Historia Augusta: Tacitus

I. 1 Quod post excessum Romuli novello adhuc Romanae urbis imperio factum pontifices, penes quos scribendae historiae potestas fuit, in litteras rettulerunt, ut interregnum, dum post bonum principem bonus alius quaeritur, iniretur, hoc post Aurelianum habito inter senatum exercitumque Romanum non invido non tristi sed grato reliosoque certamine sex totis mensibus factum est. 2 multis tamen modis haec ab illo negotio causa separata est. iam primum enim, cum interregnum initum est post Romulum, interreges tamen facti sunt totusque ille annus per quinos et quaternos dies sive ternos centum senatoribus deputatus est, ita ut, qui valerent, interreges essent singuli dumtaxat.

1. 1 What, after the passing of Romulus, while the rule of the Roman city was still new, was done—the pontiffs, in whose hands the power of writing history lay, set down in letters—that an interregnum, while after a good prince another good one is sought, should be entered upon—this, after Aurelian, held between the senate and the Roman army, not with envious, not with sad, but with grateful and religious contest, was done for six whole months. 2 Yet in many ways this case was separated from that affair. For, to begin with, when the interregnum was entered upon after Romulus, interreges nevertheless were appointed, and that whole year was assigned to the hundred senators in five- and four-day—or even three-day—turns, so that those who were able might be interreges, one each only.

3 qua re factum est, ut et plus anno[s] interregnum iniretur, ne aliquis sub aequabili dignitate Romani expers remaneret imperii. 4 huc accedit quod etiam sub consulibus tribunisque militaribus praediti<s> imperio consulari, si quando interregnum initum est, interreges fuerunt, nec umquam ita vacua fuit hoc nomine Romana res p., ut nullus interrex biduo saltim triduove crearetur. 5 video mihi posse obici curules magistratus apud maiores nostros quadriennium in re p. non fuisse, sed erant tribuni plebis cum tribunicia potestate, quae pars maxima regalis imperii est.

3 For which reason it came about that an interregnum was entered upon for more than a year, lest anyone, under the equal dignity of a Roman, should remain without a share of imperium. 4 To this is added that even under consuls and under military tribunes endowed with consular imperium, whenever an interregnum was entered upon, there were interreges; nor was the Roman republic ever so void under this heading that no interrex was created for at least two days or even three. 5 I see that it can be objected to me that curule magistracies were not in the republic for a four-year period among our ancestors; but there were tribunes of the plebs with tribunician power, which is the greatest part of regal imperium.

6 tamen non est proditum interreges eo tempore non fuisse, quin etiam verioribus historicis referentibus declaratum est consules ab interregibus post creatos, qui haberent reliquorum comitia magistratuum.

6 nevertheless it has not been handed down that interreges were not at that time; nay even, with the more truthful historians reporting, it has been made clear that the consuls were afterwards created by interreges, who were to hold the comitia of the remaining magistrates.

II. 1 Ergo, quod rarum et difficile fuit, senatus populusque {Romanus} perpessus est, ut imperatorem per sex menses, dum bonus quaeritur, res p. non haberet. 2 quae illa concordia militum? quanta populo quies?

2. 1 Therefore, a thing rare and difficult, the senate and people {Roman} endured that for six months, while a good one was being sought, the republic should not have an emperor. 2 What concord of the soldiers? How great a quiet for the people?

quam gravis senatus auctoritas fu[er]it? nullus usquam tyrannus emersit, sub iudicio senatus et militum popuIique Romani totus orbis est temperatus; non illi principem quemquam, ut recte facerent, non tribuniciam. potestatem formidabant, sed--quod est in vita optimum--se timebant. 3 Dicenda est tamen causa tam felicium morarum et speciatim in monumentis publicis inserenda, <servanda> eadem posteris humani generis stupenda moderatio, ut discant, qui regna cupiunt, non raptu<m> ire imperia sed mereri: 4 interfecto fraude Aureliano, ut superiore libro scriptum est, calliditate servi nequissimi, errore militarium, (ut apud quos qu<a>elibet commenta plurimum valent, dum modo irati audiunt, plerumque temulenti, certe consiliorum prope semper expertis,) reversis ad bonam mentem omnibus eisdemque ab exercitu[s] graviter confutatis, coeptum est quaeri, ecquis fieri deberet ex omnibus princeps.

How weighty the authority of the senate was? Nowhere did any tyrant emerge; under the judgment of the senate and of the soldiers and of the Roman people the whole world was kept in temper; they did not fear any prince, so that they might act rightly, nor the tribunician power, but—what is best in life—they feared themselves. 3 Nevertheless the cause of such felicitous delays must be told, and, in particular, inserted in the public monuments, <servanda> the same stupendous moderation for the posterity of the human race, so that those who desire kingdoms may learn not to go to empires by rapine raptu<m> but to deserve them: 4 Aurelian having been slain by fraud, as was written in the previous book, by the craftiness of a most wicked slave, by the error of the soldiers (as among those by whom qu<a>elibet fabrications have very great force, provided only that, angry, they listen, for the most part drunken, certainly almost always devoid of counsels), when all had returned to good sense and the same men had been severely refuted by the army[s], it began to be asked who, if anyone, out of all ought to be made princeps.

5 tunc odio pr<a>esentium exercitus, qui creare imperatorem raptim solebat, ad senatum litteras misit, de quibus priore libro iam dictum est, petens, ut ex ordine suo principem legerent. 6 verum senatus, sciens lectos a se principes militibus non placere, rem ad milites rettulit, dumque id saepius fit, sextus peractus est mensis.

5 then, from hatred of those present, the army, which was accustomed to create an emperor rapidly, sent letters to the senate, about which it has already been said in the prior book, petitioning that they should elect a princeps from their own order. 6 However, the senate, knowing that princes chosen by itself do not please the soldiers, referred the matter back to the soldiers; and while this was done rather often, the sixth month was completed.

III. 1 Interest tamen, ut sciatur, quemadmodum Tacitus imperator sit creatus: 2 Die VII. kal.

3. 1 Nevertheless, it is of concern that it be known how Tacitus was created emperor:
2 On the 7th day before the Kalends.

Oct(o)b. cum in curiam Pompilianam ordo amplissimus consedisset, Velius Cornificius Gordianus consul dixit: 3 'referemus ad vos, p. c., quod saepe rettulimus: imperator est deligendus, <cum> exercitus sine principe recte diutius stare non possit, simul quia cogit necessitas. 4 nam limitem Transrenanum Germani rupisse dicuntur, occupasse urbes validas, nobiles, divites et potentes. 5 iam si nihil de Persicis motibus nuntiatur, cogitate tam leves esse mentes Syrorum, ut regnare vel feminas cupiant potius quam nostram perpeti sanctimoniam.

Oct(o)b. when the most distinguished order had taken their seats in the Pompilian Curia, Velius Cornificius Gordianus, consul, said: 3 'we will refer to you, Conscript Fathers, what we have often referred: an emperor must be chosen, <since> the army cannot rightly stand for a longer time without a princeps, and at the same time because necessity compels. 4 for the Transrhenane limes is said to have been broken by the Germans, and that they have occupied cities strong, noble, wealthy, and powerful. 5 already, if nothing is reported about the Persian movements, consider that the minds of the Syrians are so light that they desire even that women reign rather than to endure our sanctity.'

6 quid Africam? quid Illyricum? quid Aegyptum earumque omnium partium exercitus?

6 what of Africa? what of Illyricum? what of Egypt and the armies of all those parts?

quo usque sine principe credimus posse consistere? 7 quare agite, p. c., et principem dicite. aut accipiet enim exercitus, quem elegeritis, aut, si refutaverit, alterum faciet.'

How long do we believe we can stand without a princeps? 7 therefore, come, Conscript Fathers, and declare a princeps. For either the army will accept the one whom you have chosen, or, if it refuses him, it will make another.'

IV. 1 post haec cum Tacitus, qui erat primae sententiae consularis, sententiam incertum quam vellet dicere[t], omnis senatus adclamavit: 2 'Tacite Auguste, di[us] te servet. te diligimus, te principem facimus, tibi curam rei p. orbisque mandamus. 3 suscipe imperium ex senatus auctoritate, tui loci, tuae vitae, tuae mentis est, quod mereris. princeps senatus recte Augustus creatur, prime sententiae vir recte imperator creatur.

4. 1 after these things, when Tacitus, who was a consular of the first opinion, was about to give his opinion—it is uncertain what he wished to say—the whole senate acclaimed: 2 'Tacitus Augustus, may the gods preserve you. We esteem you, we make you princeps, we entrust to you the care of the commonwealth and of the world. 3 Assume the imperium by the authority of the senate; it belongs to your rank, your life, your mind—what you deserve. The princeps of the senate is rightly created Augustus, the man of the first opinion is rightly created imperator.'

4 ecquis melius quam gravis imperat? ecquis melius quam litteratus imperat? quod bonum faustum salutareque sit, diu privatus fuisti: scis, quem ad modum debeas imperare, qui alios principes pertulisti; scis, quem ad modum debeas imperare, qui de aliis principibus iudicasti.' 5 at ille: 'miror, p. c., vos in locum Aureliani, fortissimi imperatoris, senem velle principem, facere.

4 Does anyone rule better than a grave man? Does anyone rule better than a literate man? May this be good, auspicious, and salutary: you have long been a private citizen; you know in what manner you ought to rule, you who have endured other princes; you know in what manner you ought to rule, you who have judged about other princes.' 5 But he: 'I marvel, Conscript Fathers, that in the place of Aurelian, a most brave emperor, you wish to make an old man princeps.

6 en membra, quae iaculari valeant, quae <h>astile torquere, quae clipeis intonare, quae ad exemplum docendi militis frequenter equitare. vix munia senatus implemus, vix sententias, ad quas nos locus artat, edicimus. 7 videte diligentius, quam aetatem de cubiculo atque umbra in pruinas aestusque mittatis.

6 behold the limbs that could hurl the javelin, that could whirl the spear-shaft, that could thunder with shields, that could ride frequently as an example for instructing the soldier. we scarcely fulfill the duties of the senate; we scarcely declare the opinions to which our position confines us. 7 consider more carefully what age you are sending from the bedchamber and shade into frosts and heats.

ac probaturos senem imperatorem milites creditis? 8 videte, ne et rei p. non eum, quem velitis, principem detis, et mihi hoc solum obesse incipiat, quod me unanimiter delegistis.'

and do you believe the soldiers will approve an old emperor? 8 see to it, lest you give to the republic a prince not the one you wish, and lest this one thing begin to harm me: that you have unanimously elected me.'

V. 1 post haec adclamationes senatus haec fuerunt: 'et Traianus ad imperium senex venit.' dixerunt decies. 'et Hadrianus ad imperium senex venit.' dixerunt decies. 'et Antoninus ad imperium senex venit.' dixerunt decies.

5. 1 after this the acclamations of the senate were these: 'even Trajan came to the empire as an old man.' they said it ten times. 'even Hadrian came to the empire as an old man.' they said it ten times. 'even Antoninus came to the empire as an old man.' they said it ten times.

'et tu legisti: incanaque menta regis Romani.' dixerunt decies. 'ecquis melius quam senex imperat?' dixerunt decies. 'imperatorem te, non militem facimus.' dixerunt vicies.

'and you too have read: "and the hoary chin of the Roman king".' they said 10 times. 'does anyone rule better than an old man?' they said 10 times. 'we make you emperor, not a soldier.' they said 20 times.

2 'tu iube, milites pugnent.' dixerunt tricies. 'habes prudentiam et bonum fratrem.' dixerunt decies. 'Severus dixit caput imperare, non pedes.' dixerunt tricies.

2 'you command, let the soldiers fight.' they said thirty times. 'you have prudence and a good brother.' they said ten times. 'Severus said the head commands, not the feet.' they said thirty times.

'animum tuum, non corpus eligimus.' dixerunt vicies. 'Tacite Auguste, di te servent!' deinde 'omnes, {omnes, omnes}'. 3 interrogatus praeterea, qui post Tacitum sedebat senator consularis, Maecius Faltonius Nic[h]omac<h>us in haec verba disseruit:

'we choose your spirit, not your body.' they said twenty times. 'Tacitus Augustus, may the gods preserve you!' then 'all, {all, all}'. 3 moreover, when asked, the consular senator who was sitting behind Tacitus, Maecius Faltonius Nic[h]omac<h>us, discoursed in these words:

VI. 1 'Semper quidem, p. c., recte atque prudenter rei p. magnificus hic ordo consuluit, neque a quoquam orbis terrae populo solidior umquam expectata sapientia est, attamen nulla umquam neque gravior neque prudentior in hoc sacrario dicta sententia est. 2 seniorem principem fecimus et virum, qui omnibus quasi pater consulat. nihil ab hoc inmaturum, nihil praeperum, nihil asperum formidandum est.

6. 1 'Always indeed, Conscript Fathers, this magnificent order has deliberated rightly and prudently for the republic, nor from any people of the orb of the earth has a more solid wisdom ever been expected, nevertheless no sentence either graver or more prudent has ever been spoken in this sanctuary. 2 We have made an elder emperor, a man who will look out for all as a father, as it were. From this man nothing unripe, nothing premature, nothing harsh is to be feared.

omnia seria, cuncta gravia et quasi ipsa res p. iubeat, auguranda sunt. 3 scit enim, qualem sibi principem semper optaverit, nec potes<t> aliud nobis exhibere quam ipse desideravit et voluit. 4 enimvero si recolere velitis vetusta illa prodigia, Nerones dico et Heliogabalos et Commodos seu potius semper Incommodos, certe non hominum magis vitia illa quam aetatum fuerunt.

all things serious, all things weighty, and, as if the Republic itself were bidding, are to be augured. 3 for he knows what sort of princeps he has always wished for himself, nor can he exhibit to us anything other than what he himself desired and willed. 4 indeed, if you should wish to recall those ancient prodigies—I mean Neros and Heliogabali and Commodi, or rather, always Incommodi—surely those vices were not so much of the men as of the ages.

5 dii avertant principes pueros et patres patriae dici inpuberes et quibus ad suscribendum magistri litterari manus teneant, quos ad consulatus dandos dulcia et circuli et quaecumque voluptas puerilis invitet. 6 quae (malum) ratio est habere imperatorem, qui famam curare non noverit, qui, quid sit res p., nesciat, nutritorem timeat, respiciat ad nutricem, virgarum magistralium ictibus terrorique subiaceat, faciat eos consules, duces, iudices, quorum vitam, merita, aetates, familias, gesta non norit. 7 sed quo[d] diutius, p. c., protrahor?

5 may the gods avert that princes be boys and that prepubescents be called Fathers of the Fatherland, those whose hands their schoolmasters hold for signing, whom sweets and hoops and whatever childish pleasure entice to the giving of consulships. 6 what (evil) reason is there to have an emperor who does not know how to care for reputation, who does not know what the republic is, who fears a tutor, looks back to a nurse, lies under the blows and terror of magisterial rods, and makes men consuls, generals, judges, whose life, merits, ages, families, deeds he does not know. 7 but why, p. c., am I being prolonged further?

magis gratulemur, quod habemus principem senem, quam illa iteremus, quae plus quam lacrimanda tolerantibus extiterunt. 8 gratias igitur diis inmortalibus ago atque habeo, et quidem pro universa re p., teque, Tacite Auguste, convenio petens, obsecrans ac libere pro communi patria legibus<que> deposcens, ne parvulos tuos, si te citius fata praevenerint, facias Romani heredes imperii, ne sic rem p. patresque conscriptos populumque Romanum ut villulam tuam, ut colonos tuos, ut servos tuos relinquas. 9 quare circumspice, imitare Nervas, Traianos, Hadrianos.

let us rather rejoice that we have an aged princeps than repeat those things which to those enduring them proved more than lamentable. 8 therefore I give and hold thanks to the immortal gods, and indeed on behalf of the whole republic, and I come before you, Tacitus Augustus, asking, beseeching, and freely, for the common fatherland and by the laws, demanding, that you not make your little ones, if the fates should overtake you sooner, the heirs of the Roman empire; that you not thus leave the republic, the conscript fathers, and the Roman people as you would your little villa, your tenant-farmers, your slaves. 9 wherefore look around, imitate Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian.

ingens est gloria morientis principis rem p. magis amare quam filios.'

Immense is the glory of a dying emperor: to love the commonwealth more than his sons.'

VII. 1 Hac oratione et Tacitus ipse vehementer est motus et totus senatorius ordo concussus, statimque adclamatum est: 'omnes, omnes.' 2 Inde itum ad campum Martium. ibi comitiale tribunal ascendit.

7. 1 By this oration both Tacitus himself was vehemently moved and the whole senatorial order was shaken, and at once there was an acclamation: 'all, all.' 2 Then they went to the Campus Martius. There he ascended the comitial tribunal.

ubi praef. urbis <A>elius Cesettianus sic loquutus est: 3 'vos sanctissimi milites et sacratissimi vos Quirites, habetis principem, quem de sententia omnium exercitum senatus elegit: Tacitum dico, augustissimum virum, ut qui hactenus sententiis suis rem p., nunc <a>diu<v>et iussis atque consultis.' 4 adclamatum est a populo: 'felicissime Tacite Auguste, dii te servent', et reliqua quae solent dici. 5 Hoc loco tacendum non est plerosque <in> litteras rettulisse Tacitum absentem et in Campania positum principem nuncupatum: verum est nec dissimulare possum.

where the prefect of the city Aelius Cesettianus spoke thus: 3 'you most holy soldiers, and you most sacred Quirites, you have a princeps, whom, by the judgment of all the armies, the senate has chosen: I mean Tacitus, a most august man, inasmuch as he who up to now has, by his opinions, supported the republic, may now aid it by commands and decrees.' 4 It was acclaimed by the people: 'most fortunate Tacitus Augustus, may the gods preserve you,' and the rest that are wont to be said. 5 At this point it must not be kept silent that many have recorded in letters that Tacitus, being absent and situated in Campania, was named princeps: it is true, nor can I dissemble it.

6 nam cum rumor emersisset illum imperatorem esse faciendum, discessit atque in Baiano duobus mensibus fuit. 7 sed inde deductus huic senatus consulto interfuit, quasi vere privatus et qui vere recusaret imperium.

6 for when a rumor had emerged that he was to be made emperor, he departed and stayed at Baiae for two months. 7 but, conducted from there, he was present at this senatorial decree, as though truly a private citizen and one who truly refused the imperium.

VIII. 1 ac ne quis me temere Graecorum alicui Latinorumve aestimet credidisse, habet in bibliotheca Ulpia in armario sexto librum elephantinum, in quo hoc senatus consultum perscriptum est, cui Tacitus ipse manu sua subscripsit. 2 nam diu haec senatus consulta, quae ad principes pertinebat, in libris elephantinis scribebantur.

8. 1 and lest anyone think that I have rashly believed some Greek or some Latin author, the Ulpian Library has, in the sixth cabinet, an ivory book, in which this senatus consultum is written out, to which Tacitus himself subscribed with his own hand. 2 for a long time these senatus consulta, which pertained to the emperors, were written in ivory books.

3 Inde ad exercitus profectus. ibi quoque, cum primum tribunal ascendit, Moesius Gallicanus praefectus praetori in haec verba disseruit: 4 'dedit, sanctissimi commilitones, senatus principem, quem petistis; paruit praeceptis et voluntati castrensium ordo ille nobilissimus. plura mihi apud vos praesente iam imperatore non licet loqui.

3 Thence he set out to the armies. There too, when first he ascended the tribunal, Moesius Gallicanus, praetorian prefect, discoursed in these words: 4 'the senate has given, most most-holy fellow-soldiers, a princeps whom you sought; that most noble order has obeyed the precepts and the will of the camp-dwellers. More it is not permitted me to speak among you, with the emperor now present.'

ipsum igitur, qui tueri nos debet, loquentem dignanter audite.' 5 post hoc Tacitus Augustus dixit: 'et Traianus ad imperium senex venit, sed ille ab uno delectus est, at me, sanctissimi commilitones, primum vos, qui scitis principes adprobare, deinde amplissimus senatus dignum hoc nomine iudicavit: curabo, enitar, efficiam, ne vobis desint, si non fortia facta, at sal[u]tem vobis atque imperatore digna consilia.'

'Therefore listen with due dignity to the very man who ought to protect us as he speaks.' 5 After this Tacitus Augustus said: 'And Trajan came to the imperium as an old man, but he was chosen by one, whereas I, most sacred fellow-soldiers, first by you, who know how to approve princes, then by the most ample Senate, have been judged worthy of this name: I will take care, I will strive, I will bring it about, that there be not lacking to you—if not brave deeds—yet safety for you and counsels worthy of an emperor.'

IX. 1 Post hoc stipendium et donativum ex more promisit et primam orationem ad senatum talem dedit: 'ita mihi liceat, p. c., sic imperium regere, ut a vo[li]bis me constet electum, ut ego cuncta ex vestra facere sententia et potestate decrevi. verum est igitur ea iubere atque sancire, quae digna vobis, digna modesto exercitu, digna populo Romano esse videantur.' 2 in eadem oratione Aureliano statuam auream ponendam in Capitolio decrevit, item statuam argenteam in curia[m], item in templo Solis, item in foro divi Traiani. sed aurea non est posita, dedicatae autem sunt solae argenteae.

9. 1 After this he promised the stipend and donative according to custom and gave such a first oration to the senate: 'So may it be permitted to me, Conscript Fathers, thus to rule the imperium, inasmuch as it is established that I was elected by you, that I have resolved to do all things according to your opinion and authority. It is therefore yours to order and sanction those things which seem worthy of you, worthy of the modest army, worthy of the Roman people.' 2 In the same oration he decreed that a golden statue for Aurelian be set up on the Capitol, likewise a silver statue in the Curia, likewise in the Temple of Sol, likewise in the Forum of the deified Trajan. But the golden one was not set up; however only the silver ones were dedicated.

3 in eadem oratione cavit, ut, si quis argento publice privatimque aes miscuisset, si quis auro argentum, si quis aeri plumbum, capital esset cum bonorum proscriptione. 4 in eadem oratione cavit, ut servi in dominorum capita non interrogarentur, ne in causa maiestatis quidem. 5 addidit, ut Aurelianum omnes pictum haberent.

3 in the same oration he provided that, if anyone had mixed bronze with silver publicly or privately, if anyone silver with gold, if anyone lead with bronze, it would be a capital offense with proscription of goods. 4 in the same oration he provided that slaves were not to be interrogated against the persons of their masters, not even in a case of treason. 5 he added that all should have Aurelian portrayed.

divorum templum fieri iussit, in quo essent statuae principum bonorum, ita ut isdem natalibus suis et Parilibus et kalendis lanuariis et Votis libamina ponerentur. 6 in eadem oratione fratri suo Floriano consulatum petit et non impetravit, idcirco quod iam senatus omnia nundi<ni>a suffectorum consulum clauserat. Dicitur autem multum laetatus senatus libertate, quod ei negatus est consulatus, quem fratri petierat.

he ordered a temple of the deified to be made, in which there should be statues of good emperors, such that on his own birthdays and on the Parilia and on the Kalends of January and at the Vota, libations should be set. 6 in the same speech he asked the consulship for his brother Florianus and did not obtain it, for the reason that the senate had already closed all the nundinae for the suffect consuls. It is said, moreover, that the senate rejoiced greatly in its liberty, because the consulship which he had sought for his brother was denied to him.

fertur denique dixisse: 'scit senatus quem principem fecerit.'

it is reported, finally, that he said: 'the senate knows whom it has made emperor.'

X. 1 Patrimonium suum publicavit, quod habuit in reditibus, sestertium bis milies octingenties. pecuniam, quam domi collegerat, in stipendium militum vertit. togis et tunicis isdem est usus quibus privatus.

10. 1 He made his patrimony public, what he had in revenues, 280,000,000 sesterces. the money which he had gathered at home he converted into the stipend of the soldiers. he used the same togas and tunics as when a private person.

2 meritoria intra urbem stare vetuit, quod quidem diu tenere non potuit. thermas omnes ante lucernam claudi iussit, ne quid per noctem seditionis oriretur. 3 Cornelium Tacitum, scriptorem historiae Augustae, quod parentem suum eundem diceret, in omnibus bibliothecis conlocari iussit.

2 he forbade lodging-houses to stand within the city, which indeed he could not maintain for long. he ordered all the baths to be closed before lamp-light, lest any sedition arise during the night. 3 he ordered Cornelius Tacitus, the writer of the Augustan history, because he said that that same man was his ancestor, to be placed in all the libraries.

ne[c] lectorum incuria deperiret, librum per annos singulos decies scribi publicitus in evicos archis iussit et in bybliothecis poni. 4 <h>olosericam vestem viris omnibus interdixit. domum suam destrui praecepit atque in eo loco thermas publicas fieri privato sumptu iussit.

Lest through the negligence of readers it be lost, he ordered the book to be written ten times every single year, publicly, in the district archives and to be placed in the libraries. 4 holoseric garment he forbade to all men. He ordered his own house to be demolished, and in that place public baths to be made at his private expense.

5 columnas centum Numidicas pedum vicenum ternum Ostiensibus donavit de proprio. possessiones, quas in Mauritania habuit, sartis tectis Capitolii deputavit. 6 argentum mensale[m], quod privatus habuerat, ministeriis conviviorum, quae in templis fierent, dedicavit.

5 he donated one hundred Numidian columns of twenty-three feet to the people of Ostia from his own resources. He assigned the estates which he had in Mauretania to the repairs (sarta tecta) of the Capitol. 6 he dedicated the table silver which he had possessed as a private citizen to the services of banquets that were held in the temples.

7 servos urbanos onmes manu misit utrisque sexus, intra centum tamen ne Canini[m]am transire videretur.

7 he manumitted all the urban slaves of both sexes, yet kept it within a hundred, lest he seem to transgress the Caninian law.

XI. 1 lpse fuit vitae parcissimae, ita ut sextarium vini tota die numquam potaverit, saepe intreminam. 2 convivium vero unius galli[ca]nacei, ita ut ~~inciput adderet et ova. prae [h]om[i]nibus holeribus adfatim ministratis lactucis inpatienter indulsit, somnum enim se mercari illa sumptus effusione dicebat.~~

CHAPTER 11. 1 He himself was of a most sparing life, to such an extent that he never drank a sextarius of wine in a whole day, often within a hemina. 2 As for a banquet, indeed, of a single barnyard cock, with the sinciput added and eggs. With vegetables served in sufficiency, he indulged impatiently in lettuces, for he used to say that by the outpouring of that expense he purchased sleep.

amariores cibos adpetivit. 3 balneis raro usus est atque adeo validior fuit in senectute. vitreorum diversitate atque operositate vehementer est delectatus.

he had an appetite for more bitter foods. 3 he used baths rarely, and indeed was stronger in old age. He was greatly delighted by the diversity and operosity of glassware.

panem nisi siccum numquam comedit eundemque sale atque aliis rebus conditum. 4 fabricarum peritissimus fuit, marmorum cupidus, nitoris senatorii, venationum studiosus. 5 mensam denique suam numquam nisi agrestibus opimavit.

He never ate bread except dry, and that same seasoned with salt and other things. 4 He was most expert in constructions, desirous of marbles and of senatorial luster, a devotee of hunts. 5 Finally, he never enriched his table except with rustic fare.

fasianam avem nisi suo et suorum natali et diebus festissimis non posuit. hostias suas semper domum revocavit isdemque suos vesci iussit. 6 uxorem gemmis uti non est passus.

He did not serve a pheasant except on his own and his kin’s natal day and on the most festal days. He always brought his sacrificial victims back home, and ordered his household to feed on the same. 6 He did not allow his wife to use gems.

auro clavatis vestibus idem interdixit. nam et ipse auctor Aureliano fuisse perhibetur, ut aurum a vestibus et cameris et pellibus summoveret. 7 multa huius feruntur, sed longum est ea in litteras mittere.

He likewise interdicted garments studded with gold. For he himself also is averred to have been the instigator for Aurelian, to remove gold from garments and ceilings and pelts. 7 Many things about him are reported, but it would be lengthy to commit them to letters.

quodsi quis omnia de hoc viro cupit scire, legat Suetonium Optatianum, qui eius vitam adfatim scripsit. 8 legit sane senex minutulas litteras ad stuporem nec umquam nocte<m> intermisit, qua non aliquid vel scriberet ille vel legeret praeter posterum kalendarum diem.

but if anyone wishes to know everything about this man, let him read Suetonius Optatianus, who wrote his life amply. 8 The old man indeed read minute letters to astonishment, and he never missed a night on which he did not either write or read something, except the day before the Kalends.

XII. 1 Nec tacendum est et frequenter intimandum tantam senatus laetitiam fuisse, quod eligendi principis cura ad ordinem amplissimum revertisset, ut et supplicationes decernerentur, et hecatombe[n] promitteretur, singuli[s] denique senatores ad suos scriberent, nec ad suos tantum sed etiam ad externos, mitterentur praeterea litterae ad provincias: scirent omnes socii omnesque nationes in antiquum statum re[d]disse rem p. ac senatum principes legere, immo ipsum senatum principem factum, leges a senatu petendas, reges barbaros senatui supplicaturos, pace ac bella senatu auctore tractanda. 2 ne quid denique deesset cognitioni, plerasque huius modi epistulas in fine libri posui, et cum cupiditate et sine fastidio, ut aestimo, perlegendas.

12. 1 Nor must it be kept silent, and it must be frequently intimated, that so great was the joy of the Senate, because the care of choosing the prince had returned to the most august order, that both supplications were decreed and a hecatomb was promised; finally, that individual senators wrote to their own people, and not only to their own but also to outsiders; moreover, letters were sent to the provinces: let all allies and all nations know that the commonwealth had been restored to its ancient state and that the Senate chooses princes—nay, that the Senate itself has been made the prince—that laws are to be sought from the Senate, that barbarian kings will supplicate the Senate, that peace and wars are to be handled with the Senate as author. 2 So that nothing, in fine, might be lacking for understanding, I have placed very many letters of this kind at the end of the book, to be read, as I judge, with eagerness and without distaste.

XIII. 1 Et prima quidem illi cura imperatoris facti haec fuit, ut omnes, qui Aurelianum occiderant, interimere[n]t, bonos malosve, cum iam ille vindicatus esset. 2 et quoniam a Maeotide multi barbari eruperant, hos eosdem consilio atque virtute[o] conp[e]ressit.

13. 1 And indeed his first care, once he had been made emperor, was this: that all who had killed Aurelian be slain, whether good or bad, although he had already been avenged. 2 And since many barbarians had burst forth from the Maeotis, he checked these same by counsel and by valor.

3 ipsi autem Mae<o>tidae ita se gregabant, quasi accitu Aureliani ad bellum Persicum convenissent auxilium daturi nostris, si necessitas postularet. 4 M. Tullius dicit magnificentius esse dicere, quemadmodum <gesserit quam quemadmodum> ceperit consulatum: at in isto viro magnificum fuit quod tanta gloria cepit imperium; gessit autem propter brevitatem temporum nihil magnum. 5 interemptus est enim insidiis militaribus, ut alii dicunt, sexto mense, ut alii, morbo interiit.

3 but the Maeotidae themselves were flocking together in such a way as if, at Aurelian’s summons, they had assembled for the Persian war, about to give aid to our men, if necessity should demand. 4 M. Tullius says that it is more magnificent to say how he managed than how he took the consulship; but in that man it was magnificent that he took the imperium with such glory; he conducted, however, because of the brevity of the times, nothing great. 5 for he was done away by military ambushes, as some say, in the sixth month; as others say, he perished by disease.

tamen constat factionibus eum oppressum mente atque animo defecisse. 6 hic idem mensem Septembrem Tacitum appellari iussit, idcirco quod eo mense et natus et factus est imperator.

nevertheless it is agreed that, oppressed by factions, he failed in mind and spirit. 6 this same man ordered the month September to be called Tacitus, for the reason that in that month he was both born and made emperor.

Huic frater Florianus <in> imperio successit, de quo pauca ponenda sunt.

To him his brother Florianus succeeded in the empire, about whom a few things must be set down.

XIV. (Flor. 1) 1 Hic frater Taciti[s] germanu fuit, qui post fratrem arripuit imperium, non senatus auctoritate sed suo motu, quasi hereditarium esse imperium, cum sciret adiuratum esse in senatu Tacitum, ut, cum mori cepisset, non liberos suos sed optimum aliquem principem faceret.

14. (Flor. 1) 1 This man was the true-born brother of Tacitus, who after his brother seized the imperial power, not by the authority of the senate but by his own impulse, as though the imperial power were hereditary, although he knew that Tacitus had sworn in the senate that, when he began to die, he would make not his own children but some best man princeps.

2 denique vix duobus mensibus imperium tenuit et occisus est Tarsi a militibus, qui Probum audierant imperare, quem omnis exercitus legerat; 3 tantus autem Probus fuit in[te] re militari, ut illum senatus optaret, miles eligeret, ipse p. R. adclamationibus peteret. 4 fuit etiam Florianus morum fratris imitator, nec tamen usque<qua>que. nam effusionem in eo frater frugi reprehendit, e<t> haec ipsa imperandi cupiditas aliis eum moribus ostendit fuisse quam fratrem.

2 finally he scarcely held the imperium for two months and was slain at Tarsus by the soldiers, who had heard that Probus was exercising command, whom the whole army had elected; 3 and so great was Probus in the military sphere that the Senate desired him, the soldier chose him, and the Roman People themselves sought him with acclamations. 4 Florian too was an imitator of his brother’s character, yet not in every respect. For his frugal brother reproved extravagance in him, and this very desire of ruling showed him to have been of other manners than his brother.

5 Duo igitur principes una extiterunt domo, quorum alter sex mensibus, alter vix duobus imperaverunt, quasi quidam interreges inter Aurelianum et Probum. [post interregnum principes nuncupati.]

5 Therefore two emperors emerged from one and the same house, of whom one ruled for six months, the other scarcely for two, as if certain interregents between Aurelian and Probus. [after the interregnum they were called emperors.]

XV. (2) 1 Horum statuae fuerunt Interamnae duae pedum tricenum e marmore, quod illic eorum cenotafia constituta sunt in solo proprio; sed deiectae fulmine ita contritae sunt, ut membratim iaceant dissipatae. 2 quo tempore responsum est ab haruspicibus quandocumque ex eorum familia imperatorem Romanum futurum seu per feminam seu per virum, qui det iudices Parthis ac Persis, qui Francos et [h]Alamannos sub Romanis legibus habeat, qui per omnem Africam barbarum non relinquat, qui Taprobanis praesidem inponat, qui ad Iuvernam insulam proconsulem mittat, qui Sarmatis omnibus iudicet, qui terram omnem, qua Oceano ambitur, captis omnibus gentibus suam faciat, postea tamen senatui reddat imperium et antiquis legibus vivat, ipse victurus annis centum viginti et sine herede moriturus. 3 futurum autem eum dixerunt a die fulminis praecipitati[s] statuisque confractis post annos mille.

15. (2) 1 Their statues at Interamna were two, thirty feet in height, of marble, because there their cenotaphs had been set up on their own soil; but, cast down by a thunderbolt, they were so crushed that they lie scattered piece by piece. 2 At that time it was answered by the haruspices that whenever from their family there would be a Roman emperor, whether through a woman or through a man, he would give judges to the Parthians and Persians, would hold the Franks and the Alamanni under Roman laws, would leave no barbarian through all Africa, would impose a governor upon the Taprobanians, would send a proconsul to the island of Iuverna, would judge for all the Sarmatians, would make all the land which is encircled by Ocean his own, with all nations captured, yet afterwards would restore the imperium to the senate and live by the ancient laws, he himself to live one hundred and twenty years and to die without an heir. 3 And they said that he would be to come after one thousand years from the day when the lightning had hurled down and the statues had been shattered.

4 non magna haec urbanitas haruspicum fuit, qui principem talem post mille annos futurum esse dixerunt, quia, si post centum annos praedicerent, forte possent eorum depr[a]ehendi mendacia ...... pollicentes, cum vix remanere talis possit historia. 5 ego tamen haec idcirco inserenda volumini credidi, ne quis me legens legisse non crederet.

4 this was no great urbanity of the haruspices, who said that such an emperor would be after a thousand years, because, if they were to predict after a hundred years, perhaps their lies could be detected, lies ...... promising, since a history of such a sort can scarcely remain. 5 I, however, for this reason believed these things should be inserted into the volume, lest anyone reading me should not believe that I had read them.

XVI. (3) 1 Tacitus congiarium p. R. intra sex menses vix dedit. 2 imago eius posita est in Quintiliorum in una tabula quinquiplex, in qua semel togatus, semel clamydatus, semel armatus, semel palliatus, semel venatorio habitu.

16. (3) 1 Tacitus scarcely gave a congiary to the Roman People within six months. 2 His image was set up at the Quintilii on a single panel fivefold, in which once he is in a toga, once in a chlamys, once armed, once in a pallium, once in hunting attire.

3 de qua quidam epigrammatarius ita allusit, ut diceret: 'non agnosco senem armatum, non clamydatum' inter cetera, 'sed agnosco togatum.' 4 et Floriani liberi et Taciti multi extiterunt, quorum sunt posteri, credo, millesimum annum expectantes. in quos multa epigrammata {scripta sunt}, qui<bus> iocati sunt aruspices imperium pollicentes. 5 Haec sunt, quae de vita Taciti atque Floriani digna memoratu comper[r]isse <me> memini.

3 about which a certain epigrammatist played thus, as to say: 'I do not recognize the old man armed, not in a chlamys,' among other things, 'but I recognize him in the toga.' 4 and many children of Florian and of Tacitus have appeared, whose descendants, I believe, are awaiting the thousandth year. against whom many epigrams {were written}, in <which> the haruspices, joking, promised imperium. 5 These are the things which about the life of Tacitus and of Florian I remember to have learned as worthy of remembrance.

6 nunc nobis adgrediendus est Probus, vir domi, foris {que} conspicuus, vir Aureliano, Traiano, Hadriano, Antoninis, Alexandro, Claudioque praeferendus, nisi quia in illis varia, in hoc omnia praecipua iunc<tim> fuere, qui post Tacitum omnium iudicio bonorum imperator est factus orbemque terrarum pacatissimum gubernavit, dele[c]tis barbaris gentibus, deletis etiam plurimis tyrannorum, qui eius temporibus extiterunt, de quo dictum est <dignum esse>, ut Probus diceretur, etiamsi Probus nomine non fuisset. quem quidem multi ferunt etiam Sibyllinis libris promissum, qui si diutius fuisset, orbis terrae barbaros non haberet. 7 haec ego in aliorum vita de Probo credidi praelib[er]anda, ne dies, <h>ora, momentum aliquid sibi vindicaret in me necessitate fatali ac Probo indicto deperirem.

6 now we must take up Probus, a man conspicuous at home and abroad, a man to be preferred to Aurelian, Trajan, Hadrian, the Antonines, Alexander, and Claudius—save that in those men the excellences were varied, whereas in this one all were preeminent conjointly—who, after Tacitus, by the judgment of all good men was made emperor and governed the circle of lands most peaceably, with the barbarian nations destroyed, with very many tyrants also destroyed who arose in his times; about whom it was said that he was worthy to be called “Upright,” even if he had not been Probus by name. whom indeed many report to have been even promised in the Sibylline Books, who, if he had lasted longer, the world would not have barbarians. 7 these things I have believed ought to be prelibated about Probus in the life of others, lest day, hour, or moment vindicate something for itself from me by fatal necessity and I should perish with Probus unspoken of.

8 nunc quoniam interim meo studio {satisfeci, claudam istud volumen} satis factum arbitrans studio et cupiditati meae.

8 now, since for the time being I have satisfied my zeal, I shall close this volume, reckoning that enough has been done for my zeal and my desire.

XVII. (4) 1 Omina imperii Tacito haec fuerunt: fanaticus quidam in templo Silvani tensis membris exclamavit: 'tacita purpura, tacita purpura', idque septimo. quod quidem postea omni deputatum est.

17. (4) 1 The omens of imperial power for Tacitus were these: a certain fanatic in the temple of Silvanus, with limbs outstretched, exclaimed: 'silent purple, silent purple,' and that on the seventh; which indeed afterwards was reckoned as an omen.

2 vinum, quo libaturus <Ta>citus fuerat in templo Herculis Fundani, subito purpureum factum est. 3 vitis, qu<a>e uvas Aminnias albas fereba[n]t, eo anno, quo ille imperium meruit, <pur>purascere ...... plurima purpurea facta sunt. 4 mortis omina haec fuerunt: patris sepulchrum {subito} disruptis ianuis se aperuit.

2 the wine, with which Tacitus was about to pour a libation in the temple of Hercules at Fundi, suddenly became purple. 3 A vine which used to bear white Aminnian grapes, in the year in which he obtained the imperium, began to grow purple ...... very many things were made purple. 4 These were omens of death: his father’s tomb, its doors burst asunder, suddenly opened itself.

matris umbra se[m] per diem et Tacito et Floriano velut viventis optulit, nam diversis patribus nati ferebantur. in larario dii omnes seu terrae motu seu casu aliquo conciderunt. 5 imago Apollinis, quae ab his colebatur, ex summo fastigio in lectulo posita sine hominis cuiuspiam manu deprehensa est.

the shade of their mother, continually by day, presented itself both to Tacitus and to Florianus as if of one living, for they were reported to have been born from different fathers. in the lararium all the gods collapsed, whether by an earthquake or by some chance. 5 the image of Apollo, which was worshiped by these men, from the highest gable was found placed on a little couch without the hand of any person detected.

sed quousque ultra progredimur? sunt a quibus ista dicantur. nos ad Probum et ad Probi gesta insignia reseruemus.

But how far further are we advancing? There are those by whom these things may be told. Let us reserve ourselves for Probus and for Probus’s distinguished deeds.

XVIII. (5) 1 Et quoniam me promisi aliquas epistulas esse positurum, quae creato Tacito principe gaudia senatus ostenderent, his additis finem scribendi faciam. 2 epistulae publicae: 'senatus amplissimus curie Carthaginensi salutem dicit.

18. (5) 1 And since I promised that I would set down some letters which would show the joys of the senate when Tacitus was created emperor, with these added I will make an end of writing. 2 public letters: 'the most august senate sends greeting to the Carthaginian curia.'

quod bonum, faustum, felix salutareque sit rei p. orbique Romano, dandi ius imperii, appellandi principis, nuncupandi Augusti ad nos revertit. 3 ad nos igitur referte, quae magna sunt. omnis provocatio prae<fecti> urbis erit, quae tamen a proconsulibus et ab ordinariis iudicibus emerserit.

may it be good, auspicious, fortunate, and health-bringing for the Republic and the Roman world, that the right of giving the imperium, of entitling a Princeps, of naming an Augustus returns to us. 3 therefore refer to us the matters which are great. every appeal will belong to the Prefect of the City, provided it has arisen from the proconsuls and from the ordinary judges.

4 in quo quidem etiam vestram in antiquum statum redisse credimus dignitatem, si quidem primus hic ordo est, qui recipiendo vim suam ius suum ceteris servat.' 5 alia epistula: 'se[r]natus amplissimus curiae Trevirorum. ut estis liberi et semper fuistis, laetari vos credimus. creandi[s] principis iudicium ad senatum redit, simul etiam praefectur<a>e urbanae appellatio universa decreta est.' 6 eodem modo scriptum est Antioc<h>ensibus, Aquileiensibus, Mediolanensibus, Alexandrinis, Thessalonicensibus, Corinthiis et Atheniensibus.

4 in which, indeed, we also believe that your dignity has returned to its ancient state, since this is the first order, which by reclaiming its own vigor preserves its own right for the others.' 5 another letter: 'the most august senate to the curia of the Treveri. As you are free and always have been, we believe you rejoice. The judgment for creating the princeps returns to the senate, and at the same time an appeal in its entirety to the urban prefecture has been decreed.' 6 in the same way it was written to the Antiochenes, Aquileians, Milanese, Alexandrians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, and Athenians.

XIX. (6) 1 Privatae autem epistulae haec fuerunt: 'Autronio lusto patri Autronius Tiberianus salutem. nunc te, pater sancte, interesse decuit senatu amplissimo, nunc sententiam dicere, cum tantum auctoritas amplissimi ordinis creverit, ut rever~~a in antiquum statum rei p. nos principes demus, nos faciamus imperatores, nos denique nuncupemus Augustos.~~

19. (6) 1 But the private letters were these: 'To Autronius Justus the father, Autronius Tiberianus sends greeting. Now it was fitting for you, holy father, to be present at the most ample senate, now to declare your opinion, since the authority of the most ample order has grown so much that, return~~ed into its ancient state, the rep., we grant princes, we make emperors, we, finally, designate Augusti.~~

2 fac igitur ut convalescas, curiae interfuturus antiqu<a>e. nos recepimus ius proconsulare, redierunt ad praefectum urbi appellationes omnium potestatum et omnium dignitatum.' 3 item alia: 'Claudius Sapilianus Cereio M<a>eciano patruo salutem. opti<nui>mus, pater sancte, quod semper optavimus: in antiquum statum senatus revertit. nos principes facimus, nostri ordinis sunt potestates.

2 therefore see to it that you recover, being about to be present at the ancient Curia. We have taken back the proconsular right; appeals from all powers and all dignities have returned to the Prefect of the City.' 3 likewise, another: 'Claudius Sapilianus to his uncle Cereius Maecianus, greetings. We have obtained, holy father, what we have always desired: the senate has reverted into its ancient state. We make the emperors; the powers are of our order.

4 gratias exercitui Romano et vere Romano: reddidit nobis, quam semper habuimus potestatem. 5 abice Ba[t]ianos Puteolanosque secessus, da te urbi, da { te } curiae. floret Roma, floret tota res p.; imperatores damus, principes facimus; possumus et prohibere, qui coepimus facere.

4 thanks to the Roman army, and truly Roman: it has restored to us the power which we have always had. 5 cast off the Ba[t]ian and Puteolan retreats, give yourself to the city, give { yourself } to the curia. Rome flourishes, the whole republic flourishes; we appoint emperors, we make princes; we can also forbid, we who have begun to make.

dictum sapienti sat est.' 6 Longum est omnes epistulas c[u]onectere, quas repperi, quas legi. tantum illud dico senatores omnes ea esse laetitia elatos, ut in domibus suis omnes albas hostias c<a>ederent, imagines frequenter aperi<r>ent, albati sederent, convivia sumptuosiora praeb[en]erent, antiquitatem sibi redditam crederent.

a word to the wise is sufficient.' 6 It is long to connect all the letters which I discovered, which I read. I say only this: that all the senators were lifted up with such joy that in their own houses they slaughtered white victims, they frequently opened the images, they sat clad in white, they offered more sumptuous banquets, they believed that antiquity had been restored to them.