The following selections have been edited for rapid reading or reading at sight:96.3‘ancestors.’96.4‘wart.’96.5‘nose’; cf.nasal.96.6ciceris grānō: ‘a tiny chickpea.’96.7=ut.96.8‘culture.’96.9‘had spread.’97.1‘applied himself.’97.2‘engaged.’97.3‘courts.’97.4‘pleaded.’97.5‘followed,’ ‘courted’ (cf.sequor).97.6‘independence.’97.7‘freedman.’97.8‘fearing.’97.9‘most eloquent.’97.10‘was being deprived.’97.11annōnae difficultās: ‘a lack of corn.’97.12‘courtesy.’97.13‘having had proof of.’97.14‘lawyers.’97.15‘crushed.’97.16‘great-grandfather.’97.17Cf. XXVII, 19.97.18‘campaign.’97.19quehere = ‘but.’98.1‘thoughdisabled.’98.2bis . . . profugus=bis vincula ēius profūgit.98.3nūllō nōn: ‘every.’98.4‘chains.’98.5‘shackles.’98.6‘slain’; lit., ‘stabbed from below.’98.7‘fastened’ (to the stump of his arm).98.8‘great-grandson.’98.9‘defeat’; a technical term of Roman politics.98.10‘butcher.’98.11Āctum erat dē: ‘it would have been all up with.’98.12in . . . incidisset: ‘happened in the days of.’98.13Cicero.98.14‘prowess.’98.15‘culprit.’98.16‘by a general downfall.’98.17‘conspicuous’; lit., ‘shining.’98.18‘having first said.’98.19fromgīgnō, ‘to beget.’99.1‘life.’99.2‘corpses.’99.3Sc.concidisset.99.4ut . . . dīspexerim: ‘(as to say) that I should have of my own accord clearly perceived.’99.5indictā causā: ‘with their cause unpleaded,’ i.e. without giving them a trial.99.6‘mourning.’99.7veste mūtātā: i.e. changing their ordinary attire, which was white, for darker robes of mourning.99.8Tulliō . . . interdīcerētur: lit., ‘that a ban should be laid on Tullius in respect of fire and water,’ i.e. that he should be outlawed, and every one forbidden to aid him, even with the necessaries of life.100.1Obviam . . . est: ‘all went to meet him.’100.2‘trouble.’100.3‘strove.’100.4‘cherished,’ ‘supported.’100.5The reference is to the Second Triumvirate.100.6trānsversīs itineribus: i.e. by out of the way paths.100.7modo . . . modo: ‘now . . . now.’100.8‘disgust.’100.9‘litter,’ ‘sedan chair.’100.10‘leaning out’; sc.eī, dat. of disadvantage withpraecīsum est.100.11‘neck.’101.1plūs . . . scrībendō: ‘he devoted more of his time to practical affairs than to literature.’101.2‘sorrow.’101.3etiam ōtiōsus: ‘even though at ease,’ i.e. not burdened with official duties.ōtiōsushere, as often =prīvātus.101.4‘benefit.’101.5‘eloquence.’ Sc.Latīnae, to be derived fromLatīnārum.101.6‘became.’101.7ex . . . oportēre: we should say, ‘of two evils choose the less.’101.8‘extract’; lit., ‘pluck.’101.9‘wittily.’101.10‘son-in-law.’101.11On this day the consuls went out of office.101.12‘wondrous.’101.13causal subjunctive.Text-only versionXXIX.Mārcus Brūtussee captionBRŪTUSM. Brūtus, ex illā gente, quae Rōmā Tarquiniōsēiēcerat, oriundus,1Athēnīs philosophiam,Rhodī ēloquentiam didicit. Ēius pater, quī Sullaepartibus adversābātur, iussū Pompēī interfectus5erat, unde Brūtus cum eō gravēs gesserat2simultātēs. Bellō tamen cīvīlī Pompēī causam,quod iūstior vidērētur, secūtus dolōrem suum reīpūblicae ūtilitātī posthabuit. Victō PompēiōBrūtus ā Caesare servātus est et praetor etiam10factus. Posteā vērō, cum Caesar superbiā ēlātus senātumcontemnere et rēgnum adfectāre3coepisset, populus, praesentī statūhaud laetus, vindicem4lībērtātis requīrēbat. Subscrīpsēre quīdamL. Brūtī5statuae: “Utinam6vīverēs!” Item ipsīus Caesarisstatuae: “Brūtus, quia rēgēs ēiēcit, prīmus cōnsul factus15est; hīc, quia cōnsulēs ēiēcit, postrēmō rēx factus est.” Īnscrīptumquoque est M. Brūtī praetōris tribūnālī: “Dormīs,7Brūte!”Cōgnitā populī Rōmānī voluntāte, Brūtus adversus Caesaremcōnspīrāvit. Prīdiē quam Caesar est occīsus, Porcia, Brūtī uxor,Catōnis fīlia, cōnsiliī8cōnscia, ēgressō cubiculum9Brūtō,20cultellum10tōnsōrium quasi unguium11resecandōrum causā popōsciteōque velut forte ēlāpsō sē vulnerāvit. Clāmōre deinde ancillārum12in cubiculum revocātus obiūrgāre13eam coepit, quod tōnsōrispraeripuisset officium. Cuī sēcrētō Porcia “Nōn est” inquit“hōc temerārium14factum meum, sed in tālī statū nostrō meī25ergā tē amōris certissimum indicium. Experīrī enim voluī, sī15tibi prōpositum ex sententiā parum cessisset, quam aequō animōmē ferrō essem interēmptūra.” Quibus verbīs audītīs Brūtus adcaelum manūs et oculōs sustulisse dīcitur et exclāmāvisse: “Utinamdīgnus tālī cōniuge marītus vidērī possem!”30Interfectō Caesare, cum Antōnius vestem ēius sanguinolentam1ostentāns populum velutī furōre quōdam adversus coniūrātōsīnflammāsset, Brūtus in Macedoniam concessit ibique apud urbemPhilippōs adversus Antōnium et Octāviānum dīmicāvit. Victusaciē, cum in tumulum2sē nocte recēpisset, audītā Cassiī morte,35nē in hostium manūs venīret, ūnī ex comitibus latus trānsfodiendumpraebuit. Antōnius Brūtī corpus lībertō suō sepeliendum3trādidit, quōque4honōrātius cremārētur, inicī eī suumpalūdāmentum5iussit, iacentem6nōn hostem, sed cīvem dēpositōexīstimāns odiō. Cumque interceptum ā lībertō palūdāmentum40comperisset, īrā percitus7prōtinus in eum animadvertit, praefātus:“Quid? tū īgnōrāstī cūius tibi virī sepultūram commīsissem?”Nōn eadem fuit Octāviānī ergā Brūtum moderātiō, isenim āvulsum8Brūtī caput Rōmam mīsit, ut Gāī Caesarisstatuae subicerētur. Porcia cum victum et interēmptum virum suum45cōgnōvisset, quia ferrum nōn dabātur, ārdentēs ōre carbōnes9hausit, virīlem patris10exitum mulier11imitāta novō mortisgenere.Skip tonext selection.102.1=ortus, nātus.102.2simultātēs gerere= ‘to carry on a feud.’102.3‘to aim at.’102.4‘champion.’102.5The Brutus of selection IX.102.6Utinam vīverēs!‘O that you were yet alive.’ The subjunctive here expresses a wish or prayer; cf.l. 29.102.7‘you’re fast asleep.’102.8cōnsiliī cōnscia: ‘who was aware of,’ etc.102.9‘sleeping-room.’102.10cultellum tōnsōrium: ‘a barber’s knife.’102.11‘nails.’102.12‘maids.’102.13‘scold.’102.14‘heedless,’ ‘random.’102.15sī . . . cessisset: ‘if your plan did not turn out according to your expectations.’ Join with what follows.103.1‘bloody.’103.2‘hill.’103.3sepelīre= ‘to dispose of a body,’ whether by burial or by cremation.103.4quōque= ‘and in order that.’103.5‘cloak.’103.6‘the dead man.’103.7‘thoroughly aroused.’103.8‘torn (from the body).’103.9‘coals.’103.10See Vocab.,Catō.103.11‘woman though she was.’Text-only versionXXX.Octāviānus Caesar AugustusOctāviānus, Iūliae, Gāī Caesaris sorōris, nepōs, quārtum annumagēns patrem āmīsit. Ab avunculō adoptātus profectum eum inHispāniās12adversus Gnaeī Pompēī līberōs secūtus est. Deindeab eō Apollōniam missus studiīs13vacāvit. Utque prīmum occīsum5Caesarem hērēdemque sē comperit, in urbem regressushērēditātem adiit, nōmen Caesaris sūmpsit conlēctōque veterānōrumsee captionYOUNG AUGUSTUSexercitū opem Decimō1Brūtō tulit, quī abAntōniō Mutinae obsidēbātur. Cum autemurbis aditū prohibērētur, ut Brūtum dē omnibus10rēbus certiōrem faceret, prīmō lītterāsmīsit plumbeīs2lāminīs īnscrīptās, quās adbracchium3religātās ūrīnātōrēs4Scultennamamnem trānsnantēs5ad Brūtum dēferēbant.Quīn et avibus internūntiīs ūtēbātur. Columbīs615enim, quās inclūsās ante famē7adfēcerat,epistulās ad collum religābat eāsque ā proximō moenibus locōēmittēbat. Illae, lūcis cibīque avidae, altissima aedificiōrumpetentēs excipiēbantur ā Decimō Brūtō, quī eō modō dē omnibusrēbus certior fīēbat, utique8postquam dispositō quibusdam locīs20cibō columbās illūc dēvolāre īnstituerat.Bellum Mutinēnse Octāviānus duōbus proeliīs cōnfēcit, quōrumin alterō nōn ducis modo, sed mīlitis etiam fūnctus est officiōatque in mediā dīmicātiōne, aquiliferō legiōnis suae gravitersauciō,9aquilam umerīs subīsse diūque fertur portāsse. Posteā25reconciliātā cum Antōniō grātiā10iūnctīsque cum eō cōpiīs, utGāī Caesaris necem ulcīscerētur, ad urbem hostīliter accessitmīsitque quī nōmine exercitūs sibi cōnsulātum dēpōscerent.Cunctante senātū centuriō, prīnceps lēgātiōnis, rēiectō sagulō,11ostendēns gladiī capulum12nōn dubitāvit13in Cūriā dīcere: “Hīc30faciet, sī vōs nōn fēceritis.”Ita cum Octāviānus vīcēsimō aetātis annō cōnsulātum invāsisset,pācem fēcit cum Antōniō et Lepidō, ita ut triumvirī reīpūblicae cōnstituendae per quīnquennium essent ipse et Lepiduset Antōnius, et ut suōs quisque inimīcōs prōscrīberent. Quae35prōscrīptiō Sullānā longē crūdēlior fuit. Exstant autem ex eāmulta vel extrēmae impietātis vel mīrae fideī āc cōnstantiaeexempla. T. Tōranius, triumvirōrum partēs secūtus, prōscrīptīpatris suī, praetōriī et ōrnātī virī, latebrās, aetātem notāsque1corporis, quibus āgnōscī posset, centuriōnibus ēdidit, quī eum40persecūtī sunt. Alius quīdam cum prōscrīptum sē cōgnōvisset,ad clientem suum cōnfūgit; sed fīlius ēius per ipsa vēstīgiapatris mīlitibus ductīs occīdendum eum in cōnspectū suō obiēcit.Cum C. Plōtius Plancus ā triumvirīs prōscrīptus in regiōneSalernitānā2latēret, servī ēius, comprehēnsī multumque āc diū45tortī,3negābant sē scīre ubi dominus esset. Nōn sustinuit deindePlancus tam fidēlēs tamque bonī exemplī servōs ulterius cruciārī;sed prōcessit in medium iugulumque gladiīs mīlitum obiēcit.Senātōris cūiusdam servus cum ad dominum prōscrīptum occīdendummīlitēs advēnisse cōgnōsset, commūtātā cum eō veste,50permūtātō etiam ānulō, illum postīcō4clam ēmīsit, sē autem incubiculum ad lectulum5recēpit et ut dominum occīdī passus est.“Quantī6virī est” addit Seneca,7“cum praemia prōditiōnisingentia ostendantur, praemium fideī mortem concupīscere!”Octāviānus deinde M. Brūtum, interfectōrem Caesaris, bellō55persecūtus id bellum, quamquam invalidus atque aeger, duplicīproeliō trānsēgit; quōrum priōre castrīs exūtus8vix fugā ēvāsit.Victor acerbissimē sē gessit: in nōbilissimum quemque captīvumnōn sine verbōrum contumēliā saeviit. Ūnī suppliciter sepultūramprecantī respondisse dīcitur iam istam in volucrum fore60potestāte. Aliōs, patrem et fīlium, prō vītā rogantēs sortīrīfertur iussisse ut alterutrī9concēderētur, ac cum, patre quiasē obtulerat occīsō, fīlius quoque voluntāriā occubuisset nece,spectāsse utrumque morientem. Ōrāre veniam vel excūsāre sēcōnantibus, ūnā vōce occurrēbat1moriendum esse. Scrībunt65quīdam trecentōs ex dēditīciīs2ēlēctōs ad āram dīvō3Iūliōexstrūctam Īdibus Mārtiīs hostiārum4mōre mactātōs.5Abaliēnātus posteā est ab Antōniō, quod is, repudiātā Octāviāsorōre, Cleopatram, Aegyptī rēgīnam, dūxisset uxōrem: quae quidemmulier cum Antōniō lūxū et dēliciīs6certābat. Ūnā sē cēnā70centiēs7sēstertium absūmptūram aliquandō dīxerat. Cupiēbatdīscere Antōnius, sed fierī posse nōn arbitrābātur. Posterō igiturdiē māgnificam8aliās cēnam, sed cottīdiānam Antōniō apposuitinrīdentī, quod prōmissō stāre nōn potuisset. At illa īnferrīmēnsam9secundam iussit. Ex praeceptō ministrī ūnum tantum75vās ante eam posuēre acētī,10cūius asperitās vīsque margarītās11resolvit.12Exspectante igitur Antōniō quidnam esset āctūra,margarītam, quam auribus gerēbat, dētrāxit et acētō liquefactamabsorbuit. Victum Antōnium omnēs, quī aderant,prōnūntiāvērunt.80Octāviānus cum Antōniō apud Actium, quī locus est in Ēpīrō,nāvālī proeliō dīmicāvit. Victum et fugientem persecūtus Aegyptumpetiit, et Alexandrēam, quō Antōnius cum Cleopatrā cōnfūgerat,obsēdit. Antōnius in ultimā rērum dēspērātiōne, cumhabitū rēgis in soliō13rēgālī sēdisset, mortem sibi ipse cōnscīvit.85Cleopatra, quam Octāviānus, Alexandrēā in potestātem redāctā,māgnō opere cupiēbat vīvam comprehendī triumphōque servārī,aspidem14sibi adferendam cūrāvit ēiusque morsū periit. Cleopatraemortuae commūnem cum Antōniō sepultūram tribuit.Tandem Octāviānus, hostibus victīs sōlus imperiō potītus,90clēmentem sē exhibuit.1Omnia deinceps in eō plēna mānsuētūdinis2et hūmānitātis. Multīs īgnōvit vel iīs quī saepe gravitereum offenderant. Reversus in Ītaliam triumphāns Rōmamingressus est. Tum bellīs tōtō orbe compositīs Iānī geminī portāssuā manū clausit, quae bis tantum anteā clausae fuerant, prīmum95sub Numā rēge, iterum post prīmum Pūnicum bellum. Tuncomnēs praeteritōrum malōrum oblīviō cēpit populusque Rōmānuspraesentis ōtiī laetitiā perfruēbātur. Octāviānō māximī honōrēsā senātū dēlātī sunt. Ipse Augustus cōgnōminātus et in honōremēius mēnsis Sextīlis3eōdem nōmine appellātus est, quod illō100mēnse bellīs cīvīlibus fīnis esset impositus. Patris patriaecōgnōmen ūniversī māximō cōnsēnsū dētulērunt eī. Dēferentibuslacrimāns respondit Augustus hīs verbīs: “Compos4factusvōtōrum meōrum, patrēs conscrīptī, quid habeō aliud, quod deōsimmortālēs precer, quam ut hunc cōnsēnsum vestrum ad ultimum105vītae fīnem mihi perferre liceat!”Dictātūram māgnā vī offerente populō dēprecātus est. Dominīappellātiōnem semper exhorruit eamque sibi tribuī ēdictō vetuit.Immō5dē restituendā rē pūblicā nōn semel cōgitāvit, sedreputāns et sē prīvātum nōn sine perīculō fore, et rem pūblicam110plūrium arbitriō commissum6īrī, summam retinuit potestātem,id vērō studuit nē quem novī statūs paenitēret. Bene dē iīsetiam, quōs adversāriōs expertus erat, et sentiēbat et loquēbātur.Legentem aliquandō ūnum ē nepōtibus invēnit; cumque puerterritus volūmen Cicerōnis, quod manū tenēbat, veste tegeret,115Augustus librum cēpit eōque statim redditō, “Hīc vir,” inquit“fīlī mī, doctus fuit et patriae amāns.”Pedibus saepe per urbem incēdēbat summāque cōmitāte adeuntēsexcipiēbat. Convēnit1aliquandō eum veterānus mīles, quīvocātus in iūs perīclitābātur rogāvitque ut sibi adesset. Statim120Augustus ūnum ē comitātū2suō ēlēgit advocātum, quī lītigātōremcommendāret. Tum veterānus exclāmāvit: “At nōn ego,tē perīclitante bellō Actiacō, vicārium3quaesīvī, sed ipse prō tēpūgnāvī,” simulque dētēxit cicātrīcēs.4Ērubuit5Augustusatque ipse vēnit in advocātiōnem.125Cum post Actiacam victōriam Octāviānus Rōmam reverterētur,occurrit eī inter grātulantēs opifex6quīdam corvum7tenēns,quem īnstituerat haec dīcere: “Avē,8Caesar, victor, imperātor!”Mīrātus Caesar officiōsam avem vīgintī mīlibus nummōrum9ēmit.Socius opificis, ad quem nihil ex illā līberālitāte pervēnerat,130adfīrmāvit Caesarī habēre illum et alium corvum, quem ut adferrecōgerētur rogāvit. Adlātus verba, quae didicerat, expressit:“Avē, Antōnī, victor, imperātor!” Nihil exasperātus Caesarsatis dūxit iubēre illum dīvidere dōnātīvum10cum contubernālī.Salūtātus similiter ā psittacō11emī eum iussit.135Exemplum sūtōrem12pauperem sollicitāvit ut corvum īnstitueretad parem salūtātiōnem. Quī impendiō13exhaustus saepe adavem nōn respondentem dīcere solēbat “Opera et impēnsa13periit14!” Aliquandō tamen corvus coepit dīcere dictamsalūtātiōnem. Hāc audītā, dum trānsit, Augustus respondit: “Satis140domī tālium salūtātōrum habeō.” Superfuit corvō memoria, utet illa, quibus dominum querentem solēbat audīre, subtexeret15:“Opera et impēnsa periit.” Ad quod Caesar rīsit emīque avemiussit, quantī16nūllam ante ēmerat.Solēbat Graeculus quīdam dēscendentī ē palātiō Caesarī honōrificum145aliquod epigramma porrigere.17Id cum frūstrā saepe fēcissetet tamen rūrsus eum idem factūrum dūxisset Augustus, brevesuā manū in chartā1exarāvit2Graecum epigramma et Graeculōadvenientī obviam mīsit. Ille inter legendum laudāre3mīrārīque3tam4vōce quam4vultū gestūque. Deinde cum accessisset150ad sellam, quā Caesar vehēbātur, dēmissā in pauperem crumēnam5manū paucōs dēnāriōs6prōtulit, quōs prīncipī daret, dīxitquesē plūs datūrum fuisse, sī plūs habuisset. Secūtō omniumrīsū, dispēnsātōrem7Caesar vocāvit et satis grandem pecūniaesummam numerārī Graeculō iussit.155Augustus ferē nūllī sē invītantī negābat. Exceptus igitur āquōdam cēnā satis parcā et paene cottīdiānā, hōc tantumīnsusurrāvit8: “Nōn putābam mē tibi esse tam familiārem.” Cumaliquandō apud Pōlliōnem quendam cēnāret frēgissetque ūnus ēservīs vās crystallinum, rapī eum ad mortem Pōlliō iussit et160obicī mūraenīs9quās ingēns piscīna10continēbat. Ēvāsit ē manibuspuer et ad pedēs Caesaris cōnfūgit, nihil aliud petītūrus quamut aliter perīret nec ēsca11piscium fieret. Mōtus est novō crūdēlitātisgenere Caesar et illum quidem mittī,12crystallina autemomnia cōram sē frangī iussit complērīque piscīnam.165Augustus in quādam vīllā aegrōtāns noctēs inquiētās agēbat,rumpente somnum ēius crēbrō noctuae13cantū. Quā molestiā cumlīberārī sē vehementer cupere sīgnificāsset, mīles quīdam, aucupiīperītus, noctuam prehendendam cūrāvit, vīvamque Augustō attulit,spē ingentis praemiī. Cuī cum Augustus mīlle nummōs14darī170iussisset, ille minus dīgnum praemium exīstimāns dīcere ausus est:“Mālō ut vīvat,” et avem dīmīsit. Imperātōrī nec ad īrāscendumcausa deerat nec ad ulcīscendum potestās: hanc tamen iniūriamaequō animō tulit Augustus hominemque impūnītum abīre passus est.Augustus amīcitiās neque facile admīsit et cōnstantissimē retinuit.175Imprīmīs familiārem habuit Maecēnātem, equitem Rōmānum;quī eā, quā apud prīncipem valēbat, grātiā ita semper ūsusest, ut prōdesset omnibus, quibus posset, nocēret nēminī. Iūsaliquandō dīcēbat Augustus et multōs capite damnātūrus vidēbātur.see captionAUGUSTUSAderat tum Maecēnās, quī per180circumstantium turbam perrumpere etad tribūnal propius accēdere cōnābātur.Quod cum frūstrā tentāsset, haec verbain tabellā scrīpsit: “Surge tandem,carnifex1!” eamque tabellam ad Augustum185prōiēcit. Quā lēctā is statim surrēxitneque quisquam est morte multātus.Habitāvit Augustus in aedibus modicīs,neque laxitāte2neque cultū3cōnspicuīs,ac per annōs amplius quadrāgintā190in eōdem cubiculō hieme et aestātemānsit. Suppellex4quoque ēius vixprīvātae ēlegantiae erat. Rārō vestealiā ūsus est quam cōnfectā ab uxōre,sorōre, fīliā neptibusque.5Item tamen195Rōmam, quam prō māiestāte imperiī nōnsatis ōrnātam invēnerat, adeō excoluit, ut iūre glōriārēturmarmoream sē relinquere, quam laterīciam6accēpisset.Fōrmā fuit Augustus eximiā et per omnēs aetātis gradūsvenustissimā. Erat tamen omnis lēnōciniī7neglegēns et in capite200cōmendō tam incūriōsus, ut eō ipsō tempore, quō illud tōnsōribuscommitteret, aut legeret aliquid aut etiam scrīberet.Paucīs annīs antequam morerētur, gravissimam in Germāniāaccēpit clādem, tribus legiōnibus cum duce Vārō lēgātīsque etauxiliīs omnibus caesīs. Hāc nūntiātā excubiās1per urbem205indīxit, nē quis tumultus exsisteret, et māgnōs lūdōs Iovī optimōmāximō vōvit, sī rēs pūblica in meliōrem statum vertisset. Adeōdēnique2cōnsternātum ferunt, ut, per continuōs mēnsēs barbācapillōque submissō,3caput interdum foribus inlīderet, vōciferāns:“Quīntilī Vāre, legiōnēs redde!” diemque clādis quotannīs210maestum habuerit ac lūgubrem.Tandem adflīctā valētūdine in Campāniam concessit, ubi, remissōad ōtium animō, nūllō hilaritātis genere abstinuit. Suprēmō vītaediē petītō speculō4capillum sibi cōmī iussit et amīcōs circumstantēspercontātus ecquid iīs vidērētur mīmum5vītae commodē215trānsēgisse, adiēcit solitam clausulam6: “Ēdite strepitum vōsqueomnēs cum gaudiō applaudite.” Obiit Nōlae sextum etseptuāgēsimum annum agēns.
The following selections have been edited for rapid reading or reading at sight:96.3‘ancestors.’96.4‘wart.’96.5‘nose’; cf.nasal.96.6ciceris grānō: ‘a tiny chickpea.’96.7=ut.96.8‘culture.’96.9‘had spread.’97.1‘applied himself.’97.2‘engaged.’97.3‘courts.’97.4‘pleaded.’97.5‘followed,’ ‘courted’ (cf.sequor).97.6‘independence.’97.7‘freedman.’97.8‘fearing.’97.9‘most eloquent.’97.10‘was being deprived.’97.11annōnae difficultās: ‘a lack of corn.’97.12‘courtesy.’97.13‘having had proof of.’97.14‘lawyers.’97.15‘crushed.’97.16‘great-grandfather.’97.17Cf. XXVII, 19.97.18‘campaign.’97.19quehere = ‘but.’98.1‘thoughdisabled.’98.2bis . . . profugus=bis vincula ēius profūgit.98.3nūllō nōn: ‘every.’98.4‘chains.’98.5‘shackles.’98.6‘slain’; lit., ‘stabbed from below.’98.7‘fastened’ (to the stump of his arm).98.8‘great-grandson.’98.9‘defeat’; a technical term of Roman politics.98.10‘butcher.’98.11Āctum erat dē: ‘it would have been all up with.’98.12in . . . incidisset: ‘happened in the days of.’98.13Cicero.98.14‘prowess.’98.15‘culprit.’98.16‘by a general downfall.’98.17‘conspicuous’; lit., ‘shining.’98.18‘having first said.’98.19fromgīgnō, ‘to beget.’99.1‘life.’99.2‘corpses.’99.3Sc.concidisset.99.4ut . . . dīspexerim: ‘(as to say) that I should have of my own accord clearly perceived.’99.5indictā causā: ‘with their cause unpleaded,’ i.e. without giving them a trial.99.6‘mourning.’99.7veste mūtātā: i.e. changing their ordinary attire, which was white, for darker robes of mourning.99.8Tulliō . . . interdīcerētur: lit., ‘that a ban should be laid on Tullius in respect of fire and water,’ i.e. that he should be outlawed, and every one forbidden to aid him, even with the necessaries of life.100.1Obviam . . . est: ‘all went to meet him.’100.2‘trouble.’100.3‘strove.’100.4‘cherished,’ ‘supported.’100.5The reference is to the Second Triumvirate.100.6trānsversīs itineribus: i.e. by out of the way paths.100.7modo . . . modo: ‘now . . . now.’100.8‘disgust.’100.9‘litter,’ ‘sedan chair.’100.10‘leaning out’; sc.eī, dat. of disadvantage withpraecīsum est.100.11‘neck.’101.1plūs . . . scrībendō: ‘he devoted more of his time to practical affairs than to literature.’101.2‘sorrow.’101.3etiam ōtiōsus: ‘even though at ease,’ i.e. not burdened with official duties.ōtiōsushere, as often =prīvātus.101.4‘benefit.’101.5‘eloquence.’ Sc.Latīnae, to be derived fromLatīnārum.101.6‘became.’101.7ex . . . oportēre: we should say, ‘of two evils choose the less.’101.8‘extract’; lit., ‘pluck.’101.9‘wittily.’101.10‘son-in-law.’101.11On this day the consuls went out of office.101.12‘wondrous.’101.13causal subjunctive.
The following selections have been edited for rapid reading or reading at sight:
96.3‘ancestors.’
96.4‘wart.’
96.5‘nose’; cf.nasal.
96.6ciceris grānō: ‘a tiny chickpea.’
96.7=ut.
96.8‘culture.’
96.9‘had spread.’
97.1‘applied himself.’
97.2‘engaged.’
97.3‘courts.’
97.4‘pleaded.’
97.5‘followed,’ ‘courted’ (cf.sequor).
97.6‘independence.’
97.7‘freedman.’
97.8‘fearing.’
97.9‘most eloquent.’
97.10‘was being deprived.’
97.11annōnae difficultās: ‘a lack of corn.’
97.12‘courtesy.’
97.13‘having had proof of.’
97.14‘lawyers.’
97.15‘crushed.’
97.16‘great-grandfather.’
97.17Cf. XXVII, 19.
97.18‘campaign.’
97.19quehere = ‘but.’
98.1‘thoughdisabled.’
98.2bis . . . profugus=bis vincula ēius profūgit.
98.3nūllō nōn: ‘every.’
98.4‘chains.’
98.5‘shackles.’
98.6‘slain’; lit., ‘stabbed from below.’
98.7‘fastened’ (to the stump of his arm).
98.8‘great-grandson.’
98.9‘defeat’; a technical term of Roman politics.
98.10‘butcher.’
98.11Āctum erat dē: ‘it would have been all up with.’
98.12in . . . incidisset: ‘happened in the days of.’
98.13Cicero.
98.14‘prowess.’
98.15‘culprit.’
98.16‘by a general downfall.’
98.17‘conspicuous’; lit., ‘shining.’
98.18‘having first said.’
98.19fromgīgnō, ‘to beget.’
99.1‘life.’
99.2‘corpses.’
99.3Sc.concidisset.
99.4ut . . . dīspexerim: ‘(as to say) that I should have of my own accord clearly perceived.’
99.5indictā causā: ‘with their cause unpleaded,’ i.e. without giving them a trial.
99.6‘mourning.’
99.7veste mūtātā: i.e. changing their ordinary attire, which was white, for darker robes of mourning.
99.8Tulliō . . . interdīcerētur: lit., ‘that a ban should be laid on Tullius in respect of fire and water,’ i.e. that he should be outlawed, and every one forbidden to aid him, even with the necessaries of life.
100.1Obviam . . . est: ‘all went to meet him.’
100.2‘trouble.’
100.3‘strove.’
100.4‘cherished,’ ‘supported.’
100.5The reference is to the Second Triumvirate.
100.6trānsversīs itineribus: i.e. by out of the way paths.
100.7modo . . . modo: ‘now . . . now.’
100.8‘disgust.’
100.9‘litter,’ ‘sedan chair.’
100.10‘leaning out’; sc.eī, dat. of disadvantage withpraecīsum est.
100.11‘neck.’
101.1plūs . . . scrībendō: ‘he devoted more of his time to practical affairs than to literature.’
101.2‘sorrow.’
101.3etiam ōtiōsus: ‘even though at ease,’ i.e. not burdened with official duties.ōtiōsushere, as often =prīvātus.
101.4‘benefit.’
101.5‘eloquence.’ Sc.Latīnae, to be derived fromLatīnārum.
101.6‘became.’
101.7ex . . . oportēre: we should say, ‘of two evils choose the less.’
101.8‘extract’; lit., ‘pluck.’
101.9‘wittily.’
101.10‘son-in-law.’
101.11On this day the consuls went out of office.
101.12‘wondrous.’
101.13causal subjunctive.
M. Brūtus, ex illā gente, quae Rōmā Tarquiniōsēiēcerat, oriundus,1Athēnīs philosophiam,Rhodī ēloquentiam didicit. Ēius pater, quī Sullaepartibus adversābātur, iussū Pompēī interfectus5erat, unde Brūtus cum eō gravēs gesserat2simultātēs. Bellō tamen cīvīlī Pompēī causam,quod iūstior vidērētur, secūtus dolōrem suum reīpūblicae ūtilitātī posthabuit. Victō PompēiōBrūtus ā Caesare servātus est et praetor etiam10factus. Posteā vērō, cum Caesar superbiā ēlātus senātumcontemnere et rēgnum adfectāre3coepisset, populus, praesentī statūhaud laetus, vindicem4lībērtātis requīrēbat. Subscrīpsēre quīdamL. Brūtī5statuae: “Utinam6vīverēs!” Item ipsīus Caesarisstatuae: “Brūtus, quia rēgēs ēiēcit, prīmus cōnsul factus15est; hīc, quia cōnsulēs ēiēcit, postrēmō rēx factus est.” Īnscrīptumquoque est M. Brūtī praetōris tribūnālī: “Dormīs,7Brūte!”
Cōgnitā populī Rōmānī voluntāte, Brūtus adversus Caesaremcōnspīrāvit. Prīdiē quam Caesar est occīsus, Porcia, Brūtī uxor,Catōnis fīlia, cōnsiliī8cōnscia, ēgressō cubiculum9Brūtō,20cultellum10tōnsōrium quasi unguium11resecandōrum causā popōsciteōque velut forte ēlāpsō sē vulnerāvit. Clāmōre deinde ancillārum12in cubiculum revocātus obiūrgāre13eam coepit, quod tōnsōrispraeripuisset officium. Cuī sēcrētō Porcia “Nōn est” inquit“hōc temerārium14factum meum, sed in tālī statū nostrō meī25ergā tē amōris certissimum indicium. Experīrī enim voluī, sī15tibi prōpositum ex sententiā parum cessisset, quam aequō animōmē ferrō essem interēmptūra.” Quibus verbīs audītīs Brūtus adcaelum manūs et oculōs sustulisse dīcitur et exclāmāvisse: “Utinamdīgnus tālī cōniuge marītus vidērī possem!”
30Interfectō Caesare, cum Antōnius vestem ēius sanguinolentam1ostentāns populum velutī furōre quōdam adversus coniūrātōsīnflammāsset, Brūtus in Macedoniam concessit ibique apud urbemPhilippōs adversus Antōnium et Octāviānum dīmicāvit. Victusaciē, cum in tumulum2sē nocte recēpisset, audītā Cassiī morte,35nē in hostium manūs venīret, ūnī ex comitibus latus trānsfodiendumpraebuit. Antōnius Brūtī corpus lībertō suō sepeliendum3trādidit, quōque4honōrātius cremārētur, inicī eī suumpalūdāmentum5iussit, iacentem6nōn hostem, sed cīvem dēpositōexīstimāns odiō. Cumque interceptum ā lībertō palūdāmentum40comperisset, īrā percitus7prōtinus in eum animadvertit, praefātus:“Quid? tū īgnōrāstī cūius tibi virī sepultūram commīsissem?”Nōn eadem fuit Octāviānī ergā Brūtum moderātiō, isenim āvulsum8Brūtī caput Rōmam mīsit, ut Gāī Caesarisstatuae subicerētur. Porcia cum victum et interēmptum virum suum45cōgnōvisset, quia ferrum nōn dabātur, ārdentēs ōre carbōnes9hausit, virīlem patris10exitum mulier11imitāta novō mortisgenere.
Skip tonext selection.
102.1=ortus, nātus.102.2simultātēs gerere= ‘to carry on a feud.’102.3‘to aim at.’102.4‘champion.’102.5The Brutus of selection IX.102.6Utinam vīverēs!‘O that you were yet alive.’ The subjunctive here expresses a wish or prayer; cf.l. 29.102.7‘you’re fast asleep.’102.8cōnsiliī cōnscia: ‘who was aware of,’ etc.102.9‘sleeping-room.’102.10cultellum tōnsōrium: ‘a barber’s knife.’102.11‘nails.’102.12‘maids.’102.13‘scold.’102.14‘heedless,’ ‘random.’102.15sī . . . cessisset: ‘if your plan did not turn out according to your expectations.’ Join with what follows.103.1‘bloody.’103.2‘hill.’103.3sepelīre= ‘to dispose of a body,’ whether by burial or by cremation.103.4quōque= ‘and in order that.’103.5‘cloak.’103.6‘the dead man.’103.7‘thoroughly aroused.’103.8‘torn (from the body).’103.9‘coals.’103.10See Vocab.,Catō.103.11‘woman though she was.’
102.1=ortus, nātus.
102.2simultātēs gerere= ‘to carry on a feud.’
102.3‘to aim at.’
102.4‘champion.’
102.5The Brutus of selection IX.
102.6Utinam vīverēs!‘O that you were yet alive.’ The subjunctive here expresses a wish or prayer; cf.l. 29.
102.7‘you’re fast asleep.’
102.8cōnsiliī cōnscia: ‘who was aware of,’ etc.
102.9‘sleeping-room.’
102.10cultellum tōnsōrium: ‘a barber’s knife.’
102.11‘nails.’
102.12‘maids.’
102.13‘scold.’
102.14‘heedless,’ ‘random.’
102.15sī . . . cessisset: ‘if your plan did not turn out according to your expectations.’ Join with what follows.
103.1‘bloody.’
103.2‘hill.’
103.3sepelīre= ‘to dispose of a body,’ whether by burial or by cremation.
103.4quōque= ‘and in order that.’
103.5‘cloak.’
103.6‘the dead man.’
103.7‘thoroughly aroused.’
103.8‘torn (from the body).’
103.9‘coals.’
103.10See Vocab.,Catō.
103.11‘woman though she was.’
Octāviānus, Iūliae, Gāī Caesaris sorōris, nepōs, quārtum annumagēns patrem āmīsit. Ab avunculō adoptātus profectum eum inHispāniās12adversus Gnaeī Pompēī līberōs secūtus est. Deindeab eō Apollōniam missus studiīs13vacāvit. Utque prīmum occīsum5Caesarem hērēdemque sē comperit, in urbem regressushērēditātem adiit, nōmen Caesaris sūmpsit conlēctōque veterānōrumsee captionYOUNG AUGUSTUSexercitū opem Decimō1Brūtō tulit, quī abAntōniō Mutinae obsidēbātur. Cum autemurbis aditū prohibērētur, ut Brūtum dē omnibus10rēbus certiōrem faceret, prīmō lītterāsmīsit plumbeīs2lāminīs īnscrīptās, quās adbracchium3religātās ūrīnātōrēs4Scultennamamnem trānsnantēs5ad Brūtum dēferēbant.Quīn et avibus internūntiīs ūtēbātur. Columbīs615enim, quās inclūsās ante famē7adfēcerat,epistulās ad collum religābat eāsque ā proximō moenibus locōēmittēbat. Illae, lūcis cibīque avidae, altissima aedificiōrumpetentēs excipiēbantur ā Decimō Brūtō, quī eō modō dē omnibusrēbus certior fīēbat, utique8postquam dispositō quibusdam locīs20cibō columbās illūc dēvolāre īnstituerat.
Bellum Mutinēnse Octāviānus duōbus proeliīs cōnfēcit, quōrumin alterō nōn ducis modo, sed mīlitis etiam fūnctus est officiōatque in mediā dīmicātiōne, aquiliferō legiōnis suae gravitersauciō,9aquilam umerīs subīsse diūque fertur portāsse. Posteā25reconciliātā cum Antōniō grātiā10iūnctīsque cum eō cōpiīs, utGāī Caesaris necem ulcīscerētur, ad urbem hostīliter accessitmīsitque quī nōmine exercitūs sibi cōnsulātum dēpōscerent.Cunctante senātū centuriō, prīnceps lēgātiōnis, rēiectō sagulō,11ostendēns gladiī capulum12nōn dubitāvit13in Cūriā dīcere: “Hīc30faciet, sī vōs nōn fēceritis.”
Ita cum Octāviānus vīcēsimō aetātis annō cōnsulātum invāsisset,pācem fēcit cum Antōniō et Lepidō, ita ut triumvirī reīpūblicae cōnstituendae per quīnquennium essent ipse et Lepiduset Antōnius, et ut suōs quisque inimīcōs prōscrīberent. Quae35prōscrīptiō Sullānā longē crūdēlior fuit. Exstant autem ex eāmulta vel extrēmae impietātis vel mīrae fideī āc cōnstantiaeexempla. T. Tōranius, triumvirōrum partēs secūtus, prōscrīptīpatris suī, praetōriī et ōrnātī virī, latebrās, aetātem notāsque1corporis, quibus āgnōscī posset, centuriōnibus ēdidit, quī eum40persecūtī sunt. Alius quīdam cum prōscrīptum sē cōgnōvisset,ad clientem suum cōnfūgit; sed fīlius ēius per ipsa vēstīgiapatris mīlitibus ductīs occīdendum eum in cōnspectū suō obiēcit.
Cum C. Plōtius Plancus ā triumvirīs prōscrīptus in regiōneSalernitānā2latēret, servī ēius, comprehēnsī multumque āc diū45tortī,3negābant sē scīre ubi dominus esset. Nōn sustinuit deindePlancus tam fidēlēs tamque bonī exemplī servōs ulterius cruciārī;sed prōcessit in medium iugulumque gladiīs mīlitum obiēcit.Senātōris cūiusdam servus cum ad dominum prōscrīptum occīdendummīlitēs advēnisse cōgnōsset, commūtātā cum eō veste,50permūtātō etiam ānulō, illum postīcō4clam ēmīsit, sē autem incubiculum ad lectulum5recēpit et ut dominum occīdī passus est.“Quantī6virī est” addit Seneca,7“cum praemia prōditiōnisingentia ostendantur, praemium fideī mortem concupīscere!”
Octāviānus deinde M. Brūtum, interfectōrem Caesaris, bellō55persecūtus id bellum, quamquam invalidus atque aeger, duplicīproeliō trānsēgit; quōrum priōre castrīs exūtus8vix fugā ēvāsit.Victor acerbissimē sē gessit: in nōbilissimum quemque captīvumnōn sine verbōrum contumēliā saeviit. Ūnī suppliciter sepultūramprecantī respondisse dīcitur iam istam in volucrum fore60potestāte. Aliōs, patrem et fīlium, prō vītā rogantēs sortīrīfertur iussisse ut alterutrī9concēderētur, ac cum, patre quiasē obtulerat occīsō, fīlius quoque voluntāriā occubuisset nece,spectāsse utrumque morientem. Ōrāre veniam vel excūsāre sēcōnantibus, ūnā vōce occurrēbat1moriendum esse. Scrībunt65quīdam trecentōs ex dēditīciīs2ēlēctōs ad āram dīvō3Iūliōexstrūctam Īdibus Mārtiīs hostiārum4mōre mactātōs.5
Abaliēnātus posteā est ab Antōniō, quod is, repudiātā Octāviāsorōre, Cleopatram, Aegyptī rēgīnam, dūxisset uxōrem: quae quidemmulier cum Antōniō lūxū et dēliciīs6certābat. Ūnā sē cēnā70centiēs7sēstertium absūmptūram aliquandō dīxerat. Cupiēbatdīscere Antōnius, sed fierī posse nōn arbitrābātur. Posterō igiturdiē māgnificam8aliās cēnam, sed cottīdiānam Antōniō apposuitinrīdentī, quod prōmissō stāre nōn potuisset. At illa īnferrīmēnsam9secundam iussit. Ex praeceptō ministrī ūnum tantum75vās ante eam posuēre acētī,10cūius asperitās vīsque margarītās11resolvit.12Exspectante igitur Antōniō quidnam esset āctūra,margarītam, quam auribus gerēbat, dētrāxit et acētō liquefactamabsorbuit. Victum Antōnium omnēs, quī aderant,prōnūntiāvērunt.
80Octāviānus cum Antōniō apud Actium, quī locus est in Ēpīrō,nāvālī proeliō dīmicāvit. Victum et fugientem persecūtus Aegyptumpetiit, et Alexandrēam, quō Antōnius cum Cleopatrā cōnfūgerat,obsēdit. Antōnius in ultimā rērum dēspērātiōne, cumhabitū rēgis in soliō13rēgālī sēdisset, mortem sibi ipse cōnscīvit.85Cleopatra, quam Octāviānus, Alexandrēā in potestātem redāctā,māgnō opere cupiēbat vīvam comprehendī triumphōque servārī,aspidem14sibi adferendam cūrāvit ēiusque morsū periit. Cleopatraemortuae commūnem cum Antōniō sepultūram tribuit.
Tandem Octāviānus, hostibus victīs sōlus imperiō potītus,90clēmentem sē exhibuit.1Omnia deinceps in eō plēna mānsuētūdinis2et hūmānitātis. Multīs īgnōvit vel iīs quī saepe gravitereum offenderant. Reversus in Ītaliam triumphāns Rōmamingressus est. Tum bellīs tōtō orbe compositīs Iānī geminī portāssuā manū clausit, quae bis tantum anteā clausae fuerant, prīmum95sub Numā rēge, iterum post prīmum Pūnicum bellum. Tuncomnēs praeteritōrum malōrum oblīviō cēpit populusque Rōmānuspraesentis ōtiī laetitiā perfruēbātur. Octāviānō māximī honōrēsā senātū dēlātī sunt. Ipse Augustus cōgnōminātus et in honōremēius mēnsis Sextīlis3eōdem nōmine appellātus est, quod illō100mēnse bellīs cīvīlibus fīnis esset impositus. Patris patriaecōgnōmen ūniversī māximō cōnsēnsū dētulērunt eī. Dēferentibuslacrimāns respondit Augustus hīs verbīs: “Compos4factusvōtōrum meōrum, patrēs conscrīptī, quid habeō aliud, quod deōsimmortālēs precer, quam ut hunc cōnsēnsum vestrum ad ultimum105vītae fīnem mihi perferre liceat!”
Dictātūram māgnā vī offerente populō dēprecātus est. Dominīappellātiōnem semper exhorruit eamque sibi tribuī ēdictō vetuit.Immō5dē restituendā rē pūblicā nōn semel cōgitāvit, sedreputāns et sē prīvātum nōn sine perīculō fore, et rem pūblicam110plūrium arbitriō commissum6īrī, summam retinuit potestātem,id vērō studuit nē quem novī statūs paenitēret. Bene dē iīsetiam, quōs adversāriōs expertus erat, et sentiēbat et loquēbātur.Legentem aliquandō ūnum ē nepōtibus invēnit; cumque puerterritus volūmen Cicerōnis, quod manū tenēbat, veste tegeret,115Augustus librum cēpit eōque statim redditō, “Hīc vir,” inquit“fīlī mī, doctus fuit et patriae amāns.”
Pedibus saepe per urbem incēdēbat summāque cōmitāte adeuntēsexcipiēbat. Convēnit1aliquandō eum veterānus mīles, quīvocātus in iūs perīclitābātur rogāvitque ut sibi adesset. Statim120Augustus ūnum ē comitātū2suō ēlēgit advocātum, quī lītigātōremcommendāret. Tum veterānus exclāmāvit: “At nōn ego,tē perīclitante bellō Actiacō, vicārium3quaesīvī, sed ipse prō tēpūgnāvī,” simulque dētēxit cicātrīcēs.4Ērubuit5Augustusatque ipse vēnit in advocātiōnem.
125Cum post Actiacam victōriam Octāviānus Rōmam reverterētur,occurrit eī inter grātulantēs opifex6quīdam corvum7tenēns,quem īnstituerat haec dīcere: “Avē,8Caesar, victor, imperātor!”Mīrātus Caesar officiōsam avem vīgintī mīlibus nummōrum9ēmit.Socius opificis, ad quem nihil ex illā līberālitāte pervēnerat,130adfīrmāvit Caesarī habēre illum et alium corvum, quem ut adferrecōgerētur rogāvit. Adlātus verba, quae didicerat, expressit:“Avē, Antōnī, victor, imperātor!” Nihil exasperātus Caesarsatis dūxit iubēre illum dīvidere dōnātīvum10cum contubernālī.Salūtātus similiter ā psittacō11emī eum iussit.
135Exemplum sūtōrem12pauperem sollicitāvit ut corvum īnstitueretad parem salūtātiōnem. Quī impendiō13exhaustus saepe adavem nōn respondentem dīcere solēbat “Opera et impēnsa13periit14!” Aliquandō tamen corvus coepit dīcere dictamsalūtātiōnem. Hāc audītā, dum trānsit, Augustus respondit: “Satis140domī tālium salūtātōrum habeō.” Superfuit corvō memoria, utet illa, quibus dominum querentem solēbat audīre, subtexeret15:“Opera et impēnsa periit.” Ad quod Caesar rīsit emīque avemiussit, quantī16nūllam ante ēmerat.
Solēbat Graeculus quīdam dēscendentī ē palātiō Caesarī honōrificum145aliquod epigramma porrigere.17Id cum frūstrā saepe fēcissetet tamen rūrsus eum idem factūrum dūxisset Augustus, brevesuā manū in chartā1exarāvit2Graecum epigramma et Graeculōadvenientī obviam mīsit. Ille inter legendum laudāre3mīrārīque3tam4vōce quam4vultū gestūque. Deinde cum accessisset150ad sellam, quā Caesar vehēbātur, dēmissā in pauperem crumēnam5manū paucōs dēnāriōs6prōtulit, quōs prīncipī daret, dīxitquesē plūs datūrum fuisse, sī plūs habuisset. Secūtō omniumrīsū, dispēnsātōrem7Caesar vocāvit et satis grandem pecūniaesummam numerārī Graeculō iussit.
155Augustus ferē nūllī sē invītantī negābat. Exceptus igitur āquōdam cēnā satis parcā et paene cottīdiānā, hōc tantumīnsusurrāvit8: “Nōn putābam mē tibi esse tam familiārem.” Cumaliquandō apud Pōlliōnem quendam cēnāret frēgissetque ūnus ēservīs vās crystallinum, rapī eum ad mortem Pōlliō iussit et160obicī mūraenīs9quās ingēns piscīna10continēbat. Ēvāsit ē manibuspuer et ad pedēs Caesaris cōnfūgit, nihil aliud petītūrus quamut aliter perīret nec ēsca11piscium fieret. Mōtus est novō crūdēlitātisgenere Caesar et illum quidem mittī,12crystallina autemomnia cōram sē frangī iussit complērīque piscīnam.
165Augustus in quādam vīllā aegrōtāns noctēs inquiētās agēbat,rumpente somnum ēius crēbrō noctuae13cantū. Quā molestiā cumlīberārī sē vehementer cupere sīgnificāsset, mīles quīdam, aucupiīperītus, noctuam prehendendam cūrāvit, vīvamque Augustō attulit,spē ingentis praemiī. Cuī cum Augustus mīlle nummōs14darī170iussisset, ille minus dīgnum praemium exīstimāns dīcere ausus est:“Mālō ut vīvat,” et avem dīmīsit. Imperātōrī nec ad īrāscendumcausa deerat nec ad ulcīscendum potestās: hanc tamen iniūriamaequō animō tulit Augustus hominemque impūnītum abīre passus est.
Augustus amīcitiās neque facile admīsit et cōnstantissimē retinuit.175Imprīmīs familiārem habuit Maecēnātem, equitem Rōmānum;quī eā, quā apud prīncipem valēbat, grātiā ita semper ūsusest, ut prōdesset omnibus, quibus posset, nocēret nēminī. Iūsaliquandō dīcēbat Augustus et multōs capite damnātūrus vidēbātur.see captionAUGUSTUSAderat tum Maecēnās, quī per180circumstantium turbam perrumpere etad tribūnal propius accēdere cōnābātur.Quod cum frūstrā tentāsset, haec verbain tabellā scrīpsit: “Surge tandem,carnifex1!” eamque tabellam ad Augustum185prōiēcit. Quā lēctā is statim surrēxitneque quisquam est morte multātus.
Habitāvit Augustus in aedibus modicīs,neque laxitāte2neque cultū3cōnspicuīs,ac per annōs amplius quadrāgintā190in eōdem cubiculō hieme et aestātemānsit. Suppellex4quoque ēius vixprīvātae ēlegantiae erat. Rārō vestealiā ūsus est quam cōnfectā ab uxōre,sorōre, fīliā neptibusque.5Item tamen195Rōmam, quam prō māiestāte imperiī nōnsatis ōrnātam invēnerat, adeō excoluit, ut iūre glōriārēturmarmoream sē relinquere, quam laterīciam6accēpisset.
Fōrmā fuit Augustus eximiā et per omnēs aetātis gradūsvenustissimā. Erat tamen omnis lēnōciniī7neglegēns et in capite200cōmendō tam incūriōsus, ut eō ipsō tempore, quō illud tōnsōribuscommitteret, aut legeret aliquid aut etiam scrīberet.
Paucīs annīs antequam morerētur, gravissimam in Germāniāaccēpit clādem, tribus legiōnibus cum duce Vārō lēgātīsque etauxiliīs omnibus caesīs. Hāc nūntiātā excubiās1per urbem205indīxit, nē quis tumultus exsisteret, et māgnōs lūdōs Iovī optimōmāximō vōvit, sī rēs pūblica in meliōrem statum vertisset. Adeōdēnique2cōnsternātum ferunt, ut, per continuōs mēnsēs barbācapillōque submissō,3caput interdum foribus inlīderet, vōciferāns:“Quīntilī Vāre, legiōnēs redde!” diemque clādis quotannīs210maestum habuerit ac lūgubrem.
Tandem adflīctā valētūdine in Campāniam concessit, ubi, remissōad ōtium animō, nūllō hilaritātis genere abstinuit. Suprēmō vītaediē petītō speculō4capillum sibi cōmī iussit et amīcōs circumstantēspercontātus ecquid iīs vidērētur mīmum5vītae commodē215trānsēgisse, adiēcit solitam clausulam6: “Ēdite strepitum vōsqueomnēs cum gaudiō applaudite.” Obiit Nōlae sextum etseptuāgēsimum annum agēns.