the senators, and his rescripts had the force of laws; but no names were changed. 8. per acies. The ablative aciebus is not Latin. 9. promptior. Int. 46, a. 11. mallent, etc. "Those who had risen by revolutions preferred the safety of the present to the dangers of the past. 12. provinciae. The provinces had borne the expense and furnished the soldiers for the civil wars, in which they had no interest. They were also better governed under the empire than under the republic, because the governors no longer were changed every year, and (those of the imperial provinces at least, § 74, N.) were directly responsible to the emperor, instead of to a chamber of their peers. 14. legum. De pecuniis repetundis (§ 74, N.). 3. 1. (M.) Claudium Marcellum. pontificatus. IV. 17, N. 3. curuli aedilitate. He was eighteen years old. The legal age for an edile was thirty-seven (XÏ. 22, N.). ignobilem loco. The gens Vipsania was obscure, and Agrippa ignored the name, merely calling himself M. Agrippa. bonum militia. He won the victories over Sex. Pompey at Mylae and over Antony at Actium. 5. generum. Julia was the only legitimate child of Augustus. She was married successively to Marcellus, Agrippa, and Tiberius, in hope of perpetuating the line. Her only children were by Agrippa, viz. Caius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, Agrippa Postumus, Julia, and Agrippina. 7. Agrippa. Ablative of source. 8. puerili praetexta. A toga with purple border, worn by free-born children under fifteen (XII. 41, N.), and also by nobles, officials, and priests (II. 14, N.). 9. principes juventutis. Chiefs of the equites, by whom they were presented with silver shields and spears. The same honour, with the appointment that he 10 recusantis flagrantissime cupiverat. Ut Agrippa vita concessit, Lucium Caesarem euntem ad Hispaniensis exercitus, Gaium remeantem Armenia et vulnere invalidum mors fato propera vel novercae Liviae dolus abstulit, Drusoque pridem extincto Nero solus e privignis erat, illuc cuncta vergere: filius, collega 15 imperii, consors tribuniciae potestatis adsumitur omnisque per exercitus ostentatur, non obscuris, ut antea, matris artibus, sed palam hortatu. Nam senem Augustum devinxerat adeo, uti nepotem unicum, Agrippam Postumum, in insulam Planasiam proiecerit, rudem sane bonarum artium et robore corporis stolide 20 ferocem, nullius tamen flagitii conpertum. At hercule Germanicum Druso ortum octo apud Rhenum legionibus inposuit adscirique per adoptionem a Tiberio iussit, quamquam esset in domo Tiberii filius iuvenis, sed quo pluribus munimentis insisteret. Bellum ea tempestate nullum nisi adversus Germanos 25 supererat, abolendae magis infamiae ob amissum cum Quintilio Varo exercitum quam cupidine proferendi imperii aut dignum ob praemium. Domi res tranquillae, eadem ́magistratuum vocabula; iuniores post Actiacam victoriam, etiam senes plerique inter bella civium nati: quotusquisque reliquus qui 30 rem publicam vidisset ? 4. Igitur verso civitatis statu nihil usquam prisci et integri moris: omnes exuta aequalitate iussa principis aspectare, nulla in praesens formidine, dum Augustus aetate validus seque et domum et pacem sustentavit. Postquam provecta iam senectus 5 aegro et corpore fatigabatur aderatque finis et spes novae, pauci bona libertatis in cassum disserere, plures bellum pavescere, alii cupere. Pars multo maxima inminentis dominos variis should enjoy the consulship at twenty, instead of the legitimate age of forty-two, was made in the case of Nero (XII. 41, N.). 12. Armenia. Names of countries are sometimes construed by Tacitus like names of towns (Int. 27, a.). 13. novercae Liviae dolus. That Tacitus believed her guilty appears from III. 19. (Nero Claudius) Drusus (called Drusus Sr.) 17. hortatu. "By proclamation." 22. quamquam esset. Tacitus uses the subjunctive with quamquam, contrary to Cicero's custom (Int. 48). 23. filius juvenis. Drusus Jr. 25. abolendae-infamiae. Int. 50. amissum exercitum. Cut to pieces by Arminius, A.D. 8 (§ 62). (P.) Quintilio Varo. 4. 5. aegro et corpore. "By a sickly body, too.' Augustus was never robust, and suffered from want of circulation. In his old age he suffered with the gravel. 6. in cassum. Tacitus, with a strong love of old forms and of the republican constitution, was quite convinced that the Roman people had become too corrupt to govern themselves. 7. inminentis dominos. "The masters they expected." The term dominus was offensive to a freeman (II. 87, N.). |