22. =voluntāriā morte obiit=: he put an end to his life at Brixellum in
Cisalpine Gaul.
23. =nōnāgēsimō et quīntō imperiī diē=: Eutropius is slightly mistaken.
PAGE 70.
CH. 18.
1. =Vitellius=: Aulus Vitellius was Roman emperor from January 2 to
December 22, 69 A.D. When the news of Galba’s death reached Upper
Germany, where Vitellius was in command, his legions proclaimed him
emperor at Cologne. He immediately sent his generals, Fabius Valens and
Caecina, at the head of a large force, to Italy, and, having defeated
Otho’s troops, obtained the undisputed command of all the West. He was
moderate in his rule, disturbing no one in the enjoyment of what had
been given by Nero, Galba, or Otho. He was a glutton and an epicure,
spending enormous sums on his table. Creighton, p. 96; _The Early
Empire_, Ch. VIII.
10. =id … ferret=: ‘aimed so openly at this.’
13. =cum Capitōliō=: “In the confusion of the fight the famous temple
of Jupiter caught fire. All were too busy to give time or thought
to stay the flames, and in a few hours only ruins were left of the
greatest of the national monuments of Rome, which, full of the
associations of the past, had served for ages as a sort of record
office in which were treasured the memorials of ancient history, the
laws, the treaties, and the proclamations of old times. The loss was
one that could not be replaced.” _The Early Empire_, p. 146.
17. =in Tiberim … sepultūrā=: Eutropius is mistaken. His body was
recovered and buried by his wife, Galeria Fundana.
CH. 19.
20. =Vespasiānus=: Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasian. He was proclaimed
emperor at Alexandria on the 1st of July, 69 A.D., although it was a
year before he entered Rome. He lived more like a private person than
like the emperor of Rome. The many stories that are told of his avarice
and his methods of raising money are probably exaggerated. Although
he was frugal in his personal expenditures, he spent large sums in
adorning the city. He was the first of the Flavian dynasty. The others
were his two sons and successors. He died on the 24th of June, 79 A.D.
“His last words were characteristic of his somewhat cynical humour,
‘Methinks I am becoming a god.’” Creighton, p. 96; _The Early Empire_,
Ch. IX.
PAGE 71.
8. =Hierosolyma=: Vespasian was besieging Jerusalem when the war broke
out between Otho and Vitellius. When he started for Rome he left Titus,
his son, in charge of the war against the Jews. Titus captured the
city after a stubborn siege of five months, September 8, 70 A.D., and
despite his efforts the Temple was burned. Thousands of Jews perished
in the siege.
11. =ēgerant= = _fuerant_.
CH. 20.
15. =coërcitor=: ‘enforcer’; the word is _apax legomenon_.
=hīc … triumphāvit=: in 71 A.D. when Titus returned to Rome.
20. =genitūram … habuit=: ‘he so knew the horoscope of his sons.’
CH. 21.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account