Selections from Viri Romae Part 35

[Ill.u.s.tration: AUGUSTUS]

Habitavit Augustus in aedibus modicis, neque laxitate[2] neque cultu[3] conspicuis, ac per annos amplius quadraginta in eodem cubiculo hieme et aestate {190} mansit. Suppellex[4] quoque eius vix privatae elegantiae erat. Raro veste alia usus est quam confecta ab uxore, sorore, filia neptibusque.[5] Item tamen Romam, quam pro maiestate imperii non {195} satis ornatam invenerat, adeo excoluit, ut iure gloriaretur marmoream se relinquere, quam latericiam[6] accep.i.s.set.

Forma fuit Augustus eximia et per omnes aetatis gradus venustissima. Erat tamen omnis lenocinii[7] neglegens et in capite comendo tam incuriosus, ut eo ipso tempore, quo illud tonsoribus committeret, aut legeret aliquid aut etiam scriberet. {201}

Paucis annis antequam moreretur, gravissimam in Germania accepit cladem, tribus legionibus c.u.m duce Varo legatisque et [[111]]

auxiliis omnibus caesis. Hac nuntiata excubias[1] per urbem {204} indixit, ne quis tumultus exsisteret, et magnos ludos Iovi optimo maximo vovit, si res publica in meliorem statum vertisset. Adeo denique[2] consternatum ferunt, ut, per continuos menses barba capilloque submisso,[3] caput interdum foribus inlideret, vociferans: "Quintili Vare, legiones redde!" diemque cladis quotannis maestum habuerit ac lugubrem. {210}

Tandem adflicta valetudine in Campaniam concessit, ubi, remisso ad otium animo, nullo hilaritatis genere abstinuit. Supremo vitae die pet.i.to speculo[4] capillum sibi comi iussit et amicos circ.u.mstantes percontatus ecquid iis videretur mimum[5] vitae commode transegisse, adiecit solitam clausulam[6]: "Edite strepitum {215} vosque omnes c.u.m gaudio applaudite." Obiit Nolae s.e.xtum et septuagesimum annum agens.

[Footnotes: x.x.x (pages 103-111)

103.12: See Vocab., _Hispania_.

103.13: #studiis vacabat#: 'had time for (i.e. devoted himself to) study.'

104.1: At Caesar's death he was governor of Cisalpine Gaul. Antony carried a law allotting this province to himself, and then undertook to expel Brutus.

104.2: #plumbeis laminis#: 'leaden plates.'

104.3: 'arm.'

104.4: 'divers.'

104.5: 'by swimming across.'

104.6: 'doves.'

104.7: 'hunger.'

104.8: 'especially.'

104.9: '(being) wounded.'

104.10: = _amicitia_.

104.11: 'cloak.'

104.12: 'hilt.'

104.13: 'hesitate.'

105.1: 'marks.'

105.2: 'of Salernum,' a town in Campania; the modern Salerno.

105.3: 'though tortured.'

105.4: 'by a back door.'

105.5: 'couch.'

105.6: #Quanti . . . est#: 'What marvelous manhood it shows.'

105.7: A philosopher of the first century A.D.

105.8: 'stripped of.'

105.9: 'to one or the other,' i.e. to one, but not to both.

106.1: 'he met,' i.e. he answered.

106.2: 'prisoners of war.' Cf. _dedere_, 'to surrender.'

106.3: Julius Caesar, like the later emperors, was deified after his death.

106.4: 'sacrificial victims.'

106.5: 'slaughtered.'

106.6: 'pleasure.'

106.7: #centies# (sc. _centena milia_) #sestertium# = 'ten million sesterces,' or about four hundred thousand dollars. Cf. p. 88, n. 8.

106.8: #magnificam . . . Antonio#: 'under other circ.u.mstances truly splendid, but to Antony quite commonplace.'

106.9: 'course.'

106.10: 'vinegar.'

106.11: 'pearls.'

106.12: 'melts,' 'dissolves.'

106.13: 'throne.'

106.14: 'asp.'

107.1: = _ostendit_.

107.2: 'gentleness.'

107.3: 'the sixth,' counting from March, with which, it is said, the Roman year originally began.

107.4: #Compos . . . meorum#: 'Now that I have gained my heart's desire,' which had been to avenge his uncle's death.

107.5: 'Nay.'

107.6: #commissum iri# is fut. infin. pa.s.s. of _committo_, and = 'was sure to be (lit. was going to be) handed over,' i.e. if he resigned.

108.1: 'met.'

108.2: 'retinue.'

108.3: 'subst.i.tute.'

108.4: 'wounds.'

108.5: 'blushed.'

108.6: 'artisan.'

108.7: 'raven.'

108.8: 'Hail!'

108.9: = _sestertiorum_.

108.10: = _donum_.

108.11: 'parrot.'

108.12: 'cobbler.'

108.13: 'outlay.'

108.14: 'have come to naught.'

108.15: 'added': lit., 'wove in.'

108.16: #quanti . . . emerat#: 'at a higher price than he had paid before.'

108.17: 'offer.'

109.1: 'paper.'

109.2: 'scratched off,' 'wrote.'

109.3: Examples of the historical infinitive, so called because it is especially common in historical writing. It is to be translated by an imperfect or perfect indicative.

109.4: = _et . . . et_.

109.5: 'purse.'

109.6: 'francs.'

109.7: 'steward.'

109.8: 'whispered.'

109.9: 'eels.'

109.10: 'fish-pond.'

109.11: 'food.'

109.12: 'freed.'

109.13: 'night-owl.'

109.14: = _sestertios_.

110.1: 'executioner,' 'butcher.'

110.2: 'size.'

110.3: 'style.'

110.4: 'furniture.'

110.5: 'granddaughters.'

110.6: 'made of brick.'

110.7: 'finery.'

111.1: #excubias . . . indixit#: 'ordered watches to be set.'

111.2: Often used like our 'to cut a long story short,' 'in short.'

111.3: #barba . . . submisso#: 'letting his beard grow.'

111.4: 'mirror' (of metal, generally bronze or silver).

111.5: 'comedy.'